MATCH REPORT: 2004/2005 Season
8 May 2005: LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP
WIGAN 3 READING 1
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goals
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Reading: Sidwell (90 mins).
Wigan: McCulloch (18 mins), Roberts (21 mins), Ellington (85 mins). |
Half Time: 2-0 Attendance: 19,662
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teams
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Reading: Hahnemann, Murty, Sonko, Ingimarsson, Hughes, Little (Owusu 72), Harper, Sidwell, Brooker (Ferdinand 57), Kitson, Forster.
Subs Not Used: Keown, Newman, Young.
Wigan: Filan, Eaden, Breckin, Jackson, McMillan, Jarrett, Bullard (Teale 82), Kavanagh, McCulloch, Roberts (Mahon 63), Ellington (Wright 89). Subs Not Used: Johansson, Walsh. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
bookings
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Reading: Little. Wigan: Kavanagh. Referee: M Atkinson (W Yorkshire). |
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report
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For the second season in a row Reading finished the season three points outside a play-off place - finishing on seventy points. The season was already effectively over before the final day of the season - but Reading could have still made it with a big win at Wigan. With West Ham winning their final game Reading would have needed to win by a bigger margin, but there was little chance of that with the Royals facing the Division's second best side. Wigan needed the win to seal their promotion to the Premiership and were much the better side to take a deserved 3-1 victory to condemn Reading to another Championship season. The defeat saw Reading finish the season with three straight defeats making it hard to argue that Reading deserved anything other than a mid-table finish.
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FANS' POST MATCH OPINION
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So ends another season and having had a major rant last week after the Wolves game there's not much to say really.
It was no surprise that Reading succumbed meekly to Wigan who thoroughly deserve their moment of glory and promotion.
To think we still could have made the play offs with a win today, the performance and manner of defeat reflected
our poor we've become in recent months. I think most of us knew in our hearts that we didn't really deserve much
more than what we ended up with which is a bit like finishing fourth in an Olympic Final. Seventh is good on paper
but bitterly disappointing bearing in mind our position at Christmas. Coppell has said he'll walk next season if we
don't get promoted and Madejski says he wants to go up to visit the likes of Maine Road! That just about sums up
the running of the club at present. Let's hope for new players next season and all pray that whatever happens
West Sham led by Judas Pardwho don't creep through the play offs. If there's any justice Ipswich will go up.
For us, we dream on and wait for our moment of glory, just once would be nice.
As an infrequent contributor to this site, I have to say that I agree with
most of what Ken C has said this season and before. I held off a post after
the Wolves match and by the Sunday morning felt a bit calmer! But with the
season now over, time for a note.
Congratulations to Wigan on a remarkable achievement.Today we witnessed again yet another lack lustre performance throughout the squad. In fact it was not so much of an excellent Wigan performance but more that the game was handed to the oposition "on a plate". In the first thirty minutes we did not even have an attempt on goal and the general attitude from the players was appauling. Our season was virtually over some two months ago when Management actions were taken without due consideration and skill and demonstrated the real weakness of our clubs plight at the present time.
By my reckoning "more of the same" would be a result. If my calculations are correct our 2005 form would place us 2 points above the relegation zone. In my opinion the current team has achieved as much as can be expected of them. With the exception of Shorey and Kitson, the rest are at an age or sufficient appearances that we can conclude that they are not going to get any better. Unless the academy can inject some star quality how do we improve? It is unrealistic to expect Mr Madjeski to keep putting his hand in his pocket. I really hope that I am wrong but I am not optimistic and certainly do not feel inspired by Mr Coppell.
At the end of the day, we were exposed to be an average run of the mill Championship team, and it was just as well we had accrued some many points before xmas as otherwise we could have been fighting a relegation battle. The team lacks any invention, ideas or skill and the lack of goals scored with virtually no contribution from the midfield has been a worrying trend for some time. I despair of Coppell and his negative quotes pre match and post match to the media. If this makes the fans depressed, how must the players feel? A major rethink is needed during the close season and we need to get rid of the dead wood and non performing out of contract players. This was probably one of the best opportunities the club had had to secure promotion to the Premiership but a combination of bad signings, poor management, poor direction at Board level, and general player incompetence has led to another ‘so near and yet so far’ season. Should we have given youth a chance? What was the wisdom in signing Ferdinand, Keown, Convey?
The fans need to see a bit of ambition in the summer but with a much stronger looking league next season, don’t be surprised to hear the ‘Coppell out’ cries if performances are not improved vastly.
Another hugely disappointing Reading performance brings to end another ultimately disappointing season, which at Christmas promised so much. Reading were second best in every department against a stronger, quicker and more determined Wigan side, who demonstrated just how far our current side is from being promotion material. At times Reading struggled to do even the basics such as staying on their feet (Sonko in particular) and keeping possession for even short spells. Even when Coppell brought on Ferdinand and Owusu Reading were unable to put Wigan under any genuine pressure, and the manager has conceded that the game was finished by half time.
This was yet another fairly inept performance as Reading were comfortably beaten by a much superior side. My view on
the down-turn in fortunes & performance since Christmas that led to us missing out yet again is that much of the blame
is with the hierarchy of the club. Wigan proved on Sun what a bit of ambition & investment in decent signings can do
for a team with Premiership ambitions. The 'powers that be' at Reading continue to try to do things on the cheap, &
the inevitable result was there to see. Sky Sports summed it up for me when they described Wigan's chairman as someone
who had a vision for his club to reach the highest level & was determined to all he could to achieve it. For all the good
the man had done for RFC, the same just CANNOT be said of our chairman at present. Another way the hierarchy have had a
negative influence this season is with the continued stance on contracts. But even with their wanting to stick to their
guns with Williams & Forster, their inconsistency by giving Shorey & Kitson extensions on their contracts whilst
refusing to discuss anything with the other two, plus the club's attitudes over Goater (& possibly Convey) with the
whole 'money for certain amounts of games played' business has done nothing but create a negative & uneasy atmosphere
& do much I'm sure to affect players attitudes & motivation at a time when they team really needed to be positive &
pull together. Yes there have been poor performances this season & since Christmas the team's form hasn't been anywhere
near good enough overall to justify a play-off spot, but I reckon the poor way the club has been run at times is
at the heart of RFC's failure this season. Those in positions of authority ought to take a long hard look at themselves
& how they conduct things in the close season & summer & really give some proper support & backing to the manager &
the team instead of creating such a difficult environment for both to function properly. I hope to God Wigan's Chairman
shared some of his vision with ours on Sunday. At least that could be a starting point.......
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