Match Thread: vs Reading (H)

[DavesaRam]

1 hour ago, abertawe_ram said:

Haven't read through the thread to see if this was mentioned anywhere, apologies if it's been raised here or elsewhere.

Was anyone else really disappointed with our fans singing the "we're all having a party" chant. Hoped we might be more sympathetic given recent history. Back when blackpool had issues with their owners I remember us showing some solidarity with their fans, yet last night our loud minority seemed to want to act like d********. During our rough period, there was a lot of posts by fans slating the likes of birmingham, cardiff and other fans who chanted about our club dying. Yet last night the exact same shitty song was used by our fans against another team. 

Maybe its because I have some family in reading a close friend who supports them but it all left a bad taste for me. I was a bit embarrassed by those chants...

i agree in part with you, but a part of the problem is that even while we were still being sledgehammered by the EFL, Reading were getting the kid gloves treatment, and have continued to do so ever since. How they have been able to keep on spending through all this I have no idea, and although that minority singing what they did is unacceptable, it is at least to a small amount understandable.

[Crewton]

1 minute ago, Srg said:

Cheating is cheating, but I do sympathise with not being able to spot this one (I had no clue either watching live), and the offside is up to his linesman. The sending off however... 

If it was Rugby, they'd have had a couple of players yellow carded in the first half and at least one player red carded in the second half. Even in football, a different referee might have sent at least one of their players off much earlier, possibly two, and the whole game might have panned out differently and led to an easier win with no controversy. That's why I'm not particularly bothered if both goals were questionable.

"Well, at least we didn't cheat" didn't feature in anyone's assessment of the 2013/14, or 14/15 seasons did it?

 

[TuffLuff]

1 hour ago, Crewton said:

I remember when Martin was sent off at Burnley and some fans were saying that he was stupid to go down because he wasn't touched. Then a close-up replay showed that the Burnley defender had caught the back of Martin's boot on his standing leg and it was red faces all round.

That's why I don't think it's worth trying to work out whether the decisions were correct or not when the available replays aren't conclusive and the officials didn't have a clear view of the incident anyway.

Earlier in the season, we had Rebecca Welch giving a late penalty award against us v Wycombe when replays showed she couldn't possibly have had a clear view of any contact and neither could the lino, but they gave the award anyway probably because "it looked LIKELY that Ward had clipped the attacker sufficiently firmly to bring him down". Yesterday's key decisions were, for me, of a similar nature. The ref believed he'd seen contact on Hourihane, and probably couldn't see any contact between Gayle's hand and the ball. 

IMO Yiadom paid the price for his own behaviour throughout the game and it was a fitting punishment who got away with some dreadful tackles and acts far darker than anything DCFC players got away with, and the Reading keeper got what his rash behaviour deserved, much like Wildsmith at Oxford.

I think with all three key decisions, they are about us putting the pressure on and making a struggling side make a panic. With that you force the officials to make decisions. An attacking ball between the defence and keeper against a high line (and looo how high that defensive line is!) Our press which causes Yiadom to stick a leg out in hope because he’s not positioned correctly. The keeper coming to that area in his box and Gayle having a turn of pace over the last 5 yards to beat him to the ball.

Refs won’t get every decision right but Reading didn’t help themselves because they got themselves in a daft position each time. Some of that is about what Derby did but some of it is down to being daft 

[Foreveram]

12 hours ago, Bris Vegas said:

Did you watch the game at PP? We sofa fans had the benefit of replays.

Both yellows for their defender were ridiculous. One for handball when it hit him from two hards away, the second Hourihane dived.

Gayle also handled the ball for the penalty.

Gayle’s opening goal looked offside too.

Did you watch the game at Bolton away, same ref, did you watch last seasons away game at Plymouth, same ref.

[sage]

5 minutes ago, Foreveram said:

Did you watch the game at Bolton away, same ref, did you watch last seasons away game at Plymouth, same ref.

[DRBee]

1 hour ago, G STAR RAM said:

Nah let's call things out for what they are. Hourihane cheated by diving to get his opponent sent off.

If we are going to be critical of officials all the time, let's also be critical of the players who are making their job even harder by trying to con them.

That said, these things do even themselves out over a season and I think we've still got some in the bank.

Did you criticise Jason Knight when he was falling about all over the pitch to get us a free kick , or more distantly Chris Martins antics? Don't think you can say that diving is a feature of Hourihane's game and  doubt he couldn't have foreseen that a sending off would result   ( if it had been in the penalty area perhaps).

There is a big total of fouls against us this season when opposition players have dropped to the floor after zero or minimal contact.

