The Tilehurst End - All Posts

2012/13 Report Cards: Forwards

2013-06-18T10:02:52Z

Standard rules apply as mentioned in the previous article - In terms of grades, the grading system will be be done from A+ to an F, where A+ is a magical one of a kind season and F is the type that makes you want to put the players in stocks and hurl rotten vegetables at them.

Also it's not just about performances but expectations, previous history etc.

For example it would be unfair to give Stuart Taylor a low grade on the basis that he only played 4 games when he was signed as a back-up, nor totally slam Simon Church after he didn't even feature.

Stats used are Premier League ones only.

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Nick Blackman

Games: 11 Goals: 0 Assists: 1

Blackman arrived for a reported seven figure fee from League One Sheffield United in January just days after impressing during the Blades heavy FA Cup defeat at the Madejski Stadium. After a youth career at Blackburn he'd impressed in Scotland and with United so came to Reading with a fair amount of promise to help bolster a failing forward line.

Sadly Blackman never looked comfortable jumping up two divisions and an end return of 1 assist and 0 goals in 11 appearances doesn't make for the best reading. It's far too early to write him off but sadly his impact this year was under-par.

GRADE: D

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Simon Church

Games: 0 Goals: 0

Poor Churchy, in the space of 6 months he went from starting most games to not even being on the bench for Reading. While his lack of games and subsequent release was expected following promotion it still marks a disappointing end to the career of a player who looked so full of promise a few years ago.

GRADE: NA

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Noel Hunt

Games: 24 Goals: 2 Assists: 0

Noel is another who's now left the Madejski but unlike Church I think it's safe to say he maximised his potential after an £800k move from Dundee United five years ago.

Coming into the season Hunt was very much expected to be a bit part player but he gave the Premier League a good go when called on and goals in back-to-back games against Newcastle and Swansea showed that he still had enough in his locker to make an impact. While that impact wasn't quite good enough to keep us up, he was a fantastic influence on and off the field and I'm sad to see him go.

GRADE: C

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Adam Le Fondre

Games: 34 Goals: 12 Assists: 2

If there's one striker to have his reputation enhanced by this season then it's Le Fondre, who broke the Premier League record for number of goals off the bench and also fired five key goals in January that saw him take Player of the Month honours. On top of that he was named Reading's Player of the Season so why after all that do I still have slight reservations on the forward?

Well perhaps it's because in 11 starts, Alfie scored just three goals and only two from open play and generally looked ineffective at times. Of course a striker will be judged first and foremost on goals and if you'd said to me Le Fondre would score 12 at the start of the year I'd have snapped your hand off but there's still a nagging doubt about his long-term top flight potential as a starter.

Still, that shouldn't detract from what was a very good season from a player who 2 years ago started the season in League 2. We all know what Alfie can do and if he stays at Reading I'm sure it'll be at least a ten goal season ahead.

GRADE: A-

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Pavel Pogrebnyak

Games: 29 Goals: 5 Assists: 0

When the signing of Pogrebnyak was announced I'm sure I'm not the only Reading fan that was full of excitement at a capture that had to rank amongst one of the best that the club had ever pulled off. A top international striker who had been banging goals home for Fulham, this was the big move we needed to help secure our survival....

Then we saw him play.

It's not that Pog was bad... it's more that he just couldn't do enough for a team that creatively was pretty appalling for most of the season. Being up front on your own for such a team doesn't excuse a return of five goals in 29 games but you had to feel the Pog's frustration at feeding off scraps all year long.

Sadly the Pog didn't have the guile that's seen the likes of Forster, Doyle and Long excel in the lone frontman role but when he did get chances he was pretty good in front of goal, as seen at Chelsea and at home to West Ham.

With the right service he could be lethal in the Championship but for reportedly our highest paid player ever, he wasn't quite up to scratch in the Premier League

GRADE: C-

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Jason Roberts

Games: 11 Goals: 0 Assists: 1

The Big Bad Wolf did more than anyone else to get us up into the Premier League but his absence through injury was also a significant factor in our plummet straight back down. The big forward managed a brief run around in the Autumn but a chronic hip injury ruled him out of all of 2013, with his playing career still in question.

During that run in the team he was OK but never quite the force that had seen him haul Reading into the Premier League in the first place. Have we seen the last of him? Maybe, but if he does return to fitness then he could be a key weapon in trying to get us back.

GRADE: D

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Dominic Samuel

Games: 1 Goals: 0 Assists: 0

Very much one for the future, Samuel was drafted into the squad a couple of times during an injury hit winter and made his Premier League debut as a late sub during a 3-0 drubbing at Sunderland.

You can't take anything away from that game but some good performances for England's U19 side and for Reading's U21s suggests that Samuel isn't too far away from being a regular presence in the Reading 18

GRADE: NA

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OVERALL

Quite simply a return of just 19 goals in 38 Premier League games isn't good enough for any group of strikers and our failure to find the net more regularly is a key reason we went down. Pogrebnyak and Roberts were supposed to lead the way with their mix of quality and experience but for varying reasons neither fully delivered and five goals in 40 games is a very poor return from two of our highest paid players.

Adam Le Fondre did what he was asked and getting into double digits in goals when you've only started 11 times is a great return. Noel Hunt battled hard but he was never going to be the answer while Blackman was always going to struggle when trying to make such a rapid rise in a struggling team.

