Reading v Fulham – Reading fan Chat

[daib0]

A very warm hello to all Cottagers from Royals Rendezvous ... look, just to let you know we've prepared a very detailed match presentation on the Reading v Fulham  game from our Reading forum, and the fullest respect shown to FULHAM from our friendly site with full information produced equally for both sets of fans – but in all honesty far, FAR more on your team.

It's here:  http://royalsrendezvous.co.uk/topic/9742845/1

And a fine mention is given of your forum as the unofficial site suggestion ... trust me, our members love to hear what other fans have to say, there are no 'Wums' on RR. It would be really interesting for us to have any comments underneath from you. I know some people don't particularly like other fans producing a shopping list of questions to answer, and I perfectly understand that, so I leave any comments freely and totally with you.
But if you like, these easy-peasy following points might be used as a very basic guide:

A] What are currently the strongest areas of YOUR squad, and who should Reading individually look out for / fear most?
B] You have had a solid start this season, perhaps even surprising some of us. Realistically, where do you hope Fulham might finish if all goes more-or-less well?
C] How strong do you see the general level of the premier this season, and any general opinions of Reading FC and our football - either for or against (you can be honest!)


Although I'm a Reading fan, I admit we've hardly set the premier alight since coming up! You're probably favourites, although the Royals are playing at home and we've drawn a few. Anyway, here's to a good game, all comments welcome! Any snippet copied onto RR will be fully credited (and thanked) with your user name and the forum! ...

daib0

[JBH]

A] What are currently the strongest areas of YOUR squad, and who should Reading individually look out for / fear most?

Going forward we can be a real handful Berbatov has settled in well and we have a number of attacking options with Ruiz Duff, Petric, Rodleaga, Dejagha, Kacaliknic and Frie to name but a few so you will have to defend well.B]

You have had a solid start this season, perhaps even surprising some of us. Realistically, where do you hope Fulham might finish if all goes more-or-less well?

I really feel that if we can keep a fit squad then 6th - 8th is very achievable this season.

C] How strong do you see the general level of the premier this season, and any general opinions of Reading FC and our football - either for or against (you can be honest!)

I think there is a definiate gulf in class and there are at least 6 teams that will be in a relegation battle from Christmas onwards (Southampton, QPR, Wigan, Reading, Norwich and suprisingly Aston Villa). With regards to Reading I do feel that you will struggle simply because the established premiership teams punish any little mistake, also I do not feel you have enought strength in depth but I wish you good luck from Sunday onwards.

[Burt]

Welcome to the board Mr daib0 sir.

STRONGEST AREAS OF THE SQUAD
We have much more threat up front now. Berbatov would be the obvious one to look out for. But there are plenty of others who can be a handful.

REALISTIC FINISHING POSITION
Despite of our historically abysmal away form, we have a growing track record of top 10 finishes, and as we have had a strong start to the season with a better, deeper squad then there is no reason why this can't be repeated. Particularly given we have already chalked up an away win so early in the season!

If it's not too much to ask for, I would also like a decent FA Cup run... We have been underwhelming in recent seasons in all cup competitions.

STRENGTH OF THE PREMIER LEAGUE
There are the "usual suspects", and "the rest of us"... Things tend to be generally tight, and a string of 3 or 4 wins on the bounce will put someone in the top 10, whilst a similar spell with no wins and all of a sudden you're in a relegation scrap. Sorry to say but I think Reading will be one of the strugglers this season. Hopefully Mark Hughes will take his team and his ambitions down to the Championship (if he lasts that long). And I suspect Wigan will take the drop as well.

[Riverside]

 :wine:

A very warm hello to all Cottagers from Royals Rendezvous ... look, just to let you know we've prepared a very detailed match presentation on the Reading v Fulham  game from our Reading forum, and the fullest respect shown to FULHAM from our friendly site with full information produced equally for both sets of fans – but in all honesty far, FAR more on your team.

It's here:  http://royalsrendezvous.co.uk/topic/9742845/1

And a fine mention is given of your forum as the unofficial site suggestion ... trust me, our members love to hear what other fans have to say, there are no 'Wums' on RR. It would be really interesting for us to have any comments underneath from you. I know some people don't particularly like other fans producing a shopping list of questions to answer, and I perfectly understand that, so I leave any comments freely and totally with you.
But if you like, these easy-peasy following points might be used as a very basic guide:

A] What are currently the strongest areas of YOUR squad, and who should Reading individually look out for / fear most?
B] You have had a solid start this season, perhaps even surprising some of us. Realistically, where do you hope Fulham might finish if all goes more-or-less well?
C] How strong do you see the general level of the premier this season, and any general opinions of Reading FC and our football - either for or against (you can be honest!)


