Reading FC

Top-scorer Gylfi Sigurdsson missed his penalty during the 3 - 0 defeat at Bramall Lane
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McDermott admits that Reading FC must take their chances

By Matthew Sadler
January 26, 2010

Brian McDermott admitted his side must start to taking their chances if they are to pull away from the Championship relegation zone.

Defeat, coupled with Plymouth’s win over Derby, meant Royals slipped to second-bottom in the table.

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First-half strikes from Jonathan Fortune and Richard Cresswell were added to after the break by Chris Morgan as Royals were made to pay for a lack of composure in both penalty areas.

Top-scorer Gylfi Sigurdsson missed a penalty at 1-0, while Shane Long, Gunnar Thorvaldsson and Ivar Ingimarsson all squandered decent chances.

Reading created enough to get something from the game, but were poor in front of goal and shaky at the back.

McDermott said: “They took their chances and we didn’t.

“Shane had a chance in the first five minutes and didn’t take it. They had an opportunity and scored the goal.

“We have to defend better, they scored from two set plays and that is the story of the game.

“Gylfi Sigurdsson is a class act and the keeper made a good save, he was good all night.

“That happened to us at Forest and again tonight, but if we keep creating the chances we are then they will go in soon.

“We have 20 games to go, we are where are we are. It’s a massive challenge, but we are up for it.”

McDermott made three changes to the side that started the FA Cup win over Burnley with Long and Thorvaldsson chosen to lead Royals’ attack.

Grzegorz Rasiak and Simon Church dropped to the bench alongside loan signing Zurab Khizanishvili, while Kalifa Cisse replaced Brynjar Gunnarsson.

Both sides showed attacking intent from the start with Ched Evans twice missing good chances for United.

But it was Reading who should have taken a fifth-minute lead when Long was put through on goal.

The Republic of Ireland striker took a touch to steady himself, but could only dink over the keeper and fire wide.

United continued to create opportunities and Aussie keeper Adam Federici had to be alert to tip Jamie Ward’s shot around the post.

The Blades were beginning to control the game and took the lead after 12 minutes when Royals failed to properly clear a corner as James Harper’s cross was controlled by Fortune and turned home.

Jobi McAnuff saw a deflected effort saved by Mark Bunn and Thorvaldsson took too long on the ball when played through by compatriot Sigurdsson.

Morgan got back to make the tackle, but the striker should have done better.

Bunn made another fantastic save after 28 minutes when he kept out Ivar Ingimarsson’s close-range header, but the defender will feel he should have buried it.

Reading were given a lifeline five minutes before the break when Morgan tripped Long in the area and referee Phil Crossley pointed to the spot.

Sigurdsson stepped up, but couldn’t repeat his Anfield feat as Bunn easily saved his tame spot-kick.

Royals paid the ultimate price for their wastefulness as just two minutes later Kyle Walker fired in a shot that Federici could only parry into the air and Cresswell headed home unopposed.

Brian Howard was introduced at the break against his former side and he soon put Long through on goal, but once again Bunn came out on top.

Reading had created enough decent chances to score three or four, but lacked any composure in front of goal.

And their trip to South Yorkshire was to get even worse with nine minutes to go as Ward headed Quinn’s free-kick goalwards and Morgan claimed to have got a final touch.

Sheffield United: (4-4-2) Bunn, Walker, Morgan (c), Fortune, Taylor (Stewart, 46mins), Ward (Yeates, 85 mins), Montgomery, Harper, Quinn, Cresswell, Evans (Henderson, 79 mins)
Subs not used: Bennett, Geary, Williamson, Camara.

Reading: (4-4-2) Federici, Griffin, Mills, Ingimarsson (c), Bertrand, McAnuff, Cisse (Howard, 46mins), Karacan (Kebe, 75 mins), Sigurdsson, Thorvaldsson (Rasiak, 63 mins), Long.
Subs not used: Hamer, Pearce, Khizanishvili, Church.

Attendance: 24,009

Referee: Phil Crossley

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by the way long is not good enough to be a professional footballer at all. as for an attacking player who should have flair forget it, at best a right back (in the changing room)

ajr111, swindon
27/01/2010 at 18:12

Unnecessary comparision Harb but I can see your point.

