Rodgers eases the pressure as Royals win away

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.

Why it’s still time for Brendan to go

I feel a little bit sorry for Brendan Rodgers tonight. After the fans called for his head on QPR, he knew that he had to do something dramatic against Leicester today and, to be fair, it looked as though his side responded. We were a thousand times better than in midweek, but we still managed to get beaten. I can’t fault his tactics or player selection, except perhaps the striking choice, and he even brought back Matejovsky. But his position as manager of Reading Football Club isn’t about this game alone.

Rodgers has had sixteen games now, two of which were in a short League Cup run. Of the fourteen league games, he’s only won two and only one of those was convincing. He’s drawn four of them. He’s lost eight, including the last four games. Reading sit firmly in the relegation zone and, tonight aside, have been playing terribly of late. The long-suffering season-ticket holders have only had two goals to cheer about at home all season and have yet to taste a win. The defence have conceded 23 goals, while we’ve only managed to score 11 ourselves. No player has managed more than two goals so far this season. It makes for desperate reading.

Like many others, I was in full support of Brendan Rodgers when he came to the club. I liked what he had to say, I was excited about the football he talked of us playing and was pleased that he was prepared to give the talented youngsters a chance. In his early games, we looked toothless. We played some decent stuff on the ground, but didn’t really ever look like scoring except from a set-play or lucky break. We started getting rolled over by some of the Championship’s more powerful teams and, for a while, Rodgers abandoned that ethos and went direct. We still didn’t much look like scoring and were losing our way at the back. He panicked and started to chop and change, which only made things worse. Our position plummeted.

And here we find ourselves today. We still look toothless in attack and our defending is just as lacklustre, if not worse than it was at the start of the season. The passing football returned today, which was good to see, but Rodgers is still undermining himself by appearing to draw his team out of a hat. The players can’t have a clue if they’ll be lining up for the first-team or the stiffs on a week-by-week basis and this can’t be doing our teamwork any good.

Rodgers supporters will argue that consistency is the key to building a side, but the manager himself doesn’t appear to believe it. How can the attackers learn each others games if the faces are swapped every game? Kebe is our best player in mid-week and finds himself on the bench tonight. Matejovsky hasn’t done anything wrong, but finds himself chucked in and out of the team. Tabb gets canned for no apparent reason, then finds himself shoved at right-back (although I’m pleased Rodgers has seen how useless Cummings is.) How can he argue for consistency if he won’t provide any himself?

We may looked better today, but unless Rodgers can get us performing this way in the majority of games and turn them into wins, then it makes no difference. So far, we’ve only shown promise in patches and it’s not good enough. We don’t have a divine right to be at the top of the table, but we shouldn’t be in a relegation dogfight either. We aren’t the only ones to have lost key players this season – Rodgers has had some money to spend and, so far, his purchases don’t look all that wise. And he doesn’t appear to know what to do with them.

I’m sorry to say it after tonight Brendan, but it’s still time for you to go.

Time for Rodgers to go as Reading are wretched again

“Sacked in the morning” rang around all four sides of Loftus Road like a death knell for the beleaguered Brendan Rodgers. After a performance as wretched as the one Reading put in this evening, it came as no surprise and time is rapidly running out for the boss with only two league wins under his belt all season. Time is the last thing the fans want to give him though and rightly so as he has only managed to take his team further backwards this season.

Rodgers last game in charge of Reading?

QPR were an absolute class above Reading tonight and were still dominant even after the referee handed us a great advantage. He sent Ben Watson off for a second yellow after only half an hour, apparently for taking a free-kick before the whistle. It was very, very harsh, but QPR responded from the same free-kick; Buszaky brilliantly curling it into the bottom corner. Despite the numerical advantage, Reading were still under the cosh and deservedly went two down after a great move from the home side saw Simpson tuck the ball home from yards out.

Rodgers made two substitutions at half-time, choosing to go with three at the back and replacing Jay Tabb, who had played well at right-back, as well as Kalifa Cisse with Sigurdsson and Howard. The numerical advantage was lost seconds after the restart though, with Ingimarsson diving in late to earn a second yellow. With 10 against 10, QPR were rampant again. Vine scored from long range before Agyemang found himself one-on-one with Federici without a defender in sight and danced his way past the goalkeeper.

Howard grabbed a consolation goal late on, but it was only met with chants of “how shit must you be, we’ve just scored a goal” as the Reading fans looked to make the best of a very bad situation. The demands of “Rodgers out” had already been in full flow by this point and were repeated at the final whistle, along with a chorus of boos.

