McDermott’s hat-trick leaves Royals on cloud nine

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 season starts now

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.

Is Brendan turning it around?

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.

He’s got soul, but he’s not a soldier (yet)

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.

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?

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.

Reading’s transfer window – Part Two: the leavers

Following on from the new boys post from yesterday, here is a look at the numerous players that have left our hallowed club this summer. For reference, I’ve only included the players that have either left for good or loanees that are unlikely to return.

Marcus Hahnemann, 37, free transfer – now at Wolverhampton Wanderers

The big goalkeeper, who spent eight years with the Royals, played a massive part in our promotion campaign, along with several other of this summers departure lounge. The USA international was famed for his love of guns and cars, as well as for giving up his jersey at the end of every game. He also threw his ‘bus pass’ wristband to me from the promotion party bus before jokingly saying that it cost him 40p. We threw two 20 pence pieces at him. He caught one and dropped the other. His move will not adversly affect the team too much, Adam Federici is a more than adequate replacement for the Wolves new-boy.

Graeme Murty, 34, free transfer – now at Southampton

What can be said about our former-captain that hasn’t already been written? A true Reading legend and a player that no fan will ever forget. He wore the armband during the most successful period in the clubs history and the moment the net bulged from his penalty against Q.P.R is one of my favourite ever memories of supporting my team. However, the time was right for him to leave. Liam Rosenior had become the better option (although he too has now departed) and his legs were no longer up to this standard of football. Hopefully Cummings will be able to fill both his and Liam’s boots.

Michael Duberry, 33, free transfer – now at Wycome Wanderers

Another early departure, ‘Doobs’ also had his best days behind him. He spent two years with the club, making 48 appearances in total, but didn’t have a huge impact at the club. Always behind Bikey and Ingimarsson for most peoples money, he was a solid defender, but was all too prone to a big hoof up the field instead of holding on to the ball. Now club-captain at Wycombe, he has been more than adequately replaced by our new signings in the centre-back position.

Alan Bennett, 27, free transfer – now at Brentford

Signed from Cork City with high expectations after the success of Kevin Doyle and Shane Long, Bennett never troubled the first team and his release was no surprise. He did well for Brentford during his loan spells and I expect that he will continue to. However, he’ll still be best known to Reading fans as the guy that didn’t turn out to be a famous playwright.

Leroy Lita, 24, free transfer – now at Middlesbrough

The career of one Leroy Lita at Reading is best described as ‘a game of two halves.’ A sublimes first two seasons and then ridiculous in his last two. His goals helped to shoot Reading into the Premier League, a beautiful overhead kick against Crystal Palace being the pick of the bunch. He initially struggled in the top flight, before netting a brilliant header against Chelsea to start a run of ten goals in twelve games. He began his third season with the club sidelined with an, *ahem*, ‘interesting’ injury sustained while in bed. He finished his Reading career out on loan to several Championship clubs to try and regain some form, but couldn’t do so in blue and white. Although I’m sure he’ll do well at Middlesbrough, Reading was no longer the club for him and his move was for the best.

Scott Golbourne, 21, free transfer – now at Exeter City

Golbourne never really made much impact on the first team and his release was inevitable. He found his path blocked first by Nicky Shorey and then Chris Armstrong and never quite developed to become the player that his potential suggested he might. That said, I expect him to do well at the lower level he now finds himself at and hope that he does so.

Kevin Doyle, 25, to Wolverhampton Wanderers – club record £6.5m

Another Reading legend in my eyes, the Irishman spent four very successful years with the club after joining for a paltry £78,000. There have been more rags to riches stories about him in the press than I’ve had hot dinners, but it really is true. The impact that he had after joining from Cork City was unbelievable and completely unexpected. He scored 55 goals in 154 games for the club and really flourished in our first top flight season. His exit warranted a tribute on these pages and I have no doubt that he will be great signing for Wolves. As for us, I’m afraid to say that nobody we have at the club can currently replace him.

Stephen Hunt, 28, to Hull City – undisclosed fee of around £3.5m

I won’t write too much as I’ve already said everything that needed to be said, but an in-form Hunt will be missed here. However, that wasn’t really the Stephen Hunt we were seeing towards the end of his Reading career so I’m confident that the likes of Hal Robson-Kanu, Jimmy Kebe, James Henry and Jobi McAnuff will make sure his presence isn’t missed too much.

