MATCH REPORT: 2004/2005 Season

5 February 2005: LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP
READING 0 PLYMOUTH ARGYLE 0
goals
Reading:
Plymouth:
Half Time: 0-0
Attendance: 19,783

CHAMPIONSHIP 5 Feb 2005
Pos Team P Pts GD
3 Sunderland 31 57 +17
4 READING 31 51 +10
5 Derby 32 51 +6
teams
Reading: Hahnemann, Murty, Sonko, Ingimarsson, Shorey, Hughes, Harper, Sidwell (Brooker 54), Little, Forster (Owusu 88), Ferdinand (Keown 82). Subs Not Used: Morgan, Young.
Plymouth: McCormick, Worrell, Coughlan, Wotton, Doumbe, Buzsaky (Friio 75), Lasley, Gudjonsson, Gilbert, Taylor (Evans 71), Blackstock (Capaldi 88). Subs Not Used: Aljofree, Keith.
bookings
Reading:
Plymouth:
Buzsaky.
Referee: R Olivier (W Midlands).
report

Following report by John Wells:
Reading's secure position in the play-off zone was further eroded today as they failed to find the net for the fourth time in five league games. It must be hard for Steve Coppell to know what to do next. Having built a team which is defensively just about the strongest in the Championship the Royals are losing ground on their closest rivals due to an inability to covert possession into goals. Today's game was a very dull affair. Reading dominated the game because the had far better team. It remained goalless because both sides lacked ideas and confidence in the attacking third of the pitch. Plymouth stuck to their tight defensive formation and took the point which their fans celebrated enthusiastically at the final whistle.

The Royals' main ploy was to use Murty and Little to get crosses in to Ferdinand and Forster. In the first half they exchanged short passes and failed to produce the crosses, and in the second half the crosses arrived but the quality was poor. I can recall two headers from the strikers. Ferdinand sent a header over the bar although I think he got a nudge which meant he was slightly underneath the ball when he made contact. Forster on the other hand simply mistimed his header when under no pressure at all. It was a pity Reading could not exploit the Plymouth 'keepers obvious weakness in dealing with crosses. He dropped two in the first half and only towards the end of the game was he catching the ball cleanly.

Chances were few and far between. The best opportunity fell to Argyle when Blackstock headed narrowly wide from close range after some slack defensive work by Reading. Ferdinand came close with a strong downward header which McCormick tipped over the bar as it looped up towards the top corner. Sidwell sent a long range effort wide with McCormick stranded after he failed to gather the ball at the edge of the area. Murty shot wide from outside the box near the end but it was a desperate effort and I don't think he really expected to score. Forster hit the bar about ten minutes from the end which prompted a small section of the crowd to muster a feeble chorus of 'Come on Reading'. It was all a bit half-hearted. The crowd made no effort to lift the team, and the team did nothing to get the crowd going. The band played well but had their work cut out lifting a morbid atmosphere. It seemed ridiculous that a team fifth the bottom were receiving more vocal support away from home than a team pushing for automatic promotion in front of their own fans.

The final minutes produced a desperate move from Coppell. Keown came on to release Sonko to play up front! With Owusu already on, and Ferdinand and Forster substituted, the intention was obvious. Hoof it! A strange move when we all know our best available striker is Ingimarssson! Joking aside we still have not found anyone even close to matching Kitson up front which is a worry even when he returns. Most successful teams have a couple strikers scoring regularly.

Things will get better I'm sure but I see our only realistic chance of promotion is through the play-offs this year. The defence is strong and if everyone is fit at the right time there is sufficient flair and experience in the squad to succeed. Lets keep our fingers crossed.


FANS' POST MATCH OPINION

This was my first game since Christmas, and when I left for foreign shores we were in fourth spot and since then we've won one game and scored a paltry four goals in the league, three of those against Watford, yet somehow we amazingly remain in fourth spot! We certainly won't be there much longer if this woeful run of form continues I've been able to follow every game while away on HNA and thought we'll soon get going again as the poor results continued, but like a spluttering old banger, we continue to misfire on three maybe two cylinders and judged on yesterdays game we'll soon be languishing in mid table mediocrity. Just before Christmas we were in a wonderful position to push on and make a real challenge for promotion, we needed a few signings to not only bolster the squad but to bring in some new blood. I believe the fans have been let down badly. Though they've performed well in past years, what the bloody hell are players in the twilight of their careers in their late thirties going to do for our chances? Sweet FA that's all! Why are we never linked with half decent players , why can't Coppell attract players from London premiership clubs on loan. Yesterday Plymouth had young Dexter Blackstock on loan from Southampton up front, why did we not sigh him on loan when Kitson was injured. How can Plymouth attract a good young premiership player like that and we can't?? We never looked liked scoring yesterday, sure Fossie's effort that clipped the bar was unlucky but that was about it. I thought we looked tired, we created very little and when it came to the final cross, especially from Shorey, the quality was woeful. Forster looked out of form and Sir Les did what's expected of a 38 year old and basically had the movement of a wheelie bin. As we pushed on towards the end of the game a substitution from Coppell that took one's breath away. Five minutes to go, 0-0 he takes a striker off, replaces him with Keown, who's not only not match fit, but clearly a centre back and with Owusu on the bench pushes Sonko another centre back up front! Priceless! Sadly the final whistle was met with predictable boos, that achieve nothing as the magnificent Plymouth fans gave their team a rousing ovation. Really weird that we're in a play-off position, they are bottom half of the league, yet they seemed to have so much more passion and support than us home fans. I think the truth is all us Reading fans know in our hearts how good we really are, and the currently, that's not very good at all.
Nick Newbury

This match confirmed my long founded suspicion that we are not good enough to get automatic promotion and may yet struggle to gain a play off place with our inability to score goals. The signing of two 38 year olds at the end of their careers, coupled with Coppell's continued neagtive comments has done nothing to inspire the fans and how Madjeski can say the current squad is good enough to gain automatic promotion and basically hold their own in the Premiership is beyond me. Seeing Sonko pushed up front must have been a smack in the face for the likes of Morgan, Owusu and Goater. I fear yey again our failure to be more ambitious in the transfer market will cost us dear and yet again it will be a case of so near and yet so far. I hope I am proved wrong, but I am not confident about our chances at Leeds, Crewe, or indeed our next home match against our bogey team Coventry.
Mike Stark

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