Although I'm a Reading fan, I admit we've hardly set the premier alight since coming up! You're probably favourites, although the Royals are playing at home and we've drawn a few. Anyway, here's to a good game, all comments welcome! Any snippet copied onto RR will be fully credited (and thanked) with your user name and the forum! ...

daib0

daib0 THANK YOU
in one post you have taken away any irritation we may have had about you taking the POG from under our noses . ( Mind you signing Berbatov to replace him had already helped ).
Looking forward to a game in the same spirit .
Friendly welcoming with mutual respect . Berba scoring , the POG not and an away win :-)

I too wish you all the luck and home wins - Sunday onwards .

[daib0]

thanks everyone so far, that's great.
I think we're in the doldrums a bit: after the Liverpool defeat there's a fair bit of soul-searching going on, you know, like were the summer adquisitions finally good enough? And even the first rumourings as to whether the Russian president Anton Zingarevich will lose patience with manager Brian McDermott, although that sounds a bit unfair to me seeing as he guided us to an unlikely promotion - unlikely if you saw the table this time last year when we were hovering around the championship relegation places! Still got to pinch myself over the second half of last season, but of course the Royals pessimists say we were over-achieving, so you can't have it all ways!
Thanks for the welcome Burt ...  :047:

[jarv]

a. Fulham's teamwork and attacking flair (but lacking a bit of pace)

b. finish 8-12.

c. Premier overall....it is 2 leages now. The money teams and the rest. Outside the top 6, anyone can beat anyone but there is at least 6 teams which will finish below Fulham. Unfortunately, you guys areone of those 6.

[Frankie-Peter Taylor]

A] What are currently the strongest areas of YOUR squad, and who should Reading individually look out for / fear most?

Berbatov is our outstanding player, shows such class. Should he start, Alex Kacaniklic is an animal down the left hand side, and with John Arne Riise overlapping, your right back could be in for a torrid time. We're not the greatest away from home so take this with a pinch of salt as we may not turn up at all.

B] You have had a solid start this season, perhaps even surprising some of us. Realistically, where do you hope Fulham might finish if all goes more-or-less well?

I don't like giving specific spots, but instead a barrier. 6th-12th, as to how close the quality of the midtable teams are.

C] How strong do you see the general level of the premier this season, and any general opinions of Reading FC and our football - either for or against (you can be honest!)

Obviously there is a link in Pogrebnyak, but I really do think you'll struggle. I'm sorry if I offend but apart from Jem Karacan and Pavel Pogrebnyak, I don't really fear any of your players. Don't get me wrong, I like Adam Le Fondre, Jimmy Kebe and Garath McCleary but are they Premier League quality, I have to say no, sorry.

[Ordar]

Hi Daib0.

Always nice to get opposition fans on for a chat. Gives a nice perspective of the team from other supporters.

To answer your questions:

a) Our main strength is difficult to pin point. We're still strong at the back as we have been since the Hodgson days. Jol has brought in Riise and Reither, who are both exceptional fullbacks, certainly the best fullback duo I can remember at the club. Diarra in MF is still a fantastic player, and I hope he's fit to start at the weekend. In the wide areas we have particular depth now, I couldnt say for sure which of the wingers will start but Duff has been superb this season. Up front Berbatov needs no introduction, and the plaudits he's received since he joined us is well deserved.

On the weakness side I think most Fulham fans would agree that we could do with a MF partner to Diarra. Sidwell and Baird are decent cover, but losing Dembele was a blow. I expect a high quality CM to sign in January. Aside from that Schwarzer hasnt looked brilliant this season, and can make the odd error in amoungst fantastic saves. Set pieces is also a worry, as we've conceded about half our goals from them.

b) Although we're a small club in premiership terms, I would be disappointed not to finish in the top 10 (I know that may sound greedy!). I'm extremely pleased with the direction the club is going in on and off the field. The acadamy was given top ranking status, and the new stand has been approved. I'm also extremely happy with Jol. His style of play is very pleasing on the eye, and his record in the transfer market is substantially more hit than miss.

c) The premiership is probably still the most watchable, and best contested league. However I think the very top sides arent overly improving, something we're seeing in the English European dominance waining. (Granted Chelsea have actually improved, and won the CL last season). Outside the top 4 I think the better run clubs are now starting to get the rewards and pushing on (Us, Everton, West Brom, Stoke, Newcastle), while the not so well run ones are being punished (Liverpool, Aston Villa, QPR)

To be honest I'm not sure Reading did enough in the summer in the transfer window. Pog was obviously a decent signing (not sure what the Reading perspective is on him) but I think you'll need to strengthen the midfield in January. Maybe bringing in some veterans like Reo Coker, or getting someone like Holden from Bolton would help. Defensively you dont seem that bad, you're not hemorrhaging goals like Southampton are.

