Reading FC Corner 1 - Matches (previews, live comments & final whistle)

First competitive match of the 2018-19 season ever nearer!

Friday 3rd August 2018

Reading v Derby County 

20:00 Madejski Stadium

This is what the Reading manager said at the start of the close season -



Paul Clement warns of hard work at Reading before pre-season


Reading manager Paul Clement says there is "work to be done" even before his players return for pre-season training.


Clement saw his Royals side secure Championship survival with a goalless draw at promoted Cardiff on Sunday. Reading finished 20th in the table, three points above the bottom three, a year after losing in the play-off final to Huddersfield Town.


"We've got to have a good pre-season this summer," he told BBC Radio Berkshire. "The work starts now."


Clement took charge in late March with eight games to play. Despite only two wins and two draws from those games, other results went Reading's way to ensure they retained their Championship status.


"There's seven weeks before the players come back for pre-season," he said. "Three of those they will be having complete rest. But then they've got an off-season programme which we expect them to do. There's a way we can monitor them to see if they've done that or not. They need to come back in decent shape so that we can have a strong pre-season to put us in a good position for a long season."


Clement also hinted at a busy summer ahead on the recruitment front, but expects a battle to bring players in and finalise deals.
"The easy part can be identifying the players, the tough part can be actually recruiting them," he said. "Sometimes it's whether or not they want to be here and be part of what we're doing and also whether or not that works out for the club financially. But we'll be working hard, making sure we get some decent additions to this squad."

Meanwhile -


Ron Gourlay: Reading CEO says club must have 'clean slate' for next season

Reading chief executive Ron Gourlay says the club must have a "clean slate" after only securing Championship safety on the final day of the season. The Royals lost the play-off final on penalties in 2016-17 but only avoided relegation by three points this term. Manager Jaap Stam left in March after a run of one win in 18 league games, with Paul Clement ensuring they stayed up.

"We've got to make sure we don't find ourselves in a similar situation again," Gourlay told BBC Berkshire. "It's undoubtedly been a very difficult season for everybody at the football club but we've got to take responsibility for that, there's accountability."

Gourlay, former CEO at Chelsea and a senior director at Manchester United, joined Reading in July 2017. Ex-Derby and Swansea boss Clement signed a three-year deal and says there is "work to be done" for his players even before they return for pre-season training. On the 2017-18 campaign, Gourlay said: "We've got to park it, we've got to have a clean slate, and we've got to move forward. That's about everybody pulling together, learning from what we've learnt from last year, making sure we don't make the same mistakes again and pushing forward as a football club."

Greetings Daib0. Nice to see all things RFC up and running outside of HNA!

Tilehurstsouthbank wrote:Greetings Daib0. Nice to see all things RFC up and running outside of HNA!

GREAT to see you here too TSB, I'll add with pleasure lots of match preview details etc..

READING v CRYSTAL PALACE

Friendly Game

Matchday squad

Here’s Paul Clement’s matchday squad today:
Line-up: Mannone, Gunter, Yiadom, McShane (C), Meyler, Swift, Aluko, Barrow, Ilori, Méïte, Kelly.
Subs: Walker, Clement, Böðvarsson, Blackett, Evans, Richards, McNulty
David Meyler and Andy Yiadom are both named in the starting XI against Crystal Palace in our final pre-season friendly fixture ahead of 2018-19. Fellow summer signings Sam Walker and Marc McNulty are named amongst the subs to take on the Eagles. The Royals will be wearing their new home kit for the first time... as well as the players sporting their updated squad numbers!

