ROYALS GO FOR JOSE!
Reading plump for Portuguese boss Gomes
CHAMPIONSHIP strugglers Reading have appointed a Portuguese manager called Jose – but his surname is Gomes, not Mourinho. After missing out on fellow Portuguese Luis Castro, the Royals have had better luck with Gomes, who was in charge at top tier Rio Ave. The 48-year-old has also managed in Hungary, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates and will now be charged with keeping Reading in the Championship. He said: “I am confident in this project. I know how the club and the fans around the club feel the results, so I am here to help and to put our club in the right place.”
READING caretaker manager Scott Marshall has been reassured of his future after the club appointed Jose Gomes as their new boss to replace the sacked Paul Clement.
In Marshall’s last match in temporary charge, Reading went down at home to Middlesbrough to make it seven matches without a win – three of them under Marshall.
Boro created a series of half chances throughout, but had to wait until the 77th minute to snatch the winner.
Skipper George Friend arrived in the home area with perfect timing to turn in Paddy McNair’s low cross.
Gomes watched the match and was appointed to his new role shortly after the end.
“I’ve been focusing mainly on the game,” Marshall, the Reading U23s coach, said before Gomes’ appointment had been confirmed.
“But I believe that there is something going on here. I’ve really enjoyed the experience. I’ve enjoyed getting to know the players as a group.
“The new manager will be as keen to get as much information as possible from all sources. And I’ll be in for training on Monday.”
Lowly Reading mustered little in attack, with Boro goalkeeper Darren Randolph enjoying a relatively comfortable afternoon.
“We had a couple of really good chances,” Marshall added.
“It was always going to be important to get the first goal as Boro have got a great defensive record.
“I would have loved us to have got in front. It would have been an entirely different game.”
Boro ended a run of five matches without a win, keeping them in the promotion mix.
“When things are going well, everyone gets too excited,” said manager Tony Pulis.
“When things aren’t going well, everyone gets down in the dumps. Win, lose or draw be happy when you win, smile when you lose. Because the smoke still goes up the same chimney.” On being criticised by some Boro fans for some of his substitutions, Pulis said: “I’ve been in the game so long to understand that everyone has their own opinion.
“English football is the greatest in the world because it’s the most competitive.”
Boro made a sluggish start and were almost breached in the early exchanges.
Sam Baldock was able to wriggle clear inside the Boro area but his fierce shot was kept out by Randolph.
Boro were quick to recover and launched a series of attacks.
Centre-back Aden Flint headed wide from an Adam Clayton cross and Ryan Shotton fired wide from an angle.
Britt Assombalonga was then denied when home keeper Anssi Jaakkola got down well to block the Boro striker’s closerange effort. Boro thought that they had gone in front, when Shotton nodded in following a free-kick, but the goal was quickly ruled out for offside.
Boro finally made the breakthrough with 13 minutes left, when substitute Paddy McNair weaved his way to the righthand byline.
His cross was driven in low and hard, with Friend arriving at the right moment to slam home from six yards out to clinch the points.