The Tilehurst End - Millwall 1-0 Reading FC: Full CoverageReading FC blog run by fans, for fans.https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52568/tte_fav.png2018-12-28T17:38:50+00:00http://thetilehurstend.sbnation.com/rss/stream/179214322018-12-28T17:38:50+00:002018-12-28T17:38:50+00:00Millwall 1-0 Reading: The Alternative View
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<img alt="Millwall v Birmingham City - Sky Bet Championship" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ehWSRB_YYVYlhk6dXunNN2fACyM=/0x0:4934x3289/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62748156/1073921134.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Reading Football Club: The gift that keeps on giving.</p> <p id="E6xkrI">A lot has changed over the last few weeks, somethings haven’t though – Reading FC lose away from home (well Reading FC lose is probably more apt). Relegation rivals are always keen to pick points up from us, and after throwing two points away against Rotherham, Reading FC followed this up by giving three points to Millwall with two red cards, although Blackett’s was maybe a little harsh.</p>
<p id="qMv51d">The Millwall bunch are fairly quiet on social media, but they are in the same boat as us and the over-arching feeling was this: don’t let three points against nine men distract from a shoddy performance. As with all teams down at this end of the table – reinforcements in January are a must.</p>
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<h2 id="o8IQsM"><strong>Social</strong></h2>
<h3 id="LngPzH"><strong>At this stage of the season it’s all that matters</strong></h3>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">It was not pretty, but if a game every optimised the phrase 'the result is all that matters,' that was it - massive result that for <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Millwall?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Millwall</a>.</p>— Jake Sanders (@JakeSanders92) <a href="https://twitter.com/JakeSanders92/status/1077992099713372160?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 26, 2018</a>
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<h3 id="B4GOl9"><strong>Cracks - we got chasms</strong></h3>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Millwall?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Millwall</a> Perfect result for us today. 3 pts gained but struggling against an average side who finished with 9 men means Harris can’t paper over the cracks. I hope our scouts have been keeping busy</p>— Dockers19 (@ScottDockers19) <a href="https://twitter.com/ScottDockers19/status/1077981282703998977?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 26, 2018</a>
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<h3 id="LTvNRJ"><strong>You won, c’mon man</strong></h3>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Never came away from a victory feeling so deflated. Times ticking Harris, that was awful <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Millwall?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Millwall</a></p>— Aaron (@aaron_66) <a href="https://twitter.com/aaron_66/status/1077973665499746304?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 26, 2018</a>
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<h3 id="V3OzLs"><strong>First win since October - Reading FC the gift that keeps on giving</strong></h3>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">FULL TIME: <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Millwall?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Millwall</a> 1-0 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ReadingFC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ReadingFC</a><br><br>The Lions made hard work of it but it's their first win since October 27th after Wallace's early goal. The Royals finish the game with 9 players under new manager Jose Gomes</p>— Lucas Ball (@LucasBall2211) <a href="https://twitter.com/LucasBall2211/status/1077971590753775622?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 26, 2018</a>
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<h3 id="5R8YS1"><strong>This has been an issue for a while</strong></h3>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ReadingFC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ReadingFC</a> causing themselves more problems in trying to play out from the back. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Millwall?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Millwall</a></p>— Lucas Ball (@LucasBall2211) <a href="https://twitter.com/LucasBall2211/status/1077960497599840256?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 26, 2018</a>
