SIGNED: Alex Pearce

[Gary Teale]

Ok but my point is not dissimilar being that Clement, through that Real network, will have a much better idea, or will have some access to a dossier of Albentosa's strengths and weaknesses than many of us humble Ram fans who have seen him just a few times. I still think that whatever conclusion Clement comes to regarding Albentosa is key to who will be coming or going this summer.

​Have you listened to Clements press conference? He as you would expect has said in the next month he will be doing lots of research on all the players and watching previous games. He will do that with everyone and then I am sure he will get all the players in and see how they perform. I don't know why you keep going on about Albentosa over the others.

[Dai Capp]

Hughes bad pass, Albentosa not awake, Keogh shouldn't have dived in. All in all that first Reading goal was a proper clusterf*ck...

[Curtains]

Hughes bad pass, Albentosa not awake, Keogh shouldn't have dived in. All in all that first Reading goal was a proper clusterf*ck...

Give the forward credit though he did great from a perfect through ball by Hughes  

If Johnny Russell did that from Hughes pass you would be saying that's great attacking play. 

 

[Shuff264]

It was completely Hughes fault, you could tell that he knew it from his reaction when it went in.

[Curtains]

It was completely Hughes fault, you could tell that he knew it from his reaction when it went in.

There's no doubt it's not even debatable and Hughes and Hendrick were poor in the corner for Readings penalty. 

Their man should never have got away from the corner flag 

 

[Posh Ram]

Blimey, I did get a bit carried away there didn't I.  What was I thinking. Bloody Spain being somehow forward thinking at football. Bl**dy Dagos have no idea when I think about it. Clement would have only seen him when they played Eibar, because they don't do scouting or match preparation over there. They haven't even had Matchos of the Deyo on over there, because they have no TVs either.  I spoke to one of my Spanish mates about you, and he said you were a Pinche Idiota. Not sure what that means, but even though he is from a backward land my guess is that he isn't too far away from the mark.

​

[Scott129]

​I think your imagination is in overload to lay some blame where there was none. Hughes played a poor pass that played the Reading player through. No hesitation from Albentosa, he was at a starting point 2 metres further away from the pass than the Reading player was. Albentosa did the right thing in going round the back of Keogh who only had to hold the forward up. Just delay him for a couple of seconds, just stay on his feet square on to him, give him the option of going to the line or put it back across the goal where Albentosa was. What Keogh thought was a better idea was to go sliding past the forward on his ass and give him a free shot. Two seasons running in vital games that man has let the team down with his ineptitude. I can forgive Hughes for the lousy pass; he doesn't make many, but my God!!! Keogh behaved like a 12 year old with his defending.

​Yep, all Keogh's fault. Just as every goal we've ever conceded is. Beyond tiresome now 

The fault lies directly on Hughes' doorstep. Our defenders shouldn't have even been in that situation but that was a shocking pass.

[eddie]

Hughes bad pass, Albentosa not awake, Keogh shouldn't have dived in. All in all that first Reading goal was a proper clusterf*ck...

​It epitomised the last 2 or 3 months of the season.

[robglosta]

I've looked at it totally Hughes fault. 

 

​Wow, what an unwelcome reminder of the abject failure of the final 10 games. 

[bcnram]

​Yep, all Keogh's fault. Just as every goal we've ever conceded is. Beyond tiresome now 

The fault lies directly on Hughes' doorstep. Our defenders shouldn't have even been in that situation but that was a shocking pass.

Can't deny that it was a sloppy but perfect pass to their forward. 

I am not a fan of Keogh, I hope that doesn't show through too much. :-)

[We'll be back in 81]

Soŕry i think i am on the wrong thread, i thought this one was about Alex Pearce.

[eddie]

Soŕry i think i am on the wrong thread, i thought this one was about Alex Pearce.

​Yes, too many taking the Pearce.

[needles]

​We clearly not going to agree on Richard 'Mr Disaster' Keogh'. Once the Reading player got free of Raul - as he should have done given the start he had - he became Keogh's man. I am hoping that once the new head coach sees the Reading game and others such as the Chelsea game, he puts Keogh straight onto the 'not required' list. I am happy that I am 100% correct with my assessment.

​...but Bucko still cleans everything out there and stops the problem at source. Albentosa, when put under pressure, did nothing. I disagree bout Keogh too.

