The Tilehurst End - Reading FC 1-1 Cardiff City: Full CoverageReading FC blog run by fans, for fans.https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52568/tte_fav.png2016-03-20T19:00:02+00:00http://thetilehurstend.sbnation.com/rss/stream/110333192016-03-20T19:00:02+00:002016-03-20T19:00:02+00:00FR: Doing a job, Sloppy Refs & Abject Finishing
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<figcaption>Ben Hoskins/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Is 'doing a job' enough? Were Reading robbed? What do we have to do to score regularly from open play & what's Kermorgant's role? Wimb analyses the talking points from Saturday's draw with Cardiff.</p> <p>Reading picked up another point this weekend by drawing with Cardiff at Madejski Stadium but what can we take away from the performance? Wimb takes a look in our latest Further Reading.</p>
<h4>'He did his job'</h4>
<p>You know what's fairly easy folks? Turning up to work and doing enough to not get yourself sacked. Face it, we've ALL been there, you've had a tough week, maybe something's gone on in your private life and you just want to keep your head down, do your work and get home. You have one of those days where you've not let people down but you've hardly made a positive impact on your business doing well.</p>
<p>Reading's footballers have now got that down to an art and it's got to stop.</p>
<p>This isn't a phenomenon that's limited to yesterday's game, quite frankly it's been going on ever since relegation was confirmed from the Premier League three years ago. Don't get me wrong, having an average game isn't always a bad thing but when too many players have them, it usually doesn't end well.</p>
<p>For me the biggest example of this yesterday was <span>Michael Hector</span>. <a href="http://thetilehurstend.sbnation.com/2016/3/20/11269628/reading-fc-1-1-cardiff-city-player-ratings">Bucks gave him a 7/10 in our player ratings</a> because he was; <i>'Calm, composed and effective in his defensive role'.</i>.. Now that's all well and good but Saturday's bang average opposition gave Hector the chance to go one step further, to put in some crunching tackles, made some drives forward and be that extra body further up the field that might just open up an opportunity. Sadly he just didn't seem interested enough to do it, instead happily sitting in front of the defence and waiting for someone else to inspire.</p>
<p>I don't mean to pick on Hector here because he has put in some spirited performances this season and admittedly didn't let anyone down but on Saturday his performance was symptomatic of an apathy that's blighted the squad for too long and needs to stop.</p>
<h4>Sloppy refereeing ruins the fun (again....)</h4>
<p>McDermott hardly held back in his post-match comments, calling Darren Drysdale's decision not to penalise Ameobi in the build-up to the equaliser a 'joke'. Again, any referee can blow a decision or two, they're only human and have a tricky job but once again we're left fuming over a refereeing call rather than being able to fairly deconstruct a Reading result.</p>
<p>Should Reading have won anyway? Probably but that's not the point.</p>
<p>All we ask for is consistent refereeing and week-to-week we're seeing so many different interpretations of fouls from a rotating cast of referees that must drive players and managers mad. Perhaps the time has come for the Football League to invest in professional officials in the Championship because the stakes are only getting higher.</p>
<h4>Wide of the mark</h4>
<p>Admittedly we'd hardly be talking about Mr Drysdale had Ola John buried a clean one-on-one chance right at the end of the first-half. For all of Ola's finer points his finishing has been below par and has likely cost Reading three results in the past eight days. The winger fluffed our two best openings against Palace, somehow missed a golden opportunity against Brighton in mid-week and on Saturday over-complicated a one-on-one against Cardiff's number two keeper Simon Moore.</p>
<p>As much as we've complained about a lack of chances in the last couple of seasons, our finishing across the board just hasn't been good enough. Whether it's a vicious cycle of too few chances = lack of practice = missing chances, is up for debate but there's few excuses for players as good as John, Danny Williams, Yann Kermorgant and Matej Vydra to be constantly failing to hit the target.</p>
<p>To sum things up, guess who's at the very bottom of the Championship for shot accuracy this season?</p>
<table border="0">
<caption><b>Championship: Shooting Accuracy 2015/16</b></caption>
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<td>TEAM</td>
<td>TOTAL SHOTS</td>
<td>SHOT ACCURACY %</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>20. Preston</td>
<td>432</td>
<td>41%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>21. MK Dons</td>
<td>392</td>
<td>41%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>22. Bolton</td>
<td>476</td>
<td>40%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>23. Leeds</td>