With Hunt and Church gone, Roberts injured and Pog and Le Fondre subject to transfer rumours we could be left with no recognised strikers at the club come the start of August. While that's obviously a huge problem I can't say I'd be gutted to lose any from this current crop as bar youngsters like Blackman and Samuel, none have really demonstrated they'd be a lethal force in any subsequent Premier League campaign.

GRADE: D+

International Roundup - June 2013

2013-06-13T13:28:32Z

Pre-season breaks have traditionally been a few months of holidaying in Marbella or Dubai, as fans predict which player will come back with a new dodgy haircut (see Ibrahima Sonko’s ginger dreadlocks circa. 2006) and who has gained an extra few inches of waistline.

However this year is different for the international Reading players, with an extensive fixture list of qualifiers and friendlies across the globe, which precedes a shorter break before the kick-off in early August. In this international report we have youngsters emerging in the junior sides along with those genuinely competing for the chance to play in Brazil next summer.

But where better to start than Alex McCarthy, who got a sneak-preview of Brazil as he sat on the bench for the full England side as they drew 1-1 with Ireland at Wembley before the historic 2-2 draw at the Maracana. Many Reading fans would have been excited by the prospect of Alex being the first Reading academy graduate to turn out for the Three Lions, with his price tag no doubt elevated in the process. Despite the fact he didn’t actually get on the pitch, however, the experience and exposure he gained should benefit him greatly, and the benefits to Reading could come in the form of a large transfer fee, or having a top class keeper performing below his level next year.

(Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

In Latvia, Kaspars Gorkss capped off a staggeringly disappointing season by captaining his country to a 5-0 defeat to Bosnia & Herzegovina. Latvia had to play with 10 men for 80 minutes, and Bosnia have emerged as strong contenders to qualify for 2014 from group C with a pool of talented players from the top European leagues. The result leaves Latvia 5th in a relatively undifficult group, on 4 points after 6 games.

International reports for Reading in recent years must feature some mention of the Republic of Ireland, and Stephen Kelly got limited match time as they beat Georgia and Faroe Islands so again Reading were represented by the boys in green. He must be getting to used left-back, playing there for the majority of a narrow 2-0 defeat to Spain in the States.

(Brad Penner/USA TODAY Sports)

Action from the UEFA under-19 Championship Elite Qualification groups saw 3 young Royals, Pierce Sweeney, Sean Long and Shane Griffin each appearing in 3 draws. Paul Doolin’s men drew 2-2 with Switzerland and Slovakia before a 0-0 game with Serbia in Lithuania. Unfortunately, they were unbeaten but also bottom of their group. Nevertheless, Sweeney captained his country and alongside Griffin played all 3 games in full, with Long playing in 2 matches.

Ireland seems to have been replaced by Jamaica as the country Reading has the most interest in. Adrian Mariappa, Garath McCleary and Jobi Mcanuff were all called up for defeats to Mexico, USA and Honduras. Mariappa is by far the senior figure in a defence made up of North American or lower-tiered European based players, yet he was partly at fault for the first Mexico and USA goals, losing his marker. A disappointing period for Mariappa ended with a late red card in the 2-0 defeat against Honduras. McCleary featured in all 3 games, and indeed was a threat against the US in Kingston, before a late Brad Evans goal gave the visitors a 2-1 win. Mcanuff was originally unavailable before starting against Honduras. This poor run of games has left Theodore Whitmore’s Reggae Boyz winless in the fourth round of World Cup qualifying after 6 games.

The next set of internationals will take place in August as the likes of Hal Robson-Kanu and Chris Gunter should be adding to their tally of caps. Also, players like Adam Federici and the outgoing Alex Pearce will be hoping they return to the international scene in time for the World Cup.

Reading 2013/14: The Future's Bright

2013-06-12T09:22:45Z

Quality Goalkeepers

This is a position that Reading have always been relatively blessed with. Let's have a look at those who have been at the club since our record-breaking 2005/06 season.

Season	Goalkeepers
2005/06	Hahnemann, Stack, Federici
2006/07	Hahnemann, Stack, Federici
2007/08	Hahnemann, Stack, Federici
2008/09	Hahnemann, Federici, Andersen
2009/10	Federici, Hamer, Andersen, McCarthy
2010/11	Federici, Hamer, Andersen, McCarthy
2011/12	Federici, Andersen, McCarthy
2012/13	Federici, Andersen, McCarthy, Taylor

It's clear that this eight-year period has been relatively dominated by two goalkeepers in particular. USA 'keeper Marcus Hahnemann made 282 appearances for the Royals over a seven year period - averaging forty starts a year in all competitions. And Federici, since making his Reading debut in the 2006/07 Premier League season, has amassed 163 appearances in the Royals net. Of course, this season, we've seen a third contender to the throne in Alex McCarthy, whose appearances even netted him an England call-up.

Michael Regan/Getty Images

But it's the strength in depth which is perhaps more striking. Graham Stack made 26 appearances for Millwall in the Championship before joining the Royals mid-season in 2006. He went on to appear regularly in the Championship before heading to Hibernian in the SPL and, again, becoming a regular. Adam Federici displaced Hahnemann in the 2008/09 season before becoming the #1 the next season.