Andre Bikey, 24, to Burnley – fee undisclosed

He may have been something of a nutter, but he was also a bloody good defender and an absolute mountain at the back. He had his moments of poor concentration and was prone to the occasional mad moment, but was far too good to be plying his trade in the Championship and a move was inevitable. His presence will be missed, without doubt, but the replacements are promising enough to suggest that the team will manage without him.

Liam Rosenior, 25, on loan to Ipswich Town

Liam had something of a mixed reaction amongst Reading supporters, but for the majority of his time at the club I was a big fan. He’s very good at blocking crosses, is quicker than most wingers and strong in the tackle. He is let down, somewhat, by his passing abilities, which saw him just kick the ball down the line more often than not, sometimes chasing it himself like a headless chicken. His passion will be missed at the club, Rosenior was often the only player to applaud the fans at the end of the game and he did so win, lose or draw. That was always appreciated. I know very little about his replacement, Shaun Cummings, so I won’t speculate on how much we will miss him, but I will say that it seems to be a ridiculous decision to let him leave.

James Harper, 28, on loan to Sheffield United

Another decision that seemed strange at the time, Harper has gone out on loan to a Championship rival for the season in the last year of his contact and it seems that he won’t be returning when it expires. He looked likely to sign for another club in the summer and agreed terms with Wolves, only to fail a medical. He also split the Reading crowd, but it cannot be denied that he had a huge impact on the club in his eight years. Another player that will go down in Royals history for his part in our promotion to the big league, Harper also impressed in the division, his highlight being a great breakaway goal in the 3-1 defeat of Liverpool at the Madejski Stadium. He will be missed for his organisational skills (read pointing) and his banter around the ground. Hopefully, Brian Howard will do well as his replacement.

Reading’s transfer window – Part one: the new boys

So the transfer window has belatedly closed for Reading and Brendan Rodgers will now have to pretty much make do with the squad that he managed to assembled before the fabled glass ‘slammed shut.’ So here are the new boys and their potential impact on the squad:

Brian Howard, 26, from Sheffield United

The centre-midfielder signed a three-year contract after arriving from the Blades for a fee of around £500,000, with James Harper going the other way on loan for the season. Before spending a season in Sheffield, Howard was the club-captain of Barnsley and was named in the Championship team of the season for 2007/08, a season in which he scored 14 goals from midfield. He played 30 times for Sheffield United last season, scoring twice. The Guardian wrote an interesting profile of him back in May 2009.

Shaun Cummings, 20, from Chelsea

The young right-back signed a permanent deal with the Royals on transfer-deadline day for an undisclosed fee. Cummings had worked with Brendan Rodgers in the Chelsea Academy and is highly rated by the Reading manager. He had been expected to extend his loan at West Bromwich Albion before Rodgers swooped in to steal his man. He has been described as a “modern day full-back” so Reading fans should expect lots of attacking play from both flanks with Cummings and Bertrand at right and left-back respectively. He is also quite the charmer, as his facebook profile shows:

Darren O’Dea, 22, on loan from Celtic

The Republic of Ireland U21 international joins Reading on loan until January 2010 and can play either centre-back or left-back. He comes quite highly rated, having just signed a three-year deal with his parent club, Celtic, and has been praised by no less than Italian legend Paolo Maldini after playing against AC Milan in 2007. He should slot straight into the back four and I’d expect him to enjoy a very successful time here, given his standing within the game. Judging from this video, he could also inject some hi-jinks into the dressing room too…

Grzegorz Rasiak, 30, from Southampton

The Polish centre-forward has been around the block a bit since moving to England in 2004, making Reading his sixth club in his five years here. Standing at 6ft3, he is an aerial threat and should be able to make good use of Sigurdsson’s set-plays, although he can score with his feet too. He grabbed eight goals in 21 games last season whilst on loan to a Rodgers managed Watford side and clearly made a good impression on the manager. Although his ‘uncyclopedia’ profile was less complimentary:

“On August 27, 2009, Grzegorz Rasiak rocked 2 or 3 headlines in local community newspapers by signing with Reading. Apparently Reading were unable to secure the signings of several drunks in the local pubs and decided that if they aren’t going to be promoted in 2010, they may as well create a bloopers DVD for the season.”

Jobi McAnuff, 27, from Watford

Another player with a Watford link, the winger signed on the same day as Rasiak for an undisclosed fee. He began his career as a highly-rated youngster at Wimbledon before switching to West Ham United in 2004. He spent the next couple of years on the move, before settling at Watford where he won goal of the season for 2007/08. He is also the most web-minded of our new signings, with his own website, which *ahem* needs work. But why not have him as your desktop background? ‘Watford FC no.11′ – hmm. Oh, and he used to get bloody good on Championship Manager a long time ago.