<td>423</td>
<td>39%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><b>24. Reading</b></td>
<td><b>558</b></td>
<td><b>39%</b></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>Reading have had the second most shots in the division this season, with a total of 558 only bettered by automatic promotion contending Hull who've had 561. Yet we've hit nearly two thirds of them off target and have a worse ratio than soon to be relegated Bolton.</p>
<p><i>'But Wimb!' </i>I hear you cry <i>'If you have more shots of course more will go off target' </i>Well dear Tilehurst Ender of course you'd be right but the extra problem is where these chances are coming from. Reading's problem is that a whopping 307 (55%) have come from outside the area, the biggest ratio in the division.</p>
<h4>Brian has a plan (I hope)</h4>
<p>Personally, my biggest frustration right now is with those fans who are making a judgement call on Brian within four months. Nobody is pretending he's had a fabulous start but given that five men have now sat in the dug out since McDermott was sacked in 2013 and none have been able to conjure up a sustained turn around suggest that there are issues far beyond the manager right now.</p>
<p>What's pleasing is that given his public comments, Brian very clearly knows whats going wrong and you have to believe he's doing his best to turn it around with the limited scope for change he's had to date. As soon as safety is secured I believe you'll be seeing the plans go into place for next season, even if it's not the radical infusion of new blood that some have called for. Building a squad takes time and the starting point is finding a group of players that want to buy into the project you're setting up. With a massive turnover of players this summer, McDermott will have the chance to put down some strong foundations and turn this drifting ship around. He's shown time and time again that given time he can mould a successful team here at Reading and I just hope fans and the owners give him the time to do it.</p>
<p><i>Anyway that's how I've seen things but let me know how you saw it in the comments below.</i></p>
<p><i>All stats come from Squawka. </i></p>
https://thetilehurstend.sbnation.com/2015-16-analysis-opinion/2016/3/20/11271576/reading-fc-cardiff-city-fc-championship-analysis-michael-hector-ola-johnWimb2016-03-20T13:04:24+00:002016-03-20T13:04:24+00:00McDermott: "We Should Have Won."
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<figcaption>Ben Hoskins/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Brian McDermott was frustrated to see Reading only take a point when they'd led through Garath McCleary's first half strike. Here's what the gaffer had to say on the game. </p> <p>Another Saturday, and another weekend where we're frustrated that we didn't pick up all three points. This week, it was in-form Cardiff at the Madejski Stadium. <span>Garath McCleary</span> came on as a first half substitute for the injured <span>Hal Robson-Kanu</span> and scored a brilliant goal to put us 1-0 up. Cardiff equalised in the second half from Lex Immers, but Brian McDermott was not happy with the build up to the goal and other key decisions that were made during the game.</p>
<p>He told the <a href="http://www.readingfc.co.uk" target="_blank">official club website</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>"We should have won. If the referee sees Ameobi handle the ball before they score, deflect it into his path, we would have won that game 1-0. And it's a definite handball, it's in the middle of the pitch, the referee is close to it and we all saw it on the line.</p>
<p>"We've got a point against Cardiff, a team who are trying to get into the play-offs - but I think they'll be pleased with a point this afternoon.</p>
<p>"We had chances to score a second, there were a couple of penalty appeals for handball in their box and right at the end Paul McShane was pushed inside the area - so it's gutting to get a draw when we should have won the game.</p>
<p>"I don't want to bleat on about referees, but it's a nailed on handball. In my opinion, the referee has got a massive decision wrong and I'm gutted he's missed it. The margins are very small and you need the officials to get the big decisions right.</p>
<p>"It was never a penalty the other night against Crystal Palace in the FA Cup and, if it was, then we should have had about three today. But it'll turn and we'll get a break soon."</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Garath McCleary made his return and scored a brilliant goal and it was nice to see him back to near his best. Speaking about the Jamaican, McDermott said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>"Garath's was a terrific finish, he came off the bench and it was a great volley into the top corner. We could have had a couple more but we weren't quite ruthless enough</p>