And in Ben Hamer, Mikkel Andersen and Alex McCarthy, the Royals have brought through their Academy three 'keepers who are at least Championship standard. Hamer made 41 appearances for Charlton Athletic en route to their 9th placed finish in the second tier. McCarthy replaced Federici in Reading's Premier League campaign and looks set to be #1 next season. And Andersen has just left for Randers, the Danish side which finished third in the Superliga last season and will attempt to qualify for the Europa League.

Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

So what happens in 2013/14? Stuart Taylor is staying for another year and he has proven himself to be a solid back-up, though in the twilight of his career he will surely want to impress if he gets playing time. Andersen, as noted, has left on loan which leaves two other "first teamers" - McCarthy and Federici. It seems unlikely that either would be content with sitting on the bench, nor sharing playing time. So perhaps one will leave. Whichever one does (and even if neither are sold), the Royals will perhaps be in the best goalkeeping shape in nearly a decade. Which, when you look at those names above, is quite something.

"A Good Championship Team"

Not my words, the words of Jimmy Kebe. When the Royals were at the bottom of the Premier League table last season, the Malian winger came out with these words about the squad. For many fans, it was true - the purchases in the summer were players proven at the Championship level. Chris Gunter and Garath McCleary both arrived from Nottingham Forest - Gunter as a Welsh international. Adrian Mariappa came in after a successful campaign with Watford. And in January, two players with promise in Hope Akpan and Nick Blackman arrived from League One, as well as right-back Stephen Kelly who was most impressive after his January arrival from Fulham.

Jamie MacDonald/Getty Images

So if these players stay with the club, what's to say they can't prove themselves at this level. Let's compare the current squad with the one which came up in 2011/12.

Position	2011/12	2013/14
Goalkeeper	Federici, McCarthy, Andersen	Federici, McCarthy, Taylor
Right Back	Griffin, Cummings	Cummings, Gunter, Kelly
Centre Back	Pearce, Morrison, Gorkss, Connolly*	Morrison, Gorkss, Mariappa, (Pearce)
Left Back	Mills, Harte	Bridge
Wing	Kebe, McAnuff, Robson-Kanu, Cywka*	Kebe, McAnuff, Robson-Kanu, McCleary
Central Midfield	Karacan, Gunnarsson, Tabb, Leigertwood, Howard, Mullins*	Karacan, Leigertwood, Guthrie, Akpan, Carrico
Striker	Le Fondre, Hunt, Church, Roberts*	Pogrebnyak, Le Fondre, Roberts, Blackman

* = joined in January

Now, it's likely that there will be at least a few departures before the season starts. Equally, we'll likely see more players come in, in addition to the early marquee signing of left-back Wayne Bridge. But as it stands, I'd rather see the players we have in the squad now, compared to those who helped us achieve promotion in 2011/12.

The only position which needs obvious upgrading is at centre-back, where Alex Pearce is likely to leave and Kaspars Gorkss is unlikely to be first-choice. Another left-back would probably be shrewd, rather than making do with Stephen Kelly covering the position. But from the midfield forward, the Royals seem to be in a far stronger position than two seasons ago. If we were a good Championship team in December 2012, then with a few choice additions in the summer we can become a very good one.

Nigel Adkins' Barmy Army

Matthew Lewis/Getty Images

The first thing to say is that is in no way a dig at Brian McDermott. The current Leeds manager was fantastic in the Championship for the Royals, guiding us to the play-offs before finally delivering promotion in 2012. For whatever reason, things didn't work out between McDermott and Reading in the last campaign, and the man who had become synonymous with the club left amid controversy. So why shouldn't he be the man to achieve the same thing this time round?

Well, Nigel Adkins has shown just as much prowess in his managerial career. He guided Scunthorpe to the Championship twice in three season, after being relegated in the season in-between. His side survived his fourth season in charge, but Southampton persuaded him to join them in League One - he guided them to two promotions in two years as they joined the Royals in the Premier League last season.

And Reading fans have already seen the results on the pitch. "Playing football the right way" is an overused phrase these days but Adkins seems to have a very different philosophy and playing style to McDermott, and the fans have taken note. Whilst he was never going to perform the miracle of keeping Reading in the top division, the vast change in the viewing on the pitch was quickly noticed. With a whole pre-season to prepare, and the potential to bring in his own players to suit his styles, he has the potential to increase his ever-growing reputation and, indeed, his impressive haul of promotions.

Lessons Learnt

Ben Hoskins/Getty Images

It can be argued that we didn't actually learn the lesson of 2007/08, when we were first relegated from the promised land. Not enough investment in the playing squad led to relegation - sound familiar? Players' heads turned by more attractive offers, and too many off-the-field shenanigans - it all rings true five years later.

But we're in a better position now to invest in the squad and, more importantly, keep it together. Anton Zingarevich has chosen his own man, Nigel Adkins, to lead his club. Perhaps with Adkins installed, promises were made about investment - not forgetting the fact that Zingarevich is more likely to want to invest in a manager he himself appointed. The parachute payments will help, as will the Russian roubles, and thanks to the work of Sir John Madejski over the years (and the apparent lack of investment for the last season), the Royals are in a secure financial position.

Let's not forget, it was Anton who helped us get to the Premier League in the first place. His investment helped to sign Jason Roberts, as well as retain the contract of Jimmy Kebe - and whilst the loan signings of Connolly, Mullins and Cywka may not have been integral cogs in the machine which rolled so effectively in the second half of the season, they all played their part. Without Zingarevich's investment, these players wouldn't have come in and the whole of last season would have been different. But with him, the future is secure, and in one year's time we could once again be celebrating promotion.