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<h3 id="vzWMeE"><strong>Barca really - you need to get out more mate</strong></h3>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">I think we lack confidence absolutely .<br>We also lack quality & leadership .<br>If we don’t change nothing will change .<br>Except the division we r in & that will b div 1 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Millwall?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Millwall</a></p>— Stephen (@Stevecolemill) <a href="https://twitter.com/Stevecolemill/status/1078025650336923649?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 26, 2018</a>
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<h3 id="NRzA21"><strong>Simple things etc</strong></h3>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/millwall?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#millwall</a> Can Honestly say I was very impressed today. <br>The new Screen is Amazing.</p>— Mick Davies (@mickdavies83) <a href="https://twitter.com/mickdavies83/status/1078011793136631808?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 26, 2018</a>
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<h2 id="7SBfk8"><strong>Media</strong></h2>
<p id="BngZ4f">Yeah, never going to attract a lot of media attention this one, but for what there is most of it is either at <a href="https://www.football.london/reading-fc/reading-fc-look-absolute-certainty-15602536">Football.London</a> or London News Shopper. The former, from the Reading FC side, paints a pretty bleak picture with Mick Gooding presenting a damning assessment of the team and our relegation chances.</p>
<p id="G2LJjB">Over at the <a href="https://www.newsshopper.co.uk/sport/17322800.millwalls-neil-harris-on-the-benefits-of-boxing-day-victory/">News Shopper </a>and to be honest the reporting ain’t that much more optimistic, with their report calling it a nervy game and again looking at recruits for January, as well as calling back a few loanees that are setting the world alight at lower divisions.</p>
<p id="YS9qRA">A quick scout around the rest of the outlets, and <a href="https://portugoal.net/portuguese-abroad/1016-english-football-s-latest-portuguese-boss-jose-gomes-reflects-on-frustrating-start-at-reading">PortuGoal</a> carries an analysis on the game and an interview with Gomes. I get the feeling that could be a regular thing!</p>
<p id="JR0j8T">On to <a href="https://www.skysports.com/football/millwall-vs-reading/video/392824">SkySports</a> and there is two minutes eight seconds of coverage on this game, which has been a lot more than in recent weeks! Most of it is around Blackett’s red (which I still think was slightly harsh) and Bacuna’s moment of madness (which he wants a slap for).</p>
<p id="YluHPw">Surprisingly the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/46614462">BBC</a> report is fairly upbeat with the BBC reckoning that Reading FC had more of the play during the game, but struggled to actually create anything – how often have we heard that this season!</p>
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<h2 id="sWH2M2"><strong>Summary</strong></h2>
<p id="au7Bw9">Well if Jose didn’t know the extent of the job that he has at Reading FC – he does now. There have been some interesting comments coming out from Gomes after the game, firstly that Bod was out for tactical reasons, and secondly that he didn’t hide behind the red cards as a reason for the defeat.</p>
<p id="qdni8k">Will he be the saviour of Reading FC? That is to be seen, but you can’t judge the man after one game and one training session. The formation he picked is a throwback to his style of management with two midfield pivots - the question is though, do we have the players to play his system?</p>
<p id="D2qPZb">January will be an interesting month for Reading FC, as I am fully confident of some signings and some decent names. Why, do you ask? Easy - purely as what manager would have signed in December for a team in the situation we are in, that hasn’t been promised money and lots of it?</p>
<p id="mZ4Xo5">There is only one positive this season so far, and that’s the impact the Academy has made on this team. We have seen a number of debuts this season with some excellent performances. The standout here is Rinomhota’s who, if you didn’t know better, you would put money on him being in the team for a few years. He needs to build on this now, and drive forward as he has a potentially excellent career ahead of him. Will this be at Reading? That’s doubtful as, if he carries on like he has been for the rest of the season, he will be in demand.</p>