 

Still, boring old world if we all agreed on everything.

[needles]

Soŕry i think i am on the wrong thread, i thought this one was about Alex Pearce.

​It is. I know **** all about him, except I've seen him play 3 or 4 times and never been shocked by how bad or impressed with how good he was. About the same as most of us by the look of it.

[rynny]

​We clearly not going to agree on Richard 'Mr Disaster' Keogh'. Once the Reading player got free of Raul - as he should have done given the start he had - he became Keogh's man. I am hoping that once the new head coach sees the Reading game and others such as the Chelsea game, he puts Keogh straight onto the 'not required' list. I am happy that I am 100% correct with my assessment.

You can't blame Keogh for both the Chelsea 1st goal and Reading's 1st goal.

If Keogh is at fault for the Chelsea 1st goal because he gave the ball away then Hughes is at fault for the Reading goal because when Keogh gave the ball away against Chelsea by the time ball got into our box the 3 other defenders covering but did nothing to stop Hazard, the same as Keogh for the Reading goal. If Keogh is at fault for the Reading goal then Buxton ( ) Forsyth and Christie are to blame for the Chelsea goal.

[rynny]

Anyway back on topic of Pearce, I came across this article on Twitter.

http://thetilehurstend.sbnation.com/2014-15-analysis-opinion/2015/6/4/8727133/john-terry-alex-pearce-reading-fc-derby-county

So it seems as if Alex Pearce's time at the Madejski Stadium has come to and end. After more than 200 games and well over a decade at Reading, the Oxford born defender will be making the move to Championship rivals Derby.

Judging by social media, a large portion of Reading fans aren't really bothered about his departure with a Get Reading poll hovering around the 50/50 mark as to whether fans are sad to see him go. However for me it's gutting that someone who had the potential to be a club legend is leaving with such a resigned whimper.

I've covered Pearce's history in detail here but the one quote that's followed him around was made by former Reading boss Brendan Rodgers who compared the then 20-year-old to Chelsea's John Terry. In many ways you could justify those comparisons. Both were young natural leaders who had a similar playing style but the talk from Rodgers was foolish in the context of trying to lower expectations for a player who'd barely played 50 games at Championship level.

Sure enough Reading struggled under Rodgers in 2009 with Pearce captaining a very young and inexperienced side that soon found themselves in a relegation battle. Brendan's sacking allowed Brian McDermott to come in and take the pressure off Pearce but the young defender also saw his place in the team slip away from him as well.

It wouldn't be until the 2011/12 season that Pearce would truly establish himself as a first choice defender and he took the responsibility well, being voted Player of the Season in a Championship winning campaign.

So how has Pearce gone from a Player of the Season in one of the club's best ever campaigns to having 50% of the fanbase not care if he's gone? For me it's down to one man....

Anton Zingarevich.

He may have only been in charge of the club for 18 months but the Russian's legacy is going to last a long, long time in Berkshire and not for the best of reasons. Anton's arrival saw the club's previously modest wage structure blown up as he sought to play Championship Manager with money that he never really had. As soon as he took over, big contracts were handed out to Jason Roberts, Jimmy Kebe,Adam Federici and Jem Karacan - not to mention a raft of free transfers likePavel Pogrebnyak and Danny Guthrie. Yet despite all the spending, Pearce's contract was never addressed despite it having just 12 months to run. By the time they did come to talk the defender's stock had risen to the point where he expected to be offered similar money to the new arrivals and yet Reading were reluctant to pay it, or even sit down with him.

That all led to the farcical situation of Brian McDermott being told by the ownership to play a clearly past itKaspars Gorkss or an inexperiencedSean Morrison ahead of Pearce in the Premier League and predictably results didn't go so well. With relegation becoming an almost certainty, Pearce was allowed back in from the cold and shockingly, results improved. Yet by the end of the season the Republic of Ireland international was once again riding the bench and seemingly on his way out of the club, with teams such as Liverpool being touted as landing points.

For whatever reason the purse strings did open that summer and Pearce re-signed but from that point on he was never really the same player and some fans never forgave him. He'd gone from club captain to being behind the likes ofDanny Guthrie in the armband pecking order and he never looked fully comfortable alongside Sean Morrison at the back. Sure he had his moments, such as the stepover at Doncaster but if you ask Reading fans to name a memorable Pearce moment from the past two seasons, I don't think you'll have too many suggestions thrown at you.

