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**** Brighton & Hove Albion v Reading **** Official Match Thread
- Thread starter perseus
- Start date
SULLY COULDNT SHOOT
Loyal2Family+Albion!
Got visitors over tonight but NOTHING is keeping me from this game. Missed last Friday because of my birthday and will miss this Sat for my daughter's birthday
- Thread starter
- #23
TEAM NEWS
Midfielder Matt Sparrow has completed a two-match ban and is available for Brighton against Reading.
Fellow midfielder Liam Bridcutt remains suspended, while youngster Abdul Razak has gone back to Manchester City after Gary Dicker proved his fitness.
Reading will be without midfielder Jem Karacan because of a broken ankle suffered in the victory over Leeds.
Adam Le Fondre scored twice in the win and is pushing for a start, but midfielder Jay Tabb (rib) is a doubt.
BBC Sport - Brighton v Reading
Midfielder Matt Sparrow has completed a two-match ban and is available for Brighton against Reading.
Fellow midfielder Liam Bridcutt remains suspended, while youngster Abdul Razak has gone back to Manchester City after Gary Dicker proved his fitness.
Reading will be without midfielder Jem Karacan because of a broken ankle suffered in the victory over Leeds.
Adam Le Fondre scored twice in the win and is pushing for a start, but midfielder Jay Tabb (rib) is a doubt.
BBC Sport - Brighton v Reading
daib0
New member
Lots of snippets coming up:
The Argus
El-Abd on Royals mission
El-Abd on Royals mission From The Argus)
Daily Echo
Reading are best team in Championship - Poyet
Reading are best team in Championship - Poyet From Daily Echo)
Reading Chronicle
Injured Karacan urges team-mates to secure promotion
Injured Karacan urges team-mates to secure promotion / Reading Chronicle / Sport / Reading FC
The World Game
Federici keen to build on Leeds win
Federici keen to build on Leeds win : The World Game on SBS
The Tilehurst End
View From The Town End The Tilehurst End
View From The Town End – Brighton (A)
Not sure if this should be here, or in another thread: but if Reading win tomorrow they will have picked up 18 more points than Southampton in the last 25 games.
BBC Sport - Reading 1-2 Cardiff
You’ve got to admit, that’s outstanding!!!
The Argus
El-Abd on Royals mission
El-Abd on Royals mission From The Argus)
Daily Echo
Reading are best team in Championship - Poyet
Reading are best team in Championship - Poyet From Daily Echo)
Reading Chronicle
Injured Karacan urges team-mates to secure promotion
Injured Karacan urges team-mates to secure promotion / Reading Chronicle / Sport / Reading FC
The World Game
Federici keen to build on Leeds win
Federici keen to build on Leeds win : The World Game on SBS
The Tilehurst End
View From The Town End The Tilehurst End
View From The Town End – Brighton (A)
Not sure if this should be here, or in another thread: but if Reading win tomorrow they will have picked up 18 more points than Southampton in the last 25 games.
BBC Sport - Reading 1-2 Cardiff
You’ve got to admit, that’s outstanding!!!
Silent Bob
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
- Dec 6, 2004
- 22,172
MattBackHome
Well-known member
- Jul 7, 2003
- 11,878
Dicker needs a big game tonight if we're going to get anything, IMO
Can't wait.
Can't wait.
Mr Smggles
Well-known member
Silent Bob
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
- Dec 6, 2004
- 22,172
Yes, but they've edited Gus' actual comments to whip up the Southampton fans and get more hits.
- Thread starter
- #29
Albion's Disciplinary Record 2011-12 True facts 9 April 2012
fouls committed - 412
average per game - 10.05
fouls suffered - 537
average per game - 13.10
yellow cards - 83 Opposition 100
red cards - 8 Opposition 3
cf. Reading
fouls committed - 421
average per game - 10.27
fouls suffered - 389
average per game - 9.49
yellow cards - 53 opposition 72
red cards - 0 opposition 5
But the most important stats are the goalscoring/defending:
Albion:
Shots on target - 183
Goals scored - 49
% shots scored - 26.78
Opp Shots on target - 221
Opp Goals scored - 42
% Opp shots scored - 19.00
Reading:
Shots on target - 221
Goals scored - 62
% shots scored - 28.05
Opp Shots on target - 216
Opp Goals scored - 36
% Opp shots scored - 16.67
In short Reading have got a clinical attack and mean defence.
