Reserves 5 Reading 2

[Diggerman]

Reading's strategy was to play direct balls into the channels behind, primarily, our left back (Macauley Gillesphey) and for the first half hour it worked very well. They had two swift lads up front and this tactic isolated Gillesphey and Satka who was the left side centre back. Reading's set pieces were very decent too; they rarely put it straight into the box. Instead they tried to work short routines or get it back to the edge of the box. We didn't deal with this well at all.

They scored within the first minute after gaining ground on the left and then firing a low diagonal across the box. We neither cleared or closed down (Bigirimana susceptible here) and it was an easy finish beyond Alnwick. We didn't learn and our left side looked fragile. Admittedly, there was a reasonably strong wind against us; that helped their tactic. They got their second in the same way and, again, they managed to force their way past some soft challenges before their lad lashed it in.

We were really poor for the first half hour. Ben Arfa never got on it. Satka was all over the place and Armstrong was visibly frustrated up front on his own. Vuckic and Ameobi were anonymous too.

But then we got to grips with the Reading strategy and they didn't have much else. Their best player was the number ten and he was tiny. Once he was closed down the balls over the top stopped and we were able to dominate the play. We were playing 4.2.3.1 with Barlaser and Bigirimana holding. The former hasn't played much at this level and I thought he looked nervous throughout. Once we started closing down the Reading number 10, they had nobody else who looked comfortable on the ball so our bigger, sharper players were able to win the ball back fairly easily. Our first came from a mistake. Bigirimana picked it up and slotted in Armstrong who outpaced the defenders and slotted home. He'd missed a similar one five minutes beforehand but they couldn't cope with how quick he was. The equaliser came just before half time and it was a header from a corner! Ameobi was highest; he didn't head it down but he managed to skim it into the top corner thankfully.

The second half was absolutely one way traffic. We pressed high and they just kept giving it back to us. Bigirimana became much more effective and their young defenders had no answer to Ben Arfa on the right or Ameobi's directness on the left. The frustrating thing about the latter was the lack of end product, again. Several chances went begging because of his poor decisions although he did conjure up one great cross on the run that Vuckic contrived to head wide with the goal gaping.

Armstrong got the third. They were defending on the edge of the box and his drive was low and accurate. Ben Arfa got the fourth; he demanded the ball on the right after a thrown in and simply ghosted past four hapless defenders before smashing it in. He'd tried this a few times already; they couldn't cope. Our fifth was Armstrong's hat trick: another mistake from the defenders (who were limited) allowed Barlaser to play him in and he was never going to miss.

And that was that. The plus points, for me, were Armstrong's pace and composure as well as the bite and purpose we showed in the second half. The negatives: it took too long to figure out Reading's game and we wasted the first half hour. I don't think Vuckic did enough to suggest he's a credible first team replacement; he's too one paced. Bigirimana needs to dominate the game more and Ameobi's end product simply isn't good enough.

It was nice to see Tiote and Cisse mingling with the fans (all 415 of them). The former's golden boots were glorious. Adam Campbell and his folks were there. There was an anti Pardew flag as well but it wasn't very original: a picture of Che Guevera with the word 'Hope' on it and a cartoon Pardew with 'Hopeless'. Good Bank Holiday entertainment anyway.

[Jonas]

Did the Che Guevera flag have Hatem Ben Arfa's face on it? I've seen one like that before!

Good match analysis by the way! Excited by Adam Armstrong's potential, think it would be a good idea to send him to somewhere like Hartlepool to get regular first team experience!

[Diggerman]

Ah yes, having seen the Chronicle web page it was Hatem on the Che Guevera flag. So, a bit more original.

[French Connection]

Thanks for the report! Looked at some photos as well and HBA looks to be in good shape!? Certainly not fat at least.

Loaning out players seems to have done us little good int he recent past. I mean we've had so many talents out on loan and they still struggled when they were back here. I know Armstrong is still very, very young, so it might be different with him, but if we don't get anyone else in I might also like to see him as a fringe player for the first team squad (with Aarons, Ayoze). He's not gonna do worse than Obertan did as a fringe player last season, is he?

[Jaiston]

Carl Cullen ‏@CullenFrancis91
Papiss Cisse's at the game and they won't even let him in. At least Ben Arfa got to play! #nufc




What the f***

[Ramone]

What a shambles

[bodacious benny]

Surely Cissé could've paid the £3 to get in

[Colback's Orange Tufts]

Thanks for the report Diggerman

[beatski]

great post

[Remember Colo]

He clearly had nowhere to park his car.

[Double Agent Bruce a.k.a DAB]

[tweet][/tweet]

[Remember Colo]

Good grief! He makes that look so easy.

[PTAO?]

I'd do anything to see HBA play like that for the first team again.

[Colly]

Unfortunately for the first team he wouldn't be playing against Championship reserves.

[PTAO?]

Unfortunately for the first team he wouldn't be playing against Championship reserves.

He did it numerous times against premiership teams, including Arsenal

[Jaiston]

Unfortunately for the first team he wouldn't be playing against Championship reserves.

He did it numerous times against premiership teams, including Arsenal

It was a rare thing when he did it to be fair.

He should be in the first 18 minimum though, not rotting in the reserves

[beatski]

He did it numerous times against premiership teams, including Arsenal

It was a rare thing when he did it to be fair.

He should be in the first 18 minimum though, not rotting in the reserves

but why bother with HBA when we could play obertan

[LaFraise92]

He looks good but still quite chubby

[PTAO?]

He did it numerous times against premiership teams, including Arsenal

It was a rare thing when he did it to be fair.

He should be in the first 18 minimum though, not rotting in the reserves

But when he did...

[Ramone]

He did it numerous times against premiership teams, including Arsenal

It was a rare thing when he did it to be fair.

He should be in the first 18 minimum though, not rotting in the reserves

More often than literally any other player on our team can muster. Plus that's only one side of his game, his passing and vision are a level above the rest of the team as well.