So no, that wasn’t actually a goal. It actually wasn’t even close. And it’s another reminder that video replay is needed and will not cause games to take as long as the Self-Transcendence 3100.

While part of me did wish the Reading players had stood up and said “Erm, no, you’ve got it colossally wrong”, i’m not surprised they didn’t. These kind of professionals are hyper-competitive people who will do anything within the rules (and sometimes outside of them) to win. Nice as it was to see Mr. Coppell say he wouldn’t mind a replay afterwards, given FIFA’s own recalcitrance towards such changes, don’t hold your breath. That said, it’s only fair to Watford.

Through all of this, I do feel badly for referee Stuart Attwell and his assistant Nigel Bannister. It’s one thing to screw up during a game, it’s another to pull one of those historic screw-ups that’ll be included on bloopers DVDs hosted by Mark Lawrenson. Not that he should be absolved of blame, even as a rookie ref. It was a atrocious decision.

As for the match itself, there’s not really anything to be impressed about. We would’ve lost if not for a late penalty, and if you remove the ghost goal as well, Reading lose 2-0. One would hope we’d show a little more gumption in the following fixture, and we did, but just not enough.

On the upside, we were entirely the equals of Stoke, but that ’s not really saying much considering that Stoke are a Championship side that happen to be playing in the Premiership. Good to see James Henry play so well, and penalties are a lottery, but the team should rightfully feel disappointed. They were every bit the equal of Stoke, and if not for Stoke’s lone strength (set-pieces) they might’ve won. Of course, set-pieces are a integral part of the game, one that Stoke obviously do a bit better than Reading right now. It was nice to see Leroy Lita slamming the ball 25 miles over the bar again in a Reading shirt. Have I mentioned i’m not enamored with him?

So, the details, as gleaned from a number of presumably reputable London newspaper sources (those are all highly ethical publications, right?) are as follows:

- Lita decided to do a little home cinematography on himself engaging in flagrante delicto with a brunette acquaintance.

- Proud of his budding directorial skills, Lita shared the two-minute video with his teammates, because hey, if your phone has a feature to send videos around to friends, why not use it?

- Those teammates enjoyed Lita’s video so much, they made it viral, spreading it around to other English-based footballers, so that everyone could get a little bit of video scouting in on the young striker.

- No word yet on whether the video clip ends with Lita suffering his infamous “stretching in bed” injury as the twist ending.

- Steve Coppell, most likely while giving a look so steely it resurrected J.P. Morgan, commented “If it’s true it’s distasteful. But I want to get the facts first. He will start against Liverpool.”

- As far as I know, the clip is not yet available anywhere online, though I’ll admit to not searching too hard for it. That shot of Lita’s O-face at the top of this post is enough for me, thanks.

For the most part, my reaction to this news is largely bemusement – Reading, as far as I’ve seen, is the most scandal-free team imaginable in the Premiership, with the only tabloid attention they received last year having to do with the quality of ambulance service at the Madejski (oh Jose, I miss you already). My lasting impression of the Reading players’ social life is based upon a couple Premier League Preview segments where their wives organized hilariously low-budget charity events, like a fashion show held in what appeared to be the banquet room of an Olive Garden. Jumping from that suburban dullness to a sex tape is a bit of a whiplash, but it still pales in comparison to the United Portuguese orgy, or even Sunderland’s videotaped gang-bang from last year.

Still, it’s another stumble for Lita, who hasn’t been producing this year and got straight dropped off the first team last Saturday. Getting on Coppell’s bad side with this kind of trouble, harmless as it may ultimately be, can’t be good for the young Leroy’s future with the club. I’d wager the likelihood of selling him off this coming January just got a little bit higher.

Rest assured, I will do my loyal Reading blogger duty and stay hot on all the latest salacious details of this developing story. Updates as they come. Er…