Crystal Palace: Hennessey, Van Aanholt, Tomkins, Sorloth, Townsend, Zaha, Sakho, Schlupp, McArthur, Wan-Bissaka, Riedewald.
Subs: Guaita, Ward, Milivojevic, Williams, Wickham, Kaikai, Souare, Kelly, Puncheon

The ground is in great shape:
https://twitter.com/jonathanl50/status/1023164767706472448 


Kick-Off 3.00pm

Basingstoke Gazette


http://www.basingstokegazette.co.uk/sport/16384700.royals-unable-to-stop-eagles-soaring-to-4-0-win


Royals unable to stop Eagles soaring to 4-0 win


CRYSTAL Palace’s Wilfried Zaha showed why he is one of the most sought-after players in the Premier League after his scintillating performance put Reading to the sword. Royals finished their pre-season fixtures without a win after a resounding 4-0 thumping at the hands of Roy Hodgson’s rampant side at Madejski Stadium. In truth, Paul Clement’s side were below-parr and goals from Alexander Sorloth and James Tomkins, coupled with a brilliant brace by Zaha, showed Royals have plenty left to do before their Championship opener against Derby County.


Much of the pre-match talk was centered around Liam Moore after the defender reportedly handed in a transfer request on Friday. And the 25-year-old stalwart’s future took a new twist when Royals confirmed he had been left out of the squad to face Hodgson’s Eagles. Tiago Ilori instead partnered Paul McShane at the back while Yakou Meite started up front with Jon Dadi Bodvarsson and Marc McNulty making the bench.


The visitors thought they had taken an early lead when Wilfried Zaha drifted infield before playing in Alexander Sorloth, who finished with aplomb. Thankfully for Reading however, the linesman’s flag had already gone up with the striker clearly in an offside position. But Hodgson’s side continued to be a threat and had Reading penned in for much of the opening minutes with Zaha pulling most of the strings.
Modou Barrow created Royals’ first chance when his lung-busting run down the left flank allowed him to fizz a teasing cross into the box. French forward Meite was ready to pounce but the ball was just taken off of his toes by Palace’s Wayne Hennessey. The 22-year-old was in the thick of the action again with 17 minutes played when his left-footed cross narrowly missed an unmarked Sone Aluko inside the box. Palace went straight down the opposite end a goalmouth scramble ensured but Royals just managed to clear their lines with Zaha ready to pull the trigger.


Chris Gunter found himself in dangerous territory when he intercepted a long-range pass only to cushion his header beyond Mannone and out for a corner after 26 minutes. But the Premier League side eventually showed their class with the ever-dangerous Zaha at the heart of the action once again. This time, he teased his way past Andy Yiadom on the left before picking out Sorloth to blast the ball into the back of the net after 33 minutes.


The goal seemed to disrupt Royals’ rhythm and Clement’s side found themselves struggling to break down their lively opposition Hodgson’s side should have doubled their lead after 43 minutes when they walked through Royals’ defence before Sorloth dragged his shot well-wide and out for a throw. But they did take the lead soon after the restart when Van Aanholt’s cross was turned in by the dangerous Zaha in front of the travelling Palace fans. Reading should have answered straight away when Barrow’s delivery found Swift inside the box. The midfielder opted to take a touch and turn rather than shoot first time and the eventual strike was deflected wide for a corner. Midfielder Kelly, who stood out among the rest at Madejski Stadium, showed sublime skill to evade two defenders before picking out Omar Richards on the left wing. Richards’ cross fizzed across the box and nearly reached Kelly at the back post but there was just too much power on the ball.


Clement had seen enough and threw on both Marc McNulty and Jon Dadi Bodvarsson after the hour mark as he looked to take the game to Palace. But Zaha sealed Royals’ fate after 63 minutes when he curled a powerful shot beyond Mannone from the edge of the penalty area. And Clement really had some thinking to do when Andros Townsend picked James Tomkins out at the back post five minutes later to make it 4-0.
Royals looked dead and buried as Palace continued to charge forward and stretch Clement’s back line.


McNulty looked lively whenever the ball moved forward and tried to re-write the headlines with an audacious half-volley from distance on 82 minutes. Unfortunately, the former Coventry City striker did not quite catch the ball right and his effort flew both high and wide of Hennessey’s goal. Royals kept things simple for the remaining minutes and could have had a consolation goal as Hennessey denied McNulty after the striker went through on goal.