<p id="Ypqb2Y">On to QPR and another tricky game. Rangers seem to be heading for that wonderful thing of mid-table obscurity, so with a bit of luck we can get something from this game - one thing that’s blindingly obvious – we need to start picking up points and quick.</p>
https://thetilehurstend.sbnation.com/2018/12/28/18158770/millwall-1-0-reading-fc-the-alternative-viewdavemc_exile2018-12-27T15:48:57+00:002018-12-27T15:48:57+00:00Millwall 1-0 Reading: Rome Wasn’t Built In A Day
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<p>A Jed Wallace free-kick saw off nine-man Reading.</p> <p id="RakHQg">It’s easy - and understandable - to read a lot into a manager’s first game in charge. We all want to know how their spell at the club is going to pan out, and the opening match is (at the moment) our only evidence to work with. But it would be wrong - to a large degree, not completely - to do that with Jose Gomes and the 1-0 defeat at Millwall on Boxing Day.</p>
<p id="w2uqOp">As with Jaap Stam’s <em>Dutch Revolution</em>, the focus is not just on the short-term, but also on the long-term. Obviously there is now also the pressing concern of making sure Reading are in the Championship next season, but the principle of getting the Royals to play possession-based attractive football is the same. </p>
<p id="iK5jcQ">That process started immediately on Boxing Day, with a brave/naive (take your pick) team selection and tactical set-up from Gomes. Reading kept the same 4-2-3-1 that Scott Marshall has used in the last two matches, but with a few tweaks. </p>
<p id="iCGd5j">In defence, Liam Moore was brought in for the less experienced Gabriel Osho, while Danny Loader moved from a central attacking area to the right wing, John Swift taking Loader’s previous central role, and Yakou Meite replacing Sam Baldock as the lone frontman. However, unlike in recent weeks, the wide men would not only stay quite narrow - leaving the full-backs to provide width - but also interchange with the striker, giving the Royals a fairly fluid front three.</p>
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<figcaption>How Reading were originally set up</figcaption>
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<h3 id="HrAssc"><strong>First half</strong></h3>
<p id="c5O283">In the early stages of the contest however, it looked like Reading had brought a knife to a gunfight. Millwall dominated the opening stages with an aggressive high press that penned the Royals back. Having won a free-kick just outside the area, Jed Wallace curled a beauty past the helpless Anssi Jaakkola, but it was a moment just later that truly defined the game to come.</p>
<p id="v3r92Y">Blackett, bringing the ball out from the back, overcooked his touch, leaving the ball loose just ahead of him. In a moment reminiscent of the hotheaded, rash Blackett of last season, he lunged in with a dangerous, uncontrolled challenge. Wallace on the other end made the most of the tackle, which may have been met with a yellow by another referee, but a red card it was. </p>
<p id="OLTApe">With Reading moving to a makeshift back-four of Rinomhota-Yiadom-Moore-Richards - Swift and Bacuna ahead of them - Millwall continued to pile on the pressure. Although the hosts caused pressure with their direct aerial football - which impromptu centre half Yiadom did well to repel - it was Reading’s insistence on playing out from the back that really grated. </p>
<aside id="dFL9NG"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Millwall 1-0 Reading: Player Ratings","url":"https://thetilehurstend.sbnation.com/2018/12/26/18156608/millwall-1-0-reading-fc-player-ratings-royals"}]}'></div></aside><p id="KWVBIP">The problem was obvious - whenever Reading had a goal-kick, Jaakkola would always look to play the ball short to a defender or Bacuna, and Millwall knew it. On various occasions the Finn stuck to his manager’s instructions rather than booting it long (as sense dictated), putting his own side under avoidable pressure. </p>
<p id="LFOY4t">Down the other end, Reading would eventually grow into the game. Although they didn’t create any clear-cut chances, they’d done well to ride a rough spell in their third and start controlling the ball, with fewer men on the pitch than Millwall.</p>
<h3 id="MvnVcn"><strong>Second half</strong></h3>