<p>"And even right at the end, Simon Cox had a chance - it was a stretch and it would have been a great finish, but he just couldn't keep it down. He did well to get into the position and I thought he looked bright when he came on.</p>
<p>"They, on the other hand, didn't create too much and we deserved to get the win. We'll dust ourselves down and go again after the international break against Bolton.</p>
<p>"Today's was a game we should win 1-0. So I'm bitterly disappointed. But we'll get over it quickly, because we've got nine games to go, so let's see how many points we can get. We just want to win the next game and there are 27 points to play for this season."</p>
</blockquote>
https://thetilehurstend.sbnation.com/2016/3/20/11271322/brian-mcdermott-cardiff-city-reading-fcsophierfc102016-03-20T10:54:35+00:002016-03-20T10:54:35+00:00Cardiff Player Ratings: McShane A Rock, Quinn Poor
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<figcaption>Ben Hoskins/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Reading picked up another point at home in the league yesterday at home to Cardiff. Here's how Bucks rated the players. </p> <h4>Ali Al-Habsi: 6</h4>
<p>A quiet game for the ex-Wigan man, who can't really be held responsible for the goal. Seemed to get a touch on Noone's header from point blank range in the first half - but that was his only major contribution.</p>
<h4>
<span>Chris Gunter</span>: 7</h4>
<p>Looked solid at the back, and got forward better than usual, particularly in the second half. Linked up well with best bud McCleary.</p>
<h4>Paul McShane: 7</h4>
<p>Strong, composed and decisive. First to pretty much every ball that came his way, and had</p>
<h4>Jake Cooper: 6</h4>
<p>A better display than we've seen recently, although he does still have his shaky moments. Gave the ball away a few times (once almost setting up a Cardiff break) and bundled Pilkington over in the second half quite similarly to the <a href="https://cottagersconfidential.sbnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Fulham</a> penalty a few weeks ago. Certainly signs of improvement, but Cooper needs a <i>really good </i>game to boost his confidence.</p>
<h4>Andrew Taylor: 5</h4>
<p>Unsurprisingly rusty after having been out of first team contention for so long. Wasn't dangerously bad at the back, but, like Cooper, surrendered possession a bit too easily on a few occasions. Limited impact getting forward.</p>
<h4>Danny Williams: 5</h4>
<p>Didn't boss the game with his physical presence as much as we need him to, and had little impact going forward.</p>
<p> </p>
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<a href="http://thetilehurstend.sbnation.com/2016/3/19/11269348/reading-fc-1-1-cardiff-city-match-report">
<h2>Reading 1-1 Cardiff: Match Report</h2>
<img src="https://cdn2.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/AM8NOGHjdZOU_xZaN0RVEne5usc=/88x0:1088x667/709x473/cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/49122135/Reading_Cardiff.0.0.jpg"> </a> <span>Reading battled hard but ultimately came up short. Here's Bucks' take on the match.</span>
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<h4>
<span>Michael Hector</span>: 7</h4>
<p>Calm, composed and effective in his defensive role. Hector protected the defence with some well-timed challenges, and kept his delivery simple to make sure Reading retained possession.</p>
<h4>Stephen Quinn: 5</h4>
<p>Worked very hard, but showed little quality on the ball - pretty typical for Reading's overall display.</p>
<h4>
<span>Hal Robson-Kanu</span>: N/A</h4>
<p>Not enough time on the pitch to have an impact before being withdrawn through injury.</p>
<h4>Yann Kermorgant: 6</h4>
<p>Battled tirelessly throughout the game in a lone striking role, giving Reading an outlet with his strength to win aerial balls. He'll be frustrated by the lack of chances being created for him - which can't really be put down as his fault. That said, he went close in the first half when put through on goal, seeing Moore close down his poked shot.</p>
<h4>Ola John: 6</h4>
<p>Looked the most dangerous of Reading's attacking players against Cardiff, and had the best opportunities. However, he couldn't create enough clear-cut chances, and wasted a glorious one-on-one just before half time. Tired significantly towards the end of the game. Perhaps worthy of a 7/10, but he needed to sharpen his end product.</p>
<h3><u>Substitutes</u></h3>
<h4>
<span>Garath McCleary</span>: 7</h4>
<p>Came on for Hal Robson-Kanu in the first half and gave one of his best displays in a while. Looked sharp in his favoured position, and managed to swing a few decent crosses in before getting on the end of one himself for the goal. Showed great technique for that strike - controlling on the chest before lashing home. Linked up well with Gunter throughout.</p>
<h4>Matej Vydra: 6</h4>
<p>Like Kermorgant (who he replaced), Vydra worked hard up top but - without much service - had little impact in the final third. Went very close shortly after being introduced when his left footed shot was parried away by Moore.</p>
<h4>Simon Cox: 5</h4>
