Match Report
Reading
No goals
Wimbledon
No goals
Reading have their first point of the new League One season. They also have their first league clean sheet since March. And yet it's difficult to come away from Plough Lane feeling anything other than frustrated.
For around 65-70 minutes, Reading were comfortably the better side. We controlled possession, dictated much of the game and restricted Wimbledon to very little. The problem was that we did nowhere near enough with that dominance.
There was plenty of the ball, plenty of neat possession and some promising build-up play, particularly down the right in the first half. But once again there were too many sideways passes, too many promising situations that fizzled out and nowhere near enough ruthlessness when we got into attacking positions.
The statistics tell part of the story. Reading finished with 63% possession, 12 attempts to Wimbledon's three and 33 touches inside the opposition penalty area. But the most important statistic remained stubbornly at zero. For a side with genuine promotion ambitions, that's disappointing.
This isn't disrespectful to Wimbledon either. They'll fight for every point this season and Plough Lane isn't necessarily an easy place to go. But they finished 19th last year, survived by four points and came into this season widely expected to be battling towards the bottom again.
If we're serious when we keep talking about promotion, these are the sorts of games we need to be winning.
What was perhaps more concerning was the way the game changed late on. Andy Rinomhota had quietly been doing an important job alongside Lewis Wing in midfield, and his withdrawal for Charlie Savage after 65 minutes appeared to coincide with Reading losing their grip on proceedings. From having controlled most of the afternoon, suddenly Wimbledon were growing into it.
By the closing stages it wasn't Reading throwing everything forward looking for the winner. It was Wimbledon who looked increasingly likely to nick it. That will inevitably raise more questions about Leam Richardson's in-game management.
It's only two league matches, so nobody should be drawing definitive conclusions in August. But there is already an uncomfortable theme developing. Against Luton, Reading were excellent in the first half, led 3-1 and somehow lost 4-3 after a disastrous second-half collapse. Today wasn't anywhere near as dramatic, but again Reading's influence diminished as the game progressed.
Supporter reaction throughout the second half increasingly reflected that frustration: too much sideways football, abandoning a right-hand side that had looked threatening earlier in the game, eventually resorting to hopeful long balls and, most concerningly, the feeling that we'd stopped trying to win the game and started trying not to lose it.
That cannot become a habit.
There is also an interesting conversation developing around Lewis Wing. Today was his 150th Reading appearance and nobody needs reminding what an outstanding player he's been for this football club. He's rescued us too many times to count and, at his best, remains one of the finest midfielders in League One. But he doesn't currently look himself.
The recurring opinion among supporters isn't really criticism of Wing. It's concern for him. He looks tired. His influence hasn't been what we've become accustomed to and there is a legitimate question about whether we're simply asking too much of him. Reading shouldn't be frightened of occasionally taking one of their best players out of the firing line if that's what he needs.
At the other end of the milestone scale, Joel Pereira made his 100th Reading appearance and finally had a clean sheet to celebrate and that shouldn't be dismissed.
Reading's previous league clean sheet came all the way back in March, in the 3-0 win against Wigan. After conceding four against Luton last weekend — and after watching this team concede far too many painful late goals over recent months — actually seeing a game out is something. The defence deserves credit for that.
There were positives elsewhere too. Reading controlled large spells away from home, created enough situations to have won the game and, defensively at least, looked considerably more secure than they did seven days ago. But the bar has to be higher than simply finding positives.
The owners haven't spent the summer talking about consolidation. They've talked about promotion. Those expectations work both ways.
If promotion is genuinely the objective, one point from the opening six available isn't the start anyone wanted, particularly when today's opposition are expected to be fighting a very different battle at the other end of League One.
There was also the small matter of Reading appearing in a new red, orange and black third kit for the first time — a strip which seems to have divided opinion almost as much as the football. Personally, the football matters rather more.
The overwhelming feeling at full-time is one of a missed opportunity. For 65-70 minutes Reading were the superior side and should have made that superiority count. Instead, we failed to find the finish, lost control after the changes and eventually reached a point where getting out of Plough Lane with the 0-0 almost felt like a relief.
A point on the board. A long-awaited clean sheet. Both are welcome.