<p id="b20n50">In atypical Reading fashion, they came out much stronger after the break. Gomes stuck to his guns in playing out from the back, and the Royals did well on a number of occasions to break the Millwall press before moving the ball upfield. Particular credit should go to centre-halves Moore and Yiadom, and Leandro Bacuna who was playing as the deepest midfielder on the day.</p>
<p id="0J1qPg">When they could, Reading would use the wide areas, Moore often carrying the ball out before laying it off to Richards on the left. Similarly, John Swift would play passes out from his pretty deep, central position, but if he were to be more effective Reading needed him higher up the pitch. Blackett’s red card prevented the Gomes from doing that though. </p>
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<cite>Simeon Pickup</cite>
<figcaption>A chilly day at The Den</figcaption>
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<p id="kO0rlH">Despite their dominance of the ball in the second half, we couldn’t quite manage to carve Millwall open for a clear-cut opportunity. It was Swift who went closest to finding an equaliser, with his long-range free-kick smashing against the bar - agonisingly the underside of the bar - but not going in. </p>
<p id="KrUVhU">From open play, Danny Loader and Modou Barrow weren’t very effective, but Yakou Meite grew into the match. His mixture of strength and pace allowed him to both compete physically with Millwall’s bulky defenders and then cause them problems with runs in-behind. In the end though, he was withdrawn before he could conjure up a decisive moment, perhaps due to his recent lack of fitness.</p>
<p id="qdwebU">Bacuna has impressed me this season with some noticeably maturer performances, but he threw that out of the window late on. In a show of his petulant side, he stood on a Millwall player in view of the linesman, and a straight red card was warranted. </p>
<h3 id="X2gAzA"><strong>Closing thoughts</strong></h3>
<p id="2FD93u">The reaction I’ve seen on Twitter to the game (between full-time and the start of me writing this match report) is understandably downbeat. At the end of the day, losing to a relegation in whatever manner smacks of the same old rubbish performance and result. There’s no getting away from the fact that a 1-0 defeat to a relegation rival is a bad result - of course it is - but simply dismissing the match as another bad day for Reading misses out some key information, and nuance is important here. </p>
<p id="Qz9pia">Sure, Reading need to do a lot of work on creating chances - we knew that already - and getting used to Gomes’ style of play, but to bounce back from a seriously rough opening 20-25 minutes to dictate a lot of the rest of the game - while down to ten men - deserves credit. The team could quite easily have collapsed in the face of that early pressure, not reacted well and been comfortably beaten. I know that because I’ve seen it too many times before - we all have. </p>
<p id="TjpmIr">My immediate impressions of Gomes’ impact is that the players have responded well to his arrival. Not well enough for an opening win, of course, but they’re taking to his style of play, and the second-half improvement suggests he knows how to do a team talk. The task now is to continue working on that playing style on the training ground, identify who can adapt to it and who can’t. January’s going to be a big month.</p>
https://thetilehurstend.sbnation.com/2018/12/27/18156655/millwall-1-0-reading-fc-rome-wasnt-built-in-a-day-royalsBucksRoyal2018-12-27T14:13:40+00:002018-12-27T14:13:40+00:00Jose Gomes On Difficult Millwall Defeat
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<figcaption>Ben Greenwood</figcaption>
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<p>The manager’s full quotes after nine-man Reading lose 1-0 at The Den.</p> <p id="W0xJih">Jose Gomes took charge of his first Reading game in what was a huge game against Millwall at The New Den. Sadly, the Royals came away pointless and with only nine men on the pitch. Maybe some players were trying too hard to impress our new manager and lost their concentration and discipline, just like we did when Clement started his tenure. </p>
<p id="FGBAKs">Millwall took the lead through Jed Wallace early in the second half but Tyler Blackett let his team down just minutes later as he went sent off. Reading then settled into the game and had chances, but any chance of getting back into the game was taken away when Leandro Bacuna was also sent off.</p>
