Success this season has been achieved very much through a team effort. Today we saw what happens when the team ethic does not work. After a good first half which saw us go into the break deservedly in front, we just did not perform. Yes, Blackburn did better, but there were too many players who had off days. Shorey gave the ball away which is rarae enough throughout his career and this was typical of the team. The main exception was Harper who not only took his goal well, but also maintained his standards. We lost to a super strike from Bentley but again we gave the ball away, this time it was Oster but it was just typical of what we had seen. Just forget the second half and assume we'll be back to normal next Saturday.
Ken C

Just as we all thought this Premiership was a doddle and some were even fantasising about trips to far flung parts of Europe, Blackburn brought us well and truly down to earth with a big bump and a festive reality check. This was a classic game of two halves and Reading must be kicking themselves for not wrapping the game up by half time. Blackburn were very poor at in the first half and though we also were not playing that well most of us thought another three points were coming our way. Mark Hughes must have clearly said some strong words and even thrown a few tea cups during his half time talk as the Blackburn in the second half were unrecognisable from the first half and went on the batter Reading for most of the game . We were very poor in the second half with Shorey, Sidwell, Sepl and even Doyle all well below par. What does stick in the throat was that both Blackburn goals were down to Reading errors. The marking for the first was appalling and the second, though a wonder strike from Bentley, was down to a dreadful first pass from Oster and even Shorey had the chance to make a tackle but got done well and proper and Bentley flew past him and let rip with a goal that was worthy of winning any game. A few other observations Poll as usual was a joke, trying to take the limelight rather than do his job, how in gods name did he not book McCarthy with his disgraceful pathetic cheating dive I'll never know, on the whole his refereeing was a joke. Robbie Savage, what a great player. You will never see another player anywhere who works as hard as he does and really does die for the shirt. Don't the morons who abuse him realise it's water of a ducks back and there nothing he likes more to spur him on. I'd give anything to have Robbie Savage in our team because you know what you are going to get, somebody who gives you 110% week in week out, well played mate. With the black cloud of Chelski and Man U away looming, something against Everton is vital. Every cloud has a silver lining and maybe yesterdays loss will make JM and other realise how important it is we add to the squad in the January window. We've done unbelievably well to get 26 points to date and we will be ok this season but I thought the players looked tired yesterday and that's why we need a bigger squad, but we all know that. Who could ask for a better Christmas present that three points against Everton, oh and Andy Diving Johnson being sent off for continuous cheating dives, promises to be a lively encounter... UURRRZZZ
Nick Newbury