[G STAR RAM]

5 minutes ago, DRBee said:

Did you criticise Jason Knight when he was falling about all over the pitch to get us a free kick , or more distantly Chris Martins antics? Don't think you can say that diving is a feature of Hourihane's game and  doubt he couldn't have foreseen that a sending off would result   ( if it had been in the penalty area perhaps).

There is a big total of fouls against us this season when opposition players have dropped to the floor after zero or minimal contact.

Yes I did, and Jamie Ward too. Cheating is cheating no matter who is doing it.

I wouldn't really say its a feature of Hourinhane's game either but on this occasion he dived to win and free kick and as a result their player was sent off.

I don't care if people want to condone and say its part of the game, as long as the same people aren't then complaining when it happens to us.

Personally, for me, it spoils the game.

[jimtastic56]

31 minutes ago, Srg said:

Cheating is cheating, but I do sympathise with not being able to spot this one (I had no clue either watching live), and the offside is up to his linesman. The sending off however... 

Dwight Gayle apologised after the game for the way he “Won “ the penalty . A few years ago he got a 2 game retrospective  ban for winning a penalty v Florists with a superb Bunny Hop. Don’t even think about it EFL . 

[Walkley Ram]

36 minutes ago, Jimbo Ram said:

Our first goal looked offside and the penalty dubious….maybe the EFL directive to refs re the Rams has softened a bit….what do you reckon Dave 😉

I'm also waiting for the @DavesaRamref report

[nottingram]

33 minutes ago, Srg said:

Cheating is cheating, but I do sympathise with not being able to spot this one (I had no clue either watching live), and the offside is up to his linesman. The sending off however... 

Yiadom’s first yellow was for an accumulation, in the first half he pulled someone back while already on a yellow which was given as a foul so he really had very little rope left by the second half. It’s two soft yellows in isolation, Hourihane plays for the second one but he does lunge in a little and if you are going to make 5 fouls in about an hour of football you’re asking for it really. 

I think the ref was quite swayed by the crowd though. Seemed to take a long time for him to get his card out once he’d blown up for a foul, on more than one occasion. 

[Animal is a Ram]

6 minutes ago, Crewton said:

If I had a pound for every time a poster had complained about our players being "too soft" or "naive" or where a poster has complained that we aren't canny enough to employ the "dark arts" I'd have enough money to adequately compensate those posters who are offended when we do beat an opponent at their own game for once, and still have enough left to buy a decent centre forward 😉

I was thinking very much the same. The writing was on the wall from this ref as soon as he started booking players - and while we did benefit from some contentious decisions, it's about damn time. Especially from this referee and the Wildsmith red, and the Plymouth pen from last season.

Speaking of dark arts though, was getting mighty tired of one of the Reading players (Azeez, I think) standing really close on Cashin's throw-ins - anyone know the rules on this? 

 

[DavesaRam]

It was great getting home last night having watched 90 minutes of football instead of a few minutes of footy and the rest of "kick and rush" percentages play!" People said that Saturday was the best we've played all season - I couldn't watch it, and won't justify having to pay for the full 90 video. But last night I think was at least as good - the best I've seen all season, for sure! Well Done You Rams!

There are lots of opinions about the ref, and guess what? I've got one as well! He was absolutely awful, but I am also sure that he was very aware of his past demeanours. Because it wasn't only the Wildsmith red card against Bolton - he turned down clear penalty shouts as well. But he was also guilty in the away match at Plymouth last season, with a penalty against us for a non-foul outside the box, and again 2, maybe even 3 clear penalty shouts turned down. He has cost us 6 points and a big goal difference swing against, so he had to be "careful". Even so, last night he did very little about Reading's own "dark arts" until later on, and in the end their tactics were their own downfall. So Sybley getting clattered and not even a free-kick very early on, plus the non-red card for the Gayle foul got me worried, but showed Reading's game plan to stifle and disrupt and hopeful nick a point. How sad. The red card was the result of persistence - there were cynical and even nasty challenge going on all match long, which should have resulted in a lot more yellow cards than did happen, and as has been said, more than just the one red card. I could be forgiven for thinking that Don Revie had come back to life and gone to Reading as a "dark arts consultant".

So did Hourihane dive? Maybe, but as we saw with Bradley for their goal, it doesn't take much of a contact to put a person off their stride, so given the dirty nature of Reading's play, a kick on Hourihane's heel may well have happened. And while our first goal may have been offside, the penalty was the right decision. Anyway, that's enough about the buffoon in the middle.