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Are you excited for next season? Are you confident that the Royals can bounce back straight away? Or are you worried about the squad breaking up? Sound off in the comments below...

Bridging the Left Back Slot

2013-06-08T10:20:07Z

The left back slot is one that traditionally has been a very productive one for Reading. Ever since Nicky Shorey broke on to the scene over a decade ago we've been blessed with some really excellent performers as, along with Shorey, Chris Armstrong, Ryan Bertrand and Ian Harte nailing their places in the starting XI. It's a position that we’ve taken for granted really. The problems there last season then were a bit uncharacteristic and it's understandable that Nigel Adkins has highlighted it as a main area to strengthen.

After the departure of Harte and Shorey the defence is looking pretty inexperienced with only Stephen Kelly aged over 26. However with the centre backs looking relatively settled it makes sense to add a left back who can bring a bit of nous and experience and on paper Wayne Bridge can do that.

It is 15 years since Wayne Bridge made his debut for Southampton and in that time he's played in an FA Cup final, Champions League semi final as well as at a World Cup and a European Championship. There is though a slight sense that he has never quite lived up to his potential.

In 2003 he made a big money move to Chelsea and earned him a regular place in Sven Goran Eriksson's England side but after only a two seasons as first choice left back the arrival of Ashley Cole forced him out of the team and so began a strange limbo period for him. He would stay at Chelsea for three more years but was limited mostly to cup appearances, the odd spell when Cole was injured and a dozen games on loan at Fulham.

Bridge was offered a way out of Stamford Bridge by Mark Hughes and Manchester City's new found millions in 2009 and it was around this time that he had his much publicised issues with John Terry (that we won't go into here). Once again though he again found himself on the sidelines, this time by the arrivals of Aleksander Kolarov and Gael Clichy.

Short loan spells at West Ham and Sunderland followed before he managed to settle at Brighton last season. He played pretty much the full season at the Amex, his first as a regular starter since 2003/04.

The peculiar nature of Bridge's career makes it a little hard to properly judge this signing. On the one hand he is a man who has played in big matches and has 36 caps for England to his name. On the other he is someone who has played very little football in the last decade and has seemed more interested in the celebrity lifestyle rather than resurrecting his football career.

Maybe the most objective way of assessing Bridge then is to look at his year with Brighton. Under Gus Poyet he became adept at playing in a side who look to pass the ball out from the back in much the same manner as Adkins wants to do at Reading. Plus the Seagulls had a good year, finishing fourth in the Championship with Bridge playing 37 games and establishing himself as integral part in their push for promotion.

@tommyrfc Speedy, cracking technique, good passer and not bad defensively. An all rounder. Great championship player. Enjoy!
— Marco. (@marco8981) June 7, 2013

The Brighton fans I've spoken to have all been very positive about him as well. He's been variously described as "very good and consistent", "the best left back in the Championship" and "speedy, cracking technique, good passer and not bad defensively". All very reassuring given that this is from people who have been watching him all season.

I must admit to initially being a little bit underwhelmed by this signing. When I hear the name Wayne Bridge I think of a perennial substitute who is happy drifting between clubs whilst picking up a massive pay cheque for not really doing much. A left back version of Stuart Taylor if you will.

On the first point, it does seem that his year at Brighton has rejuvenated him. He’s spoken recently about how Poyet helped to get him to "focus and enjoy [his] football" and it is true that this has also coincided with his much publicised engagement to Frankie Sandford of the Saturdays. Also, Reading often aim to get players who they believe fit in with the club’s ethos and the fact that we tried to sign him in January last year suggests that he’s a player that Nicky Hammond believes has the mentality to take the club up a level.

The latter point was and is one that concerns me a little though. If reports are to be believed Bridge was earning £100k/week at Manchester City and in my view even a figure a third of that would be considered very risky. It’s obviously a lot less of a risk if he can perform and help us gain promotion but I’m not entirely sold on the idea of a left back being our highest earner (maybe second highest behind Pogrebnyak) and if you any doubts about his high wages it’ll be worth remembering that QPR thought him too expensive. Having said all that we will only ever be able to speculate on his salary and given that he’s arrived on a free with a one year deal, perhaps that risk is minimised a little.

I don't know if managers (or in this modern game, directors of football) ever actually draw up a list of preferred attributes for a specific player but if Nigel Adkins (or Nicky Hammond) does then Wayne Bridge ticks pretty much all of them. No transfer fee; top level experience; adaptable to the system; attack minded; good technique. Any concerns over cost and attitude will swiftly disappear if he can perform but they will quickly surface if he doesn't.

After several years of turbulence on and off the pitch, let's hope Wayne Bridge has now settled down and in much the same vein as Ian Harte a few years ago, wants to prove a point in the Premier League and will roll back the years to help us get back there.

2012/13 Report Cards: Midfielders

2013-06-07T14:58:32Z

As mentioned in the previous article - In terms of grades, the grading system will be be done from A+ to an F, where A+ is a magical one of a kind season and F is the type that makes you want to put the players in stocks and hurl rotten vegetables at them.

Also it's not just about performances but expectations, previous history etc.

Stats used are Premier League ones only.

