DAVID CONNOLLY
Our guest columnist on the plight of Championship outfit Reading
ISAW Reading lose to Sheffield United last weekend under caretaker Scott Marshall in what was a spirited but all too familiar display in their first game without Paul Clement as manager.
After a bright start that promised much, the Royals were well beaten in the end and the scoreline could have been much worse.
The home side lined up in a 4-2-3-1 with young Danny Loader as the number ten behind lone striker Marc McNulty.
Width was provided by Garath McCleary and Southampton loanee Josh Sims, who was dreadfully disappointing.
Reading passed the ball well, often though side to side and backwards, a pattern that appeared too often in the ball possession philosophy of Jaap Stam that was successful early on but which ended up frustrating the fans. It was a set-up that rarely threatened the back three of the Blades and I felt sorry for McNulty, who spent large parts of the game running across the line but never receiving.
Against the United back three, the Royals had to try and affect the outside centre-halves by either Loader or McNulty coming short to drag one out, or running down the sides to create some space, so two forwards worked the three defenders, but that rarely happened.
Rather, the Royals tried to win the game with deep crosses into the box from wide areas, but that never looked like troubling Chris Wilder’s men.
United were happy to sit in their shape with minimal gaps between the defenders and utilise their huge height advantage to deal with aerial balls.
A front two can work well against a back three and at half-time with Reading fortunate to be 0-0, I felt maybe they would go for it at home and play two strikers with time running out, not only in this game but with the number of games left of the season.
Initiative
Instead, it was the Blades who seized the initiative by first bringing on Mark Duffy to try to become more creative in midfield before also introducing striker Billy Sharp, two bold changes by Wilder in an attempt to win the game.
Reading caretaker Marshall chose to replace McNulty with another lone striker, Sam Baldock, in a like-for-like change and stuck with his 4-2-3-1 formation in the hope of maybe taking a point.
Conceding seemed inevitable, however, due to the pressure the Blades put on the home side, although it was the visitors’ bravery that won the day, with one of their centre-halves, Chris Basham, crossing from the byline for Sharp to tap home.
They added a second shortly afterwards and the stadium emptied out quickly, fans no doubt used to this sort of display and result.
Reading entered the season without a win during pre-season and despite putting up a tactically astute performance against Derby in the season opener, they lost and have struggled for three points ever since.
Struggled
Their extensive injury list has played a part, although their bench was strong at the weekend.
However, if the Royals don’t win three of their last four games in 2018, they will have failed to win ten league games in a calendar year for the first time since 1920.
With attendances diminishing, no doubt the team needs to reconnect with fans in a similar fashion to when the likes of Steve Coppell and Brian McDermott were in charge, where hard work and attacking intent was balanced with dogged defending and a sprinkling of youth.
They have the youth now in Loader and Andy Rinomhota but lack the cut and thrust of those successful sides of old and a return to a front two could help, as well as finding a balance between aesthetically pleasing but effective football with players being brave on the ball to make something happen.
Coppell and McDermott have long moved on. However, the man who oversaw that spell of success, Nigel Howe, has returned as chief executive. He was part of the journey that saw Reading reach the top flight in 2006 and 2012.
He stepped away at arguably the moment when he may have been needed most, departing when the Berkshire side lost on penalties to Huddersfield in the 2017 Championship playoff final.
The transfer window after this was where they splashed the cash on the likes of £7.5m Sone Aluko, who was one of many new signings made to help Reading make that next step.
Since then, those steps, like their passes, have been more backwards than forwards and their next managerial appointment is crucially important to their survival in the Championship.