Credit where it’s due; Jimmy Kebe worked his absolute socks off, but couldn’t find that final ball. He was about the only one who looked like he still cared at 4-0 down. Howard played quite well after coming on, as did Sigurdsson who looked lively. Federici couldn’t really be blamed for the goals. However, O’Dea, Ingimarsson, Gunarsson and Cisse were utterly useless. MacAnuff started brightly, but faded quickly and was a passenger though the second half. Mills was committed but let down by terrible distribution, while Church and Long didn’t get a sniff up-front.

I’ve advocated giving Rodgers more time, but enough is enough. We are getting progressively worse this season and, given the chance, he will take us down. The Reading fans sang more out of hope than expectation tonight; I fully expect to see Brendan in the dugout come Monday night to embarrass on the telly, but his days are numbered. Will Madejski have the balls to sack him?

More misery heaped on Rodgers as Royals disappoint again

With two weeks worth of international break to play with, I was interested to see whether Brendan had managed to make good use of the time to provide his players with a better understanding of his tactics and the way that he wanted his team to play. For fifteen minutes, it looked as though he had. Then we scored and, as though awoken from a beautiful dream, Reading went back to their merry old ways and could have been on the end of a six or seven goal thrashing were it not for the heroics of Adam Federici.

Reading started the game very much of the front foot, keeping the home crowd quiet with wave after wave of attack and Jimmy Kebe causing carnage of the right-wing. It didn’t take long for a breakthrough; Matt Mills, whose effervescent girlfriend was in attendance, finding space in the penalty area and heading home from a Howard free-kick. Minutes later, Jobi McAnuff squandered a brilliant chance to double the lead, but West Brom were fighting their way back into the game and soon began to turn the screw.

Having defended stoutly for almost half-an-hour, we then threw away their good work with a moment of madness that started with a Reading corner. The ball was cleared as far as MacAnuff, who inexplicably chose to pass back to his goalkeeper rather than continue the attack. He sliced the ball badly though and left Federici with the choice of either racing forward to try and clear it or back to his box to face a one-on-one with the onrushing Jerome Thomas. He went for the former, but wasn’t quick enough and the Arsenal academy product was able to run it into the open net for a calamitous, yet deserved, equaliser.

A draw was probably a fair result at the break, but it was WBA who had been on the front-foot as it approached and would continue to do so after the restart. I don’t know what world-class rehydration formula Brendan Rodgers has chosen for his players half-time drinks, but he’d be better off with a glass of warm milk and a nytol. At least then we’d only be asleep for the second-half of games rather than completely comatose.

The second goal had been coming. When it did, it was from an all too likely source. West Brom had been targetting their former player, Shaun Cummings, as a weak-link in our defence and he proved only too happy to oblige his former colleagues. Caught out of position on the half-way line, he was nowhere near Jerome Thomas who burned him for pace and slotted home easily. The pressure on Reading’s goal continued and the only surprise about their third was that it was so long coming. Federici didn’t clear well enough from a corner and Mulumbu scored with a dipping half-volley from the edge of the area.

It was a case of same old story for the Royals; a good first half display, but woeful in the second. The chant that followed Brian Howard’s late attempt at goal summed up the final 45 minutes – “how shit must you be, we’ve just had a shot.” It was true; to allow a player as limited as Howard the time and space to spoon a shot over the bar like that was criminal. It would be unfair to single out Howard though; Cummings was by far the weakest player on the pitch and seems to have no redeeming features for the gaping holes in his game. Karacan and Cisse were busy in midfield, but ultimately outplayed by their counterparts who, from 15 minutes onward, completely controlled the pace of the game. MacAnuff actually played quite well in patches, but his backpass was horrific.

Emerging with credit were Federici, who could have done better for the first and third WBA goals, but without whom Reading would have been given a sound beating, Ingimarsson and Mills, who did OK under wave after wave of attack and Jimmy Kebe, who was utterly electric until Roberto Di Matteo got wise of his abilities and had his defenders double up on the Malian magician.

Little credit for the manager though, whose position is starting to look unsteady as the fans turn against him. It’s a results business and, at the moment, Rodgers isn’t getting them. Or looking like he will get them in the future. It’s a tough trip to QPR next, followed by Leicester at home. That home game will be the key; if he comes away with less than three points from the next two games he, and we, could be in real trouble.

Is Brendan a Championship Manager?