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Hope Akpan

Games: 9 Assists: 3

Akpan signed for Reading just days after facing them in the FA Cup for Crawley and while his signing was initially ridiculed, Akpan showed his potential by creating three goals in two games against Newcastle and Chelsea as Brian McDermott's side enjoyed their fine start to 2013.

Sadly as we all know the upturn didn't last and Akpan picked up a niggling injury that ruled him out of the final few games for McDermott. He returned to make a cameo against Arsenal and Southampton but that was the last we'd see of the midfielder for the season.

While not a 'wonder' signing, the 21-year-old Akpan certainly fits the Reading mould and he showed enough during his brief time in the spotlight to suggest that he'll be a decent asset in the Championship and perhaps in the Premier League one day.

GRADE: B-

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Daniel Carrico

Games: 3

Ahhh the Carrico-tron 2000, a mythical creature who can keep teams up with a single flex of his little toe, and banish dragons from the deepest darkest dungeons, only he can take Reading to Champions League glory.

In all seriousness Carrico played less than 90 minutes after a much hyped transfer from Sporting Lisbon at the very start of January. He played 45 minutes on debut against West Brom and then wasn't seen again for months before a promising cameo against Liverpool and a brief few minutes against Norwich.

For a man who was once rumoured to be a £10m+ transfer target it's safe to say he hasn't lived up to the hype so far and the former Sporting Lisbon captain could well end up with Mass Sarr, Emerse Fae and Marek Matejovsky in the much hyped but pretty terrible foreign signings conversation should he leave this summer.

On the other hand he could well end up like Jimmy Kebe but right now it's seemingly more of the former than the later.

GRADE: D-

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Danny Guthrie

Games: 21 Goals: 1 Assists: 1

Guthrie divided the fanbase the whole season, between those who felt he was an over-hyped awful professional, and those who felt he was the best we had and Brian was an idiot for not playing him. The truth probably resides somewhere in the middle because while his off-field antics such as refusing to travel to Sunderland can't be condoned. It's also impossible to argue that he wouldn't have been a better option that Mikele Leigertwood....

If you were to judge him solely on performances then it was a distinctly average season from the former Liverpool player. At times he showed a top range of passing but at other points he looked unfit and lacking drive. A return of just one goal all season was poor while just one assist was equally poor.

The appointment of Nigel Adkins may well have saved his Reading career and it's now down to the midfielder to show the type of form that had the player himself talking up his England chances.

Sadly as our marquee midfield signing he failed to produce the quality or consistency we needed this year and while not all of his problems were of his own doing, he still talked more talk than walked the walk.

GRADE: C-

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Jem Karacan

Games: 21 Goals: 1 Assists: 1

One minute you think he's just not cut out for the top and the next he looks at home. Jem continued his erratic Reading career with some promising performances mixed in with clueless ones, Under Brian he looked like a headless chicken but when Adkins arrived he actually looked a midfielder who was comfortable spraying the ball around.

Injury didn't help his progression this season and with rumours of a move to Galatasaray refusing to go away, it might be up to another club to see which is the real Karacan.

GRADE: C

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Jimmy Kebe

Games: 18 Goals: 5 Assists: 2

87%, 65%, 76%, 63%, 42%. Those are the percentage of possible League games that Jimmy Kebe has started over the past five seasons, but when you consider that he's still ended each of those seasons in the top five for assists or goals, you can see the joy and despair of dealing with Jimmy Kebe.

Once again our Malian midfielder showed his quality, with five goals and two assists but again he saw his season curtailed by injury and missed the key games of the run-in.

He's yet to appear under Nigel Adkins and with a year left on his contract could we have seen the last of Kebe in a Reading shirt? I hope not because if we were to somehow get 38+ games from Kebe next year, I'm convinced we'd be a top six side at the very least.

I'm giving him a C+ for the season, simply because he missed so many games this year. While that's not his fault it's still disappointing to only get 18 games from your star midfielder.

GRADE: C+

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Mikele Leigertwood

Games: 30 Goals: 1 Assists: 1

OK... throughout these articles I've tried to get across the idea that these grades are based as much on expectation as actual performance. So with that in mind, what did we really expect from Mikele Leigertwood this season? In looking back at his performance last year here's what I wrote.

Mikele remains an integral part of the system that Brian likes to play and we'll need another good season from the midfielder if we're to survive next year.

Sadly we didn't get a good season from Mikele Leigertwood but while it's safe to say he often drifted between dire and awful, he also had a few good games and was a victim of poor tactical choices by his manager.

Reading won six games last season and four featured Leigertwood in the team so he wasn't totally inept and nor was he the sole reason we got relegated. When we played a 4-5-1, Ledge looked fairly competent but he showed he just wasn't cut out for a 4-4-2 with a string of awful displays in games where he was forced to try and put his foot on the ball, something he's just not cut out for.

This tweet is probably a bit harsh but it at least generated a few laughs in a dire run.

We've contacted the stats boffins who've provided us with this detailed map of Leigertwood's completed passes tonight. twitter.com/TheTilehurstEn…
— TheTilehurstEnd (@TheTilehurstEnd) December 17, 2012

Despite the jokes and the frustrating performances it was still disappointing to see such a loyal servant booed off against Villa. The man who scored the goal to get us promoted deserved better and the role he's played in our recent success shouldn't be forgotten. It was certainly a season to forget but it wasn't a mess totally of his own making.

