A last-minute penalty hits the back of the net to maintain the new managers perfect record since taking over the club where he has spent nearly ten years working his way up to the top spot. The goal brings them within a point of escaping the relegation zone and it’s three wins out of three now from the man who was only expected to keep the hotseat warm until a new man was brought in to steady the ship. The fans, dubious at his appointment, now sing his name to the rafters. The key player behind this revival? The much-maligned Shane Long, a man whose confidence had been shot under the previous management and most had given up on, has four goals to his name from McDermott’s opening games, having not previously scored all season. It’s a fairytale start for the new man and the light is just beginning to shine over the Madejski Stadium once more.
Brian McDermott was in a tough position when he accepted the permanent role as Reading manager. His team had just 23 points from 26 games and were firmly in the middle of a relegation battle. His own caretaker stint hadn’t brought much more league success, with just two points from the five matches he had been in charge for. His FA cup successes against Premier League opposition in Liverpool and Burnley were what won him the role though and he was given the opportunity to stop the rot that had set in during Steve Coppell’s last six months at the club and exacerbated under the disastrous Rodgers regime.
Although admittedly easier ties on paper, McDermott’s results since taking the job stand for themselves. Reading still find themselves in the relegation zone and will still need to scrap to survive, but there is a more confident air about the club these days. The defence is by no means watertight, but is less leaky than before while the first eleven are a more structured unit that work together. His tactics may be more simple than the ‘world-class’ model adapted by Brendan Rodgers, but they are also more effective, particularly in a team that finds itself scrapping for it’s Championship status. The move to 4-5-1 at Doncaster may have brought about groans, but it was an inspired move that did not allow our midfield to be overran. Then it was back to 4-4-2 for a home game at Plymouth, which again proved to be the right decision, if only just.
The new man is no mug; he has learnt his trade in the reserves league and learnt it well. He knows that to build a team, you need to start at the back and that is exactly what he has done in the January transfer window. The troublesome right-back position has been filled in the shape of experienced Stoke ex-captain, Andy Griffin, whose presence has shored up the back line. Also coming in is the Georgian international Zurab Khizanishvili, who has bags of top-flight experience and provides a much-studier centre-back alternative than Alex Pearce. Whilst it is always nice to see young players given their chance, Shaun Cummings and Pearce were two names that needed replacing for this relegation battle and McDermott wasted no time in doing so.
He has also helped some struggling names to find their form, none more so than Shane Long. Having barely featured under Rodgers, he now has four goals from three games and looks a genuine threat. He still has his limitations, sure, but something has changed with Long since McDermott took over. Brian Howard too has started to show his influence over games more and the team has even managed to cope with the injury of top-scorer and all-round golden boy Gylfi Sigurdsson.
Whilst it’s way too early for bold predictions or to get carried away under the new regime, the signs are looking encouraging. The Royals now find themselves just one point from safety and, whisper it, 11 from the play-offs. If you’re reading, Iain Dowie, switch your phone on. Brian McDermott may just be looking to you for tips if this run continues.
The most frustrating soundbite of Reading’s season has been rolled out once more following the permanent appointment of caretaker boss Brian McDermott, this time referring to tomorrows home clash with Barnsley, but this time it was said was meaning. The 48-year-old knows that there is already pressure on him to produce the league results that will claw the Royals towards safety and, as one of the few sides defeated this season, it provides a good opportunity for McDermott to mark his slate.
The new man has already had five league games to prove his worth and only managed two points from them. However the improved performances, coupled of course with those all important FA cup wins, was evidence enough though for his chairman to give him his first chance as a manager. If the former manager, Brendan Rodgers, was allowed to declare the first five professional games of his reign to still be ‘pre-season’ then so should Brian McDermott, whose Reading career will truly begin in front of the watching eyes of the Madejski Stadium come 3pm tomorrow afternoon.