Matthew Mills, 23, from Doncaster Rovers

The big centre-half signed for £2m way back at the beginning of August and has played three times for his new club so far this season, scoring once. Mills had attracted the interest of Birmingham, Newcastle and Nottingham Forest before deciding to join the Royals and, after a shaky start against Swansea, has started to settle in well. Born down the road in Swindon, Mills has experience at this level having featured 41 times for Doncaster last season. He also impressed Steve Claridge, who described Mills as “a little bit of a throwback, a player who combines the old and the new very well” in his Guardian blog back in February this year.

Ryan Bertrand, 20, on loan from Chelsea

The highly-rated young left-back joins Reading on loan for the season from his parent club, where he is seen as the natural successor to England international Ashley Cole. Bertrand has too represented his country, at U21 level, and is an attacking full-back that adds width to Reading’s play. His signing was penned back in July, so he has enjoyed a full pre-season working with Brendan Rodgers and his team. He has featured in all six games so far this season and has made an impressive start to his year with the Royals.

Who are you most excited about seeing this season? Comments are open….

Have Reading fans been too quick to embrace a ‘doom and gloom’ culture?

The Reading Fan regular, Steve Curtis, writes a guest post on the current wave of negativity around the ground.

After Reading Football Club’s worst start in 12 years, a run of form set to continue if the side maintains it’s willingness to concede penalties and stout refusal to score, there are those around the Mad Stad who believe that the club could find themselves in League One this time next season. This is based on six games, two of which were in the unfashionable League Cup, and four Championship run-outs where gradual progress has been made and yet fans continue to mourn the loss of their ‘Premiership Reading’.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m as disappointed as the next man by our horrific start to the season, but to say we will be relegated at the end of the season before the transfer window even shuts is completely out of order. Okay, the Tommy Smith saga is far too complicated and has upset almost every Reading and Watford fan around the globe, but, even so, there is still a week to go until the transfer window slams shut. That is more than enough time to get a few more players in, assuming that Rodgers/Austin/Lampard Sr. have made a list of top transfer targets. Those players will undoubtedly improve the side and add more strength in depth and quality to our forward line, which means goals, which equals points.

We’ve also completely changed the way we’re playing. From Coppell’s notorious ‘positive and direct’ attitude, constantly using our wingers as a means of getting the ball to our strikers, to Rodgers’ ‘world class’ possession play with quick, incisive passing. It is a whole new way of playing for the players who previously worked under Coppell’s regime and the new style will take time for the players to perfect and get used to. Take Watford, for example. Rodgers’ got off to a slow start there, but by the end of the campaign they were on a run of form that, had it started earlier, would have been promotion form. It took Watford time to click, as it were, but when they did they were the team to beat in the second half of last season. Obviously, Watford had more experienced players, but pre-window transfer action can cure that.

Slowly but surely, Reading are also starting to click. You can see the progress being made game by game. Against Nottingham Forest on the opening day of this campaign, we kept good possession, but with more sideways passing and not enough forward pressure. We then beat Burton 5-1 in the League Cup, before losing 3-0 at Newcastle thanks to an Ameobi hat-trick, which was really all down to the pure Premier League class that Newcastle have. Swansea saw another goalless draw, where we played good passing football and looked more incisive, but without that killer instinct that Rodgers’ is so keen to grab hold of.

Sheffield United may consider their 3-1 scoreline deserved, but it’s easy to argue that it was actually flattering. Mills scored the first from a good free kick from Sigurdsson, but then United hit back with a goal from Quinn. Federici’s mistake let United get a second, before a wonderful shot was let loose after some poor defending. We played well in that game, but inexperience let Reading down when it really mattered. The passing was quick, the runs intelligent and the dead balls well taken by Sigurdsson. Then, of course, we flopped against Barnsley in the league cup and dropped out, but not without a fight and some threatening play. It’s been slow, gradual improvement and there are still the full returns of the more experienced Ingimarsson, Harper, Matejovsky and Hunt (no, not the prolific Hull City goal-scorer…)

Taking all of this into consideration, the ‘doom and gloom culture’ that currently envelops the Mad Stad at such an early stage of the season is just too impatient. The transfer window is still open and the opportunity remains to get in the necessary players to improve the side. We’re in transition from the Coppell era to Rodgers’ new way of thinking and it needs time to work, but in the first six games of this season, gradual improvements and ‘clicking’ can be seen, so it’s too early to be overly concerned. ‘Patience is a virtue’, but patience to football fans is a myth.