So now both halves of our game are present and accounted for, we just can’t seem to score goals and keep goals out at the same time. That could very well change this weekend, where we can happily refresh ourselves at the oasis of the Premier League: Derby County. Given the state of Derby’s defense this season, it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see last week’s record broken again, but I’m hoping they tighten up with Sonko possibly finally back in the lineup. It’s no great analysis to say that this is a game we need all three points from; Derby may be helpfully occupying one of the relegation spots we’ll be trying to avoid all season, but securing the maximum point reward from a fixture with them is essential to staying up.

(I should mention here that I actually feel sort of bad for Derby, as there’s a bit of small club kinship between them and Reading. Plus, in my shameless USA bias, it’s hard to root against a team with such a neat logo, and with Benny Feilhaber on the roster, he of the Gold Cup Wonder Goal. Never gets old.)

Some other news:

- Some good Coppell quotes this week, as you might expect. Turns out his seemingly invulnerable veneer can be cracked by giving up 7 goals in a game, as he uncharacteristically went off on reporters at a Monday press conference. Witness:

“I’ve had 17 million questions about second-season syndrome,” Coppell told reporters. “I’m fed up with the f****** thing. Shove it up where ever.”

“It’s just f****** hard whether it’s the first season, second season or third season.”

Do they have those edited coach press conference Coors Light commercials in England? Playoffs?!?

Saying “nobody died, nobody was mortally wounded,” isn’t exactly a shrug either. I kind of wish Coppell & Co. would’ve treated the Pompey game as the anomaly it clearly was rather than blushing all week long, but oh well. Things are reaching a panic state over there, and the team should probably concentrate on settling down and regaining their form.

- Glen Little had surgery for his achilles heel injury, which should keep him out for at least four months. All reports from earlier in the season had pretty much written him off for this year (if not for his career, sadly), so it wasn’t much of a shock. Still, it perpetuates our right midfield woes. Both John Oster and Bobby Convey remain questionable for tomorrow’s game.

- Nicky Shorey called up again for England, but I imagine he won’t see much play with Ashley Cole fit. Maybe vs. the powerhouse of Estonia.

- What?!? You’re telling me the 17th place team vs. the 20th place team isn’t worthy of American television? Come on! I’ll come back with some thoughts on the game cobbled together from highlights and text recaps. Hopefully sooner than 7 days after the game. Go Royals!

- Nicky Shorey, England: Apparently when I’m able to actually watch a Reading player perform his international duty, it’s a bit of a curse. Shorey got the start at left back in his second cap due to an injured Ashley Cole, but most notably started off the sequence that led to Germany’s first goal (and perhaps Paul Robinson’s last game as #1 keeper) with a pretty lazy clearance that was plucked by Bernd Schneider from the sideline and sent back in on the fateful cross.

- Bobby Convey, United States: Another player cursed to be on my television, Convey looked totally out of form after being subbed on at halftime against Sweden. Taking over set piece duties after Landon Donovan came out of the game, he sent in some pretty poor balls until the last one almost scored off the head of Michael Bradley. He clearly needs some more playing time, which he’s not likely to get at Reading until Stephen Hunt runs full speed into a goalpost in a week or two. Also called into the US squad was Marcus Hahnemann, who continued his dominant reign at the far end of the US bench.

- Long/Hunt/Doyle, Ireland: The Irish Royals all got on the field against hapless Denmark, who apparently kept their fans in the stands this game, but still lost 0-4. Doyle & Hunt started, but came off at the half, Doyle being replaced by Shane Long, who went on to score two.

- Ingimarsson/Gunnarsson, Iceland: Apparently both played in Iceland’s friendly against Canada, but I can’t find much about the match other than its 1-1 scoreline, and can’t think of much to say other than some lazy cold-weather jokes.

- Andre Bikey, Cameroon/Emerse Fae, Ivory Coast: The African contingent saw some action, vs. Japan and Egypt, respectively. Not much to report here either, though it’s worth mentioning that, including Ibrahim Sonko from Senegal and Sam Sodje from Nigeria (if he doesn’t depart for Sheffield United), Reading has a quartet of African players, all in defense. Everyone has been making noise about how Chelsea will be handicapped during the African Cup of Nations in Jan/Feb, but Reading, unlike Chelsea, doesn’t have 7 world-class players at each position. Could be trouble.