GRADE: D

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Jobi McAnuff

Games: 38 Assists: 7

Another popular target for the boo-boys was captain Jobi McAnuff and while he failed to find the net despite starting every league game, he did provide seven assists and was a steady if not spectacular performer throughout a difficult season.

This wasn't a vintage McAnuff season but he didn't let the team down and always gave it 100%. He's not someone that should be starting 38 league games but that's a decision for the managers rather than Jobi himself and the fact that Nigel Adkins played him every week suggests that it's not just Brian McDermott who saw the value he had to the side.

GRADE: C+

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Garath McCleary

Games: 31 Goals: 3 Assists: 2

McCleary appeared in over 30 games this year but only half of them came as a starter as he struggled to nail down a place ahead of McAnuff, Kebe and Robson-Kanu.

At times he was superb, with his match turning performance against Stoke on the opening day, or his top quality strike at Norwich good examples of his potential. Sadly In others he was just ineffective and two assists highlights his general deficiency when crossing the ball, something that was never going to sit overly well in a Brian McDermott team. With Nigel Adkins preferring the ball on the deck, it lends itself more to McCleary's style of cutting in and heading towards goal so next year will be an interesting one for the former Forest winger.

Overall an OK debut season but nothing spectacular.

GRADE: C

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Hal Robson-Kanu

Games: 25 Goals: 7 Assists: 1

This was a real breakout season for Robson-Kanu, with his form post Christmas one of the few highlights in a miserable end to the season. While his final delivery is still a problem, he's gotten stronger and stronger and now looks destined for a role as a number 10 rather than as an out-and-out winger.

A return of seven goals in just 25 games and only 13 starts is highly impressive and he's one of the few Reading players to have come out of the campaign with his reputation enhanced.

I only hope he hasn't caught the eye of too many Premier League scouts because he could be a fantastic asset next season.

GRADE: B+

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Jay Tabb

Games: 12 Assists: 1

Tabb was never supposed to start 12 Premier League games, but when injuries struck Tabb gave a good account of himself and put in the type of high energy performances we've become accustomed too from the midfielder.

He wasn't quite Premier League quality but he was steady during a very tough period for the football club. He was binned off out on loan after Akpan was signed and has now left the club but he can look back on his first and possibly last taste of the Premier League with his held very much held high.

GRADE: C

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OVERALL

The fact that the highest grades have been handed out to men who started six and 13 games respectively tells a story in itself. Quite simply the midfield were out of their depth this season, with not one of the consistently showing they belonged in the Premier League. Each of them showed to their abilities at times, but to see nearly 80 starts from McAnuff, Tabb and Leigertwood was painful and highlighted the club's poor transfer decisions in the summer.

Of the new boys they did OK but none really made you think 'he's Premier League quality' they all had flashes of it but none came in and were a cut above what we already had.

There's certainly potential for the future but there's also plenty of work to be done.

Grade: C-

Building with Bridge - Adkins makes left-back his first summer signing

2013-06-07T10:47:34Z

Tommy will be along a little later today or tomorrow with a more in-depth look on the signing but personally I'm pretty happy that we've been able to add a quality left-back on a short-term deal that immediately makes us stronger.

Bridge very nearly joined the club in the January transfer window in 2012 but ended up at Sunderland after Martin O'Neill made a later offer. Still, it's nice to get him here in the end.

While we won't be getting the dynamic Southampton left-back who earned England honours in the previous decade, we will be getting a solid defender who played nearly every game for Brighton last year in a team that plays passing passing football and made the play-offs, both of which we'll be looking to do this season.

Bridge was also named in the PFA Championship team of the year, succeeding Ian Harte and while some question the total validity of the award, you can't get there by being awful.

At 32-years-old he's far from over the hill in my opinion and even if it's just one quality season before we look for a more long-term option, it's certainly a gamble worth taking, just look at what we got out of Ian Harte in the Championship.

Oh and yes he's engaged to Frankie Sandford of pop group The Saturdays so look forward to a little bit more press attention on the players' lounge this year.

Overall, good solid signing but he's perhaps not the dynamic long-term Ryan Bertrand/Nicky Shorey V1.0 signing that perhaps we also need to build for a sustainable Premier League future.

Reading 2012/13 - What Went Wrong: Transfers

2013-06-04T20:18:03Z

When Reading achieved promotion to the Premier League, most fans agreed that the squad would require significant spending to remain competitive in the top flight of English football. The windfall of achieving promotion, coupled with the even larger bonuses from television money coming in season 2013/14, meant that more than ever it was imperative to ensure survival.

Yet whilst the Royals added eleven new faces (that made Premier League appearances) over the season, there wasn't the "big-name", "big-money" or even "big-performance" player which lifted the fans and inspired hope in the rest of the team. It's always been said that the "Reading way" is to invest in young, hungry players with something to prove, but simply put, that strategy is for a team looking to establish themselves in a division - not survive relegation. However, Reading had learnt in the past that those big transfers can often go awry.

I'm your biggest fan, I'll follow you until you love me, Marek Matejovsky... Just one of the signings from the last Premier League campaign that didn't work out (Ian Walton, Getty Images)

Two players came in for fees in the summer, with five more arriving on free transfers. Sure, it's not the price, it's the quality of the player - but nearly all of these were good Championship players, not established top flight performers. January saw four players arrive commanding a transfer fee, but only Stephen Kelly came in with Premier League experience.

