Yesterday's display..

I thought we started well and probably deserved to be ahead before the Reading penalty. On commentary we made it known at the start that McCleary was their star attraction and he lived up to that billing as he raided the right flank for a good 15 minutes where I feared for us each and every time he skinned a struggling Aidy White. Matt reckons he saw Aidy holding his thigh very early on. I didn't spot that myself, but he was definitely injured for the final five minutes he was on the pitch. He wasn't running, he signalled to the bench, he was clearly holding his thigh and was replaced by Cole.

McCleary was still giving us problems down that side and our midfield were sat on top of the centre halves when Swift was allowed to stroll into a position where he could pop one into the top corner unopposed. Huge gap between central midfield and the two strikers. For 25, 30 minutes it looked exactly as it looked for 25 minutes at Preston the Saturday previous, where we are pushed deep by the opposition targeting our full backs. Full backs who are given very little protection by their wingers, especially White/Kpekawa.

Credit to Reading for that spell though. Like Huddersfield they play it around the back (including the keeper), but unlike Huddersfield they do it with more pace and purpose. Some of their passing over distances from the back was a joy to watch. McShane was imperious and Evans can pick out a man time and again. But it's easier for that to happen when they're under little pressure. At Wolves, Armstrong and Winnall ran themselves into the ground, defending from the front. That allows our two banks of four to push on a bit. Yesterday that never happened, and of course, the system/shape used by Reading was unique in terms of what we've faced so far this season and it both exposed our weaknesses and aided their strengths. Hats off to Kermorgant too. Not many will win as much as he did up against our twin towers at centre half.

Then the moment of madness. No idea what McCleary was thinking. But it altered the game dramatically.

Another player doing well for the Royals then lost his head. I'd be ashamed if I was one of the four officials who didn't spot Williams' stamp on Hourihane, off the ball. Pretty sure we'd have fared better against nine men.

Second half was attack vs defence and the longer the game went on the more I felt it was just one of those days. There wasn't a lack of effort out there. But if every player played at their very best at Wolves, conversely they were all a tad under-par yesterday. Even so, we could easily have taken something from the game. Janko and Bradshaw made great impacts on Tuesday and both improved us yesterday too once introduced. I would have taken off Hammill myself, rather than Kent. Couldn't argue with Winnall's withdrawal. Bradshaw looked obviously fresher and his cushioned header down for Armstrong's stunning volley was just as impressive as the finish itself. And Janko was involved in two or three moves that nearly fashioned a deserved leveller. None more so than the last gasp effort from Scowen where Al-Habsi pulled off another dream save. So close, but one of those days.

Don't believe any of the lads deserve criticism. Some of the stuff said on here about Winnall might be fair if you were also at Wolves or PNE where he played very well in two great victories and said as much. We'd have never got a result in either without him. In my opinion. It's too easy for folk who weren't at Molineux to just look at the time of his substitution and the time of our goals and make a simple conclusion. But the spadework, the groundwork that he and Arma put in that night laid it on a plate for the three lads introduced as subs. Granted, yesterday that wasn't the case and he will know he struggled. As did a few others. But again, for me, we deserved a point out of it and still created chances, dominated spells of the game against what looked to me the best side we've faced.

I've no idea why Watkins wasn't brought on at some point, but perhaps the White change scuppered that? Dunno. But even though as a supporter I might question one or two things as you do, I'm minded to remember I'm not a coach and that the bloke who is, happens to be doing a ******* good job of it and will have his reasons based on what he sees in training, what the myriad statistics are telling him and what his analysts tell him about the opposition. He's ridiculously successful, Hecky. Look at his record thus far. But he's not going to mastermind a perfect game-plan and victory every match. Nobody will ever pull that off. But isn't that just our 6th loss under him? Summat stupid like that. Over seven months. Defeats are ****. They can cloud your judgment in the moment. I felt disappointed in the moment of 5pm yesterday. And for me that represents just how bloody far we've come in a short space of time. 4th in the Championship after eight games, via Wembley twice after a Xmas spent at the arse end of the third division. Mental.

So nothing to worry about. Plenty to be enthused about. We're competing. That's all I ever ask for. And we're doing it in the strongest Championship there's ever been, a division awash with money, on the smallest of budgets. We're lining up to attack, to win. I'm enjoying it.

Must admit I **** myself when I bumped into a random bloke at half-time though...

The random bloke being Roy Keane.

Looking forward to Brighton. #YouReds

 

Wow! Find myself in total agreement with JLWBL, Red Rain and Whitey all in the same weekend! Stronger together, and all that!