Royals leave ‘Arry feeling so Blue
HARRY REDKNAPP feels that a potential top-six Championship side has slipped from his grasp after his suffering Blues were given a lesson by classy Reading.
Icelandic striker Jon Dadi Bodvarsson’s textbook header and a sidefooted finish by substitute George Evans condemned modest Birmingham to a third defeat in five league games and left Redknapp ruing what might have been in the summer window.
He said: “I had in my mind three months ago a side that was within our budget that I would expect to finish in the top six – but we haven’t been able to get anywhere near that team.
“We’ve got the money, but haven’t got the the deals done. We’ve been waiting 12 weeks, how can I expect things to move quickly now?
“Nobody here has got a magic wand to turn a team from the bottom five to the top five unless we make changes. This isn’t the way I want us to play – we’ve been outplayed by every team who has come here this season.”
Redknapp inherited a side on the brink of League One, while Jaap Stam’s men stumbled when on the verge of the Premier League, and it showed once Reading raised the tempo after the break
The visitors had weaved pretty patterns without creating too much in the opening 45 minutes, while the home side relied on the twinkling feet of Jacques Maghoma to muster isolated threats. When Maghoma smuggled the ball invitingly onto his left foot after 39 minutes, the result was fitting – high, wide and not very handsome.
Debutant Cohen Bramall unleased a bolt from the Blues in added time that Vito Mannone was generously ruled to have saved while Dave Stockdale produced one genuine stop to keep out Tyler Blackett’s low shot.
Redknapp introduced a more direct threat in Lucas Jutikiewicz at half-time but within two minutes was indebted to his goalkeeper whose fine reactions left Liam Kelly holding his head in frustration.
The lively Modou Barrow sidefooted a golden chance wide from eight yards in the 58th minute before Bodvarsson showed how it is done with a beautifully guided header from Blackett’s left-wing cross.
Reading looked to be toying with Blues as Kelly lifted another chance over the bar from Barrow’s cross – and they could have paid dearly.
Redknapp’s third substitute David Davis made an impact, being denied by a brilliant Liam Moore block then forcing Mannone into a rare save.
Blues however were becoming threadbare at the back and substitute Garath McCleary laid on the clinching goal at the second attempt on a plate for Evans with five minutes left.
Stam, who also confirmed the signing of midfielder David Edwards from Wolves, explained his faith in Bodvarsson despite his modest goalscoring record.
“He is important to the way we play, in possession and in passing. We need someone with a certain physique and pace to get in behind. It isn’t easy to be out injured, have four or five days in training, then play as well and as long as he did.
“We defended particularly well and it was a relief when we got the second goal.
“We know what we can do. The first few games have been an extension of pre-season when we lost a lot of players to injuries.”