The Tilehurst End - Chelsea 4-2 Reading (Premier League)Reading FC blog run by fans, for fans.https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52568/tte_fav.png2012-08-23T15:19:39+01:00http://thetilehurstend.sbnation.com/rss/stream/31691232012-08-23T15:19:39+01:002012-08-23T15:19:39+01:00Chelsea vs Reading - All Things Except Football
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<p>I love away days. Firstly, because I am a season ticket holder living in the West Midlands, so the majority of away games are actually closer than our home games; and secondly, because of the different atmosphere which is not often associated with a home game. The new places to visit, the new routes to travel, the new food to sample and the new and often interesting encounters with opposition fans. My blogs will not be giving you a full insight of all the action from the games, but giving you an account of my experiences as an away fan. I hope you enjoy! </p> <p></p>
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This was my first visit to Stamford Bridge, and was pleasantly surprised by the organisation at Fulham Broadway tube station. Unlike Finsbury Park and Upton Park, which were horrendously cramped and narrow for the amount of football supporters that they have to cope with every other weekend, Fulham Broadway was light and airy, with plenty of Underground staff directing people in the direction of the purpose built exit for fans.</p>
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Once arriving at the ground, the amount of wealth which has kept the club successful for so long on the pitch was also apparent by the amenities on display. Two hotels and two restaurants (including a steakhouse) sporting the name of a Michelin starred chef, dominate the entrance to the away end, which is tucked away in a corner of the Shed End. It was whilst I was waiting in this area that I was approached by a man, who I can only presume was a Chelsea ‘fan’. He was obviously not English, but managed to ask if I could have a picture taken with his wife and baby daughter, as he had never seen anyone wearing a Reading ‘uniform’ before. Oh, I do love tourists.
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Getting into the ground can only be described as some kind of military operation. Walking through at least 7 or 8 rows of stewards and police just to get to the turnstiles was incredibly over the top, and this set the tone for the attitudes of the stewards inside the ground; grumpy, rude and somewhat power crazy. ‘Stand up, if you love Reading’ was sung plenty of times during the evening.</p>
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I was located in the lower tier, 11 rows back, directly behind the corner flag. It was cosy but not uncomfortable, and I think it helped generate one of the best atmospheres I have ever experienced at a football match. Our fans did not stop singing, even throughout half time sections of the visiting supporters were still chanting. The same could not be said for the Chelsea fans, even when their side were winning they created little noise, which I found disappointing. Considering how close both sets of fans are located to each other, I was expecting more of a reaction to our chants from the home support.</p>
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I found the facilities at Stamford Bridge adequate, with an interesting selection of food for sale. For just under £7 you could purchase the smallest portion of chicken curry I have ever seen. There was a couple of different pasties, but there was also only one pie for sale, and the servers in the lower tier were unsure of its price, or its flavour!</p>
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Even though I experienced the expected gloating from Chelsea fans on the walk back to the tube after the final whistle, many passed comment about how impressed they were with the way that we played. One supporter even agreed that we deserved more from the game, not until they had finished singing ‘Tesco, Tesco, Tesco’ though…
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It’s still a bit surreal thinking about Wednesday night’s events. I actually went to Stamford Bridge, the home of the newly crowned ‘Champions of Europe’ and saw Reading not only score a goal to level the game, but saw us deservedly take the lead and convincingly outplay the opposition for most of the first half. We gave Chelsea a very good run for their money, and I am nothing less than proud of that. There are so many positives to take from the game, and we should go to Sunderland full of confidence to earn our first win of this Premier League campaign.</p>
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<em>Twitter - @Becka_Ellen</em></p>
https://thetilehurstend.sbnation.com/2012/8/23/3262532/chelsea-vs-reading-all-things-except-footballBecka_Ellen2012-08-23T14:13:28+01:002012-08-23T14:13:28+01:00Chelsea 4-2 Reading - Royals lose at the Bridge