Neither side are hit and hopers though.
Some teams (like Burnley) create a lot of goal attempts because they wastefully give the ball away by shooting from long range, because nothing else is on.
Reading play 4-4-2 which is easier for the players, a rather rigid system (at times), but no doubt effective in the Championship. The criticism is that it results in less goal attempts than 4-3-3, but if the % of goals scored per attempt is high, it works very well. If the forwards can't shoot for toffee it means a lot of home draws for starters (like Liverpool: we had to score for them!).
I think the Albion will play their normal 4-3-3 (sort of) but they will want our best defending winger at the start so he can tuck in (interiore) to make a 4-4-2 at times, so this means Craig Noone to start and Will Buckley, Gaii Assulin (in case Vicente gets injured) and Kazenga Lualua on the bench (I think) with Vicente playing. My choice of our most clinical finishers are Craig Maskall-Smith (on a good day) and nothing to choose between Barnes and Vokes, but I prefer Barnes to be better on the same wavelength as his team mates (by that I mean mostly Vicente). Vincelot on the bench in acase we need to hold on to a lead with two holding midfielders? Maybe not if Dicker is playing, because he can hold on to the ball (possession play is better than the deep defence). We need a reserve defender more than a reserve keeper, and it will not be Dunk (cause Reading are not hoofers, but Dunk played soundly against Newcastle) so it could be Reyes (not that he has been playing well?). Or it could be Vokes on the bench as we need wins?
Recent weaknesses have been when we are attacking and get caught in a breakaway (sometimes from our own corners). And when our defence from corners goes awry (should we play zonal?). The way Reading played at West Ham and they can exploit weaknesses that I could not even see.
I think we are good enought to win, but Reading are on a roll. But they may be thinking more of their next match against Southampton?
Albion team (forecast):
Brezovan
Calderon, Greer, El Abd, Mattock
Navarro, Dicker, Noone
Vicente, Mackail-Smith, Barnes
Subs: Vokes, Assulin, Buckley, Kazenga, Vincelot (no keeper)
fouls committed - 412
average per game - 10.05
fouls suffered - 537
average per game - 13.10
yellow cards - 83 Opposition 100
red cards - 8 Opposition 3
cf. Reading
fouls committed - 421
average per game - 10.27
fouls suffered - 389
average per game - 9.49
yellow cards - 53 opposition 72
red cards - 0 opposition 5
But the most important stats are the goalscoring/defending:
Albion:
Shots on target - 183
Goals scored - 49
% shots scored - 26.78
Opp Shots on target - 221
Opp Goals scored - 42
% Opp shots scored - 19.00
Reading:
Shots on target - 221
Goals scored - 62
% shots scored - 28.05
Opp Shots on target - 216
Opp Goals scored - 36
% Opp shots scored - 16.67
In short Reading have got a clinical attack and mean defence.
Neither side are hit and hopers though.
Some teams (like Burnley) create a lot of goal attempts because they wastefully give the ball away by shooting from long range, because nothing else is on.
Reading play 4-4-2 which is easier for the players, a rather rigid system (at times), but no doubt effective in the Championship. The criticism is that it results in less goal attempts than 4-3-3, but if the % of goals scored per attempt is high, it works very well. If the forwards can't shoot for toffee it means a lot of home draws for starters (like Liverpool: we had to score for them!).
I think the Albion will play their normal 4-3-3 (sort of) but they will want our best defending winger at the start so he can tuck in (interiore) to make a 4-4-2 at times, so this means Craig Noone to start and Will Buckley, Gaii Assulin (in case Vicente gets injured) and Kazenga Lualua on the bench (I think) with Vicente playing. My choice of our most clinical finishers are Craig Maskall-Smith (on a good day) and nothing to choose between Barnes and Vokes, but I prefer Barnes to be better on the same wavelength as his team mates (by that I mean mostly Vicente). Vincelot on the bench in acase we need to hold on to a lead with two holding midfielders? Maybe not if Dicker is playing, because he can hold on to the ball (possession play is better than the deep defence). We need a reserve defender more than a reserve keeper, and it will not be Dunk (cause Reading are not hoofers, but Dunk played soundly against Newcastle) so it could be Reyes (not that he has been playing well?). Or it could be Vokes on the bench as we need wins?