<p id="ABDKZh">It is far from Gomes’ fault as he barely had time to prepare for the game, but the players must now step up and take responsibility to get us out of the relegation zone. Here is what Gomes had to say, speaking to both the <a href="http://www.readingfc.co.uk">official club website</a> and <a href="https://www.football.london/reading-fc/new-reading-fc-boss-jose-15596913">Football.London</a>. </p>
<h3 id="Ae0f3Y"><strong>Gomes on the game</strong></h3>
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<p id="gDb5IH">“It was a very difficult match. Even if it has been 11 versus 11, it would have been a difficult match. Playing for 85 minutes or so with ten men - and part of those 85 minutes with nine - it was a very difficult mission for my players.</p>
<p id="ZH48OT">“But they fought until the very last second, and until the last second the game was open - so I’m proud of their attitude, what they showed on the pitch,</p>
<p id="waVXS9">“They fought, they played, they tried, they kept the ball and for long periods we controlled the game. We have to control ourselves better though, because these red cards cannot help us in our situation. </p>
<p id="I7trwm">“But we controlled the game with the ball, with a player less, and we created some chances. It means we could have controlled the game easily with eleven players and created more goalscoring situations. So I am confident for the future. </p>
<p id="cvVLoU">“So what do we have...on one hand we didn’t like the result, we didn’t like the red cards. On the other hand, we are proud of our attitude and the blood that my players showed they have inside them - they were brave.</p>
<p id="X7M84Z">”And our fans supported us and helped the players from the very beginning to the last second. So they deserved at least a point, in my opinion.”</p>
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<h3 id="KoNmgL"><strong>Gomes on the red cards</strong></h3>
<blockquote><p id="H55p2N">“I haven’t seen the replays and even if I had, what can I do? It’s done. It’s difficult to be a referee. We have a lot of problems, we don’t need to create problems with the referee. </p></blockquote>
<h3 id="7lpgEi"><strong>Gomes on Bodvarsson missing out</strong></h3>
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<p id="78WDTb">“It’s not an injury. I can only bring 18 players. I am only choosing based on what I have seen - two training sessions.</p>
<p id="qRSoYx">“We’ll see in the future. I said to the players - I will choose by myself so show me what I can do. The players we put on the pitch showed they were ready to get the three points.”</p>
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<h3 id="4SifCx"><strong>Gomes playing out from the back</strong></h3>
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<p id="rGKzVM">“I have not seen the data yet but for a long period of time we controlled the game. And we lost it because we tried to do something because of a front out pass or a dribble.</p>
<p id="8saQ4o">“Otherwise we controlled the ball all the time.”</p>
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<h3 id="di2nMs"><strong>Gomes on the Championship</strong></h3>
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<p id="OtNc1a">“It’s difficult but we will learn everything very quickly. Today was a very good experience to know how to play against a team like Millwall.</p>
<p id="gbZMSo">“The players did a great job so even with a coach of 20 years experience in the Championship I don’t know if they could do better.”</p>
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<h3 id="qfC1Wl"><strong>Gomes on QPR fixture</strong></h3>
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<p id="PUis8q">“We don’t have time to cry. We must put our focus on the next match, see how I can prepare the team for QPR.</p>
<p id="hVSZbI">”I have had only two training sessions with the players, who had to recover from Saturday at the same time. So it is a difficult challenge. But I am very happy with my players, they really showed that we can count on them.</p>
<p id="xjQqky">”At the moment we cannot think in the long-term. Right now, we must think of the short-term goals. And in the short-term, it is about preparing and recovering for the next match which is in just three days. It’s a difficult task, but with this spirit, we will get there.”</p>
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https://thetilehurstend.sbnation.com/2018/12/27/18157385/jose-gomes-on-difficult-millwall-defeat-reading-fcsophierfc102018-12-26T19:15:10+00:002018-12-26T19:15:10+00:00Millwall 1-0 Reading: Player Ratings