McDermott has begun to stamp his influence on the club already. Three new signings have joined the ranks, Khizanishvili and Griffin on loan from Premier League clubs and Icelandic striker Thorvaldsson finally put pen to paper having been courted since Steve Coppell was in charge. The team have reverted to a 4-4-2 and the line-up is more settled. Two important players have also returned to the side; tigerish midefield Jem Karacan along with Rodgers much-maligned signing Matt Mills, who has finally started to look like the player he threatened to be following his £2m move in the summer.
He may not be every fans choice, given his low-key status and the potential options that were available as a replacement for Brendan Rodgers, but he has earned his chance in the hotseat. Whilst this supporter can’t deny that he would feel more comfortable in the hands of a more experienced man, Gareth Southgate being the name that springs to mind, I am more than willing to give McDermott a fair chance. The football has improved, the decision-making seems more rational and the players appear fitter than earlier in the season. He has proved that he has what it takes to win football matches. If he can begin his reign with a win against Barnsley, then truly, the season starts now.
The club have just announced that Brendan Rodgers will leave his position as manager with immediate effect. It puts an end to a tenure that few Reading fans will remember fondly as the club sits precariously above the relegation zone and the possibility of League One football loomed over the club.
Brendan Rodgers time at Reading was, in short, a disastrous one and I’ll be discussing it in more detail as soon as time permits (which it hasn’t done much recently, hence the lack of updates)
One hopes that Reading have a successor in mind. I wouldn’t be surprised to find that it’s Darren Ferguson, who we were very interested in before moving for Rodgers and who has recently become available, making him the cheap and therefore attractive option.
Following Rodgers’ “skilled soldier” comments last week, Reading fans at Derby saw the hoops using military precision to overcome the enemy despite being outnumbered. Unfortunately it was a member of the marines cunningly disguised as Kingsley Royal rounding off a display of unarmed combat; half time entertainment that stood out like an undigested sweetcorn kernel in the turd that was this clash at the dirty end of the championship.
Once more, Reading threw away a lead, surrendering to a nasty, unimpressive Derby outfit. It was a match of mis-placed passes, mis-timed tackles and defending that would be best described as schoolboy, if not for fear of offending the under-tens. The Royals may have the stomach for a fight, certainly there was no lack of commitment (okay, Kebe was akin to a conscientious objector), but the deficiency of technique and tactics displayed confirms we are where we are because we that’s where we deserve to be.
No-one left Pride Park with any dignity yesterday, least of all the home fans who were silent until encouraged by their mascot to abuse Howard after he suffered a jaw injury that may require surgery. That over thirty-thousand paid to see football of a standard they could watch for free at Prospect Park is testimony to their loyalty, I suppose. Or perhaps they should just be sectioned.
Referee Haines is another who should hang his head in shame for the part he played in this unedifying contest. A mere middleman, he should have passed his cards to Robbie Savage at the beginning of the game, for he obediently issued cautions when prompted by the always despicable Derby skipper. Kebe was booked for a spot of gentle shirt tugging and when he was, in turn, assaulted by Hulse’s two footed lunge, Haines judged this a comparable infringement, worthy only of a yellow. Later on, as Haines allowed Derby to foul substitute Shane Long with impunity, the Irishman jumped up from a nasty challenge that didn’t draw the free kick it warranted, and extracted his revenge on the perpetrator. The red card that followed was entirely deserved and now leaves Rodgers short of strikers. Alex Pearce filled in for him during the remaining minutes at Derby, and perhaps our very own John Terry will reprise this role up front, with two million pound man Matt Mills joining Ingi in our creaking back line.
Rodgers claims that his charges attained their latest four game short-term target. If this target had not been revised to include at least a point against Clough’s strugglers, then the poverty of ambition is there for all to see. We have a clueless manager and a couldn’t care less chairman. Make the most of the forthcoming FA cup tie with the scousers, because with these two at the helm, sides of their calibre won’t be regular vistors any time soon.
