Well after confidently predicting a 2-0 win for the Royals, I was glad to see I got the score right. Unfortunately for me and the other countless Royals supporters, it was 2-0 to Fulham, who secured their first away win in 18 months, well done boys!
The embarrassing defeat was made worse by the fact our fellow strugglers Bolton won and Birmingham picked up a point, so anyone who took the 16/1 odds of us getting relegated before Saturday must be slightly happier now as they have fallen all the way to 5/1 after all the results have come in.
The performance was just shambolic from the start. Fulham controlled the proceedings and we made them look like a side who are challenging for Europe, not one that is the next best team up from Derby.
It’s hard looking down the side to find any player who stood out particularly. Though I’d have to give the man of the match award to Marcus Hahnemann because if it wasn’t for his excellent saves, then the result could have been far more humiliating.
What is also worrying about Reading at the moment is that their best defender is also our most attacking threat. There only seems to be one player who looks like scoring and that is Andre Bikey, who always seems to be a threat from corners and attacking free kicks, he looks a bit like Nemanja Vidic when going forward as he is fearless in the air.
The manager has to be questioned for his team selection. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one baffled by Kitson once again being consigned to the substitutes bench. So once again we had the Doyle and Long partnership thrust upon us. Hello? Err Steve? You could always give Kitson and Long a go together because Doyle has truly forgotten where the goal is (though irritatingly he’s still playing well). Or here’s an even better idea. RECALL LEROY LITA! Is he not scoring goals? I think you’d find he is for Charlton. Anything is better than nothing.
One player has got to get out of that side. Stephen Hunt has outstayed his welcome on the left hand side. The club really missed a trick in rejecting Sunderland’s £5 million bid in January, we will never have an offer that good again. £5 million would have been more than ample to sign a replacement who at least would have one shred of any ability. The guy is just all about running. So what? Since when does being an energetic player guarantee you a place in the first team of a Premier League. He’s like Park Ji-Sung, but at least Park has alot of talent. Stephen Hunt’s touch, crossing and finishing is just woeful and he has no skill to take on anyone. Does anyone remember Andy Hughes? This is the reincarnation of him. Give Bobby Convey a go.
Arsenal away next week means things are hardly going to get any better for us anytime soon, and we must now be praying the results go our way otherwise we will be saying goodbye to the Premier League. What has happened to Tenacity, Spirit and Flair?
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