But for a club talking about promotion, the question is unavoidable: when does the football start matching the ambition?
Brogue
For around 65-70 minutes, Reading were comfortably the better side. We controlled possession, dictated much of the game and restricted Wimbledon to very little. The problem was that we did nowhere near enough with that dominance.
There was plenty of the ball, plenty of neat possession and some promising build-up play, particularly down the right in the first half. But once again there were too many sideways passes, too many promising situations that fizzled out and nowhere near enough ruthlessness when we got into attacking positions.
The statistics tell part of the story. Reading finished with 63% possession, 12 attempts to Wimbledon's three and 33 touches inside the opposition penalty area. But the most important statistic remained stubbornly at zero. For a side with genuine promotion ambitions, that's disappointing.
This isn't disrespectful to Wimbledon either. They'll fight for every point this season and Plough Lane isn't necessarily an easy place to go. But they finished 19th last year, survived by four points and came into this season widely expected to be battling towards the bottom again.
If we're serious when we keep talking about promotion, these are the sorts of games we need to be winning.
What was perhaps more concerning was the way the game changed late on. Andy Rinomhota had quietly been doing an important job alongside Lewis Wing in midfield, and his withdrawal for Charlie Savage after 65 minutes appeared to coincide with Reading losing their grip on proceedings. From having controlled most of the afternoon, suddenly Wimbledon were growing into it.
By the closing stages it wasn't Reading throwing everything forward looking for the winner. It was Wimbledon who looked increasingly likely to nick it. That will inevitably raise more questions about Leam Richardson's in-game management.
It's only two league matches, so nobody should be drawing definitive conclusions in August. But there is already an uncomfortable theme developing. Against Luton, Reading were excellent in the first half, led 3-1 and somehow lost 4-3 after a disastrous second-half collapse. Today wasn't anywhere near as dramatic, but again Reading's influence diminished as the game progressed.
Supporter reaction throughout the second half increasingly reflected that frustration: too much sideways football, abandoning a right-hand side that had looked threatening earlier in the game, eventually resorting to hopeful long balls and, most concerningly, the feeling that we'd stopped trying to win the game and started trying not to lose it.
That cannot become a habit.
There is also an interesting conversation developing around Lewis Wing. Today was his 150th Reading appearance and nobody needs reminding what an outstanding player he's been for this football club. He's rescued us too many times to count and, at his best, remains one of the finest midfielders in League One. But he doesn't currently look himself.
The recurring opinion among supporters isn't really criticism of Wing. It's concern for him. He looks tired. His influence hasn't been what we've become accustomed to and there is a legitimate question about whether we're simply asking too much of him. Reading shouldn't be frightened of occasionally taking one of their best players out of the firing line if that's what he needs.
At the other end of the milestone scale, Joel Pereira made his 100th Reading appearance and finally had a clean sheet to celebrate and that shouldn't be dismissed.
Reading's previous league clean sheet came all the way back in March, in the 3-0 win against Wigan. After conceding four against Luton last weekend — and after watching this team concede far too many painful late goals over recent months — actually seeing a game out is something. The defence deserves credit for that.
There were positives elsewhere too. Reading controlled large spells away from home, created enough situations to have won the game and, defensively at least, looked considerably more secure than they did seven days ago. But the bar has to be higher than simply finding positives.
The owners haven't spent the summer talking about consolidation. They've talked about promotion. Those expectations work both ways.
If promotion is genuinely the objective, one point from the opening six available isn't the start anyone wanted, particularly when today's opposition are expected to be fighting a very different battle at the other end of League One.
There was also the small matter of Reading appearing in a new red, orange and black third kit for the first time — a strip which seems to have divided opinion almost as much as the football. Personally, the football matters rather more.
The overwhelming feeling at full-time is one of a missed opportunity. For 65-70 minutes Reading were the superior side and should have made that superiority count. Instead, we failed to find the finish, lost control after the changes and eventually reached a point where getting out of Plough Lane with the 0-0 almost felt like a relief.
A point on the board. A long-awaited clean sheet. Both are welcome.
But for a club talking about promotion, the question is unavoidable: when does the football start matching the ambition?
Brogue