So why are fans so happy to see him go? I'll admit he wasn't the quickest defender, with my TTE Podcast co-host Westy once describing him as having the 'turning circle of a planet' nor was he the most graceful on the ball. However Pearce was dependable at doing the simple things, good in the air, a decent threat from set pieces and genuinely seemed to love the club he'd been at for most of his lifetime. In fact if you looked at his statistics in terms of clean sheets, league finishes and goals he's up there with the club's most successful central defenders of the modern era alongside recognised legends such as Ivar Ingimarrson, Ady Williams and even Martin Hicks.

In the end I just think expectations have been too high for Pearce and his reputation never really recovered from the contract saga of 2012/13. Unfortunately the deal he did get 12 months later was on terms just not sustainable for a Championship side looking to rebuild and you can't fault a player for wanting to maximise his earnings as he enters his peak years.

While I don't think he'll ever reach the level of John Terry, I can certainly see him leading a team in the Premier League and having a very good career at that level. Sometimes a change of scenery is all a player needs to really find his feet again and I hope that Alex finds that at the iPro Stadium. So if this is the end Mr Pearce, you have my very best wishes and thanks for the memories, you'll be very welcome back at the Madejski any time.

[Ambitious]

​Do you not think the pass was intended for Warnock who simply lets the ball run by him?

​It was probably meant for Warnock but it wasn't anywhere near him, and it didn't have enough power to receive cleanly. 

I'd say Hughes should carry 90% of the blame for that and Albentosa 10% for just not killing the danger - although it looks like that may have been a difficult task on its own.

[eddie]

​It was probably meant for Warnock but it wasn't anywhere near him, and it didn't have enough power to receive cleanly. 

I'd say Hughes should carry 90% of the blame for that and Albentosa 10% for just not killing the danger - although it looks like that may have been a difficult task on its own.

​Perhaps as Derby fans we should re-define the 'hospital pass' and call it the 'morgue pass' - the logic behind that being that when Albentosa receives one, fans can instantly dismiss him and his ability to deal with it by saying 'you are dead to me'.

[cosmic]

He's signed:

 

 

Derby County have signed Republic of Ireland international defender Alex Pearce.

The 26-year-old central defender has signed a three-year deal ahead of the expiry of his contract at fellow Sky Bet Championship side Reading at the end of this month.

A product of the Academy set-up at Reading, Pearce wore the captain’s armband for the Royals.

He also experienced promotion to the Premier League at the Madejski Stadium and also has top flight experience to his name.

Head Coach Paul Clement said: “Alex Pearce is an experienced central defender and we’re very pleased to have him signed.

“He is strong, physical and an international footballer as well so he has lot of good qualities.” 

Born in Wallingford, Pearce progressed through the youth system at Reading and signed a three-year professional contract in 2006.

He made his debut in 2007 for the Royals before moving out on loan to Northampton Town in League 1 towards the end of the 2006/07 season to gain match experience.

In 2007/08 Pearce, in addition to handful of appearances for Reading, he spent time on loan at AFC Bournemouth and Norwich City in League 1 and the Championship.

During the 2008/09 season, following another loan spell, this time at Southampton, Pearce became more established in the Reading side as the side reached the Championship Play-Offs but were beaten by Burnley at the Semi Final stage.

He made 23 and 24 appearances over the 2009/10 and 2010/11 seasons for Reading before being a near ever-present as the Royals achieved promotion to the Premier League in 2011/12, a season in which Pearce was named as Player of the Season.

In 2012/13, Pearce featured on 21 occasions for Reading in the Premier League before remaining a key player in the 2013/14 and the 2014/15 campaigns, firmly establishing himself as the leader in the Royals camp.

In addition to starring for Reading, Pearce has been capped on five occasions by the Republic of Ireland. He made his debut against Oman in September 2012 and he marked the occasion in style by scoring in a 4-1 victory. 

Ironically, he scored his second goal for his country against the same opposition in September 2014.

Read more at http://www.dcfc.co.uk/news/article/derby-county-sign-republic-of-ireland-international-alex-pearce-2485573.aspx#uKoPjUzWJ3RREwrT.99

[Milbs]

Super stuff! Keep them coming!