In terms of net transfer outlay, the Royals actually came mid-table, despite spending just £9m on players. All the data in the table below is from transfermarkt.co.uk, and it should be noted that the figures cover the whole season - that is, both the summer AND the January transfer windows.

Team Name	Transfers Out	Transfers In	Total
Chelsea	£22.4	£101.4	-£79.0
Man Utd	£13.3	£67.3	-£54.0
Liverpool	£9.2	£59.5	-£50.3
QPR	£2.2	£44.3	-£42.1
Southampton	£0.0	£37.6	-£37.6
Aston Villa	£2.8	£25.0	-£22.2
Sunderland	£13.0	£33.7	-£20.7
Stoke	£0.6	£20.8	-£20.2
West Ham	£4.4	£20.7	-£16.3
Newcastle	£13.0	£28.6	-£15.6
Man City	£39.0	£54.5	-£15.5
Norwich	£0.3	£9.8	-£9.5
Reading	£0.8	£9.5	-£8.7
Tottenham	£59.6	£64.5	-£4.9
Everton	£16.5	£19.1	-£2.6
West Brom	£3.3	£4.4	-£1.1
Wigan	£11.7	£9.3	£2.4
Arsenal	£50.0	£46.6	£3.4
Swansea City	£28.7	£18.0	£10.7
Fulham	£27.6	£8.8	£18.8

It must be noted that the table arranged like this throws up a few surprises. Fulham and Swansea both turned a significant profit with their transfer dealings this season, but then if you look at their sales colums it's easy to see why. Fulham saw Moussa Dembele and Clint Dempsey leave for Tottenham Hotspur for a combined fee of around £23.3m, whilst Swansea's main income in the transfer market came from Joe Allen (Liverpool, £16.7m) and Scott Sinclair (Man City, £6.9m). In Swansea's case, it allowed them to spend almost double what the Royals laid out for players, whilst the Cottagers spent about the same as Reading over the course of the season.

It's the same for the two North London clubs, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal. Both are below the Royals in the net spending table but then they both received over £50m for players in the 2012/13 season - and re-invested that amount in their squads. Spurs saw Luka Modric leave for Real Madrid for around £26.4m, whilst the Gunners lost Alex Song to Barcelona for £16.7m and Robin Van Persie to Man Utd for £27m.

Arsenal and Swansea's position below Reading in the "net" transfer table is in part down to the sales of Robin Van Persie and Joe Allen respectively (Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

How about the two clubs we came up with, West Ham and Southampton? The Hammers' net outlay was double that of the Royals', and they also received £4.4m in transfer fees for sales. The Saints didn't receive any money for player sales, yet still spent over four times that of Reading, shelling out for Gaston Ramirez and Jay Rodriguez amongst others. That sort of investment was a great help for those two to stay in the division - despite the fact that they arguably had stronger squads than Reading before the transfer merry-go-round.

Here's the table arranged by transfer fees spent.

Team Name	Transfers Out	Transfers In	Total
Chelsea	£22.4	£101.4	-£79.0
Man Utd	£13.3	£67.3	-£54.0
Tottenham	£59.6	£64.5	-£4.9
Liverpool	£9.2	£59.5	-£50.3
Man City	£39.0	£54.5	-£15.5
Arsenal	£50.0	£46.6	£3.4
QPR	£2.2	£44.3	-£42.1
Southampton	£0.0	£37.6	-£37.6
Sunderland	£13.0	£33.7	-£20.7
Newcastle	£13.0	£28.6	-£15.6
Aston Villa	£2.8	£25.0	-£22.2
Stoke	£0.6	£20.8	-£20.2
West Ham	£4.4	£20.7	-£16.3
Everton	£16.5	£19.1	-£2.6
Swansea City	£28.7	£18.0	£10.7
Norwich	£0.3	£9.8	-£9.5
Reading	£0.8	£9.5	-£8.7
Wigan	£11.7	£9.3	£2.4
Fulham	£27.6	£8.8	£18.8
West Brom	£3.3	£4.4	-£1.1

Reading spent the 4th least in the division and it showed over the course of the season. Wigan spent the 3rd least and came down with the Royals, whilst the utter shambles at Queens Park Rangers, spending enough for a Europa League spot, saw them rock bottom of the table.

QPR's failure despite their transfer spending is quite astounding (Paul Gilham/Getty Images)

The simple fact of the matter is that those who were around the relegation zone with the Royals spent far more money on players and so - albeit only just - had the requisite resources to survive. The two other promoted teams spent double and four-times what Reading spent in order to invest in their security, whilst the likes of Sunderland, Aston Villa and Stoke spent around double that of the Royals. (Fulham and West Brom, two "established" Premier League sides, did well considering their outlay over the season.)

Money can't guarantee success, then, but it certainly helps...

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Of course, you should always spend wisely (which may have been the downfall of QPR). So as long as our new players performed, then we should have had no problem staying up. So here's a quick rundown of all our players, report card style...

Summer 2012

Nicky Shorey, free - 16+1 appearances - Whilst it wasn't a disastrous second Reading stint for Shorey, the fact that he was usurped by Stephen Kelly and Ian Harte by the end of the season signalled that the one-year experiment likely won't be going any further.

(Christopher Lee/Getty Images)

Danny Guthrie, free - 19+2 appearances, 1 goal - As noted in my "Off The Field" piece, Guthrie probably made just as much impact off the pitch as he did on it, as he pretty much derailed any semblance of team spirit for three months near the start of the season. Performed well on occasion, and seems to fit better in Nigel Adkins' system, but this is hardly a signing which set the team alight.

