* The Unofficial "Official" Reading V Boro Match-Day Thread *

r00fie1

r00fie1

Well-known member
Its that time again....

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Fresh off a 3-0 destruction of Blackburn Rovers, Reading are not a team ready to roll over. In front of 11,780 at home, Reading put on a display no one would have expected. Paul Ince is rebuilding a team at a club struggling to keep its head above water. Last season they were bumping along the bottom half of the table. Its very early days, but they sit in 8th spot in the table. Having lost to Blackpool on the opening day, a victory over Cardiff followed. Next up was a 4-0 defeat away to Rotherham. A bit inconsistent you might say.

Stoke! We were robbed after going behind 1-0, fighting back, then conceding the equaliser in injury time. In spite of the result, it was the best Boro performance so far this season. They made the potters look like pedestrians in a more one-sided game not seen in a long while. Giles sublime runs and crosses into the box, some brilliant passing moves and using the wings pegged Stoke back in their own half most of the time. The team are coming together - like Chris Wilder has already said - the first win is coming - its "just round the corner". We`ve yet to see anything like our best. The window hasnt closed yet and it looks like Muniz is the next one through the door on Monday. There is still a long way to go.
Keep the faith.

Up The Mighty Boro.✊
 
Match Preview

There is certainly a long way to go this season, yet a rampant 3-0 half-time/full-time victory over pace-setting Blackburn has somewhat silenced Reading’s many critics for the time being.

That was a spectacular bounce back to form after the Royals had fallen behind within ten minutes in three straight league games prior, and it was also their first clean sheet since March.

Fans will be wise to temper their expectations following that victory though, as Reading have not won back-to-back league games since February. Perhaps playing on the counter attack is the recipe for Reading’s success in their survival bid as they’ve lost both games in which they secured over 50% possession, while both victories saw them finish with less than 40%.

Promotion hopefuls Middlesbrough can’t seem to buy a win for love nor money (D3, L1). The Teessiders came from behind to lead at Stoke last time out, yet it was heartbreak at the death as they conceded a stoppage-time equaliser, making it four points dropped from winning positions this season.

For a side who are still furiously searching for a striker, it may surprise a few that Boro have scored a joint league-high seven goals ahead of the round, yet their undoing has often been in defensive lapses, evidenced by their league worst eight conceded goals.

Middlesbrough boss Chris Wilder will hope that this is the day to finally get off the mark, after Boro ran out winners in four of the last five away H2Hs (L1).

Players to watch: Lucas João marked his return from injury with a goal from the bench for Reading last time out, but he hasn’t played any side as often as Boro without scoring a single goal (W1, D2, L8). As for Middlesbrough, Matt Crooks scored and assisted in his last away start and scored both goals in a comeback win against Reading last season.

Hot stat: Wilder has not faced any team more often in his career while winning every single game as he has against Reading (W6).

[https://www.flashscore.co.uk/match/KhB7l5oR/#/match-summary]
 
Championship Table - [Friday 19th August 2022. 18:19 hrs]
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Championship Fixtures
[Norwich v Millwall playing tonight-Friday]
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What The Papers Say

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Reading FC v Middlesbrough: Preview, team news, line-ups​

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Reading look to make it two wins in a week as they welcome Middlesbrough down to Berkshire.
Meanwhile, Boro will be looking for their first win- something which has evaded them for the opening four matches.
Here’s what you need to know about tomorrow's match-up.
Reading Chronicle:

Form
The Royals come into this match as the Championship's best home team, winning their two matches in RG2 against Cardiff City and Blackburn Rovers.
After a heavy 0-4 defeat to Rotherham United last Saturday, Paul Ince's team bounced back to become the first team to take points off of Rovers- beating them convincingly 3-0 on Wednesday.
Teessiders Middlesbrough sit in 20th with three points- picking up three draws.
Yet to win, they have also only lost once- less than Reading.
Boss Wilder took the North-East side to seventh in the Championship and knocked Tottenham out of the FA Cup, but have had a slow start to the 2022/23 campaign.
Reading Chronicle:

Team News
Reading fans had a boost against Rovers as star striker Lucas Joao returned to the squad, and found the back ofthe net, for the first time this season.
Still with the likes of Yakou Meite, Ovie Ejaria and Femi Azeez out- Sam Hutchinson and Scott Dann have both returned to training and are nearing closer to a first team return.
Boro could be without key striker Chuba Akpom after twisting his knee on Saturday.
Scoring a brace against Sheffield United, Wilder is now awaiting scan results for the former Arsenal Academy graduate.

Last Time Out: Middlesbrough 2-1 Reading, January 15 2022
Late heartbreak for Reading, two goals in the final 10 minutes turned ecstacy into agony at the Riverside.
Cult favourite Andy Carroll scored his final Royals goal with 20 minutes to go but a Matt Crooks brace turned the game on its head.
Coming just three days after the 0-7 defeat to Fulham, Reading would lose five more matches on the spin before picming up a point to Peterborough United in February.

*[https://www.readingchronicle.co.uk/...lesbrough-preview-team-news-line-ups/?ref=rss]​
 
Paul Ince after Reading`s victory over Blackburn
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Interviewed on Sky Sports after the game:

Reading's Paul Ince: "Listen, let's not get carried away. Yes, the performance was very good, but you're not going to play like that every week. As a manager, you hope that you do, but it's not always the case. It doesn't work like that.

"I'm just pleased that we bounced back from Rotherham, which was obviously very disappointing. I said to the players before this game: 'Look, we need a response, we need a reaction, we need a performance'. Good performances don't always get you wins but you know that you've gone out there and you've given it your all."