<p>Brought on to partner Vydra up front. Ran around a lot, didn't do much else. Presented with a difficult chance at the far post at the end of the game - volleying over from John's cross.</p>
<p><b><i>Who was YOUR man of the match? Vote in our poll at the bottom of the page, and leave your thoughts in the comments section.</i></b></p>
<h4><u>Season's Ratings (click for a larger version):</u></h4>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://i.imgur.com/vLtUH5m.png"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/vLtUH5m.png"></a></p>
https://thetilehurstend.sbnation.com/2016/3/20/11269628/reading-fc-1-1-cardiff-city-player-ratingsBucksRoyal2016-03-19T18:07:21+00:002016-03-19T18:07:21+00:00Cardiff Match Report: All Square At The Mad Stad
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<figcaption>Simeon Pickup</figcaption>
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<p>Reading battled hard but ultimately came up short in this afternoon's draw. Here's Bucks' take on the match. </p> <p>A decent enough day at the office for Reading, who earned a point against Playoff-chasing <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/football-league-championship/teams/cardiff-city">Cardiff City</a> at the Mad Stad today. The Royals lined up in the now familiar 4-1-4-1/4-3-3 formation that Brian McDermott has often picked in recent weeks. Ali Al-Habsi had the usual back four in front of him, although Andrew Taylor replaced <span>Jordan Obita</span> at left back. Danny Williams, <span>Michael Hector</span> and Stephen Quinn were the midfield three, with Yann Kermorgant again supported by <span>Hal Robson-Kanu</span> and Ola John on the wings.</p>
<h3>The first half</h3>
<p>Reading had the first chance of the game through Ola John - the Dutchman unleashing a powerful, but not overly troubling, effort at goal. Not long later, Yann Kermorgant was set through on goal in the middle channel by Ola John's pass, but Kermorgant's poked shot was kept out by onrushing Moore.</p>
<p>At the other end of the pitch, Cardiff's Tom Lawrence had a penalty shout waved away, before the Bluebirds squandered their best chance of the half. Craig Noone met a cross from the left with a header six yards out, directing it into the ground. However, Al-Habsi managed to tip the bouncing ball over the bar.</p>
<p>Arguably the most important moment of the first half came in the 22nd minute, when <span>Garath McCleary</span> came on to replace the injured Hal Robson-Kanu. The substitute looked lively from then on in, showing a good deal of the form we've missed in recent times. On the other wing, Ola John was twice denied by Cardiff blocks in the way of his shots on goal.</p>
<p>It was that man who helped provide Reading with an opener - John's cross from the left wing was headed on by Kermorgant, who found McCleary. The Jamaican chest controlled six yards out, before lashing home. John had another chance later in the half, dragging a shot wide after being set through on goal.</p>
<h3>The second half</h3>
<p>Reading kept some forward momentum in the second half, seeing shots from John and Taylor going wide. Matej Vydra replaced Kermorgant shortly after the hour mark, and almost doubled the hosts' lead - finding space in the box to shot with his left foot, but the ball was tipped over by Moore.</p>
<p>Cardiff drew level after a change of their own - the newly-introduced Sammy Ameobi drove at Reading's box - seeming to use a hand in the build-up. His shot cannoned back off the post, with Lex Immers tucking home the rebound. the Royal were unlucky not to see the goal ruled out for the initial handball, but should have reacted quicker to the danger.</p>
<p>From then on in, Reading failed to build up enough forward momentum. Simon Cox was introduced for Stephen Quinn to do the legwork for Vydra up top, but he couldn't influence the game enough. However, he did squander a difficult chance in the dying moments - John's cross to the far post blasted over by Cox.</p>
<h3>Closing thoughts</h3>
<p>In short, Reading worked hard but were lacking in quality. The back four had a solid afternoon (bar the goal), with the midfield trio battling hard. Similarly, Yann Kermorgant cut a lonely figure up top, often having to drop deep to get involved in the match. Reading looked most dangerous through their wide players, John and McCleary - the former having the best chances of the game, with the latter putting an excellent goal onto his record.</p>
<p>Although the balance of the midfield seems to work a bit better with Danny Williams replacing Oliver Norwood, I'm not sure if this system works well enough at home. Kermorgant's role seemed to be more of a support for the wingers, rather than the other way around. There's not enough movement on the shoulder of the last man - a Kermorgant/Vydra partnership could be the best option for doing that. Also, the left wing seems a bit muddled. Ola John often drifted infield to support Kermorgant, but that left a big gap on the left that Stephen Quinn didn't fill. Perhaps a return to a straightforward 4-4-2, with two orthodox wingers, is what's required in this kind of game?</p>