As many have side there was only one side going for the win, and the result was well deserved. I was surprised by how early the substitutions happened, and also pleased that, although it may have changed our play, it didn't affect our control of the match. I was also well impressed with how we saw the game out. We did maybe sit back a little at the end, but instead of hiding around our own penalty area and saying "Come and get us" we carried on playing, and used the ball to make Reading run around chasing us. It was very measured and very controlled - well done, you Rams! I was sad that Sibley got himself his first silly booking of the season, but he had just been clattered (again) with nothing given, so went and got his own retribution. But he played well again. I don't know who got the official Man of the Match, but I would give it to Barkhuisen, who was awesome. Since he came back into the team its been like having a new signing!

So bring on the Bolton. I know they got a hatful, but benefitted from some awful defending and a luck deflection, and one well-worked goal. Well be Orl Rite!

Lets Do This!!

[Ian Buxton's Bat]

3 hours ago, Rich84 said:

This feigning injuries by goal keepers is getting beyond a joke, and annoyingly, I have to agree with this, but they can stop them having a mass team meeting with the coaching staff, maybe allow no more than 2 players to go over for a quick word.

I absolutely agree with you in principle but, to be fair, their keeper absolutely smacked into the post when he saved Ward's free kick.

 

[trappatoni]

Re the pen for me the ref got it right.  Ok Ive only rewatched it on my phone but it looks to me like Gayle is taken out and if his arm touches the ball it's as a result of that.    If someone has a slo-mo/still to prove different fair enough. 

Edited March 13 by trappatoni

[trappatoni]

2 hours ago, VulcanRam said:

Totally agree. Embarrassing and unnecessary. Makes us every bit as classless and stupid as Birmingham, which I hoped I'd never have to say. Thankfully not many joined in, it was just the usual meatheads who can't wait to have a go at our own fans if the atmosphere dips.

It's just panto - couldn't give a **** when it was sung at us and happy for people to sing it at Reading - who I believe sang similar at us.   It's a football match not a love-in. 

[G STAR RAM]

11 minutes ago, DavesaRam said:

It was great getting home last night having watched 90 minutes of football instead of a few minutes of footy and the rest of "kick and rush" percentages play!"

Didn't the penalty come from a long ball into the channels? 

I thought we went long far too often after they went down to ten men actually.

It's amazing how results can change people's perception of the game!

[DavesaRam]

4 minutes ago, G STAR RAM said:

Didn't the penalty come from a long ball into the channels? 

I thought we went long far too often after they went down to ten men actually.

It's amazing how results can change people's perception of the game!

We might have gone long from then on, but we were being very clever, because we were playing the ball around from one side of the pitch to the other making Reading run around chasing the ball and tiring them out so that mistakes come later on in the match. Kudos to the Rams! Last night was the best game management I've seen from us for some time!

[Redshaw_Ram]

Thoroughly enjoyed last night. Adams is already proving to be one of the very best signings we have made in recent memory.

Cashin will be playing in the Premier League for the 2025-26 season. Hopefully with us.

[Mucker1884]

4 hours ago, IlsonDerby said:

... but really should have been 2/3 up by half time. 

Totally agree... and that's my ONLY negative from the whole evening.

My predicted comfortable win and relaxed evening (for the fans) would then have come to fruition.

That aside, it was a cracking game... and there ain't been many of late... so my buzz remains fully buzzing for Saturday... I'll take more of the same.  Needs must!  🐏

[Comrade 86]

1 hour ago, Stockport Ram said:

The irony was that I was merely agreeing with you - we don’t expect them to be perfect all the time, but if we say that Gayle is different class at this level (ie:praise) then there’s nothing innately wrong in pointing out a mistake. I certainly don’t HATE Bradley for it, that’s daft. He’s rehabilitated himself well after a nightmare start, and PW deserves enormous credit for getting the timing of his reintroduction right.

That’s what I call balance, I hope you agree.

Well first off, I didn't call you a hater. You took it upon yourself to jump into a convo I was having with another poster, so quite why you felt the need to get involved when I literally didn't even know you existed before your rather patronising response, only you will know. And frankly, if you're still laying all the blame at Sonny's door despite the shove being there for all to see and the errors from Sibs and Joe being inarguable, then I don't think you'd know "balance" if it leapt up and kicked you in the teeth.

Anyway, that's enough of that. Being a "balanced" kind of guy, I'd rather just celebrate the win and stay positive, than exercise my right to purportedly balanced criticism at every conceivable opportunity, but that's just me I guess. Second place, all to play for and Bradley a certainty to start the next game. Them's the facts. We move on.