Just over a month ago, I wrote on these pages that it was time for Rodgers to go following an abysmal performance in our 4-1 defeat away to QPR. It was the latest in a string of wretched performances and results that had seen the Royals lie one place above the relegation zone with a third of the season gone. Like most others, I’d expected the season to be a rebuilding process and I wasn’t expecting the team to be challenging for promotion. Mid-table with signs that we were improving would suit me fine and, at the time, we seemed to have only gone backwards and I couldn’t see it getting any better.
In the four games that have followed that dark evening in West London, Brendan Rodgers has made some inroads towards proving me wrong. When we were beaten in the following game by Leicester at home, despite an improved performance, I stuck by my declaration, but once again Brendan survived to fight another day. The result he so desperately needed came on the road against a very poor Coventry side and it proved to be the shot in the arm our team needed. The home jitters struck again against relegation rivals Ipswich, where we could only manage a draw, but the breakthrough finally came last Saturday against Blackpool.
As Brendan Rodgers says himself, seven points from nine is nothing to be sniffed at and, whilst we are still dangerously poised above the drop zone, we are starting to close the gap between the pack. It’s not inconceivable that we could find ourselves mid-table if we’re able to keep up this good run of form over the next few games and, now that the home voodoo has been broken, there is nothing to suggest that we can’t. Rodgers seems to have found a more settled side and is making less changes week-in, week-out, which can only be a good thing for the team and, in particular, the youngsters who are beginning to settle in.
Church and Sigurdsson have really begun to flourish in blue and white, with the latter showing real promise and making it into the Championship Team of the Week (pdf) MacAnuff is showing himself to be the best of Rodgers’ signings, whilst even the much-maligned Rasiak is chipping in with some important goals. The manager seems to be learning as well, allowing Tabb to keep the right-back slot that he is beginning to excel in over his own signing, the utterly hopeless Shaun Cummings, who we can only hope will get better. Matejovsky has been given the chance to play regularly and the whole team just generally seems more settled. Hopefully Rodgers has now found his best side and will continue to stick with it.
Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a complete turn-around post. I’m still far-from-convinced that Brendan Rodgers is the man to take Reading forward, but he is, at least, beginning to show signs that he can does know what he is doing. What he has done isn’t rocket science, it’s pretty much what we’ve all been crying out for over the past couple of months. But at least he has done it. He still says idiotic things in every interview he gives that make you wish he would just keep his mouth shut, but I’m able to be more tolerant of the corp-speak and ‘my name means skilled soldier’ bollocks when we’re actually performing on the pitch.
The next month will be very important for both Reading’s season and Rodgers’ career. The teams performances over the past four games have earned him the right to more time to prove his worth. If he keeps doing what he’s been doing and getting the results on the pitch, he might just be able to turn it around. And if he stops talking out of his arse to the press every five minutes, I might even start to like him.
This piece comes courtesy of guest blogger, Paul Nash, still recovering from seeing a home win
Discussing the likely outcome before the game, one contributor offered “Win, lose or draw, Rodgers is still a dick” Bit harsh I thought at the time, and indeed throughout the match as Reading played some decent stuff against the sewagesiders. But then he was interviewed on the radio afterwards and came out with some guff about how he’d been telling the group his name meant ’skilled soldier.’ I wondered if they laughed as hard as I did. At least his opposite number Ian Holloway tries to be deliberately funny with his post-match thoughts, but Brendan’s brand of humour is entirely unconscious. So yes, he is still a dick.
The game itself was good entertainment as well. First half, Reading were on top with slick passing and great wing play courtesy of Kebe and man of the match MacAnuff but couldn’t find the net. Had Rasiak started, he might have been able to use his height to press home the Royals advantage. As it was Church and Siggy looked busy, but fruitless for the opening 45 minutes. The back four were looking as if they will play better the longer they can remain unchanged – Tabb was particularly impressive and there can be no way back for Cummings whilst Jay remains in this form.