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<p><span style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal;"> </span></p>
<p>It was billed as 'The Rumble of the Roubles' and in the end Chelsea and Roman Abramovich's buck banged loudest and for longest in a six goal thriller at Stamford Bridge.</p>
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<p>But that brings no shame on Anton Zingarevich and his Premier League pretenders, Reading gave as good as they got and came from behind to lead against the European Champions in their own back yard.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"> </p>
<p>In the end it was an offside goal from £50m striker Fernando Torres and a late tap-in by Branislav Ivanovic which cruelly hammered the nails in the coffin of Brian McDermott's side.</p>
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<p>But for the hardy souls in the away end will take away memories of our newly-promoted heroes going toe-to-toe with one of the real heavyweights, an expensively assembled and glamorous side expected to perform big things this season.</p>
<p><span style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal;">If McDermott can coax this kind of performance from his side on a regular occasion, then Reading could do considerably better than the tip for immediate relegation we have received from most pundits.</span><span style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal;"> </span></p>
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<p>McDermott set up in a 4-5-1 formation, something we may see a lot away from home this season, with Jem Karacan slotting in to midfield in place of Saturday's goalscorer Adam Le Fondre.</p>
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<p>These tactics were suitable for attempting to get a hold of the game against Chelsea, but as Reading showed for long spells, also allowed us to flourish too.</p>
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<p>Chelsea seemed to dominate much of the early possession and went ahead in the 18<sup>th</sup> minute through a Frank Lampard penalty after Chris Gunter had fouled Eden Hazard in the box.</p>
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<p>Far from rolling over and allowing Roberto Di Matteo's side to kill off the game though, we were galvanised, summer signings Garath McCleary, Danny Guthrie and Pavel Pogrebnyak in particular giving their opposite numbers something to think about.</p>
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<p>And it was a McCleary cross met by the head of the Pog that pulled the Royals level on 25 minutes, the former Nottingham Forest winger picked up where he left off on Saturday and gave an energetic performance which gives real hope he could prove to be a revelation this season and Russian striker Pogrebnyak was much improved from the weekend, where I thought he looked nervous and off the pace on his debut.</p>
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<p>The best was yet to come though as Guthrie, taking over on free-kick duty from Ian Harte, showed his dead ball credentials with a low effort that Petr Cech spilled into his own goal somewhat fortuitously.Reading held the lead against Chelsea!</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"> </p>
<p>Karacan on his return to first team action, worked hard, harried, chased and generally made a nuisance of himself and there were some great team passing movements and signs that the side are beginning to get to know one another and grow in confidence.</p>
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<p>Chelsea made change after change, introducing Brazilian wonderkid Oscar and England international Daniel Sturridge, a sign of how worried Di Matteo was on the touchline, but also of the vast resources they have.</p>
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<p>And it worked to Reading's disadvantage as eventually they found a route back into the game, Adam Federici doing little to stop Gary Cahill's long range effort with about 20 minutes remaining.</p>
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<p>Federici has come under the spotlight after a couple of mistakes, but he has plenty of credit left and most Reading fans know his place is not under threat yet. His performances in recent seasons have been superb and I back him to come through this shaky spell and prove himself in the top-flight.</p>
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<p>Reading were beginning to tire and the knockout blow came with ten minutes left when Ashley Cole found Torres, in an offside position, to fire home.</p>
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<p>Federici came upfield for a corner and as Reading searched for an equaliser, the Australian was caught on the counter attack and Hazard, the same man who had won the original penalty, set up Ivanovic to end the game.</p>