Back in my university days, I used to play Championship Manager 01/02 religiously. The first time that I played the game, I took over Reading who, at the time, were fairly useless. I decided early on that I would completely overhaul the squad, ship out the old timers, bring in some talented youngsters and supplement the first eleven with a bargain or two. I picked a fancy formation and was excited about the prospects of my exciting new team. We were terrible in our first two games, so I decided that the system wasn’t working and changed it. We kept losing, so I tinkered with the starting line-up, trying new formations and combinations to see which worked. Nothing did. I was sacked before Xmas.

All of this is starting to feel a little familiar. The turnover of playing staff, the use of 24 different players in the Championship after just eleven games, the bizarre substitutions and changes of formation half-way through a game that nobody, not even the players themselves, seems to understand. Yes, there will have been pressure from above for Rodgers to move some of the players on; it’s not entirely his fault, but his tenureship all seems to feel a little too much like a game of Champ Man for my liking.

This may come just a day after our 2-0 home defeat to Middlesbrough, but this isn’t a reactionary post. Reading have ten points from eleven games. We sit precariously above the relegation zone, below the likes of Barnsley, Scunthorpe and even Watford, the team that Rodgers departed for so-called better things. The new manager promised a ‘world-class’ model, based around playing good football, when he arrived. Yet the fans aren’t even being treated to pretty football anymore, let alone an effective system. He said that he needed to “change the culture” of the club. This was a club that had finished fourth in the Championship last season; why was such a drastic overhaul required?

Rodgers’ tactics continue to frustrate the Reading fans, as does his team selection. Playing with one striker at home against the likes of Doncaster Rovers appears staggeringly negative. Middlesbrough may be one of the better teams in the Championship, but are two defensive midfielders really required when playing them at home? Three points may have been won at Preston in midweek, but his decision to replace a winger with a centre-back brought about so much pressure that we came very close to throwing at least two of those away.

As for the team selection; sometimes I find myself rubbing my eyes in disbelief at Brendan’s chosen line-up. Under Coppell, when Brynjar Gunnarsson was given a starting spot, he was often taken off as his aging legs struggled to keep up with the younger players. A year on and he is playing two full games in a week. Against Preston he was visibly flagging towards the end of the game, but Karacan (who admittedly had been in wars) was replaced instead. Simon Church appears to be our first-choice striker now, although how he has moved in front of Hunt, Long or Rasiak I’ve no idea. Jay Tabb and Marek Matejovsky can’t get near the first team, despite the abject anonymous start made by Brian Howard to his Reading career. Marek, in particular, must be scratching his head in disbelief as to how he finds himself on the sidelines.

It seems crazy to be saying this so early into his Reading career, but how much longer has Brendan Rodgers got with the club performing this badly. He talks the talk, but when it comes to the walk he’s like a drunk on an ice-rink. We have West Brom and QPR away next, two games that I can’t see us getting anything from, followed by the visit of in-form Leicester. It’s not so long ago that you’d be looking at those three and expecting to get six points. Now I can’t see any.

But what do we do? The squad has been cleared out so thoroughly that it’s now difficult to see anyone other than Rodgers doing any better with the players at hand. I’ve wanted him to do well and I still hope that we can turn a corner, but this season seems to have relegation battle written all over it. It’s a ridiculous fall from grace and is the dual fault of the management and coaching staff. I had a lot of good feeling towards Brendan Rodgers at the start of the season, but it’s fading fast.

Pictures from Preston

It’s a bit late for me to be writing a match report from the win at Preston on Tuesday night, so instead I’ll just upload some of the pictures I took. For what it’s worth, I thought that we went in at half-time great value for our two goal lead having been the better team and controlled the game. We could and probably should have gone 3-0 up and killed the game off early into the second-half when Jobi McAnuff, whose song I absolutely love by the way, missed a sitter from a couple of yards out. Preston brought Parkin on though midway through the second-half and Brendan responded by taking off Jobi and replacing him with Matt Mills to shore up the defence.

All this did though was invite Preston to attack us and left us without a outlet when we won the ball back and it was inevitable that they would score eventually. The penalty was up the other end from where we Royals fans were sat, so I can’t really comment, but it was definitely coming and the last 15 mins or so were the longest I think I’ve ever witnessed in a football match. Federici was in inspired form though and we managed to hold on for a very important victory.