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<figcaption>A grey day at The Den | Simeon Pickup</figcaption>
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<p>A Boxing Day defeat for the Royals, but how did they all perform individually?</p> <h3 id="DcqCeT"><strong>Anssi Jaakkola: 4</strong></h3>
<p id="wUbDaA">I’m really torn on Jaakkola. On the one hand, he made a few very good saves to keep the score at 1-0. However, he put Reading under pressure time and again with an insistence on playing short from goal-kicks. That was almost certainly a tactical instruction from Jose Gomes, but you still need your goalkeeper to take the initiative. If the pass isn’t on - or it’s unwise to try it - boot the ball long. </p>
<h3 id="2Hnquv"><strong>Andy Yiadom: 6</strong></h3>
<p id="4NSZBf">He played most of the game at centre-half after Blackett’s red card, and did pretty well there for the most part. Brought the ball out pretty well, and did a decent job aerially against a big Millwall side. </p>
<h3 id="mdzXZX"><strong>Liam Moore: 6</strong></h3>
<p id="Hdp3tC">Composed defensively and got some important blocks in, staying strong against a Millwall side that threw the kitchen sink at Reading a few times. Also brought the ball out well, going on a few of his trademark runs into midfield to push the play upfield. </p>
<h3 id="370ara"><strong>Tyler Blackett: 3</strong></h3>
<p id="hooQUK">Oh Tyler, why did you do that? His stupid lunge, just eight minutes into the match, saw him handed a straight red card and an early bath, putting his own side under pressure for the rest of the game. It was reminiscent of his petulant sending-off at Hillsborough in April, and his lack of composure is, for me, what prevents him from improving as a player. </p>
<h3 id="4NUEma"><strong>Omar Richards: 5</strong></h3>
<p id="Tw0Yo5">Exposed defensively, and got forward pretty well down the left throughout the match but couldn’t create anything. Probably needs a run of games on loan a league or two down. </p>
<h3 id="TyiF5C"><strong>Andy Rinomhota: 5</strong></h3>
<p id="swSR2R">Brought to right-back for most of the game to cover for Yiadom, and slotted in pretty well defensively. Didn’t create much </p>
<h3 id="8UtfpH"><strong>Leandro Bacuna: 5</strong></h3>
<p id="J0SGR2">Pretty good for a lot of the game, particularly in the second half when Reading dominated the match, with a lot of the play going through him; taking the ball under pressure from a defender before moving it up the pitch. </p>
<p id="3PUkSG">But his silly red card - which I didn’t see at the time - put a downer on that. Like with Blackett, it’s an echo of the petulance he showed with a sending off at the end of last season (in this case against Fulham). </p>
<h3 id="d9bVOd"><strong>Danny Loader: 4</strong></h3>
<p id="NHA7ZO">Anonymous. Didn’t offer anything in the final third and needs to work on his defensive side too. Like Richards, he could use a loan spell. </p>
<h3 id="apeEBe"><strong>John Swift: 4</strong></h3>
<p id="AebtuG">Dawdled too often, particularly in the final third, but did go very close with a sweetly struck free-kick that rattled the cross bar. He didn’t do enough to influence the flow of the game, but that can (to an extent) be excused by his being played out of position. You want him high up the pitch, but Blackett’s red card meant he had to come deeper into the midfield. </p>
<h3 id="AKcYm2"><strong>Modou Barrow: 5</strong></h3>
<p id="Ok810R">Typically played more centrally than he usually does, leaving the work out-wide to Omar Richards. Because of that he didn’t get into space enough to be as effective as he can be. </p>
<h3 id="tZFlmI"><strong>Yakou Meite: 5</strong></h3>
<p id="b1T1OH">A tough first half for him, without much service, but he got into the game more after the break. His ability to compete with Millwall’s centre-halves physically get in-behind with his pace caused them a few problems after the break. But he still needs more service and fitness, hence being substituted for Sam Baldock. </p>
<h2 id="bZyak2"><strong>Subs</strong></h2>
<h3 id="nCsbig"><strong>Sam Baldock: 4</strong></h3>
<p id="ABpaId">Anonymous.</p>
<h3 id="zqaNH1"><strong>Garath McCleary: 4</strong></h3>
<p id="LISzE5">Ditto. </p>
<h3 id="tqMhzQ"><strong>Gabriel Osho: N/A</strong></h3>
<p id="q7RAPU">Brought on to re-balance the side, with Yiadom going to right-back and Rinomhota coming into the midfield. Not on the pitch long enough for a grade. </p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="coJKHN">
<p id="MbomWR"><em><strong>Average: 5/10</strong></em></p>
