Back from the game - West Brom FA Cup

[Row Z Royal]

I did chuckle that I said this three days before Cummings got mullered away at Peterborough.

To be fair, I don't think that game could be blamed so much on Cummings as on superbly awful tactics, formation, management and whole team performance.

Cummings had no chance with no support against more than one player down his flank.

Completely right, but it was his worst performance in spite of that

[Svlad Cjelli]

I did chuckle that I said this three days before Cummings got mullered away at Peterborough.

To be fair, I don't think that game could be blamed so much on Cummings as on superbly awful tactics, formation, management and whole team performance.

Cummings had no chance with no support against more than one player down his flank.

Completely right, but it was his worst performance in spite of that

Disagree - away at WBA at the start of last season he looked completely out of his depth - but again with no support (either alongside him, in front of him - or behind him!)

[Snowball]

How can Harte get an 8?

IMO he played extremely well going forward, and in a trio with McAnuff and a-n-other (mostly Elwood)
they kept possession and opened up WBA time and time again. They also bought time.

But he's meant to be a left back god's sake! His defending was again below the standard we require if we're serious about trying to get promoted.

McDermott had a slight dig at Cummings, who we agree had a great game defensively, because of the piece of attacking skill he showed in the first half 'but that's for wingers not right backs'. Given that, McDermott clearly views the defensive performance as paramount, so Harte's performance going forward should not be allowed to paper over his defensive weaknesses.

Remind me of the score, again? RFC 1-0 WBA

Remind me how many we have let in in Harte's last 8 games (5) versus Watford, Leeds, Coventry, Derby, Hull, Swansea, Burnley & WBA

You don't get that many clean sheets and single-goals conceded if your defence is poor.

[rhroyal]

Snowball, your stats may look impressive but the reality is we're giving away too many chances and if we come up against a team who can finish effectively we'll get a real hiding which makes the defensive holes too obvious for all to see.

[Snowball]

Anyone else finding Snowball even more tedious now he is trying to be 'witty' as well as analytical?

BTW you were criticising others for pontificating about keepers without being GK coaches, and justified your amateur CF days as allowing you to be an expert on Long's genius.
How can you also be a Harte expert - did you play LB at primary school?


I agree with a lot of what you say - but ffs try not to be such an earnestly boring, smug pundit....

I can justify my opinion of Harte in defence in a few ways.

(1) His incredible experience.
(2) The defensive record when he plays eg 5 goals conceded in his last 8 games
(3) The manager keeps picking him over Armstrong, Cummings.

Going forward, he is the top-scoring defender in the CCC, has plenty of assists, has caused trouble with his AFCs and corners.
Today he showed a great working relationship and ball-retention with McAnuff and Elwood.

These are facts. I'm not pontificating about some 20 year old kid who has hardly ever played for RFC.

Harte has made 21 starts and the defence in those games has conceded 21 goals. That would make it the fourth/fifth best defence in the CCC.

However 12 of those goals came in just 4 games. In 17 games, with Harte starting every one, we conceded just 9 goals.

That will not happen if Harte's overall usefulness as a defender was low.


I separate out the 4 x 3-goal games because they were freakish. Boro because we let in one after 24 seconds,
Norwich and Doncaster because the TEAM went missing, and losing 3-1 at QPR was not terrible.

[Snowball]

Snowball, your stats may look impressive but the reality is we're giving away too many chances and if we come up against a team who can finish effectively we'll get a real hiding which makes the defensive holes too obvious for all to see.

Well I have been saying that for ages.


But it's just NOT happening.

I've been predicting a 4-0 defeat for a while.

I can only deal with the facts, and conceding a goal a game is not bad at all, so maybe the defence is good. It's getting better too.

Maybe Cummings could come in at LB, whoi knows?

[Svlad Cjelli]

Football is a team game - the whole team's results cannot be used to justify the value or otherwise of one individual player's performances.

[Snowball]

We have just played a Premiership side


5.....Shots On Target.......1
6.....Shots Off Target......4

They had just 5 shots in the whole 94 minutes. Sorry, Harte will have been targeted, and STILL that's all they managed?

[Snowball]

Football is a team game - the whole team's results cannot be used to justify the value or otherwise of one individual player's performances.

You do NOT go that many games conceding so few with a passenger

[Row Z Royal]

To be fair, I don't think that game could be blamed so much on Cummings as on superbly awful tactics, formation, management and whole team performance.

Cummings had no chance with no support against more than one player down his flank.

Completely right, but it was his worst performance in spite of that

Disagree - away at WBA at the start of last season he looked completely out of his depth - but again with no support (either alongside him, in front of him - or behind him!)

I didn't see that, therefore it didn't happen.

[Svlad Cjelli]

Football is a team game - the whole team's results cannot be used to justify the value or otherwise of one individual player's performances.

You do NOT go that many games conceding so few with a passenger

Who is talking about a passenger? Performances from the ten other players can easily overcome one player who is less effective - but there is granularity between being superb and being "a passenger".

FWIW I do think that Harte's lack of pace is a vulnerability, and while he covers it well with his experience most of the time, he is quite frequently caught out.