You know sometimes a club has to take a relegation and step back to grow stronger back into reality....Forest, Newcastle, Leicester, Norwich...

A lot of the newer support (its a modern football thing, sky tv, throwaway soceity etc) seem to think that spending money on new players guarantees a successful playing side and if a player is off form then so what buy a new one that will fix it. Players have to play together a lot to get to know each others games something that can't be replicated on the training ground, most successful teams recently Man Utd and Chelsea have given players time and signed players when aboslutely necessary.

If Reading is such a large and affluent town why are our crowds so low, where are the 6000 'loyal Royals' from the premier league days and where is that affluent person to come in and take over from SJM or make an investment?

RYF, Royal County of Berkshire
27/01/2010 at 17:22

I saw the match at Bramhall Lane last night and it was so disappointing - glad I live near it as the journey back down south must have been a mare for the travelling fans. I read today the fairest review of the match in the most surprising of places - the SUFC's own website - ironically they to a degree praised the Royals and said that the result wasn't the result of thrashing - it was just down to them taking the chances they had, and we didn't - that's the difference between the top and bottom of the Championship. I think once we get this manager issue sorted out (which has dragged on farrrrrrrrrrr tooooooooo loooooong (hopefully we a known name with a track record) things might settle a bit - we can't appoint McD with no league wins under him yet - surely that's madness ???

Blue_Royal
27/01/2010 at 17:04

So RYF, having managed to get yourself off the streets and into a decent house, you would be happy to see yourself sliding back towards the gutter and, when your family complained, would just brush it off with 'seems like some of the recent success has gone to peoples heads.'

I suspect I saw even more of the bad old days than you did, having regularly attended matches since 1967. It is for that very reason that I am so angry at the manner in which Madejski and his board are so quickly throwing everything that was achieved in getting us to the top levels of the English game. I become even more angry when Madejski still spouts rubbish about Premier League ambition without walking the talk and putting decent money where his mouth is.

And whocares, it is complete nonsense to suggest that as a club we have been punching above our weight. Reading is a very large town in a very large and affluent catchment area. It should be more than capable of providing and supporting a football club at the top levels of the game. Indeed that was proved before our 'magnificently run and financially sound club' suddenly seemed to lose most of its money and its owner started cutting cloth like at a rate that would be the envy of the most efficient sweatshop of offshore workers!

HARB
27/01/2010 at 15:54

2-0 down to SU defence playing like pratts and a georgian international on the bench with 10 times more experience and do we bring him on????????? No. We bring on two reserves that would not make a local sunday side, How did autotrader make it with the madman at the helm, so much for his building bricks more like demolition tools

David May, Estepona
27/01/2010 at 15:50

Shows some of the supporters have no idea these days. Regardless of which division we are in I will renew my season ticket (assuming I can afford it at the time of renewal). Historically we have been a third division club and when I started going average crowd was 2500 and almost got relegated to the old fourth division, seems like some of the recent success has gone to peoples heads.

Expom - the reason we have won cup games and lose league games is that we have played against poor opposition in the cup who gave our players time on the ball something you don't get in the hustle and bustle of championship football.

As for the manager situation yes I agree the club should have acted swiftly when Irvine left Preston.

Striker situation well as I said yesterday I believe we have enough cover but surely midfielders with the obvious exception of Sigurdsson should be chipping in with a few goals as well. Remember the championship winning season Sidwell, Harper, Convey and Little all contributed massively to the goals for column.

As for McDermott come on SJM announce something that he is manager until the end of the season then the players might be a bit more settled.

RYF, Royal County of Berkshire
27/01/2010 at 15:40

We were lucky in the past we are alightweight team who done well.At last we will soon have proper derby games oxford/aldershot .We have no right to be up here with the big boys,we are ablot on the championship,you should stop going to the games if all you want to do is moan just get it into your thick heads we are no good never have been [we got lucky]never will be ,we are just a small town team with asmall town capability

whocares
27/01/2010 at 13:37

Robsy

Don't bank on it. Madejski's approach is just a slower way of achieving the same end result. Death by a thousand cuts. When we go down to League One, he and his sidekicks will be scouring the Mad Stad for yet more cloth to cut and what's the betting that will include getting rid of some of our better, younger talent.