<p id="sqjegx"><em>Who was your man of the match against Millwall? Vote in the poll below, or </em><a href="https://linkto.run/p/1340P7P5"><em>through this link</em></a><em>. </em></p>
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https://thetilehurstend.sbnation.com/2018/12/26/18156608/millwall-1-0-reading-fc-player-ratings-royalsBucksRoyal2018-12-24T10:57:02+00:002018-12-24T10:57:02+00:00Millwall vs Reading: Match Preview
<figure>
<img alt="Millwall v Fulham - Carabao Cup Third Round" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Xye8t9MTWBsk5EN0h2SWVQY1mcw=/0x0:4918x3279/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62733055/1040062144.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Steve Bardens/Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A frosty visit to The Den is in store for the Royals on Boxing Day...</p> <p id="LteRBa">A six pointer at The Den awaits Jose Gomes in his first game in charge of the Royals. Not an easy start by any means, but it’s a chance for the players to impress the new boss in a crucial game. Millwall’s Neil Harris will be feeling the pressure after dropping in to the bottom three, he will need to start winning games to secure his job.</p>
<h2 id="Y9JSYP"><strong>The last five</strong></h2>
<h3 id="BuAHzF"><strong>Millwall: LDDLL</strong></h3>
<p id="H1hLWI">With no wins since October 27, it has been a miserable couple of months for The Lions. Their last clean sheet came on the same day, with their 3-0 win over Ipswich Town. Since then, Millwall have conceded 16 goals in their last eight games, letting in an average of two goals per game. This was not helped by their 4-3 defeat to Norwich City in a thriller in the middle of November. Their narrow defeat to Stoke City on Saturday consigned the London side to their third defeat in five games.</p>
<p id="dVD2oB">Both Tom Bradshaw and Shaun Williams missed the match at the Bet365 stadium through injury. Williams is unlikely to the available for the Lions until at least the new year, but Jiri Skalak could return to feature after missing the past couple of games through illness. Jem Karacan could play against his former side, with the Turkish midfielder playing over half an hour in their loss at Stoke on Saturday.</p>
<h3 id="BO9dt6"><strong>Reading: LDLDL</strong></h3>
<p id="JKvLpb">The Royals, under the caretaker guidance of Scott Marshall, only managed to pick up one point out of a possible nine, a record which has not helped in steering the club away from the relegation zone. Scoring just one goal out of those three games in total has left the team short of confidence in front of goal. </p>
<p id="0W0YP2">It was a surprise they failed to score against Middlesbrough on Saturday, considering Josh Sims, Mo Barrow, Sam Baldock and Danny Loader all started. This was with Andy Rinomhota just behind them.</p>
<p id="HJ53iE">John O’Shea made the bench on Saturday and may feature from the start on Boxing Day if Jose Gomes favours experience over youth on this occasion. Liam Moore and Saeid Ezatolahi will be looking to get back to fitness as soon as possible to play a key part in rescuing the Royals from the jaws of relegation.</p>
<h2 id="6Y36vK"><strong>Previous meetings</strong></h2>
<p id="0ylcEd">20/10/2018: Reading 3-1 Millwall</p>
<p id="SJBkAF">3/2/2018: Reading 0-2 Millwall</p>
<p id="0soWNp">26/9/2017: Millwall 2-1 Reading</p>
<p id="183OJP">22/8/2017: Reading 3-1 Millwall (Carabao Cup)</p>
<p id="vJWyc3">27/1/2015: Millwall 0-0 Reading</p>
<p id="iIuVfG">A vital 3-1 win at the Madejski Stadium just over two months ago pulled the Royals to the dizzy heights of 19<sup>th</sup>! A Yakou Meite brace either side of Sam Baldock’s penalty on the stroke of half time secured the win for Reading that day. </p>
<p id="lTJWti">Other memorable wins for the Royals against Millwall include the victory in August 2017 in the Carabao Cup. Great strikes from Leandro Bacuna in the first half and George Evans in extra-time provided the platform for Reading to go on to win the game, before Sam Smith netted his first senior goal near the end.</p>
<p id="iO77sv">One infamous game against the Lions came in September 2017 when the Royals surrendered a 1-0 lead to lose 2-1 at The Den, with Dave Edwards scoring and having a late penalty appeal turned down.</p>
<h2 id="9kfc84"><strong>Quick-fire stats</strong></h2>
<ul>
<li id="repafk">The Royals started no fewer than <strong>four</strong> academy graduates on Saturday (Omar Richards, Gabriel Osho, Andy Rinomhota and Danny Loader). Will they field a similar number on Boxing Day? </li>
