WE MUST DIG DEEP – GOMES
Reading boss remains resolute
UNDER-FIRE manager Jose Gomes has urged everyone at Reading to rally round following their disappointing start to the season.
When the Royals brought in the likes of Romanian striker George Puscas, 23, reportedly for a club record fee of around £8m from Inter Milan, Sheffield Wednesday striker Lucas Joao, 26, and Argentinian forward Lucas Boye, 23, on loan from Torino this summer, optimism surged at the Madejski Stadium.
After a couple of seasons fighting the drop, there was a feeling the Berkshire club could start looking up the table instead of down.
However, it has been a sobering start to the campaign. Eight points from their opening ten games left them just above the drop zone heading into yesterday’s game at Bristol City.
Tuesday night’s 4-1 drubbing at home by Fulham – not helped by midfielder John Swift’s early red card for two bookable offences - made it four defeats out of five on home soil and left some natives restless. But Gomes, who took charge in December and kept the Royals up last term, is convinced Reading can overcome their sticky start.
“We have a lot of positive things during this season, but we also have a lot of negative things so what we need is consistency,” he said after the midweek reverse.
Consistency
“Everybody, all the players, everybody in the professional side of the club, must see what we can do more to get this consistency in our performance.
“We showed fantastic things in Wolverhampton in the second half (Reading lost on penalties after scoring an injury time equaliser in the Carabao Cup) and against Swansea (in last Saturday’s 1-1 Championship draw).”
Gomes believes every side will have a rough spell at some stage this season and is hoping his team’s poor run will be over before play resumes after the international break.
He said: “Of course, not winning at home is not a good feeling when we finish the game, even if we draw at home. The club, the fans and everybody in Reading deserve to sit and watch their team winning.
“I know one thing – these kinds of situations with bad results will happen to all the teams in such a long season.
“Hopefully, this is a moment that is already passed and that’s what we should work for. We must catch the positive things.”
Jaap Stam led the Royals to the Championship play-off final in 2016-17, but departed in March 2018 after his second season turned sour.
Paul Clement then had a go, but was sacked in December after poor results in the opening half of last season.
Gomes could be next through the exit door if results don’t improve soon, but the 49-yearold Portuguese is philosophical about his own position.
“The managers in football, we are always under pressure and we must learn and face this pressure with the positive things that we have,” he added.
“I’m not concerned about my position, I really believe in the way that I work and the honest way that I pass my message to the players.
“The togetherness we have in this club is really amazing.
“I’m concerned about the points we didn’t get, but I’m completely sure the players will give the proper answer to get the points we need.”
And he believes the second half showing against Fulham – after falling 3-0 and a man down in the first half – shows his troops still have the stomach for battle.
“When the team is not strong like a team, you can’t see the spirit they showed in the second half because it’s really hard to run and recover balls like we recovered and press against such a high quality team like Fulham,” he added.