And his Royals
Fog descends to thwart Stam
READING boss Jaap Stam refused to criticise the officials after their clash with Fulham was called off due to the fog after a goalless first half.
Visibility was poor throughout the first period at the Madejski Stadium and referee James Linington eventually took the decision to call the game off.
He twice stopped the game in the first half to discuss with both Stam and Fulham head coach Slavisa Jokanovic before opting to continue.
The best chance of the half came in first-half injury time with Callum Harriott forcing a good save from David Button in the Fulham goal but injuring himself in the process.
But that was the end of the action as Linington called the game off with the game to be rearranged later in 2017.
“We wanted to play on, but in some way I can understand the decision,” said Stam.
“The linesman overruled the referee because they couldn’t see the other side of the pitch.
“The referee said that on the pitch they could see everything, but on the sidelines it was difficult for his assistants.
“They didn’t want to take the risk of making the wrong decision if there had been an offside or a tackle on the other side of the pitch that they couldn’t see properly so they called us in at half time.
“We started aggressively and we created a couple of very good chances.
“But we go home disappointed, because you want to have a result rather than play again in the next couple of weeks or whenever – because it’s a busy schedule already!
“And I can understand the fans going home disappointed too, because they wanted to see us play as well.”
It was the second of Friday’s four Championship fixtures to fall foul of the weather, Brighton against Cardiff also postponed before a ball was kicked.
“It’s a shame for our supporters who travelled to watch the game, but in the end I can understand this decision,” said Jokanovic.
“They said they couldn’t see the opposite side, and they decided to cancel the game.
“It’s not in my hands. I’m not the guy who can stop the game, who can make this kind of decision.
“I’m not involved in this but, like I say, I am so sorry for all our supporters. We play football for them.
“The linesmen explained to us that they could not do their job. So we’re going to play another day, and that’s it.”