Blackburn's Jon Dahl Tomasson: "It was a disappointing night. We've been excellent so far but, today, it was not a good performance. We didn't play with our normal intensity and we didn't make the right choices on the ball and in the duels. In that way, it was not positive at all. I hate losing, the players hate losing, our fans hate losing. I feel sorry for all the fans, more than a thousand, who took the journey down here.

"They kept supporting us but the performance was not good. We have made a lot of good steps forward this season but today was a step backwards. We now need to stick together and get a good reaction on Saturday (away to Sheffield United). You can learn from winning games and you learn from losing games. We have made some great steps in the past couple of months but today was not great. We need to deal with that and we need to do it better."

Reading 3-0 Blackburn Rovers: Royals enjoy emphatic home win

Championship leaders Blackburn lost their 100 per cent record when they were soundly beaten 3-0 at lowly Reading.
www.skysports.com www.skysports.com
 
Latest

Chuba could be back in contention against Reading.(y)
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Team of Mid Week!

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Happy Muniz on Monday(y)

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Reading

Screenshot 2022-08-19 at 19-02-01 “That win has gone. Now we have to try to replicate the per...jpeg
We go again on Saturday and collectively aim and hope for a repeat of the fireworks in midweek that saw us dismiss the challenge of table-topping Blackburn Rovers.

But, in truth, it won’t be easy.

“What we showed on Wednesday night against a very good Blackburn team is that we’ve got quality,” Paul Ince said. “And if we perform like we did in midweek with the quality we have…and with the quality we have to come back in, then I’ll be happy this season.

“At home, we have to be a front foot team. It takes lots of energy, lots of desire and sacrifice to put in that sort of performance. And on Wednesday night, the players gave us all of that.

“Last weekend, we didn’t perform. The attitude, the intensity – we didn’t get it right at Rotherham. But I asked them to give 110% on Wednesday night and we showed how good a side we can be. I think it was the best performance since I came in as manager.

“They had the hunger to win balls, we were aggressive with our defending, we were ruthless in front of goal. The players were amazing, I couldn’t ask for more from them.

“But that game has gone now. Just like we put the Rotherham game to bed, we have to do the same with the win in the week. Now we have to try and produce the same performance against Middlesbrough this weekend.

“It’s tough to keep that level of performance consistently though, when we are so threadbare in terms of our squad. That level of intensity is difficult to keep up.

“We will try, that’s for sure. But this will be our third game in a week and we haven’t been able to change any of the starters so far where other teams can rotate.

“The Championship is crazy, one minute you’re down, the next you’re up. But one thing I do know. These players will give you everything. And that’s all I can ask.”​

[https://www.readingfc.co.uk/news/20...we-have-to-try-to-replicate-the-performance-/]
 
Beyond Our Wilderest Dreams*
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"Keep going! Keep Believing"

There`s no doubt Boro are doing things right - but "Im old school. I want to match performances with points". Chris believes the first win is "just around the corner", but believes its the little mistakes which are letting us down. Our goals have been brilliant, but its the "small detail"s - yet again. We have to understand the challenges in front of us.
We have to keep believing.

Reading have good players: we respect Reading as much as any other team. We have to be consistent in our preparation and approach. Just look at their victory over Blackburn. The big thing is we want to win games.

A journo commented he thought some fans were getting disgruntled already [4 games in!!] but Chris was pretty blunt and left the journo in no doubt: Two and a half thousand didnt give me that impression on Wednesday night - when they gave us a standing ovation! The supporters on Sunday didnt give us that impression! When we went toe-to-toe with Sheffield United - I didnt get that impression"! "Forty-one games to go!" -we are not at our strongest.".

Chris said he was tired of repeating the same answers when asked about players incoming - "its not as easy as people think it is". By the end of the window - there will be good players coming through the door. "We are not going to bring fillers in". "We are still looking for those players we need". Theres a lot of things which happen during a season. We have to steer clear of injuries and have a squad with depth. He remarked pointedly "you only have to look where we started in November and where we finished".....We continue to improve. "There`s three more [players] to come".

From the age of 14 Chris Wilder has been involved in the game in some form or other. He believes players have to work hard and do the right thing. Its about what you want out of the game. The disappointments remain the same.

So how did he feel when that 91st minute equaliser went in at Stoke.
He remarked sarcastically: " Im not walking into the changing room, put the music on, sticking a bit of after-shave on and doing their hair, saying OK lads whats for T or what food have we got on the coach" - being a Manager means managing that disappointment. The players feel that disappointment.

"Im on one arent I":love:

We need ten games before we "ask the question dont we"? As a fan I`de want to watch the way we played on Wednesday night. All of our goals so far have been well constructed. There are different ways of winning - we adapt our tactics accordingly. I feel for the supporters, because we all want to win. But "we dont need to take a wrecking ball" [to our play].
There`s still work to do with individual players, looking at what they`ve done well and what they`ve not-done-so-well. I`ve got the team behind me to push players on.

So we go again on Saturday.....

Lets do it Boro(y)

* Summary and extracts from his media conference on Friday - R00fie1.
 
Blast from the past - Neil Warnock was our manager when the mighty Boro won at Reading 2-1 July 2020, after going a goal behind & secured our place in the championship, hopefully CW can come away with 3 points tomorrow & kick start our season
 
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Interestingly enough we are strong favourites to win today. Bookies are clearly looking at the performances not the results.

Our first easy win today. 3 or 4 scored, probably concede 1,won't we?
 
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