Three In A Row As Fulham Game Off

28 December 2021
By Hob Nob Anyone?

Reading's home game against Fulham scheduled for Wednesday 29 December has been postponed due to on-going Covid cases at Reading FC. The game is Reading's third straight Championship game to be called off due to the high number of Covid cases at the club.

The latest postponement is thought to be a combination of Covid cases and the high number of injuries the club have - meaning there are not enough fit players in the squad to fulfil the fixture. It had been reported that the game was expected to be played as most players have now recovered from Covid but the league allowed the Royals to postpone the game.

Reading's games against Luton Town on 18 December and at Peterborough on Boxing Day were both also called off, meaning our last fixture was way back on 11 December. Our next game is expected to go ahead at planned when Derby County visit the Select Car Leasing Stadium on 3 January 2022 for the first game of the new year. With such an extensive injury list in December, Reading will be hoping that when they return to action they will have players back available for selection - hopefully giving us a big boost in the relegation battle we are facing this season.

Boxing Day Fixture Off Due To Covid

21 December 2021
By Hob Nob Anyone?

Reading's away trip to Peterborough scheduled for Boxing Day has been postponed due to continued problems with Covid cases in Reading's first team and Under 23 squad. Last Saturday Reading were also forced to cancel their home fixture against Luton Town due to the Covid outbreak, despite looking forward to a huge home crowd to celebrate Reading's 150th anniversary.

Reading are just two points above Peterborough who are inside the bottom three so the fixture may have a huge significance in the relegation battle - so it will be relief that Reading were able to postpone the match and not play with an even futher weakened squad.

Our next fixture, home against Fulham on Wednesday 29 December (8pm kick-off) is expected to go ahead as planned.

What has gone wrong for Reading FC this season?

17 December 2021
By Hob Nob Anyone?

After narrowly missing out on the playoffs last season, Reading fans hoped that with the right moves, they could make a real push towards the top six heading in 2022. Instead, Reading currently sit in 21st place, just two points above the relegation zone. So what has gone wrong this season?

Wrong moves in the Summer

Losing two of your most exciting young players is always going to make things difficult for any team. Michael Olise was the Championship's best young player in 2020/21, so it was no surprise to Reading fans to see him leave in the summer. The fee collected for Olise may have been a little lower than many fans were hoping, but it still gave the team some money to improve the squad.

Losing Omar Richards was a tough loss, as well as seeing players like Tomas Esteves and Alfa Semedo return to their parent clubs after their loans ended. But Reading still had the chance to bring in support for John Swift and improve the remaining squad.

Instead, due to financial fair play rules the club were forced to spend a total of £0 on transfer fees. Instead, they focused on expiring contracts of players like Scott Dann, Junior Hoilett and Alen Halilovic. Reading were also able to bring in a few loan players as well. If you're looking to make a smart move, why not check out the offers from novibet.ie.

But one of the main reasons why they have struggled this year is from limited production from these acquisitions. Tom Dele-Bashiru has been the best of the group, starting 18 times in the league contributing four goals in that time. But the other players brought in over the summer have not produced much.

Halilovic and Hoilett only have four goals and assists between them, despite playing over 1000 minutes combined. Andy Carroll just has the one goal this season. Scott Dann has started in 11 games this season, but Reading's defence has been poor this season.

Defensive Issues

This season, only Peterborough and Cardiff have conceded more goals in the championship this season. Reading only has two clean sheets this season. A big part of this has been the changes in defence throughout the season. Nine different players have started for Paunovic's defence, so there has been very little stability in defence.

Issues in Attack

The problems in defence have not been helped by an attack which is no where near the same level that it used to be. Losing Olise was huge for this team, but they have failed to replace his output in attack. Reading has relied heavily on John Swift, with Swift having 17 goals and assists in 21 starts this season, contributing to more than 50% of the teams goals. No attack in the world can be successful if it relies so heavily on one player. 

Conclusion

It has been a very tough season for Reading so far. It doesn't look likely for the team to be able to get anywhere near the playoffs this season. But if the team can identify the problems, maybe some changes in January could produce a positive result.

Luton Game Off Due To Covid

15 December 2021
By Hob Nob Anyone?

Reading's home game against Luton Town, that was scheduled to be played this Saturday afternoon, has been postponed due to Covid cases in the Reading first team and under-23 squads. It had been reported that at least five players in the first team squad had returned positive test results this week.

The game was due to be Reading's 150th anniversary game with the club working hard to sell tickets at reduced rates to local football clubs and schools to increase the attendance. Over 20,000 tickets had been sold for the match which would have seen the biggest home crowd for a number of years. The club are now planning to switch the celebrations to the home fixture against Coventry City on 12 February 2022.

Tickets purchased for the Luton Town match will be transfered to the Coventry City game in February (instead of the re-arranged Luton Town fixture which would be played midweek).

Royals Get National League North Kidderminster

06 December 2021
By Hob Nob Anyone?

Reading have been drawn away at National League North side Kidderminster Harriers in the third round of the FA Cup. The game at Aggborough Stadium will be played the weekend of 8th January 2022, to be confirmed subject to possible TV coverage of the game. Kidderminster, currently fifth in National League North, will fancy their chances of an upset against a team four divisions higher than them in front of a capacity home crowd.

In qualifying Kidderminster progressed with a 1-0 away victory at Bedfont Sports before home wins against Grimsby and Halifax in the first and second rounds. Kidderminster are in an excellent run of form since their last league defeat back on 9th October with 8 wins and a draw in the League and FA Cup since.

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Reading Denied Home Victory

04 December 2021
By Hob Nob Anyone?

A Tom Holmes spectacular overhead kick in first half stoppage time produced a goal worthy of winning any game. It was his first goal at the level for the club, but an uncharacteristic goalkeeping error by Luke Southwood, and string of simply atrocious refereeing decisions, meant his goal only earned Reading a point when they probably deserved three. Before the game Reading might have accepted a point a reasonable result given City's recent impressive run of four victories, but the game was marred by referee Steve Martin's remarkable inability to interpret the laws of the game correctly. On three occasions, what appeared to most of us in the ground to be three clear fouls in the penalty area, went unpunished. They are the sort of decisions which go against you now and again but it is rare to have three in the same match. If, as they say, these things even themselves out over a season Reading are due for a few undeserved penalties soon!
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