Recent weaknesses have been when we are attacking and get caught in a breakaway (sometimes from our own corners). And when our defence from corners goes awry (should we play zonal?). The way Reading played at West Ham and they can exploit weaknesses that I could not even see.
I think we are good enought to win, but Reading are on a roll. But they may be thinking more of their next match against Southampton?
Albion team (forecast):
Brezovan
Calderon, Greer, El Abd, Mattock
Navarro, Dicker, Noone
Vicente, Mackail-Smith, Barnes
Subs: Vokes, Assulin, Buckley, Kazenga, Vincelot (no keeper)
- Jul 7, 2003
- 47,641
Arse. I forgot they had McAnuff playing for them. Hope he pulls a hamstring early on.
On the subject of Reading/Saints, I can see where Poyet is coming from. The table at the end of 46 games will tell the truth of course, but Reading seemed pretty clinical when we played them at Christmas time. Whereas Saints fell apart once Lambert was taken out of the equation at the Amex.
Reading seem to be more of a team, with few stars, whereas SFC appear to rely on Lambert so much, they're half the team without him.
On the subject of Reading/Saints, I can see where Poyet is coming from. The table at the end of 46 games will tell the truth of course, but Reading seemed pretty clinical when we played them at Christmas time. Whereas Saints fell apart once Lambert was taken out of the equation at the Amex.
Reading seem to be more of a team, with few stars, whereas SFC appear to rely on Lambert so much, they're half the team without him.
- Thread starter
- #31
Reading look like they have a strong team based on a sound defence and an established pattern of play, but they do not look particularly dangerous 
BBC SPORT Reading
I do not know what their Polish midfielder is like? I think we just have to play our normal game, be patient and do not over-reach ourselves. We are the team with the dangerous players. There will be a struggle for midfield dominance and like the Middlesbrough game, neither team will come out on top and it will be down to finishing on the day.
BBC SPORT Reading
I do not know what their Polish midfielder is like? I think we just have to play our normal game, be patient and do not over-reach ourselves. We are the team with the dangerous players. There will be a struggle for midfield dominance and like the Middlesbrough game, neither team will come out on top and it will be down to finishing on the day.
Quite a mixture of predictions on their forum, some surprisingly negative ones.
http://hobnob.royals.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=112682&st=0&sk=t&sd=a
http://hobnob.royals.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=112682&st=0&sk=t&sd=a
middletoenail
Well-known member
I hate Jobi McAnuff, he destroyed El-Abd on boxing day, hopefully Calderon will fare better. I really can't see anything other than a Reading win, 0-2.
- Thread starter
- #34
The only thing a least bit worrying is that McDermott might have a "trick up his sleeve". The opposition get lots of cards against them and they have NOT had a player sent off this season.
Who is he? Tomasz Cywka - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Substitute?
Last edited:
deletebeepbeepbeep
Well-known member
- May 12, 2009
- 21,806
A matchday thread on a day that wasn't a match day. What a shambles, were loose.
- Thread starter
- #37
Time to ring some Changes
It has to be, because of the poll. 24 hours before the match minimum.
It has to be, because of the poll. 24 hours before the match minimum.
Thunder Bolt
Silly old bat
We don't need a poll as Steve Foster does that for every match.
deletebeepbeepbeep
Well-known member
- May 12, 2009
- 21,806
Can they not be put in seperate threads? What happened to the Steve Foster prediction threads? And can we bring back bring back bryan wade?
severnside gull
Well-known member
Last year we had an exceptional run with consistent match day thread starters and format. It's now a complete shambles starting too early and with no focus - I (officially) despair. It has blown our season out of the water 
That said I'm going for a draw tonight - I think it will be closer than their current form suggests and at the end of the day a draw keeps us there or thereabouts. I fancy us against West Ham much more - I think we will get a result there.
My main concern is what winger to start with. Whoever it is will (based on the whole season to date) underperform while the winger coming on in the second half has a more than evens chance of scoring. On that basis we will hopefully start with Noone and bring Buckley and LuaLua on in the second half as both have better scoring records.
That said I'm going for a draw tonight - I think it will be closer than their current form suggests and at the end of the day a draw keeps us there or thereabouts. I fancy us against West Ham much more - I think we will get a result there.
My main concern is what winger to start with. Whoever it is will (based on the whole season to date) underperform while the winger coming on in the second half has a more than evens chance of scoring. On that basis we will hopefully start with Noone and bring Buckley and LuaLua on in the second half as both have better scoring records.