Well, That Sucked (Reading 1-2 Aston Villa)

Obviously, it’s not quite time to hit the panic button, but I’d like to think the protective cover has been removed.

Reading were second-best for all of the 90 minutes, and would’ve lost 3-0 if not for Gareth Barry opting to gift the crowd with a game-used ball. Villa clearly were (are) a class apart from Reading, and utterly dominated the game in the first half, tearing through a particularly useless-looking Reading defense, highlighted of course by some suicidal defending by Ibrahima Sonko and Kalifa Cisse, the latter of which opting to throw himself to the turf and allow Gabriel Agbonlahor the necessary time to cross for Ashley Young, who duly slapped the ball into the net.

Reading weren’t abysmal, and had Curtis Davies not been so astute, Stephen Hunt might’ve leveled. Kitson wasn’t half-bad, and Doyle obviously needs improvement, but the defense looks incredibly shaky, and it really wasn’t a surprise when Villa went 2-0 up. That killer edge is part of the reason why they’re aiming for Europe, and Reading have now lost eight straight times. The sensation is, through midfield and in attack, and certainly in net, the team’s good enough to stay up (albeit barely) right now, but in defense, not so much. Factor in that confidence is rock-bottom right now, and, as Mr. Coppell noted, something must change.

Will chopping and re-working the squad do it? I can’t imagine it doing any more harm. The next three games go Middlesbrough (Away), Manchester City (Home), and Liverpool (Away). Despite overturning Liverpool earlier this year, and battling well against City, the most winnable game of the three is certainly Middlesbrough, although they’ve improved a great deal in recent weeks. Even a point there would be invaluable, as 17th-placed Birmingham are only a point ahead, and will be taking on Tottenham at home.

It’s hard to stay confident right now, a sensation that was certainly lacking at the Madjeski on Sunday. This isn’t the team of the last two years, and assured safety sits on 40 points, 18 above the current position. If this malaise doesn’t turn around soon, Reading will be wondering where all that promise from last year got off to.

Frankly, at this point, I don’t know where, exactly, the problem lies, but I can say that I still have faith in Steve Coppell to keep the team up. If Reading Town can manage it, so can we.

Category: Game Recaps

Tags: Game Recaps

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