|
YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWN!
There is nothing quite like a 0-0 bore draw to get the pulses racing
of a Saturday afternoon. Occasionally you get a game that is fairly
quiet and never springs into life. This one took that to the extreme
with both sides seemingly comatose!
After the outstanding win at Ipswich last week it was no surprise
that Olly stuck with the same starting XI. Rose and Cook had both
recovered from knocks picked up at Portman Road to take their
places. Royce was in goal behind Bignot, Shittu, Rose and Edghill
with Rowlands, Bircham, Santos and Cook in midfield. Gallen and
Furlong were up top. Generoso Rossi was selected on the bench and
there was also a welcome return for Thorpe. Steve Coppell sprang a
surprise by throwing Les Ferdinand in from the start.
The
crowd of almost 17k were licking their lips at the prospect of a
pulsating game. A large following from Reading had made the trip to
see their boys play the club that made the blue and white hoops
famous. Both sides seemed content in the opening stages to fire
balls up to their respective big men and try to feed on the flicks a
second balls. Ferdinand was showing that he still has a prodigious
leap as he beat Shittu to headers on more than one occasion. Big Dan
is not used to getting beaten in the air with such regularity. He
tried an audacious strike from thirty yards but it was well off
target. Paul Brooker almost opened the scoring early in the piece
but his shot was easily saved by Royce.
It
was almost the mid point of the half when Rangers managed to fashion
a half decent chance. A ball into the box from the right was flicked
into the air and fell into the sights of Furlong. He lashed a fierce
left footed volley across the face of goal but it failed to trouble
American keeper Marcus Hahnemann. Moments later Rangers came within
a whisker of fluking a goal.
Rangers were forcing a succession of corners and from one Shittu
released Matthew Rose wide on the right. He attempted to swing the
cross in only for former Palace man Ricky Newman to get in its path.
The ball took a wicked deflection and looped over Hahnemann and
bounced off the top of the bar.
With only half an hour played it was almost as if the game had
petered out. Neither side had any clue about how to break down the
oppositions defence and Reading’s task was made all the more
difficult when Ferdinand limped off. He seemed to have tweaked his
hamstring, probably when he tried his shot in the first minute! He
had a face like thunder when he left the field and Reading threw on
young Dean Morgan in his place.
The
half time break was as welcome for the fans as it was for the
players. Fifteen minutes off from watching the turgid fare that had
been laid before us was the least that we deserved! After the break
things briefly seemed to be picking up. Yet another corner came in
and Rose connected with a header at the far post only to see the
ball cleared to safety before anyone could get a meaningful
connection.
Everybody was starting to get restless now and Rangers survived a
scare when their defence was breached by the unmissable Dave Kitson.
A scrappy attacked was launched down the right and Kitson looked to
have controlled with his hand before rounding Royce and slotting
home. Luckily the lino clocked it and raised his flag. I have never
seen a team commit so many handballs as Reading, they must have been
pulled up five times and the same amount again were missed by
referee Leake.
Olly decided things needed changing and he made a host of attacking
substitutions. Ainsworth, Thorpe and Cureton replaced Edghill,
Bircham and Cook as Rangers tried to up the ante late in the game.
Maybe it would have been a better option to go with a more attacking
team at home from the off as a central pairing of Bircham and Santos
hardly gets the home pulses racing.
Cureton had a great chance to grab the glory and drive a dagger
through the heart of the Reading fans that still adore him. Playing
in a wide left role he was played in by a good ball from the middle
of the park. The ball was bouncing in front of him and it seemed
perfect to try and dip a volley over Hahnemann. Instead Curo tried
to steer the ball into the path of Furlong. Unfortunately, having
instigated the attack Furs found himself some twenty yards away from
the pass.
The
game then just seemed to ebb away to nothing and the referee’s
whistle brought some boos from the crowd, harshly in my opinion. We
are simply not going to win every game and in some respects we were
spoilt last season by going undefeated through an entire home
programme. There will be games against decent teams that do not go
our way. I think we were the better of two very average sides on the
day and a moment of quality from either team would have undoubtedly
won it.
I
would like to see us be a bit more attacking at home, maybe when we
have reached safety then we will be. I think Olly will try and move
for a couple of players before the transfer window shuts at the end
of March and maybe that will pep things up as it all seemed a little
stale.
Many were surprised that Miller wasn’t involved. He didn’t come out
for a warm down but youngster Stefan Bailey did so I wonder whether
he may have had a slight knock as many were touting him to start. I
think we need to get Gino back in at left back as Edghill’s
distribution and attacking instincts do not compare. The middle of
the park needs to be Bircham or Santos rather than both. Other than
that I think it was an off day today as nothing seemed to come off
and that doesn’t happen that often.
simon@qprnet.com |