Out of interest, whats the Reading perspective on Fulham? Obviously with that late season win which more or less relegated you cant have enamored us to you guys?

[ClarksOriginal]

Hi daib0 - Welcome to the forum mate. Cheers for dropping by  :beer:



A] What are currently the strongest areas of YOUR squad, and who should Reading individually look out for / fear most?

I belive our front 5-6 to be the strongest part of our squad. We have some real talent up there this season, the obvious mastery of Dimitar Berbatov. Pace and skill of Kacaniklic, Frei, Dejagah and of course Damien Duff. We are causing some real rpobelms going forward this year, were in the top three goal scoring teams in the league. Lets not forget the 'Thames Barrier' of Hughes and Hangeland though! Once again they've been on form this year.


B] You have had a solid start this season, perhaps even surprising some of us. Realistically, where do you hope Fulham might finish if all goes more-or-less well?

I think we'll be competing for Europe hopefully Europa League, but think we'll end up around 8th... That's if we buy well in January.



C] How strong do you see the general level of the premier this season, and any general opinions of Reading FC and our football - either for or against (you can be honest!)

I like Reading, I just think you lack that killer instict y'know. I really like a few of your players like Jem Karacan & Jimmy Kebe.  

[AlFayedsChequebook]

Hello Daib0,


A] What are currently the strongest areas of YOUR squad, and who should Reading individually look out for / fear most?

I think our attack both out wide and through the middle is the current strongest area of the squad, with the likes of Berbatov, Duff, Kacaniklic, Ruiz and Dejagah all having the ability to cause any defence real problems. Despite an increasing lack of cover, our defence remains pretty strong, although not so much away from home.

If I had to pick one player out to warn you about it would be Berbatov. The guy is very talented and clinical in front of goal, and quite simply a joy to watch.

B] You have had a solid start this season, perhaps even surprising some of us. Realistically, where do you hope Fulham might finish if all goes more-or-less well?


If everything goes to plan, Fulham should be nestled somewhere in the top 10, as per the last few seasons. We have had a decent start to the season after yet another summer of upheaval so hopefully we can maintain our form throughout the season. Previous seasons suggest that we are now a bona fide premier league mid-table team, which almost all FFC fans are delighted with.

C] How strong do you see the general level of the premier this season, and any general opinions of Reading FC and our football - either for or against (you can be honest!)

I think the premier league remains pretty consistent in terms of level year on year. Last season saw some long standing teams finally make the drop so there have been bigger changes in teams than usual but the quality remains relatively high. That said, there already appears to be a breakaway of around 6 teams who look likely to struggle this season, unsurprisingly this is made up in bulk by newly promoted teams and those who are in their second season in the prem. Because of this, Reading have a decent chance at staying up but need to start picking up points sooner rather than later. Looking at Reading's squad it does scream 'CHAMPIONSHIP' to me unfortunately but if McDermott can get the team working together it could all pan out alright.

Overall I don't really know what to expect on saturday - Fulham can be notoriously terrible on the road, so it would not surprise me to see Reading pick up their first win of the season. That said, with players back from injury and already looking better on the road this season, Fulham might just grab all three points. I would happily take a point right now if offered, though!

Good luck for the rest of the season! Hope you smash QPR!

[bulgariawhite]

There is not more I can add to the comments made so far. It is great to welcome an opposition fan on this site with genuine comments and manners. After the game we probably won't hear from you again, but having lived most of my later life in Reading. I do wish you well for the season. Just beat QPR for us

[Lighthouse]

A] What are currently the strongest areas of YOUR squad, and who should Reading individually look out for / fear most?

Away from home we are shocking. But if we can supply our forwards then we can brilliant coming forward and will create plenty of chances. However our stength is in the fact that many players can play in many different positions. Stand off us and we will do damage but pressure us and we will be poor especially away from home.

B] You have had a solid start this season, perhaps even surprising some of us. Realistically, where do you hope Fulham might finish if all goes more-or-less well?

Middle of the table if we can stear clear of injury.


C] How strong do you see the general level of the premier this season, and any general opinions of Reading FC and our football - either for or against (you can be honest!)


In the Prem it is about which division within that league you aim to be. The top three or four are always going to be out on their own. You then have the next group which we have strived to be included in but really can say we are in the safe group. Then you have the strugglers. Reading will be part of that as most teams coming up are. However you can play football and you can look very good coming forward. It is at the back you have to be secure. You have to start getting results against clubs like Fulham and clubs around the struggling part of the league.