But Reading they ended their pre-season without a single win and now turn their focus to the Championship with Derby County visiting Madejski Stadium on Friday night.

Reading FC Official Site 
https://www.readingfc.co.uk/news/2018/july/be-here-on-friday---and-for-the-rest-of-the-season




Be here on Friday - and for the rest of the season!


Just a few days until the big kick-off


Pre-season is over, and now the focus turns to what really matters...

We know what the players will be wearing, we know who we'll be playing, now we look ahead to getting the Sky Bet Championship season underway against Frank Lampard's Derby County.

It was one of the most entertaining matches at Madejski Stadium last season when the two sides met back in March, and the Royals face the Rams to determine the destination of the first three points of the new season.

It'll be a Friday night under the lights in RG2, with Paul Clement's side raring to go against a Derby squad that will hope to go one step further in the promotion battle this 

There could be several competitive debuts for the Royals' new signings throughout summer, with their first test set to be a challenging one at Madejski Stadium.

That's why we need your faithful support!

If you want to be here to back the boys on Friday night, click below to see our pricing options for the season's curtain-raiser.

There's still time for you to secure your Season Ticket here in RG2, with the very best price available over the course of a whole campaign to our Season Ticket holders.

We've got plenty of options available for you to watch every kick here at our home this season, simply click the button below to find out more!

Football London
https://www.football.london/reading-fc/reading-rocked-rare-gunter-injury-14979631
 


Reading rocked by rare Gunter injury - Royals' Welsh defender will miss the start of the season


Reading have been dealt a major blow with the news defender Chris Gunter will miss the start of the season. The Welsh full-back suffered a thigh injury in last Saturday's 4-0 friendly defeat to Crystal Palace at Madejski Stadium. Gunter, who was playing at left-back, went off in the first half and it was hoped it was just a scare. However, further assessment has revealed it is worse than first thought and he is set to be on the sidelines for up to six weeks.


Boss Paul Clement said: "Chris has a thigh injury which is very unusual for him because over his career he has been robust and always available for training and matches. He got the injury in lifting his leg and trying to block a cross and he'll be out three to six weeks."


Gunter has been a virtually ever present member of Royals' side for the past six years after joining from Nottingham Forest in 2012. The 29-year-old is known for his remarkable fitness levels which allow him to feature in almost every first team game.


The injury comes at a bad time for Clement, who goes in to Friday's Championship opener with Derby County short of defenders. Andy Yiadom will begin at right back with only midfielder Leandro Bacuna as cover due to Gunter's injury and Tennai Watson being out on loan. Tyler Blackett is suspended for the game and with Jordan Obita out with a long-term injury, it leaves Omar Richards as the only senior left-back. Centre-back Liam Moore will also not be involved after handing in a transfer request at the end of last week.

The managers speak
Click on links for full articles
 


Reading FC Official Site
https://www.readingfc.co.uk/news/2018/august/clement-pre-derby
"You want to turn all your hard work in pre-season into a good result!"
Royals boss Paul Clement turns his focus firmly to Friday night's challenge...a club and an opposing manager he knows well!
 



Eastwood & Kimberley Advertiser
https://www.eastwoodadvertiser.co.uk/sport/football/lampard-we-won-t-be-underestimating-reading-challenge-1-9280297
Lampard: We won't be underestimating Reading challenge
Derby County boss Frank Lampard says he is under no illusions as to how tough Friday night's opening Sky Bet Championship match at Reading will be. The Rams go to Berkshire looking to build on a promising pre-season which saw them win four out five of their friendlies with Lampard settling nicely into his first managerial role.

BBC Sport MATCH PREVIEW


Frank Lampard will make his managerial debut when his Derby County side face Reading in the opening game of the 2018-19 Championship season. Former Chelsea and England midfielder Lampard, 40, is hoping to lead the Rams into the top flight after they lost to Fulham in last season's play-offs. Midfielder Tom Huddlestone is likely to be available after a groin injury.
Reading could give a debut to striker Sam Baldock, who joined the Royals from Brighton on Monday. But centre-back Liam Moore, who has handed in a transfer request, is unlikely to be included. Reading narrowly avoided relegation last term, with Paul Clement's team drawing 0-0 at Cardiff on the final day of the season to secure safety.
 
