Could it also have anything to do with Coach Collins’ latest rendition of the back 3? Jordan is back, with MDG and Earl. So it IS all McCart’s fault. Earl meantime, despite a promising start to his Reds career, appears to be getting worse by the week under our Esteemed Leader. He was poor today. Jordan, meantime...how does he ever get back his former RWB form if he’s chopped and changed every week. This week’s RWB of choice is O’Keefe. By the 73rd minute we have 3 (THREE) right wing backs on the pitch – not for the first time, granted – as Cotter joins them. By now we’ve taken off our one wing back who’s any good (Cadden) and made O’Keefe switch wings, Jordan to right back, and Cotter playing right wing.
Cotter. I love Cotter. ‘Mercurial’ doesn’t do him justice. He CAN beat a player, he CAN outpace most players. What he CANNOT do is consistently control a ball, or cross it into an area Cole can ignore. His 17 minutes (plus...6?...injury time) are among the worst of anybody this season, which is saying something as that’s another leaderboard where he’s prominently placed. Anyway, at least Coach Collins is TRYING, even if there appears no horizon to his tactical genius. Oh, and he can chuck a ball. One of his chucks results in Inch-High Jalo scoring a header for two-all, as all the defenders get sucked too close and get under the ball, the fools. Underestimate our Barry at your peril!
Two-all? It was nil-one a minute ago. Yes, we manage an equaliser, as our two best players today combined, McAtee (tee tee) beating his man down the left and lobbing it over for Phillips to arrive and head home. It’s worth a view on t’telly for Cole’s body language at someone else scoring. There’s barely half an hour gone, but Reading receive a blow as Russell gets himself injured and has to limp off. The lump limped off. Fastest he moved all day. Connell is also out, so we’d had Russell and Kane central midfield. I couldn’t see a problem there. On comes his natural replacement, Jalo. Talk about like for like. Obviously, Coach Collins is hampered by having only one substitute approaching being considered ‘midfield’ and I can only imagine what a quality player Grant must be if he can’t get picked ahead of Kane or Russell, or can’t be trusted to replace either. Still, we get to see Jalo, which is what the fans have been clamouring for. He gets to be ‘player who loses the ball most’ though I s’pose that’s more likely as he tries to take players on. At least we played the ball to him, rather than expecting him to win headers or chase a ball down against a faster defender.
The game has been open, but we took control, second half. Least, that’s my memory of it. Goal King Cole has a simple chance to put us ahead, but elects to backheel it to the keeper instead of sweeping it home like any normal centre forward. He is 6 yards out. Coach Collins rings the changes, Cotter on (73), McCart on (79) and, like the last home game (don’t ask me who it was against, there’s some advantages to a poor memory!) it brings instant reward – for the opposition. Reading counter and their bloke hits an absolute ROCKET which hits the net in the middle of the goal. Unfortunately, Roberts has gone early, the ball has swerved and he’s been utterly bamboozled. Is that 3 games in a row he’s conceded from distance with a swerving shot? (I have an acute memory for certain things!)
With defeat looking likely, and all our ideas well and truly spent, Barry Cotter steps up to the plate on special teams. (Is that what they say in Yank football?) So THAT’S why he’s in the team. He’s never a FOOTballer, but he can’t half hoick a ball. Go Bazzer! Go Jalo! Go scraping into the play-offs!
Onwards and upwards!
*** Phillips. Class on the ball and looked our most likely scorer before he was.
** McAtee. ‘And they call him McAtee.’ But of course they do, Ponty End. The clue is in his name.
* Jalo. Like Bazza, thrilling to watch.
Official MOTM: Jalo.
Londontykes’ MOTM: 1. Phillips 2. McAtee 3. Jalo
Despatches:
My friend Diane was away this week, so I went and watched some footballers’ legs down the front with Slacki. It’s like watching telly 30cm from the screen. It’s all in front of you but you can’t see owt. It consumes your entire lense, yet you’ve no idea how far out that last shot was. So don’t ask me how certain players played. Or if they played.
And if the answer is ’14 games’…what is the question?
Oh, and one of those things I miss about travelling back with the Londontykes...asking Reading/QPR fans how QPR/Reading have gone on today. To see their faces light up at someone showing an interest in their ‘meh’ teams, only to let them down by asking how a completely different side got on... (Thanks to Reedy at HT for that one. I hope you managed it on your way back!)
Drink du jour: Beertown Inception in Spiral City, a delightful hazy pale ale. (The Northern Monk Faith obvs didn’t last long!)
Away: c.600. I don’t think they announced it, though they said the overall figure.
The Damage:
c.£8 petrol
£45 retro shirt
= c.£53
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