Burn after Reading. Reading (A) League 1. Saturday 16th September 2023. 3pm KO

[Harry Genshaw]

Back to the bread and butter of league football this coming Saturday. Reading still trying to adjust to life in a lower division, points deductions and significant spending reductions so a good time to play them? They've still got some championship quality there and the less said about our last meeting with a relegated side, the better.

We should be refreshed and raring to go and hopefully as fast out of the traps as we were versus Derby backed by a significant away following. Possible starts for CMG or young Paris? Anyone else going?

[TANGODANCER]

Clever titele H.G, thought for a minute it was Harry Pierce posting..(-:.

Seems an age since we played although it isn't. Good to get back amongst it. Reading may suit us better than Salford actually.

[truewhite15]

Reading find themselves three points lighter before our visit, having had a suspended penalty applied after not paying up for wages again...

[Mar]

Reading find themselves three points lighter before our visit, having had a suspended penalty applied after not paying up for wages again...

Hopefully that'll go someway towards affecting their mentality coming into the game.

[officer_dibble]

We owe this lot a good pasting. Nothing less than 4-0 will do!

[TANGODANCER]

Bolton and Reading, still one of the best games I've watched. Hoping this one won't be that close...

[Worthy4England]

CMG could be 5 weeks out with a (wait for it) hamstring injury

[BWFC_Insane]

CMG could be 5 weeks out with a (wait for it) hamstring injury

And some of the internationals are doubts for the weekend.

Super.

[Worthy4England]

CMG could be 5 weeks out with a (wait for it) hamstring injury

And some of the internationals are doubts for the weekend.

Super.

Second bit is unfortunate, but pretty much outside of our control...Hopefully not too decimated...

[boltonboris]

CMG obtained his injury during the Salford game didn't he?

[BWFC_Insane]

CMG could be 5 weeks out with a (wait for it) hamstring injury

And some of the internationals are doubts for the weekend.

Super.

Second bit is unfortunate, but pretty much outside of our control...Hopefully not too decimated...

Not sure either scenario is in our control, just bad luck. Feels pretty bad given CMG injured himself as he was starting to look the business. However it is worrying that we have a pattern of these minor injuries, especially hamstrings suddenly a week later becoming serious and months of time out…

Evatt left the squad light by choice and will simply have to continue getting results with what he’s got available. It’s fine saying we have flexibility but in key areas I don’t think we do really and lack the depth in quality. But we will see how the judgement call plays out.

[officer_dibble]

If one of the injured is Charles I’m not hopeful!!

[TANGODANCER]

If one of the injured is Charles I’m not hopeful!!

Won't be. He's made of indiniarubber. COME ON YOU WHITES....

[officer_dibble]

Fair point - he’s normally fit is Charles to be fair.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

They’re worried the long (and non-luxury, chartered) flights with Norn Iron will have taken it out of Dion and Eoin. But I’d be surprised if Dion doesn’t start - just maybe sub him earlier, although “for whom” remains the problem.

With Eoin I guess we have other options. But starting without our only reliable forward would be a huge… gamble.

Also, no game in midweek, right?

[Worthy4England]

They’re worried the long (and non-luxury, chartered) flights with Norn Iron will have taken it out of Dion and Eoin. But I’d be surprised if Dion doesn’t start - just maybe sub him earlier, although “for whom” remains the problem.

With Eoin I guess we have other options. But starting without our only reliable forward would be a huge… gamble.

Also, no game in midweek, right?

An 80% Dion is probably 100% better than a 100% replacement...obvs they need to factor in whether his current "state" dramatically increases his chance of long term injury, but we shouldn't be giving it much of a mulling over unless there was some evidential injury...

Edit: Curiosity got the better of me, apparently Bruno Fernandes played over 6000 minutes last season across club, country etc. Maybe we need to challenge the notion that 60 minutes a week running is the high bar.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Add in all that gesticulating at his team-mates whenever things go wrong - as they still do, gratifyingly often, a full pleasing decade post-Fergie - and it’s no wonder Bruno’s too knackered to run back and defend. Which is fine by me if it helps f**k them up.

[Worthy4England]

Add in all that gesticulating at his team-mates whenever things go wrong - as they still do, gratifyingly often, a full pleasing decade post-Fergie - and it’s no wonder Bruno’s too knackered to run back and defend. Which is fine by me if it helps f**k them up.

Quite, but you don't win shit, just for covering ground and they did finish higher up their division than we did up ours (whilst still satisfyingly not winning anything of note...

If you have a style of play that requires players to get plenty of rest, coz it shags them out quicker, you need more than one player of about the same quality for each position or you're weakening the team, with a pair of legs who can't play football. That's a managerial choice. Given we objectively don't have a replacement "Dion" then Evatt can pick to work him harder and longer or weaken his team...Same with JDC. I don't accept that this shouldn't have been apparent to the management team, and whilst I can see the argument that Dion played 2 more games - they were 45 minutes and 9 minutes. We're more than half way through September. He's played 140 minutes...We need to stop being too fcuking soft.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Amen on squad depth.

I would start Dion today.

[Worthy4England]

Amen on squad depth.

I would start Dion today.

God forbid he starts and retires hurt with a "pull"