Madejski has got us into a vicious spiral of decline. Cuts = drop in league status = drop in crowds = more cuts. That equation could have been made to work, had it included proper investment at the right time in our playing squad.

I may have paid for our four season tickets for this season but leisure time is now more valuable than that dead money. We won't be going back to worship at the shrine Madejski permitted to be named after him (of course it wasn't his idea and he really resisted it!), until he either goes or starts putting his money where his mouth is. Quite unbelievably he still witters on about Premier League ambition - or does he mean Ryman Premier?!!

HARB
27/01/2010 at 13:35

i've been a reading fan for 44 years now, & this is the worst team i have ever seen, they are going down, ould'nt score into an empty net or beat a girls school netball team. mr mad is to blame lack of investment & not bringing in an experienced manager in, please please don't make mcdermott mamager that is asking for trouble. its about time the reading fans started protesting, staying away from home games ie, hit mr mad where it hurts! in his pocket. this club is that i love like so many others is going down big time.

daveyboyroyal, bristol
27/01/2010 at 13:10

Bro Horus.

Need a clean pair for the next pants day though.

Robsy , Reading
27/01/2010 at 12:22

I have siad this years ago and repeated it many times, Long is not Striker, he may make a decent right sided Winger, but to be honest he lacks all the attributes a Striker needs, composure, finishing, anticipation etc etc. If he starts another game this year, i will stand up and walk out of the stadium. We really need to put some Steel in the team, since Marek has not played in the league we have been worse for it in the league. Time to by lots of new pants as it looks all the ones we are going to be wearing will have brown stains on them for the rest of the season.

Brother Horus
27/01/2010 at 12:12

McDermott is right we didn't take our chances that has been the problem all season long -- so we bring in Thorvaldsson and he has played less than 120 mins in total and judgement has already been passed! Give the guy a chance!

Mind you the Madejski masterplan could work Crystal Palace will be deducted 10 points (£30 million in debt how did that happen!) So just Watford and a couple of others and perhaps we will stay up by default :) - c'mon you got to laugh otherwise you would cry!!

If CP are £30M in debt having spent no more than Reading and on the face of it appear to be a well run club what about some of the others!! I think the current economic climate will be the end for a number of clubs - not for Reading though.

Got to win those home games -- c'mon urzzzzzzz

Robsy , Reading
27/01/2010 at 11:55

hate to say it watfordup has a point - all the wheat players have gone and we are left with most of the chaff. maybe we should seriously now be looking to offload the foreign imports done on the cheap such as marek,cisse,gunnarson,ivar,kebe,and get back to basics, although some of these have been good servants at the club, now they don't seem to fit the bill any longer, and maybe this division is not what they are suited to?

ajr111, swindon
27/01/2010 at 10:59

the question to your answer wolfman is:

what current number 9 in the championship couldn't trap a bag of cement, finish his dinner and runs into anyone head first that dares to get in his way

FRED BAINES
27/01/2010 at 10:58

Well Mcdermott I bet you were straight on the phone last night to Madjeski in Tenerife, telling him that it wasn't your fault that we lost, but we just didn't take our chances, and can I please have the job on a permanent basis, after all I have won two FA Cup games, but the fact that we cannot score goals is because I need to keep buying defenders.Its not my fault that we are second from bottom, the teams above us keep winning. Personally Mcdermot you are only in the position you are in for two reasons, 1( You are a cheap option for Madjeski so that he doesn't have to pay for a front line manager and 2) you are so far up Madjeski's and Hammonds back side that you have nearly disappeared. I believe you are a liability to the club who are in desperate needs for a First class manager, not some old scout with no experience, and you should if you think anything of the club go now, to force the issue , the crowd at the last home game of 12000, should tell you what the supporters think of you and the team, and would the Reading Post STOP calling Reading Players "Aces" there isn't an ace amongst them more like Queens.