Reading FC 0-2 Birmingham City: Player Ratings

Vito Mannone: 6

Could do little about either of the goals and was visibly frustrated by the defensive of in-capabilities of those in front of him. Made a good one on one save from Sam Gallagher in the first half.

Chris Gunter: 6

Got forward willingly, especially in the first half when he forced David Stockdale into a good save with a rare effort that looked to be heading in the top corner. Was left wanting on the defensive side of things though.

Paul McShane: 4

A really poor display from McShane, who just hasn’t been himself this season. Nervous and clumsy at the back, he gave away the free-kick that led to the first goal and was one of the key culprits in failing to defend it. Seemed to become frustrated with himself, his teammates and the referee meaning he did not lead by example as captain.

Liam Moore: 5

One thing you can’t fault Moore for is his desire and passion, shown once again at the full-time whistle with his visible despair and frustration. Has been a little off colour lately though, and that continued tonight.

Leandro Bacuna: 5

Bacuna is much like Danny Williams at times with his brightly dyed hair and surging runs from deep. It was promising to see plenty of the latter, but there was little end product from the former Aston Villa man.

Joey van den Berg: 5

Not Joey’s worst game by any means, but sitting in front of the back four he did little to inspire any confidence before being hauled off at half-time.

John Swift: 6

Probably Reading’s most creative player on the night, as he looked eager to move forward and create opportunities with a few neat passes. Again though, little came of this promise.

Pelle Clement: 5

Slated by many before a ball had been kicked, Clement did nothing to suggest that he should be in the team every week, but equally he didn’t stink the place out to the extent that he should never be seen again.

Sone Aluko: 5

Was a little more involved than in recent weeks, with a couple of tricky runs proving that his pace could be a real asset to this team if used effectively and consistently. Unfortunately it wasn’t, meaning Aluko still disappeared a bit too often.

Modou Barrow: 6

A better version of Aluko despite the fact we paid a lot less money for him. Broke through a couple of times, but saw his best attempt early on in the first half thwarted by Stockdale.

Yann Kermorgant: 4

After Yann got his first goal of the season with a header against Barnsley, it would have made sense to try and pick him out in the centre more often, but this wasn’t the case. Unfortunately this left the ageing frontman fairly isolated, too common an occurrence this season, and unable to make much of an impact.

Substitutes

Tyler Blackett: 4

Showed a few early signs of promise after coming on at the break, but soon began to struggle and keep up with the game as he lost Sam Gallagher for Birmingham’s second.

Garath McCleary: 4

Came on in the 67th minute, and I genuinely can’t remember him touching the ball.

Liam Kelly: 5

Showed desire and hard-working by chasing the ball and carrying it forward, but with the team already 2-0 down upon his arrival on the pitch, there was little he could really do.

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