Brendan Rodgers has launched a strong defence of his football ethics, hitting out at the 'rugby' style of some Championship opponents.
The Reading boss refuses to compromise on his side's playing style, despite the struggling Royals sitting in the bottom three.
He strongly believes a team should pass a ball forward and has slammed the 'Route One' approach of some Championship rivals.
Rodgers, whose side take on Coventry on Saturday, told the Daily Mirror: "People say you can't play football in this league. Of course you can. If you are brave enough to play you can get results.
"I might not be getting success at the moment but people know how I work and in time I will get there.
Rugby
"At this level I have seen more games like rugby than football. The easiest thing is to kick the ball upfield and I have seen games where the ball gets kicked up the field and goes out in the final third of the pitch and they throw the ball in. That's rugby.
"If people want to watch that fine. I don't want to watch that and I don't want our supporters to see that.
Rodgers also hit out at journeyman players in the division who just pick up their wages, rather than give 100 per cent every time.
He said: "There are also a number of journeyman players who have lost their hunger and have no appetite and are happy to pick up their wages.
"If it doesn't work out it doesn't matter they go to another club and get another wage and then go again.
"Sometimes they act and think like a big player but actually the big players on the big money are 100 per cent all the time."
Right man
Despite the poor start to the campaign, Rodgers insists he is the right man to take the Royals forward.
He said: "Three things I will always be associated with is hard work, organisation and passing the ball. On top of that is winning.
"At Reading we are in transit and it will continue for a couple of years because now maybe the finances aren't here.
"I feel I am the best man to take the club forward. Command is lonely you have to create an ambience where everyone else is upbeat and optimistic.
"I go into every game with hope. Coventry will be hard and difficult to beat but if we can add goals to how we played against Leicester on Monday we will be difficult to beat. We must get that killer instinct.
"Where I can I need to keep a settled side as much as I can. We need to get some consistency."
Interesting. I'm not sure he's in the best position to say these things, but I agree with what he says.
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