Reading players warming up before the game

The teams lining up before the kick-off

Applauding the fans at the end of the match

Rodgers’ still searching for a home win as fans begin to lose patience

Paul Nash writes a guest post following the 1-1 draw with Watford

Watford fans turned out in force to pour scorn on their erstwhile manager’s head, but their chants of derision were as predictable and unimaginative as the Royals’ play. After starting brightly, Reading went ahead through Rasiak, who held the ball up well throughout, but once more they proved themselves incapable of holding onto the lead and the game fizzled out into a draw that does nothing to relieve the pressure on Brendan Rodgers to turn his world class management speak into progress up the league table.

Rodgers proved himself willing to sacrifice his declared favourites as the axe fell on Pearce after the less than posh performance last week. Matejovsky, hauled off after losing the ball deep in the opposition’s half last Saturday seemed to continue to earn his manager’s displeasure and didn’t make the squad either. Rodgers has used 31 players so far this season, and appears no closer to knowing his best eleven.

Rasiak’s first half strike gave the home crowd some hope that the quest for a home league win might end, but the 18,147 gate was boosted in the 65th minute as Federici and O’Dea turned spectator to watch Danny Graham help himself to the equaliser. Still at least they didn’t have to pay to get in. And they got to stand up throughout.

One ray of light was the Hornet’s fans’ willingness to turn the meeting between two teams who routinely produce a borefest into their big day out. Some even hired stretch limos for the short journey and it can’t have been the prospect of a decent game of football that led to this extravagance. No, they wanted to prove a point to Rodgers. Which, I hope, must signify they admired him once and appreciated the job he did for them; maybe he can do a job for us too.

However, at Vicarage Road he took over a side deep in relegation territory. At Reading he seems obsessed with dismantling a “culture” that saw us in the play-offs last season. This determination to impose his own style and experiment with his own system(s) is laudable only if the successful elements of what has gone before are acknowledged and retained. Or, by delivering the goods you prove your critics wrong. Starting sooner rather than later- how about at Deepdale on Tuesday night?

Reading look much-improved, but Cardiff steal the points

Thanks to Paul Nash for this guest post following the 0-1 defeat to Cardiff City.

Thanks to MeganDouglasx for the image

As Cardiff City slink back up the M4 with three very undeserved points, Reading’s long search for a home league win continues and Brendan Rodgers will be bemoaning his luck that his sides performance did not get the result it deserved. This time though, it is right for him to accentuate the positives from tonight’s game, because for much of the time Reading outplayed a useful Cardiff side by some margin. His team selection was improved too; selecting Rasiak meant Noel Hunt wasn’t reduced to playing the lone striker role, relying on chasing his own flick-ons as he had against Doncaster, whilst Matejovsky started and demonstrated his class on the ball in an effective midfield diamond.

For all their good approach play though, Reading just could not find the net. It was almost inevitable that having failed to capitalise on ten minutes of excellent football straight after the break, Reading got suckered by a goal from Cardiff’s right-winger Chris Burke after Bertrand got his legs a bit mixed up and O’Dea suffered another of those nudges in the back that referees often fail to spot. This was unfortunate because these two borrowed defenders were otherwise unruffled when thwarting Chopra and Bothroyd’s assaults. Quite how the brick on brick approach of rebuilding a team works when it will have to survive the removal of the foundations represented by the Chelsea and Celtic pair is probably a question Matt Mills is asking himself as he warms the bench. But you can’t argue against Brendan playing the loan stars because A) They’re a bit good and B) They wouldn’t have come if he hadn’t promised them a place in the team.

One player who is not here for a bit of match practice until he goes back to his rightful owners is Howard. Having landed the ball on Sullivan’s crossbar at the weekend he wasn’t shy about having attempts from long range. Apparently Reading had 25 shots in all- last of these by Adam Federici, trying to repeat his heroics against the Bluebirds by pulling off an injury time overhead kick that Marshall was grateful to save and send Cardiff home with an extremely fortunate victory.

Night games against the Bluebirds are usually a lively affair, and despite the loss, it was a better match than the dross served up on Saturday. In response to their predictable anti-welsh chanting, Reading fans were encouraged by the away supporters to “cheer up, Swansea are worse than you” That remains to be seen. As we cut our coat according to our cloth in the championship, will we be able to fashion a club with the allure to secure this reputed foreign suitor? Bumping along at the bottom end of the second tier is not going to make it easy for Sir John to get rid of the stone in his shoe that he seems to find Reading FC represents nowadays, so let’s hope for his sake Brendan can find that wee bit of luck that will allow us to turn the corner and finally bring this pre-season to an end.