<li id="dLmIgV">Reading have won just one of their last ten league matches.</li>
<li id="DMPNZa">Both sides have an identical results record in the Championship this season (W4, D7, L12).</li>
<li id="TQiR9O">Millwall have the second leakiest defence in the Championship, conceding 39 goals this campaign. Only Sheffield Wednesday have conceded more (40).</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="iKh9Nr"><strong>Prediction</strong></h2>
<p id="W9fy79">This is probably the hardest prediction I have made all season. It could go either way and whilst I don’t want to sit on the fence, I couldn’t possibly pick a winner out of these two. Both teams seem incapable of keeping a clean sheet, and I think there will be goals in this match. Based on this, I have to go for a 1-1 draw in this crucial game, fingers crossed for a win for the Royals.</p>
<p id="pLsq78"><strong>Millwall 1-1 Reading</strong></p>
https://thetilehurstend.sbnation.com/2018/12/24/18153695/millwall-vs-reading-fc-match-preview-royalsajonesrfc2018-12-21T13:00:49+00:002018-12-21T13:00:49+00:00The Tilehurst End Podcast: Christmas Special & End Of Year Awards
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<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/yBzlFX8h1szHP8-2fiDb3mDc9wg=/0x180:1080x900/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62721557/Tilehurst_End_Podcast_Logo_v1.0.jpg" />
</figure>
<p>It’s time to hand out some gongs!</p> <div id="EX6DYn"><iframe src="https://www.podbean.com/media/player/x8ej8-a279c2?from=yiiadmin&download=1&version=1&skin=3&btn-skin=101&auto=0&share=1&fonts=Helvetica&download=1&rtl=0" height="122" width="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player"></iframe></div>
<p id="kMvRDH">Player of the year... Golden Moment... Underachiever... Some awards were easier to hand out than others this year and The Tilehurst End podcast draws 2018 to a close with our usual Christmas festivities down the Hope Tap in Reading.</p>
<p id="fEOpBk">Pubchat in a pub saw Marc Mayo, Olly Allen, Simeon ‘BucksRoyal’ Pickup, Matt ‘PannasAndNutmegs’ Lawrence, and Jack Simpson hand out the end of year awards with eight prestigious (to varying degrees) honours up for grabs.</p>
<p id="qttpOI">The crew also take a look through the past couple of weeks of match action as the Scott Marshall caretaker period appears set to end with Jose Gomes reportedly ready to step into the Mad Stad hotseat any time now.</p>
<p id="iwwacd">As ever, a huge thank you to all who have listened to the podcast this year. We only put in the hours because of those willing to hear what we have to say. And, of course, our Patreon patrons deserve a massive thank you for providing us with some funds to, for example, invest in equipment to bring a higher quality sound for you all.</p>
<p id="MYO59w">The Tilehurst End Podcast can be taken in via <a href="https://thetilehurstend.podbean.com/"><strong>PodBean</strong></a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6aQZnCxP2bn6zlQS5zJOcA"><strong>YouTube </strong></a>or <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com/?id=66960X1516590&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fgb%2Fpodcast%2Ftilehurst-end-reading-fc-podcast%2Fid683251263%3Fmt%3D2" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><strong>iTunes</strong></a>. Furthermore, thanks to all listeners who continue to pledge to our <a href="http://www.patreon.com/thetilehurstend"><strong>Patreon </strong></a>campaign.</p>
<p id="HD1Djf">Listeners can always get in touch with the podcast via our Twitter and Facebook pages as well as our email, thetilehurstend@gmail.com, with thoughts on the show, opinions on the team, and potential topics to sink our teeth into always welcome.</p>
<p id="5Jb59M"><a href="https://thetilehurstend.podbean.com/mf/play/46er7v/Episode_178.mp3"><strong>Download the podcast here</strong></a><strong>.</strong></p>
<div id="yb4NOZ"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.2493%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-0sDd_0YTh8?rel=0" style="border: 0; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media"></iframe></div></div>
<h3 id="AU21fd">Show Order</h3>
<p id="C7cefO">Scott Marshall Caretaker Spell Recap - <strong>02:00</strong></p>
<p id="OSDS2p">End Of Year Awards -<strong> 25:21</strong></p>
<p id="vnCCNi">Xmas Period Preview - <strong>1:15:41</strong></p>
https://thetilehurstend.sbnation.com/2018/12/21/18151385/the-tilehurst-end-podcast-reading-fc-christmas-special-2018-end-of-year-awardsMarc MayoOlly_Allenjacks1996PannasNutmegsBucksRoyal