Pavel Pogrebnyak, free - 26+3 appearances, 5 goals - The striker who started the most games all season returned just five goals - one less than he managed in twelve games for Fulham last campaign. No transfer fee for the Pog but no doubt a significant wage outlay which may carry over (albeit reduced) to next season. But when your main striker nets just five times all season, there are serious problems.

Chris Gunter, £2.6m - 20 appearances - The Wales international was on a five-game rotation with Shaun Cummings at the start of the season, presumably as Brian McDermott tried to figure out which one he preferred. The answer came in January, when he decided he preferred Stephen Kelly. He's looked more comfortable in recent weeks but again, this wasn't a player who held down a regular spot in the team.

Adrian Mariappa, £3.3m - 29 appearances - The closest Reading had to a new signing who cemented a spot in the side, Mapps looked comfortable for the most part, and didn't miss a League game from the end of November. I was quite surprised he wasn't in the reckoning for Player Of The Season, to be honest, as a consistent performer and mainstay of the side Probably the best of our summer signings.

(Jamie McDonald/Getty Images)

Garath McCleary, free - 15+16 appearances - Another arrival from Nottingham Forest, McCleary looked very good in the time he played for the Royals this season. But even with the injury of Jimmy Kebe and the "McAnuff in the middle" experiment, he couldn't hold down a starting berth.

Stuart Taylor, free - 4 appearances - Well, he was probably signed as a back-up, to be honest. With both Adam Federici and Alex McCarthy ahead of him there wasn't much chance for Taylor to show his skills, although when he did get a few games he hardly covered himself in glory.

January 2013

Hope Akpan, £300k - 6+3 appearances - Whilst this is no doubt a signing for the future, this didn't strike as a typical January panic buy. Well, except for the fact that we'd just played against his former side Crawley Town in the FA Cup. He's certainly a good prospect as he showed some good attributes in his time on the pitch, and all Reading fans are hopeful he'll show he can dominate the Championship next season.

Nick Blackman, £1.2m - 3+8 appearances - Whilst this is no doubt a signing for the future, this didn't strike as a typical January panic buy. Well, except for the fact that we'd just played against his former side Sheffield United in the FA Cup. No doubt a season in the Championship will do him good, but this wasn't a signing that was going to change the season.

Stephen Kelly, £1.3m - 16 appearances - Possibly the signing of the season, as Kelly started every single game after he arrived. Shame it came in January... Starting at right-back and usurping summer signing Gunter, he moved over to the left under Adkins, replacing another summer signing in Nicky Shorey. Which tells you something about the success of those two in themselves.

(Tony Marshall/Getty Images)

Daniel Carrico, £700k - 1+2 appearances - The former Sporting midfielder lasted less than ninety minutes this season for Reading - not in one game, but over the course of five months. Yet another signing that might turn out to be shrewd next season but certainly didn't help the Premier League cause.

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When you look at those summer signings and see that none started 30 games in the top flight for us this season, it lends to the argument that these players weren't of sufficient quality to keep Reading up. Mariappa made 29 appearances, the most for any new arrival (and actually the third most of any Reading player, behind Mikele Leigertwood and Jobi McAnuff). Aside from Pavel Pogrebnyak, the rest struggled to start half of our Premier League matches.

Compare this to Southampton's signings - Nathaniel Clyne and Maya Yoshida both started at least 30 games, with Jay Rodriguez, Gaston Ramirez and Steven Davis all starting at least 20. The Saints may have spent four times what the Royals did, but their signings had an impact week-in week-out, and ultimately kept them up.

However, it's not all doom and gloom...

As I noted (and Jimmy Kebe noted in December...), these are all very good Championship players. Hope Akpan and Nick Blackman are still in their early 20s and have plenty of time to develop. Stephen Kelly made the right-back position his own before moving to the left - and Chris Gunter, just 23, is still promising and more than good enough for a promotion chase. Mariappa, at 26, has his best years ahead of him as a centre-back. And Guthrie and Pogrebnyak, should they stay, should perform comfortably in the Championship.

But there-in lies the problem. These players may be Premier League quality in time. They weren't good enough in 2012/13.

Fancy Playing At The Mad Stad?

2013-05-30T18:40:34Z

The remaining positions are available for the following final reduced prices: 45min Home No 5 CB available for £160, the 45min Home No 16 RB for £160, the 90min Away No 1 for £150, the 45min Away No 2 RB for £150 and the 45min Away No 15 CH for £150.

If you haven’t secured your position yet, why not grab this last chance to grace the hallowed turf in our 90 min charity match. You'll experience exclusive behind the scenes access, a fully personalised strip waiting for you in the changing room, the revered run through the tunnel onto the hallowed turf and the chance to play for the Royals while being Managed by former club Legend Lawrie Sanchez!

To secure a position and grab the chance to "Live the Dream" at The Madejski, just visit the Reading FC page here: http://www.footballaid.com/events/teams/64/reading.html and choose the Buy Now option.

Alternatively if you’d like to discuss anything further or wish to make an offer for any of these last available positions, call us on 0131 220 5999 or email chris.mcintyre@footballaid.com.

It promises to be a great day, and all donations go to the Football Aid cause. Get involved!