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<p>Hal Robson-Kanu, a late substitute for McCleary, looked tons better than on Saturday when he started against Stoke. For me this shows that he is lacking the maturity to start games in the top-flight just yet but definitely has a role to play as a sub, much like last season.</p>
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<p>McDermott understandably spoke of his disappointment after the game, but I for one am glad we gave it a go. It's just a shame we couldn't hold on for the point which would have meant so much, but a performance like this against Sunderland on Saturday will surely see Reading take all three points.</p>
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https://thetilehurstend.sbnation.com/2012/8/23/3262440/chelsea-4-2-reading-royals-lose-out-in-the-rumble-of-the-roublesMikeWade2012-08-22T18:38:29+01:002012-08-22T18:38:29+01:00Chelsea (A) Match Thread
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<p><a target="_blank" href="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/1289971/Chelsea.jpeg"><img alt="Chelsea_medium" src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/1289971/Chelsea_medium.jpeg" class="photo"></a> <br id="1345656963722"><span style="line-height: 9px;">So our first road trip of the season starts in just over an hour.</span></p>
<p>Feel free to discuss the game in this thread, before during and after the game, we'd love to have your comments!</p>
<p><b>Reading - (4-5-1): </b>Federici; Gunter, Harte, Gorkss, Pearce; Leigertwood, Guthrie, Karacan, McAnuff, McCleary; Pogrebnyak.</p>
<p>Subs: McCarthy, Cummings, Mariappa, Tabb, Robson-Kanu, Hunt, Le Fondre</p>
<p><b>Chelsea </b>- Cech; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Cole; Mikel, Lampard; Ramires, Hazard, Mata; Torres.</p>
<p>Subs: Turnbull, Bertrand, Essien, Romeu, Oscar, Meireles, Sturridge</p>
https://thetilehurstend.sbnation.com/2012/8/22/3260647/chelsea-a-match-threadWimb2012-08-22T16:06:46+01:002012-08-22T16:06:46+01:00Chelsea (A) Match Preview
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<p><span style="line-height: 9px;">You can never be unhappy with a point in the Barclays Premier League and despite failing to beat Stoke on Saturday, we're at least off the mark in our first top flight season in four years.</span></p>
<p>I'm glad we did get off the mark Saturday because today we'll be playing one of our toughest games of the season as we travel to face the reigning European Champions Chelsea.</p>
<p><b><u>Head-To-Head</u></b></p>
<p>The two sides have only met 12 times in the league and just 18 times in all competitions so there's not an awful lot of history to go on here. 4 of those league meetings came between 2006-2008 where Chelsea took the win three times with one draw at Stamford Bridge on Boxing Day 2006.</p>
<p>Beyond that and the Royals have never beaten Chelsea away from home, with their last win over the West London side coming in a League Cup tie back in 1987 at Elm Park.</p>
<p>The overriding memory most have of Reading against Chelsea is the incident that saw <a target="_blank" href="http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/hunt-in-dock-as-cech-suffers-a-fractured-skull-7244395.html">Peter Cech suffer a fractured skull at the Madejski after colliding with Stephen Hunt.</a> Emotions ran high in the wake of the incident with comments coming out of <span>Jose Mourinho</span> that enraged Royals fans, while some Chelsea fans accused Hunt of deliberately going out to hurt their Czech 'keeper. Only <span>Stephen Hunt</span> will truly know whether the intent was there but some bad blood has simmered between the two sets of fans ever since and I doubt <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/epl/teams/reading">Reading's</a> fans or players will get an easy ride tonight.</p>
<p><b><u>Team News</u></b></p>
<p>Reading will pick from the same squad as last week, though there's no <span>Jordan Obita</span> to call on after he was loaned out to Portsmouth.</p>
<p><span>Jimmy Kebe</span> is still out with a hamstring injury while Jason Roberts serves the final game of his three-match ban he incurred for being sent off against Palace last season.</p>
<p>The real selection quandry will be whether Brian McDermott sticks with <span>Hal Robson-Kanu</span> on the wing or gives <span>Garath McCleary</span> the start after an impressive cameo against Stoke. Elsewhere and it's possible Brian may pick <span>Nicky Shorey</span> as a bit more of a mobile left-back and to give <span>Ian Harte</span> a breather.</p>
<p><b>Reading - Possible Team (4-4-2):</b> Federici; Harte, Gorkss, Pearce, Gunter; McAnuff, Guthrie, Leigertwood, McCleary; Le Fondre, Pogrebnyak</p>
<p>Chelsea welcome back Ramires into the fold though new signing <span>Marko Marin</span> is unlikely to make the team due to a hamstring injury while <span>David Luiz</span> is also struggling to be fit.</p>
<p>Former Royals loanee Ryan Betrand could also feature for the home side.</p>