Reading manager Paul Clement told BBC Radio Berkshire: "I'm really excited for the game. As soon as the fixtures came out, I was looking forward to it. It's an exciting fixture for many reasons. We're opening up the Championship, it's televised and I'm looking forward to putting pre-season aside and getting on with what it's really about. That's competitive games where there's three points to play for every week, not no points as we've had in the past few weeks."
 
Derby County manager Frank Lampard told BBC Radio Derby: "There's excitement and I'm pleased with that in the build-up to a season, as hopefully there's a feel-good factor around this club. But we all know that once things get started, it's going to be all about results and that will be the important thing. The work we've been doing on the training ground has translated out to the pitch in pre-season, which is a nice place to be, but I still think there's more room for improvement."
 
Match facts
- The past three Championship meetings between Reading and Derby have produced 17 goals (nine for Reading, eight for Derby), with this fixture at the Madejski Stadium last season ending in a 3-3 draw.
- Derby are unbeaten in their past six away league visits to Reading (W2 D4) since a 2-1 defeat on the final day of the 2010-11 season.
- Reading boss Paul Clement took charge of 33 games for Derby in the 2015-16 season - he managed in this fixture twice that season, avoiding defeat in both (W1 D1).
- Derby have not lost on the opening day of the season since 2008-09; a 1-0 defeat by Doncaster Rovers.


Reading won just 10 league games last season, 16 fewer than in 2016-17 (26) - the biggest drop in wins between seasons in the same division by a team since 1995-96, when Hull won just five games after winning 21 in 1994-95 in the third tier.
Derby also started their Championship season on a Friday last season, drawing 1-1 with Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.


https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/44976502

Derbyshire Live


'We did enough to win' - Paul Clement on Reading's defeat to Derby County - The Rams beat the Royals 2-1 thanks to last-gasp header from Tom Lawrence


Reading boss Paul Clement felt his side did enough to beat Derby County in their Sky Bet Championship clash at the Madejski Stadium. The Rams beat the Royals 2-1 thanks to last-gasp header from Tom Lawrence, which gave Frank Lampard a winning start to management. Jon Dadi Bodvarsson had put Reading in front early in the second half, before Mason Mount equalised for Derby to get his first goal in senior English football.
 
Clement admitted that losing in the final moments of the match was tough to take, but believes his side will learn from it as the season goes on.
“Clearly if you lose with the last kick of the game it's a tough one,” Clement told Football.London . “Particularly with it being the first game of the season as we've put in so much work and then to lose it in that matter is disappointing. I thought we did enough to win the game, never mind lose it. But at that stage of the game - 94 minutes is close to being up - you have to make sure you don't lose it. The goal was a fantastic cross and header but the error is down to fatigue - a lot of high temperature conditions and the freshness of their right winger against our left back who was struggling.
We did well in the first half, our shape was good defensively and it was difficult for Derby to do what we knew they wanted to do. Derby changed their style in the second half and were more direct. The game opened up as the players tired. It's a harsh result but it's a lesson for us already so early in the season.”




Original:  https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/we-enough-win-paul-clement-1861398

BBC Sport




SAT 11 AUG 2018 CHAMPIONSHIP
Nottingham Forest v Reading


KO - 15:00
Venue: The City Ground


Nottingham Forest could give a debut to new signing Michael Hefele. Fellow defender Joe Worrall is available after illness forced him to miss the midweek draw with West Brom.

Reading centre-back Liam Moore, who missed the opening-day defeat against Derby, could return after withdrawing his transfer request. Tyler Blackett is available after a ban and Sam Baldock is pushing for a full debut, but Adrian Popa is not ready despite returning to training.



