Frustrations Boil Over For Reading FC Manager Brian McDermott In Tense Interview With BBC Reporter Tim Dellor

Brian McDermott wasn't his usual calm self in the post-match interview on Tuesday night.

Speaking to Tim Dellor after the 2-1 defeat to Middlesbrough, in which the key talking points were the square off between captain Paul McShane and Danny Williams and Vydra's miss near the end, McDermott was terse and more aggressive than you'd expect.

The transcript

Tim Dellor: So Brian a difficult one to stomach, same old story with the miss at the end.

Brian McDermott: I don't understand the question... What do you mean the same old story? Let's talk about the game, it's really important that we talk about the game.

TD: To start with yeah…

BM: No, no, you asked me the question, well let’s talk about the game.

TD: So were you pleased with your team in the second half?

BM: Did you watch the game?

TD: Yes I watched every moment of it Brian.

BM: So what did you think?

TD: The people know what I think…

BM: The fans that travelled here tonight they knew, they’ve given us everything tonight and it shows how authentic this league is, how authentic the players are at Reading Football Club. We’re absolutely sick to lose the game, we've had a chance at the end where if we hit the target we win the game. We're sick for Vyds that hasn’t gone in the net, I’m not here to pillar one person again.

TD:  Let’s talk about the incident with McShane and Williams next…

BM: Let’s talk about the game?

TD: Well this is part of the game..

BM: No let’s talk about what happened in the game.

TD: So we thought Reading were the better of the two teams in the second-half, Middlesbrough got a bit edgy…

BM: Are you going to ask me questions about the game or…?

TD: Yes I’m trying to do that Brian… So were you pleased with the second-half performance?

BM: Absolutely, I was pleased with them after the first ten minutes, pleased with them in the second.

TD: So were you surprised to see Williams and McShane square up?

BM: These guys want to win.

TD: I thought you might say that… I mean that did show. I mean it was surprising to see that much aggression…

BM: I didn’t see it but I do know these guys want to win. I’ve seen players who’ve won leagues in the dressing room (that have clashed) that you would never know about but we don’t want to talk about that, we’re gutted in the dressing room.

TD: So you wouldn’t question behaviour like that on the pitch?

BM: I didn’t see what happened, I don't know what you're talking about on the pitch!

TD:  Just in front of you, the two going head to head...

BM: They want to win.

TD: You asked me why I asked you six questions on Vydra the other week, to quote Mick 'we all know he's mentally shot', do you think he's mentally shot?

BM: No I don't, I think he's missed a chance he wishes he'd scored.

The frustrations are boiling over

Brian McDermott isn't the first Reading manager to be riled by Tim Dellor. Brendan Rodgers gave a similar interview following defeat against Scunthorpe in 2010 and was promptly sacked days later.

You get the feeling things are a little different this time round. Frustrations surrounding the club have been building since the stunning defeat against Fulham back in October and the manner of the last-gasp defeat to high-flying Middlesbrough was tough to take for everyone involved.

Another talking point from the game came in commentary, where Dellor continued his feud with on-loan striker Matej Vydra after he missed a chance towards the end of the game saying, "If Vydra was a dog he would be put down."

Neither McDermott nor Dellor covered themselves in glory last night. The end of the season cannot come quick enough.

Listen to the interview on the BBC website.