<p>The guys over at <a target="_blank" href="http://www.weaintgotnohistory.com/2012/8/22/3258908/chelsea-vs-reading-2012-preview-schedule-watch-tv">We Ain't Got No History</a> expect a few changes to Sunday's game at Wigan, projecting the following lineup.</p>
<p><b style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 18px;">Chelsea - Possible Team (4-2-3-1):</b><span> Cech; Cole, Terry, Cahill, Ivanovic; Raul Meireles, John Obi Mikel; Ramires, Eden Hazard, Daniel Sturridge; Fernando Torres.</span></p>
<p><b><u>Best Odds</u></b></p>
<p>Chelsea - 3/10</p>
<p>Draw - 9/2</p>
<p>Reading - 12/1</p>
<p><b><u>Tilehurst End Prediction</u></b></p>
<p>There are few harder trips than going to Stamford Bridge but Reading will hope to try and spoil the party in what is <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/">Chelsea's</a> first home game since their dramatic Champions League win. We won't go there trying to win a point but we'll try our usual trick of frustrating sides, keeping them out of the danger areas and then looking to hit on the break.</p>
<p>Our style of play arguably suits us better away from home but the vast array of talent available to Roberto Di Matteo means that we'll have a very, very tough job on our hands tonight.</p>
<p>Still, I'll be optimistic and say that we'll keep things tight and somehow escape with a 0-0 draw.</p>
https://thetilehurstend.sbnation.com/2012/8/22/3259069/chelsea-a-match-previewWimb2012-08-21T14:58:50+01:002012-08-21T14:58:50+01:00View From The Town End - Chelsea (A)
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<p>After an opening day point against Stoke, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/epl/teams/reading">Reading</a> now must travel to play the reigning European Champions <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/">Chelsea</a> at Stamford Bridge.</p>
<p>Ahead of Wednesday's game we spoke to Stephen Schmidt from SB Nation's Chelsea blog <a target="_blank" href="http://www.weaintgotnohistory.com/">We Ain't Got No History</a> about tomorrow's match.</p>
<p><b>How did you rate your performances in the Charity Shield and League opener?</b></p>
<p>I haven't really been able to take too much from either of those matches to be honest. Once Chelsea went down to 10 men in the Shield, it really became more about playing out the match in healthy fashion than anything meaningful. Chelsea went 2 goals up inside of 6 minutes in the opener, and at that point they seemed content to defend and conserve energy for the upcoming game.</p>
<p><b>Do you think you'll do any more transfer business before the deadline?</b></p>
<p>I have a feeling we'll still see 2-3 more signings, although none of them will be for regular starters. Right back depth is needed, and one more player capable of playing center forward would be useful as well. I don't think most Chelsea fans would be overly upset with adding another central midfielder either, but I get the feeling the club aren't pressing to fill that need.</p>
<p><b>Best memory of Chelsea v Reading?</b></p>
<p>I'll be honest, I don't really have too many fond memories of playing Reading. We've not had a real standout performance against them that I can recall, and the 2 clubs just haven't met all that often since I've been alive. When they have played, it's seemingly always been ugly. I just have a hard time thinking of Reading and seeing anything other than that one incident...</p>
<p><b>And the worst?</b></p>
<p>Back to that incident, as <span>Petr Cech</span> still wears the headgear as a reminder. It's been a few years now, but I'm sure this will still be a huge talking point before the game.</p>
<p><b>Who should Reading fans be particularly wary of on Wednesday?</b></p>
<p><span>Eden Hazard</span> was fantastic in the opener, and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110873/fernando-torres">Fernando Torres</a> has been showing signs of life lately. I'd be watching that pair closely.</p>
<p><b>Anyone Chelsea fans are concerned about from the Reading team?</b></p>
<p>I think <span>Pavel Pogrebnyak</span> would be the obvious choice here, as most Chelsea fans are familiar with him from his time at <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://cottagersconfidential.sbnation.com/">Fulham</a>.</p>
<p><b>Tips for travelling Royals?</b></p>
<p>I don't have much to offer in the way of travel tips for Reading fans traveling to London, but it's a lot easier and less expensive to get there than covering the 3300 miles (5300 KM) from my place.</p>
<p><b>Score prediction?</b></p>
<p>I'm feeling pretty good after the start Chelsea had over the weekend, so I'm going to say 3-0 for Chelsea.I'm generally pretty terrible at predicting the score though.</p>
<p><i>Thanks again to Stephen and you can follow We Ain't Got No History on Twitter at <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/WAGNH_CFC">@WAGNH_CFC</a></i></p>
https://thetilehurstend.sbnation.com/2012/8/21/3257674/view-from-the-town-end-chelsea-aWimb