Newsbites - 1st August 2011
5 days to go until the start of the season...
Reading played their final pre-season match on Saturday, beating Swindon Town 2-1. Brian McDermott said he was happy with the team's ability to come back from losing positions (BBC Berkshire and GetBracknell), whilst Jobi McAnuff reckons the shorter pre-season hasn't affected the Royals too much (BBC Berkshire).
After seeing Shane notch a penalty against his side on Saturday, Paolo di Canio reckons former club West Ham should move in for the striker (GetBracknell). Football365 reports that West Brom are going to move for Long this week.
Coach Chris Cummins has said that the presence of manager Brian McDermott at reserve and youth team matches is a great boost for the players (Reading OS).
Transfer news:
Ben Hamer has joined League One side Charlton Athletic for an undisclosed fee (GetBracknell).
Jake Taylor, who recently joined Aldershot Town on a one-month loan, played 55 minutes in their defeat to Brentford (GetBracknell).
Crawley Town striker Matt Tubbs, who hit 40 goals last season in getting Crawley promotion from the Conference, has played down reports linking him with Reading (TalkSport).