But that doesn't make him "a passenger" to be carried by the team - it makes him less effective and a potential vulnerability, that's all. There are shades of grey - it's not just extremes!

[bobbybottler]

Football is a team game - the whole team's results cannot be used to justify the value or otherwise of one individual player's performances.

You do NOT go that many games conceding so few with a passenger

Who is talking about a passenger? Performances from the ten other players can easily overcome one player who is less effective - but there is granularity between being superb and being "a passenger".

FWIW I do think that Harte's lack of pace is a vulnerability, and while he covers it well with his experience most of the time, he is quite frequently caught out.

But that doesn't make him "a passenger" to be carried by the team - it makes him less effective and a potential vulnerability, that's all. There are shades of grey - it's not just extremes!

Although writing about extremes gets much so more attention.....

[The whole year inn]

Season 2010-11

Extra Preliminary Round winners (201) £750
Preliminary Round winners (166) £1,500
First Round Qualifying winners (116) £3,000
Second Round Qualifying winners (80) £4,500
Third Round Qualifying winners (40) £7,500
Fourth Round Qualifying winners (32) £12,500
First Round Proper winners (40) £18,000
Second Round Proper winners (20) £27,000
Third Round Proper winners (32) £67,500
Fourth Round Proper winners (16) £90,000
Fifth Round Proper winners (8) £180,000
Sixth Round Proper winners (4) £360,000
Semi Final winners (2) £900,000
Semi Final runners-up (2) £450,000
Final winners (1) £1,800,000
Final runners-up (1) £900,000

[Victor Meldrew]

A tale of 3 Irishmen.
One maintained his brilliant recent form,scored one and caused all sorts of problems to their makeshift defence.
The other two Irishmen were dreadful.
The rest of the team all played well and I am really pleased that the manager played what is probably our strongest side apart from Griffin for Cummings and Armstrong for Harte although today Griffin wasn't missed.
I asked the question about Armstrong's fitness the other day but nobody seems to know.
I can only think he must be injured as Harte gets worse every game and even his free-kicks have become poor.

[Ian Royal]

Season 2010-11

Extra Preliminary Round winners (201) £750
Preliminary Round winners (166) £1,500
First Round Qualifying winners (116) £3,000
Second Round Qualifying winners (80) £4,500
Third Round Qualifying winners (40) £7,500
Fourth Round Qualifying winners (32) £12,500
First Round Proper winners (40) £18,000
Second Round Proper winners (20) £27,000
Third Round Proper winners (32) £67,500
Fourth Round Proper winners (16) £90,000
Fifth Round Proper winners (8) £180,000
Sixth Round Proper winners (4) £360,000
Semi Final winners (2) £900,000
Semi Final runners-up (2) £450,000
Final winners (1) £1,800,000
Final runners-up (1) £900,000

Do those stack or is it awarded at the end of the competition?

[tomrfcurz]

Season 2010-11

Extra Preliminary Round winners (201) £750
Preliminary Round winners (166) £1,500
First Round Qualifying winners (116) £3,000
Second Round Qualifying winners (80) £4,500
Third Round Qualifying winners (40) £7,500
Fourth Round Qualifying winners (32) £12,500
First Round Proper winners (40) £18,000
Second Round Proper winners (20) £27,000
Third Round Proper winners (32) £67,500
Fourth Round Proper winners (16) £90,000
Fifth Round Proper winners (8) £180,000
Sixth Round Proper winners (4) £360,000
Semi Final winners (2) £900,000
Semi Final runners-up (2) £450,000
Final winners (1) £1,800,000
Final runners-up (1) £900,000

Do those stack or is it awarded at the end of the competition?

You get the money after the round so Reading should get £67,500 before Rnd 4. I'm pretty sure it stacks that way

[SpaceCruiser]

Anyone else finding Snowball even more tedious

I think you're more tedious than Snowball.

[AthleticoSpizz]

Anyone else finding Snowball even more tedious

I think you're more tedious than Snowball.

....and from some, who do not frequent this board as often as most........we thought you (by your own violition) had quit a couple or three months ago Spaccers...........you obviously hadn't....your tedium is tolerable tho'

[The whole year inn]

Season 2010-11

Extra Preliminary Round winners (201) £750
Preliminary Round winners (166) £1,500
First Round Qualifying winners (116) £3,000
Second Round Qualifying winners (80) £4,500
Third Round Qualifying winners (40) £7,500
Fourth Round Qualifying winners (32) £12,500
First Round Proper winners (40) £18,000
Second Round Proper winners (20) £27,000
Third Round Proper winners (32) £67,500
Fourth Round Proper winners (16) £90,000
Fifth Round Proper winners (8) £180,000
Sixth Round Proper winners (4) £360,000
Semi Final winners (2) £900,000
Semi Final runners-up (2) £450,000
Final winners (1) £1,800,000
Final runners-up (1) £900,000

Do those stack or is it awarded at the end of the competition?

You get the money after the round so Reading should get £67,500 before Rnd 4. I'm pretty sure it stacks that way

Yep. If we get past round 4 it is 157,500 quid

[AthleticoSpizz]

all that for about three quarters of Roonies weekly wage