Fulham can be great one half and poor the next. So Saturday will be interesting. Like you we will take a point. If we win we will all remember that we were seconds away from beating Southampton and could have been even higher. Point is we are two honest clubs. The Prem needs more like us so I genuinly hope you stay up. But lose Saturday.

[BalDrick]

Hi, and thanks for doing this - I like these. Right, some answers:

A] What are currently the strongest areas of YOUR squad, and who should Reading individually look out for / fear most?
As covered above, up front I would imagine we are giving some teams' defences a few tough moments when they see our team sheet. Frustratingly though, as yet I don't think we've really managed to do justice. We will in time I am sure. Players you want to look out for going forward are Duffer (provided he's recovered from whatever kept him out of last weekend's game) and, fairly obviously, Berbatov. To see him on top of his game is a thing of sheer delight. Don't know how closely you ever watched him at United or Spurs but there are times when he's just on a different plane.

Defensively, for my money I'm not sure we're quite as strong as we were under Hodgson, though that's partly because the team's set up in a different - more exciting - way. Most of you will have watched England -v- Poland, nothing else needs adding!

B] You have had a solid start this season, perhaps even surprising some of us. Realistically, where do you hope Fulham might finish if all goes more-or-less well?
We have started strongly yes, but we have played some rubbish. Or else we've made them look rubbish. 8th ought to be achievable, possibly higher.

C] How strong do you see the general level of the premier this season, and any general opinions of Reading FC and our football - either for or against (you can be honest!)
Neither Manchester club has blown me away, have to say (through gritted teeth) that Chelsea look the best side at the moment. As for the rest, same old same old isn't it? You can tell already who's going to be in trouble, and I'm afraid I include you in that. (I actually don't include QPR - Hughes will be gone very soon and there are enough players there for Redknapp to start stringing together some decent results.)

[Riversider]

For all those highlighting Jem Karacan as a decent player to look out for on saturday, well fret no more, he is out injured !
Ive been following Fulham since 1970 and I cant ever recall going into an away fixture with so much confidence , Reading 1 Fulham 3 for me with Kaca and Dejagah playing a part to tear them apart, if we score first their already disheartened support will turn and we will score at least 3 and maybe even 4 !
Please feel free to remind me of this post after the final whistle.
The days of little old Fulham are long gone , we are actually a bloody good side now days as saturday will show.  065.gif

[Enter the Frei]

5 words:

Be scared of our Baird. ;)

[Me-ate-Live, innit??]

Cannot be doing with the question   :dft012:

But I do love  your manager  Noisy is a great bloke and I hope he stays a Premiership manager !
I also hope you survive as I like Reading  (nice day out).
......... but  do tell the dills  with the big flag, when they unfurl it,   make sure it's the right way up  064.gif   

[BalDrick]

Point of order mate, I don't think la Hurley was ever a fan - Hugh Grant was and still is a huge Fulham fan, seem to recall him saying he took her once and she was bored. But as I too am a huge admirer, fully agree any excuse to put up some pictures of her, albeit she's now married to Warne, who I suspect is not a Fulham fan!

[mr-ska]

Hi Guys Liz here...  i support Fulham...  up the whites...

[BalDrick]

And here I am again, this was me checking teletext because I couldn't make the away leg of the semi final against Hamburg

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.examiner.com/images/blog/EXID1994/images/liz-hurley-426671bc7.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.examiner.com/article/liz-hurley-diet-tips-vodka-not-wine&h=353&w=425&sz=29&tbnid=AW7regQdO0rUQM:&tbnh=87&tbnw=105&zoom=1&usg=__1R4BwBf_nuJsQb1WHkL0qgMA7aQ=&docid=hKz5F6jJmSVNVM&sa=X&ei=856HUM3QO-y10QW7yYG4BQ&ved=0CFEQ9QEwDw&dur=1300

(BalDrick seems to have gone blind - wonder why? - and has forgotten how to post pictures of me)

Here's him trying again - http://www.watt-up.com/j_gallery/Elizabeth_Hurley_1/slides/elizabeth_hurley%20%2876%29.html

Last try - http://www.watt-up.com/j_gallery/Elizabeth_Hurley_1/slides/elizabeth_hurley%20%2878%29.html

[daib0]

Hi Guys Liz here...  i support Fulham...  up the whites...

Mind you, we Reading fans aren't complaining - this is the new Reading president Anton with missus Katsia - why do you think our season tickets dramatically increase this year; it wasn't promotion!




First game of season v Stoke -