Match facts


* Nottingham Forest are unbeaten in their last four home league matches against Reading (W3 D1).
* Reading have kept just one clean sheet in their last 10 league matches against Forest across the last five seasons, a 2-0 win in October 2016.
* Nottingham Forest manager Aitor Karanka has faced Paul Clement twice in the Championship previously, winning one and drawing one match in 2015-16 as Middlesbrough manager against Clement's Derby County side.
* Reading have already lost as many matches from winning positions this season as they did last season (1).
* Nottingham Forest have lost just one of their last eight home league games (W3 D4), vs Brentford in April.
* Reading are goalless in their last four away league games, attempting just 14 shots across those matches and just one shot on target.



https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/45066585

Nottingham Forest Official Club Site

Match preview: Forest vs Reading
Nottingham Forest welcome Reading to The City Ground this afternoon for their second home game this week. The Reds go in search of all three points after an encouraging display against West Brom on Tuesday night, and they will be hoping for similar performance levels again. A bumper crowd is expected again on Trentside with a fantastic atmosphere created in midweek, and the fans can play their part to help Aitor Karanka's side get their first win of the season.
 
Team news
Aitor Karanka has a fully-fit squad to choose from and he will have tough decisions to make all over the park with impressive performances in the opening two games of the season. New signing Michael Hefele could be in line to make his first appearance for the club having signed on Thursday and having taken part in his first training session on Friday.
 
From the Forest camp
Find out what Aitor Karanka and Joe Lolley have been saying ahead of tomorrow's game below.
 
From the opposition
Paul Clement is expecting a tough challenge when his Reading side visit The City Ground on Saturday afternoon. He said:
"They've had draws in each of the first two games – I went to the first one and watched the second. I thought they looked good in their second. It's a home fixture for them and they'll want to get their first victory on the board, but it's important for us to build on the performance that we put in against Derby. They have got a nice blend there. They've got some British players, Michael Dawson has gone back there from Hull and Lewis Grabban who we know for his time here on loan. And they've got some foreign players such as the three Portuguese players that they have bought in. They are trying to get that mix of experience and players who understand the Championship, as well as players that can make the difference. Forest are a good side – they played well the other night against West Brom."
 
One to watch - Modou Barrow
Former Forest loanee Modou Barrow has plenty of pace to burn and will be the one to watch for the visitors on Saturday. The former Swansea, Blackburn and Leeds man scored ten times last season and will be The Royals' main attacking threat.
 
Head to head
Forest wins - 19
Reading wins - 14
Draws - 10
 
Tickets
Tickets for Saturday's game are selling quickly with another big crowd expected at The City Ground. Make sure you don't miss out by visiting the ticket office in-person, by calling 0115 982 4388 or by visiting tickets.nottinghamforest.co.uk.
 
Coverage
There will be live audio commentary of the game on iFollow Forest, with a live broadcast of the game available to overseas subscribers. There will also be full coverage in the Match Centre and via the club's official social media channels. The club are aware of issues affecting the app and are working to resolve them as soon as possible. 
 
Other fixtures
All fixtures to be played at 3pm on Saturday unless otherwise stated:
Aston Villa v Wigan
Blackburn v Millwall
Bolton v Bristol City
Middlesbrough v Birmingham
Norwich v West Brom
QPR v Sheffield United
Rotherham v Ipswich
Sheffield Wednesday v Hull
Stoke v Brentford
Swansea v Preston
Derby v Leeds (5.30pm)

FOREST 1 READING 0

Match Report - BBC Sport

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/45066585

Algeria international Hillal Soudani's second-half strike earned Nottingham Forest victory against Reading, who have lost their opening two Championship games. The optimism of a sold-out City Ground was quietened by a dull first half, with Reading having the best chance when Costel Pantilimon saved Yakou Meite's effort with his legs. But a double substitution just before the hour gave Forest extra edge, with Soudani curling in a terrific left-footed shot past Vito Mannone just 12 minutes after replacing £13.2m club record signing Joao Carvalho. The Royals contained Forest for long spells in a match of few chances, but still await their first point of the new season.

