Reading FC

Have Reading FC finally got their season back on track after their 3-1 win over Coventry City
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Are Reading FC back on track after Coventry City win?

By Jonny Fordham
November 01, 2009

Have Reading at last turned the corner after their most complete and confident performance of the season at the Ricoh Arena?

I think so. Brendan Rodgers looks to have found that winning formula on the pitch after 15 games and for the moment his preferred 4-2-3-1 formation has been relegated to the subs bench in favour of the 4-4-2.

Rodgers has done endless tinkering this season, using 26 players in the process, but now the team is beginning to pick itself, almost like it did during the Steve Coppell era.

Jobi McAnuff was pure class and Grzegorz Rasiak showed clinical finishing for his two goals in Reading’s third win of the season.

Simon Church was unlucky not to get on the score sheet and his movement had Ben Turner and Martin Cranie in all kinds of trouble at the back for Coventry.

Rodgers has clearly had a word with Marek Matejovsky on the standards that he expects as the Czech play-maker got stuck in and covered plenty of ground as well as also trying his trade-mark passes to unlock the Coventry back four.

Jay Tabb was also a stand-out performer against his old club, out of position at right-back, but clearly thriving on being back in favour.

Shaun Cummings looks to be destined for a place on the bench for a little while longer yet.

I don’t want to take anything away from Reading’s performance, but Coventry were in all honesty poor and their fans were by far the least vocal I have seen in this league.

The Sky Blues had won just once in their last seven before the weekend and look to have hit a blip right now. But Reading still had to go to the Midlands and capitalise on that.

Coventry weren’t going to be a push-over and for 15 minutes of the second-half, caused Reading a few scares winning corner after corner, but Royals held strong.

Their heads stayed up after Freddie Eastwood’s stunning 25-yard drive into the bottom of Adam Federici’s goal to pull one back, and that strength of character is something Royals have yet to show this season.

There’s definitely been some words said amongst the group from Rodgers who has been let down by his players on too many occasions.

There’s still a long way to go, but this result is a great victory to build on ahead of the Ipswich game at the Madejski Stadium this Saturday.

Seventeenth time lucky perhaps!

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I should have put my comments from attending the game on here.

Jonny, clearly you have never been to Coventry before....they are always quiet but thats what happens when you play in an out of town stadium thats capacity is twice as much as your average crowd. Away from home they do get behind their team.

As for Matejovsky not sure BR needed to have a word with him. Just stick him in the team, give him the ball and let him get on with it.

Same team against Ipswich please, things are coming together and two consecutive games we have played good football. Passing, movement, players supporting each other and running at defenders.

Granted Coventry were awful - their fans said as much after the game but as the cliché goes you still have to beat what is put in front of you.

RYF, Royal County of Berkshire
02/11/2009 at 17:57

Definetely not the turning point but encouraging. Buck's tactics and way of playing will always give us a chance away from home. As soon as he is able to return to 1 striker in home games he will, and we will struggle again. This isn't the Premiership, we are not Chelsea, when will Buck wake up to this??

Pete50
02/11/2009 at 16:13

Good point TJN that injuries have forced Rodgers hand to a degree, and if we get any more (like Marek) that would be a real worry. The sooner we get another striker in the better.

Deffo a case of focusing on each game as it comes. Ipswich is looking so pivotal now for our season. To win two on the trot, have three good performances in a row and ged rid of the home win hoodoo would be huge, as opposed to another defeat and back in the bottom three.

IF we can maintain this performance level during November and December, then the 9 fixtures look ripe for points, having played most of the top half clubs. Ipswich is must win or we're back to square one.

Biffa, Didcot
02/11/2009 at 11:08

Quiet on the Watford Hero front?

Robsy , Reading
02/11/2009 at 10:46

You will have to wait a long time to get a good striker at Reading, JM will not pay the wages for a good striker.

Expom, Christchurch New Zealand
02/11/2009 at 06:05

ajr111 - if Reading win on saturday will you still refer to Brendan as a women and be so down on him? I don't get the brenda, she, her, stuff. Weird.

A win on Saturday is vital and for me an absolute must before we start talking about anything like a revival.

Marek situation still worries me, would not be surprised to hear of a knock or a "change" soon...I don't trust that BR would all of a sudden just start playing him now, his ability has always been there to be seen. NH and SJM have more to do with that than meets the eye - positive. Also, what the hell was Austins interview about, where was his voice when Marek was watching from the stands at West Brom and QPR?

BR fan, Reading
01/11/2009 at 23:27

Totally agree with ajr111 - desperately need a proven striker, current options are limited. I like Church, but this is not his time. I also like Mooney, but evidently the current regime do not.

Also, food for thought, according to the official site, we have a squad of 36 players, 11 are out on loan and 10 are injured. This leaves a small squad of 15 players, which means a smaller choice of options for Buck and a more consistent team (unless he tries to play both Federici & Hamer together...). Basically, a consistent team selection is being forced on the current management team, only downside is that the lack of strikers may result in a 4-5-1 formation (again).

Thomas Jerome Newton, Reading
01/11/2009 at 23:07

Not yet. Calm down, it was one win in how many games?

Say what you think, Reading
01/11/2009 at 22:58

We still need a decent a striker as rasiak wont score against a half decent defence - and needs too many chances to score. church at the moment cant hit the target, long and hunt are not good enough to be at this level.

Hopefully this is the turning point and brenda can turn it round, i think the players know marek is our best chance and that has been the lift they needed now br's penny has finally dropped. But lets remember this isn,t her way of playing football he still wants 4-5-1. So expect soon for us to go back to his poor tactics when he feels we have a little more confidence within the squad (or finds that missing player that he feels we don't have)