In the second half Blackpool started the brighter, but eventually Reading got just reward for their dominance with Siggy coolly controlling MacAnuff’s cross and steering it past Gilks. One of these days, Reading are going to fulfill Adam Federici’s claim and spank a team five or six nil. It’ll have to be a less resilient side than Blackpool though, because they were soon back on level terms as they demonstrated their own capacity for incisive forward play; Ormerod finishing smartly to expose the raw nerves once more. Such has been the fragility of the Royals at home that you had to fear the natural order of things would be restored with fifth placed Blackpool kicking on to victory to leave Reading poised on the trapdoor to the third division.
However, Matejovsky pinged a fantastic crossfield ball into the box for substitute Rasiak to head home and retake the lead in the 83rd minute. It was no less than the Royals and their long-suffering home supporters deserved, but the drama wasn’t over yet. There followed an anxious weathering of the storm with the Tangerines thundering towards the south stand goal before the ref’s whistle consigned the seventeen game long winless run to history.
Only Newcastle and WBA are standing out this season in the championship. One might have hoped Reading would be there or thereabouts come the end of the season and our inability so far to rise above the herd of no-hopers has been frustrating when the impressive cv of our manager is considered. Still, he’s a self confessed slow starter, so perhaps he’s using the military knowledge he believes his name suggests he possesses to catch the enemy by surprise. A tortoise and hare approach may seem risky, but Rodgers is not short on self-confidence. If he can just restrict his more risible public proclamations, one day this cynic may even join his barmy army.
Paul Nash writes a guest post after the 3-1 win over Coventry City
Reading managed their third league away win of the season and it was a comfort to realise there are worse sides in this division than us. That’s not to say the Royals didn’t play well for most of the game, but Coventry were poor, poor opposition. After the shock of the goal within the first minute, the Sky Blues put up about as much fight as Barnsley catering staff in the face of thirsty Mancs, and Reading took full advantage to ease out of the relegation places.
Two of Rodgers’ signings combined well to craft that early goal, as McAnuff crossed for Rasiak to rise unopposed and nod home and they went on to share the rest of the scoring between them. Jobi McAnuff, in particular, caused the home defence no end of problems all afternoon and Rasiak, whilst appearing slow off the mark, got himself into good positions and deserved his second strike of the game, snapping up the rebound from Long’s shot against the post to seal the victory.
Eastwood got Coventry briefly back in contention when he hit a brilliant strike beating Federici low down, but that aside the back five stood firm. Before the game, it was a concern whether a centre back pairing of Ingi and Pearce would cope with the pace of Eastwood and Morrison, but both defenders were largely at ease with the long balls down the middle and Morrison grew increasingly frustrated as the game wore on.
In midfield, it was Matejovsky’s kind of game. He was given space and time and mostly chose the right pass. He’s the type of player who will always take a risk to try and unlock the defence and, inevitably, he gave the ball away cheaply on several occasions where he left a team-mate with too much to do. Given Brendan’s professed predeliction for playing the passing game though, it could be argued that Marek’s name should be first on the team sheet every week. Along with Kebe, Matejovsky can frustrate the fans when moments of brilliance come to nothing, but it’d be a crying shame if this potential to lift the spirits and elevate the match above the mundane were left to fester on the fringes.
It’s up front where the major problems lie. Yes, Reading scored three, but few defences are as generous as Coventry’s. Church was a willing runner, but largely ineffectual, and his replacement Long is more supersize than supersub these days. He is painfully off the pace that is his chief (some would say only) attribute, and struggled to keep up with the game. As another ball eluded him, you had to wonder if he’d have got on the end of it had it been a Burger King queue. So a striker with a wee bit of quality and the right sort of hunger is a priority.
We’ve heard a lot about luck this season. We’re told that once we start getting it, we’ll turn that corner and reach our rightful status in the championship. Unlucky against Leicester – debatable. We couldn’t score nor defend over ninety minutes, they could. Lucky against Preston? The woodwork played a blinder for us. I’d rather we trusted in astute acquisitions, consistent team selection and proper preparation and motivation than something as nebulous as luck, because we won’t be meeting teams as limited as Coventry every week.
Posted by toddnash 