https://thetilehurstend.sbnation.com/2016/3/19/11269348/reading-fc-1-1-cardiff-city-match-reportBucksRoyal2016-03-19T17:12:24+00:002016-03-19T17:12:24+00:00Reading 1-1 Cardiff: Instant Reaction
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<figcaption>Ben Hoskins/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Bluebirds hit back to snatch a point at the Madejski Stadium to maintain their Championship promotion dreams.</p> <p><span>FA Cup quarter-finalists Reading were unable push away from the relegation zone as Championship rivals Cardiff claimed a draw, which did little to help their own efforts to reach the play-offs.</span></p>
<p>Sub Garath McCleary<span> handed the Royals the lead before half time, when he chested the ball down and fired through a crowd.</span></p>
<p><span>But they allowed Cardiff to snatch a point when Lex Immers headed home after good work by Sammy Ameobi.</span></p>
<p><span>Eighth-bottom Reading are eight points clear of the bottom three with nine games left, including a game in hand away to Middlesbrough.</span></p>
<p><b>Keep an eye out for our full report and player ratings from our match reporter.</b></p>
https://thetilehurstend.sbnation.com/2016/3/19/11269244/reading-fc-1-1-cardiff-city-instant-reaction-championship-2015-2016WilliamOwain2016-03-18T20:19:28+00:002016-03-18T20:19:28+00:00Ref-Watch: Cardiff City (H)
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<figcaption>Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Not many referees combine officiating in the Football League and fighting for our country in the RAF, but DARREN DRYSDALE does just that. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Reading have a lot to thank Darren Drysdale for. Back on 30th April 2006 at the Madjeski Stadium, with just six minutes left of an already historic season for Steve Coppell’s side, Mr Drysdale gave a penalty to the hosts, with the score at 1-1 against QPR. The rest is history as skipper Graeme M-U-R-T-Y stepped up to score only his second ever goal for the club, ensuring every outfield player that season had hit the back of the net and giving us the record points total of 106 for the Championship. Rather fitting perhaps, that the anniversary of that promotion is next week.</p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The other two previous Royals games he has been the man in the middle for have also been wins. The 2-0 victory over <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://throughitalltogether.sbnation.com/">Leeds United</a> in 2013 when he sent off the Whites’ Zac Thompson, and our 1-0 win over Colchester United after extra time earlier this campaign in the League Cup. This ref sounds great! But it gets better, as the 45 year old is also an RAF sergeant fighting for our country. Hero. You could call him a RAFaree. *bad pun alert*</p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It’s been quite a career for Drysdale, who was also the assistant referee in the 2000 FA Cup Final. He’s been a Football League whistle blower since 2004, and so far this season, the Lincolnshire official has been the man in the middle in a total of 28 games. He has shown 66 yellow cards, two red cards and awarded three penalties.</p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>The assistant referees at the Madjeski stadium will be Mark Russell and Darren Blunden, whilst the fourth official will be David Rock.</i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p>
https://thetilehurstend.sbnation.com/2016/3/18/11261996/ref-watch-cardiff-city-reading-fc-madjeski-stadium-darren-drysdale-sky-bet-championshipOlly_Allen2016-03-18T12:51:02+00:002016-03-18T12:51:02+00:00VFTTE: Cardiff Fan On Tan, Play-Offs, HRK & More
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<figcaption>Harry Trump/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>As Cardiff roll into town tomorrow what can we expect from Russell Slade's side? One Bluebirds fan gives us his views on their play-off chances, key men and more.</p> <p><i> In this week's View From The Town End, we pick the Brains of Cardiff fan Daniel Lewis to see what he's expecting in tomorrow's game between Reading and Cardiff at Madejski Stadium.</i></p>
<h4>How would you sum up Cardiff's season so far?</h4>
<p>It has been a very strange season in many ways, containing lots of ups and downs. Around the time we last met in November, the campaign looked to be heading in an identical position to the last one - mediocre in the extreme. I'm not sure how exactly it happened, but finally things have started to click under Russell Slade over the past few months and supporters are now - at last - singing from the same hymn sheet. It has certainly been far more enjoyable compared to last season, and the manager deserves huge praise for that.</p>
<h4>You've slowly crept up into play-off contention, is this a team capable of winning them?</h4>
