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Reading 2 Newcastle United 2 report by Min.
There's lots of talk about changing 'Local Hero' as the tune we use when the players enter the field at SJP. Reading came out to '2001: A Space Odyssey'. Today, it looked like we came out to the theme from 'Eyes Wide Shut'. A, frankly, appalling first half saw us go two nil down. First, from a pretty, but far from spectacular, free kick. The wall wasn't positioned properly and Pretzel made a desperate lunge at the ball about 3 seconds after it had hit the back of the net. Sloppy and they all knew it. A poor tackle in the first place gave them the free kick and we were caught napping by a 2nd Division team. Something that was repeated in the 2nd half. Humph. More work on set plays needed. The second goal was a nifty ball d own our left flank, bypassing Barton and completely misjudged by young 'un Beharall to let in Reading's nippy striker. He's got good anticipation too - had Charvet in trouble in the 2nd half as he was in two minds whether to clear left or right. Anyway, line up for the start was: (on paper a 4 - 4 - 2 ) Perez, Charvet ..... ........ Beharall ...... Hughes ... Barton Kerr ....... Hamilton ........ Maric ........ ..... Serrant Coppinger .......... Robinson. Subs GULLIT , Speed,Kets, Domi, Goma, McClen and MARTIN who is the 19 year old youth team goalie.
As for formations, well, I haven't got a clue. I don't think the players did either. No passing, no movement, just lots of running around like headless chickens. For any Ruudi doubters out there, only Maric was signed by our current manager. significant? I think so. He was poor though so don't get yer hopes up...After half time, things improved. Not quite dramatically but enough to make me think there's method in this here madness. 3 at the back [Barton RCB, Gullit CCB, Hughes LCB] 5 in midfield [Charvet RWB, Kerr RCM, Maric AM Speed LCM Serrant LWB ] 2 up front [Robinson LCF, Coppinger RCF]
So, much more passing, movement and confidence [gradually] and some superb pin-point 40-50 yeard passes from the back by Ruudi. That led to all sorts of confusion in the Reading defence and eventually on 62 mins let young Coppinger in behind their right-back. He cut back and inside and ran into the area on the 18 yard line and got cropped. Defo penalty. Shouts from the packed away end for Ruudi to take it. Coppinger took it and slammed it home. He's had some serious penalty-taking advice from Big Al. We looked much better for the goal. More confident but still lacking that incisive midfield creativity that we've been missing since Pedro was criminally sold from under our noses. Maric persevered but STILL looks lightweight and desperately short of confidence. Speed commanded the midfield like we know he can and Ruudi gave shape to the defence and his mere presence gave the players an impetus to up their game. Interestingly, he never went into the dressing room at half time and instead stayed outside and passed the ball around with Gary Speed. Steve Clarke left to give the teamtalk. Which leads me to think that RGs got it right - pre-season friendlies are meaningless. They're only about fitness and seeing who can and can't do what. Forget the result, it's the fitness that counts. I know England are short in the left-back department but Carl Serrant is only ever going to be the England Cricket Teams left-back. Willing, he ran and ran but just doesn't have a clue what to do with the ball when he gets in a promising attacking position. In defence, he was caught out of position a few times and left Aaron Hughes - by far our best young prospect - to mop up. Kerr ran his socks off in midfield, made some tackles and looked solid enough. Charvet looks like, well, Charvet [now with go-faster no.1 crop all over] and Warren Barton was committed and feisty and if looks could kill, the linesman would've be 20ft under after 60 mins. He was having his own pre-season eyeball warm-up. How many incorrect offsides can I give this afternoon, he wondered... Which leaves our two young strikers. Good prospects, not world-beaters [yet] but the way RG made a beeline for Robinson and gave him a deserved pat on the back after his top solo effort to equalise on 80-odd minutes suggests he rates him. He beats three players 5 yards after the centre circle in the middle of the field. The lad behind me moans that he's only got one foot. He skips past another two and slams it into the bottom right ha nd corner of the net. " What a foot though..." So, all in all, good things, bad things, terrible things and a realisation that if only we had a player as creative as Ruudi only 10 years younger and a fit squad of players, we'd be fine. We will be. This was a strictly second / third string 11. It's obvious we need more stregth in depth but then look at the players who DIDN't play: Shearer, Ferguson, Dyer, Solano, Marcelinho, Goma, Given, Harper, Dumas, Glass, Griffin, Domi. and that's pretty much a first strength eleven. Another midfielder and striker and then.... RG knows what he needs and it's only a pre-season friendly. The real work starts this week... Keep the Faith MIN
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Hardly
the team that's going to face Villa in two weeks and i don't think
it matters whether he plays that or not. It's about preparation and
finding out who's fit, in form, promising, finished etc.
New-signing,
unknown Dutch boy Ruudi Gullit for Beharall and Speed for Hamilton.
Hamilton must've played his last game in B&W. He looked clueless.
He was.
