Led by donkeys?

Imagine, if you will, the following scenario: in the heat of the battle one army is taking an almighty hammering and appears to be encircled, taking losses from all sides. The beleaguered soldiers are in the main young and inexperienced but have a firm belief in their young, charismatic commander who is leading from the front. Despite having lost the best fighters with no hope of reinforcements, slowly but surely and with will and determination things seem to be turning around and the opposing armies are being beaten back inch by inch. Suddenly, just hours before a big campaign to break out of the encirclement, word is sent from behind the front line that the commander is being relieved of his duties. The high command have decided to promote a lieutenant with no experience at all in the hope that he might come good in the hour of need, whilst the commander is told he is no longer fit enough to lead his men, just when it seemed to all that a victory was possible.

That's how I see things going at Reading FC right now. The preposterous claim that Brian MacDermott (who I have absolutely nothing against I might add) offers 'continuity' sums up the situation. Sadly, the way things look at the moment nothing suggests that 2010 will be any better than the 'annus horribilis' of 2009.

Church late show grabs deserved point at Ashton Gate

On December 19th I wrote the Reading Post fan verdict for the match against Bristol City. Here's the full version before editing.

Brian McDermott took over the reins from the ousted Brendan Rodgers, and saw his side earn a thoroughly deserved point against Bristol City. Royals fans were in good voice from the off - despite the bitter cold at Ashton Gate - and were right behind a fairly familiar looking side that included Ryan Bertrand reinstated at Left Back back after illness. Shane Long partnered Gregorsz Rasiak up front.

Reading imposed themselves well in a fairly open first 10 minutes but a dubious (to say the least!) penalty decision altered the complexion of the game. There seemed to be nothing in Jay Tabb's 13th minute challenge on Maynard, but Paul Hartley took the penalty well and suddenly we found ourselves one down. The attitude shown by the Royals after this setback was admirable as they completely dominated the rest of the first half, dictating the tempo of the game, creating a few decent chances and restricting the home side to a few infrequent and ineffective counter-attacks. The sense of injustice from the penalty galvanised the Reading fans as well, who were vociferous in their condemnation of the referee but equally vocal in support of their team.

In the second half Reading continued to dominate but as the minutes ticked by there was a palpable sense of deja vu in the Wedlock Stand as, despite the good approach play and passing, chances were spurned. Shane Long was the chief culprit who had, in truth, a pretty poor day at the office. Simon Church replaced Long after 73 minutes and was himself guilty of squandering a decent chance, but he made no mistake when he hooked home at the near post after some excellent work from the impressive Jimmy Kebe. Exuberant celebrations ensued resulting in Simon Church receiving a 2nd yellow card (from a petulant referee!) which meant we had to play time added on with 10 men. As expected City suddenly threw themselves into the game after being almost completely subdued by the away team..After a few hairy moments the valuable point was secure.

We've seen Reading play like this a few times this season and get nothing, but the way the team responded to going behind suggests this young team has a strength of character beyond their years. We still need to find some confidence in front of goal, but McDermott can be very pleased with the manner in which the players responded after such a difficult week. 1200 fans went home with a little Christmas cheer and some confidence and hope for 2010.

Man of the Match
Kalifa Cisse was my man of the match, a muscular but smart performance that at times reminded me of Steve Sidwell in his pomp. He broke up play well, got stuck in and allowed Marek Matejovsky the time and space he thrives on to be influential throughout.

I'd rate the game at 7/10 with the Royals performance getting 8/10

Miscellaneous!
Had a decent fish and chips lunch just round the corner from the ground!
No beer for away fans? Mind you, it was not exactly cold beer weather!