<p>Cardiff are certainly no strangers to a play-off battle, having been involved heavily in the years leading up to our eventual promotion in 2013. This season in very similar to Malky Mackay's first at the club, though, in a sense that fans are not all that confident we can go all the way. Reaching the top six alone would be some achievement, in my opinion, but whether we could then pick up a few more positive results at the end is a different matter entirely. City certainly have momentum on their side at the moment, which is so often the key factor, but winning back-to-back games has been extremely tough this season.</p>
<h4>How's the ownership situation these days? We don't seem to hear as much about Vincent Tan....</h4>
<p>Mr. Tan being kept out of the spotlight is usually a good thing for all involved, in truth. The past 12 months have seen the club take a huge step in repairing what was a damaged relationship with supporters. The truth is many thousands of fans no longer attend games, but there is certainly a sense of the old Cardiff returning of late. It all started with the return to blue last year, of course, followed by Tan's recent announcement that he intends to turn his debt into equity as well as finally writing off a long-term loan hanging over the club's head. Many will never forgive him, though he does deserve just a little praise for learning his lesson and seemingly wanting to put things right in the long term.</p>
<h4>Who should Reading fans be wary of on Saturday?</h4>
<p>Cardiff may have been hit with an embargo in January, yet the irony is the best <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/transfer-rumors" class="sbn-auto-link">transfer window</a> of Slade's tenure to date came earlier this year when being forced to bring in a few loan faces. Tony Watt looked a real gem when coming in from <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/football-league-championship/teams/charlton-athletic" class="sbn-auto-link">Charlton Athletic</a>, but he has since departed - as a result of the embargo - to be replaced by Tom Lawrence and Lex Immers. Lawrence has done well so far, although he was unfairly dropped last time out, while Immers already looks like a cult hero in the making thanks to his tireless running. He was a regular for Feyenoord up until recently, too, so he can more than cut it at this level - as proved in his eight appearances to date. That said, one thing has remained constant over the past few years - David Marshall remains the finest goalkeeper in the division and is the Bluebirds' star asset.</p>
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<h4>Anyone from Reading you're not looking forward to facing?</h4>
<p>I remember picking out <span>Nick Blackman</span> four months ago for the return fixture, at a time when Reading looked real candidates to challenge not only for a top-six berth but also automatic promotion, but he has obviously since moved on. I watched the Palace cup tie last week and a couple of players looked impressive; the Welsh international heroes in the side particularly standing out for obvious reasons. <span>Hal Robson-Kanu</span> in particular has looked impressive in the handful of games I've seen this season, with a move to Swansea or Southampton rumoured to be in the pipeline. Oliver Norwood is another to keep an eye on simply for his ability to score from seemingly anywhere on the field, albeit less consistently that our man Peter Whittingham!</p>
<h4>Score prediction?</h4>
<p>Goalless draws used to be the default prediction to give, but goals are not so hard to come by these days when Cardiff are involved. Reading look far better at home compared to away but, what is essentially a derby fixture for City supporters due to the close proximity between the sides (in context), I'm going to back a 2-1 away win. That rest in midweek may just be the telling difference.</p>
<p><i>Thanks again to Dan and you can follow him on Twitter @Daniel_Lewis92</i></p>
https://thetilehurstend.sbnation.com/2016/3/18/11260454/vftte-cardiff-city-fan-on-play-offs-hrk-gunter-tanWimb2016-03-18T11:38:17+00:002016-03-18T11:38:17+00:00Pod Extra: Samuel, Palace, Brighton, Norwood
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<p>Will Dom Samuel be returning to Reading, did Brian get it right against Palace and why were the players kept in the dressing room for 45 minutes at Brighton? Wimb & Charles round up all the big news of the week.</p> <p>In your weekly bite sized chunk of Reading FC news, Wimb & Get Reading's Charles Watts give their take on defeats for Reading against Crystal Palace and Brighton, including strong thoughts on THAT penalty from Charles. Dom Samuel's short-term future also comes up for discussion as does the role of midfielder Olly Norwood going forward. All that plus an injury update ahead of the Cardiff game and much, much more.</p>
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https://thetilehurstend.sbnation.com/2016/3/18/11260122/reading-fc-podcast-the-tilehurst-end-podcast-extra-with-get-reading-palace-brightonWimb