Next up ...




Tuesday 14th August 2018


KO - 20.00

EFL Cup

Reading v Birmingham City

BBC Sport

MATCH LIVE and POST-MATCH REPORT will appear here


https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/45092871

SATURDAY 18TH AUGUST 2018
CHAMPIONSHIP
Reading v Bolton Wanderers
KO - 3.00pm
 
 
Reading got their first win of the campaign as they beat Birmingham in the Carabao Cup first round on Tuesday. Yakou Meite, Modou Barrow and Leandro Bacuna all left the game injured but should be fit to face Bolton.
Bolton will be hoping to recover from their cup exit following a 2-1 defeat against Leeds. Phil Parkinson made 10 changes for that game, including Erhun Oztumer who made a goalscoring debut, and he could make his league bow against the Royals.
 
Match facts
** Reading are unbeaten in their last eight league matches against Bolton (W3 D5), last losing in February 2008 in the Premier League.
** Outside the top flight, the Trotters have not beaten Reading since October 1996 - current Bolton manager Phil Parkinson featured for the Royals that day.
** Phil Parkinson has never beaten Reading as a manager, facing them five times in all competitions, drawing four matches and losing once.
** Reading have lost their opening two league matches of a season for the first time since 1998-99 - they have not lost their first three games since 1959-60.
** Bolton defender David Wheater has assisted two league goals this season - his previous two assists came across a combined total of 167 league matches.
** In the Championship this season, the most chances created from one player to another is four - Bolton's Josh Vela to defender David Wheater.

WEDNESDAY 22ND AUGUST 2018


CHAMPIONSHIP


Blackburn Rovers v Reading MATCH PREVIEW


KO - 7.45pm

Blackburn Rovers midfielder Bradley Dack should recover from a foot injury in time to play in Wednesday's meeting with Reading. Defender Derrick Williams is still ruled out by his foot injury, meaning Amari'i Bell is set to continue for Rovers at left-back.

On-loan Southampton youngster Josh Sims could make his first Reading start as they seek their first points. Sone Aluko could be available, as might Mo Barrow after a hamstring injury.
 


Match facts
** Blackburn have only lost one of their nine home league meetings with Reading (W4 D4), though it came in their last meeting, in December 2016.
** Reading have won three of their last four league matches against Blackburn (L1), completing a league double over them in 2016-17.
** Blackburn boss Tony Mowbray has never beaten Reading in five previous managerial encounters (D1 L4), all in the second tier.
** Reading have lost each of their last three games in the Championship. They have not lost four in a row since April 2016.
** Blackburn are unbeaten in their last eight games in the Championship (W4 D4), including each of their opening three of the current campaign (W1 D2).
** Reading have scored just one goal in their last six league games, with that only goal being the opener against Derby in the first game of the season.


https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/45191569

BLACKBURN 2 READING 2
Courtesy of BBC Sport
Two second-half penalties helped Blackburn Rovers come from 2-0 down to draw at home to Reading. Jon Dadi Bodvarsson scored twice in the opening 25 minutes as the Royals took charge at Ewood Park. But two rash challenges from Reading skipper Paul McShane led to penalties scored by Rovers captain Charlie Mulgrew as the hosts secured a point.
The result continues Rovers' unbeaten start to the season and gave Reading their first point. Reading manager Paul Clement made three changes to his side as they faced the prospect of opening their season with four losses, which would have been their worst start since 1959. But Bodvarsson, the only man to score for the Royals this season, opened the scoring after 12 minutes with a hooked finish, before doubling the lead with a tap-in 13 minutes later.
Rovers halved the deficit on 52 minutes as Mulgrew scored from the spot after McShane fouled Elliott Bennett, and they were level when Mulgrew converted a second penalty after being fouled by McShane with 28 minutes remaining. The hosts pushed for a winner in the closing stages, with Joe Nuttall going closest, but Reading hung on for a point.