Reading vs Cardiff City: Live!

Well I have to admit that I thought that went rather well. Click the link to read it back:

Reading vs Cardiff City

Thanks to all involved in the liveblog and feel free to leave your comments in the box below.

Posted before the game

Live updates on Reading vs Cardiff City. Tweeting live from the match will be @106points, sharing the best updates from around the web will be @TheReadingFan and, hopefully, providing the highlights from the radio coverage will be @oiSteve. The fun should kick off around 1945.

I should add that this is probably going to go horrifically wrong and, as a first attempt, probably shouldn’t be used as your first call for updates of the game. Try here if it’s a more crafted form of updates that you’re after..

All paper and no presents as Reading are held again

Another game at the Madejski saw another winless affair for the Royals, whose inability to win at home since January is beginning to look like a curse over Brendan Rodgers’ young side. Reading worked hard to break down the wall that Doncaster Rovers constructed in front of their goal, but lacked both the quality and creativity to hurt the opposition. It could well have been a different story; the veteran Neil Sullivan twice kept his side in the game with acrobatic stops and debutant Brian Howard saw his looping effort bounce back off the frame of the goal, but the team were once again lacking that elusive cutting edge.

Reading started brightly, with Sigurdsson providing some dangerous balls in from the left flank and the many corners that were being won. However, Doncaster Rovers held firm and were not unduly troubled by the lone threat provided by Noel Hunt, who worked hard, but was let down by a lack of support from his teammates. The first half was a fairly even affair with both teams keeping possession well, but both defences looked solid and it was difficult to see where either team would find a goal from. Then came a moment of magic; Brian Howard picked up the ball in the attacking third and, spotting Sullivan off his line, looped in a shot that had the goalkeeper only able to watch it sail over his head and bounce desperately onto the crossbar and out of play. It was a something from nothing moment and, in truth, the highlight of a dull half.

Things improved in the second half with a little more urgency added to Readings game. Shaun Cummings got forward well on his debut from right-back, but increasingly found himself isolated and having to just float a ball into the box, thanks to the disappearing act from the great Jimmy Kebe, who had a very poor game. The game still didn’t seem to have a goal in it until the introduction of a fourth debutant, Gregorz Rasiak, who slotted in up-front alongside Noel Hunt and added another dimension to the play. Readings defenders had spent most of the game bypassing their five man midfield with long balls up to the willing Hunt, who won more than his fair share of headers, but had nobody to actually flick the ball on to.

With Rasiak came a strike partner. It was he who had the best chance of the game, scampering clear down the left side and firing across goal, only to see his shot parried brilliantly by the former Scotland international guarding Doncasters goal. The direct play became much more effective once Rasiak had joined the action, but the game always seemed destined to remain goalless. Half-hearted boos greeted the final whistle, although, in fairness, these seemed mostly against the officials, whose nit-picking had prevented the game from developing into anything more than a stop-start affair.

Brendan Rodgers can, and will, take positives from the game, but it seemed strange that his passing ethos had been disregarded so quickly. Doncaster Rovers are known for some pretty football themselves so, on paper, this should have been a game where Reading’s new style of play could be applied effectively. Instead, the game felt as though it was being played during Steve Coppell’s final, dark days, with aimless long-balls peppering the air. Something didn’t really make sense; perhaps it was an aside of playing with new players that were not used to Rodgers’ desired play, but it will surely have given the manager something to think about.

The debutants were largely impressive, with Darren O’Dea the pick of the bunch. He showed why Celtic chose to offer him a three-year contract with an assured performance reminiscent of Matthew Upson’s short cameo in the blue and white hoops. He also came close to scoring at the other end, with a good header that was unfortunately cleared. Also close to finding the net was Brian Howard, whose long-range effort was his main impact in a game where he struggled to exert much influence. He showed his quality in flashes and it will take time to grow into Rodgers’ system and he could become an important player. Rasiak too could have scored and looked dangerous when he came on. Cummings looked an athletic player, but one whose final ball was found wanting. He should be given the benefit of the doubt though, not being helped by an ineffective Jimmy Kebe in front of him.

Reading have the opportunity to put this disappointing game behind them on Wednesday, with Cardiff the visitors this time, and Rodgers will hope for a better performance against the Bluebirds. The likes of Doncaster are the teams you need to beat to do well in this division and Reading need to find a cutting edge to do so. As the likes of Rasiak, Howard and McAnuff settle in, Reading will hope they are the tools they need.