Another Home Defeat To Nil

28 February 2015
By Hob Nob Anyone?

It felt as if it was business as usual at the Madejski Stadium this afternoon as Steve Clarke reverted to his favourite starting eleven - but again saw them lose at home without scoring. Reading's home form is now atrocious after they have failed to score in three consecutive home defeats. It was Reading's second straight 0-3 reverse and saw the hard work of some recent away wins undone as the Royals slipped back to 18th in the table.

After the poor showing at Huddersfield in mid-week Clarke thought it best to shuffle the team around once more and recall his preferred starting eleven. That saw Cox and Pogrebnyak back up front with McCleary and Robson-Kanu back wide. Chalobah and Williams were in midfield and Chris Gunter returned at right back, after recovering from injury, to force Kelly onto the subs bench. Jake Taylor and Hope Akpan who both started on Tuesday night weren't even on the bench, and Yakubu was back to his role of coming on with twenty minutes left to play.

Visitors Nottingham Forest were probably worthy winners in the end but there was plenty of familiarity in the way the game went. Reading had the better of the first half and looked well placed for the second half, but then went a goal down not long after the break after a goal from nothing caught Federici off guard. They never really recovered from that goal and Forest were able to make the most of another defensive mistake and another error in placement from Federici to wrap up a win that, in the end, was straight forward. Forest's first and third strikes were spectacular long range screamers that flew into the roof of the net but Federici will surely feel disappointed not to have done better with such long range shots.

The first half had been much brighter. The atmosphere was much improved - helped in the North East corner by some bizarre stewarding targeting two fans for simply occasionally standing up, singing, and trying to enjoy themselves. The incident provoked a reaction from the fans as the stewards backed down and the resulting atmosphere was unusually good for this part of the ground. Reading had a few chances down the other end and won a couple of corners. From one corner Pogrebnyak headed just over. Simon Cox had chances after breaking into the area but his shots failed to find the target. Gareth McCleary was having a good game with some fast forward runs littered with step overs that looked like they might create some openings.

All that promise quickly faded in the second half. Federici made an excellent save before the mistakes returned for Reading. Reading still had the better of the possession but went from being in control to chasing a game they looked unlikely to get back into. Pogrebnyak found the side netting and had one decent effort saved, but Reading's shots were severely restricted.

Forest were excellent in defence and Reading found a packed area with no way through. Several attacks broke down as they were forced to put the ball out wide again with no options in the middle. Forest made it look easy down the other end and after their first it really felt as if the result was never in doubt. It does look like yet more changes are required to give Reading a chance of picking up what are quickly becoming vital league points. Bolton are the next trip for Reading on Tuesday night and it's very difficult to imagine us picking up points before what could be further embarrassment at Bradford next weekend.

• Reading 0 Nottingham Forest 3 - Match Report

Pressure On For Home Goals As Forest Visit

27 February 2015
By Hob Nob Anyone?

Reading will be hoping to turn around a poor run of home league games when Nottingham Forest visit the Madjeski Stadium this weekend. Forest are resurgent following the departure of previous boss Stuart Pearce. Forest started the season strongly, surging to the top of the table on results that included a 4-0 thrashing of Reading at the City Ground back in August 2014. However, it wasn't long before the results turned around and they fell down the table and sacked Pearce. Their fortunes have reversed once again since the end of January. February 2015 has been an amazing month for Forest as they have won four out of their five Championship games and the other game was a 4-4 draw at Blackpool.

Forest are back up to ninth in the table and come to Reading to face a team out of sorts at home. The Royals have lost three out of their last four league games and, as if anyone needs reminding, our last two home games have been "rubbish" defeats with Reading failing to find the net and failing to provide any kind of reasonable entertainment. Reading have scored just four goals from their last seven home fixtures - and might need to double that in one game to see off free-scoring Forest! Optimistic Reading fans will point to our better recent form against sides above us in the table, and at least Nottingham Forest are six places above us.

Steve Clarke shuffled the squad around for Tuesday night's 0-3 capitulation at Huddersfield Town, making six changes from the previous game, and seems set to do that again. It's almost as if Clarke is treating these games as practice sessions ready for next season as Reading look set for a mid-table finish this term. However, it would be good to wrap up a few more wins first, and make sure we don't get dragged into a relegation fight, before such experimentation with the squad. It could also be that Clarke is focusing on the cup and resting key players ahead of the quarter final trip to Phil Parkinson's Bradford City.

The FA Cup game remains a huge match for Reading after such a dull league campaign - a win would make the season memorable for a trip to Wembley and our greatest performance in the competition since 1927. But before what promises to be an eventful game in Bradford, the Royals have two more league games starting with Forest at home before traveling to Bolton on Tuesday night.

Reading could welcome Chris Gunter back into the side after he completed his return from injury by being an unused substitute at Huddersfield. Yakubu will probably find himself replaced by either Simon Cox or Pavel Progrebnyak up front after both players were entirely missing from the Huddersfield squad. Reading will feel the pressure from the home fans to score some goals and whoever is picked up front is going to have to come up with the goods after a barren spell at home.

Betting Odds:

• Reading Win: 6/5 (favourites)
• Nottingham Forest Win: 21/10
• Draw: 5/2
• Favourite goal scorer: Simon Cox (19/10 to score anytime)

See Also:

• Reading -v- Nottingham Forest - Previous Fixtures
• What Reading Need To Do To Beat Forest
• Current Championship Table

What Reading Need To Do To Beat Forest

26 February 2015
By Alex Bower

Reading come into Saturday’s home match on the back of their first away loss in six matches following a poor display against Huddersfield. Nottingham Forest, on the other hand, come into the game having seen off high-flying Bournemouth. With only seven points separating the two teams coming into the match, Reading have an opportunity to narrow the gap between themselves and the top of the table by taking their first home victory since January. If recent home performances against weaker opposition and Forest’s five game unbeaten run under Dougie Freedman are anything to go by, however, Reading will have to start performing if they are to take all three points at the Madejski.

The reverse fixture back in August is not one that Royals fans will want to remember. The match at the City Ground saw the Reds cruise to victory, winning 4-0. Two of those goals came from former Royal Michail Antonio, who is likely to start for Forest at the Madejski. One source of optimism for the Royals is that, the Reading squad is in a much stronger position now with the majority of players back from injury. Last time around, Adkins’ depleted squad options meant he was forced to field a team of youngsters, many of whom were thrown in at the deep end. On Saturday, the Royals will be more optimistic of getting a result.

If Reading are to get anything from the game, however, there are certain things that they will have to get right on the day.

Stick With A Formation That Works

“If you keep going with the same players, eventually all of those players will break down.”
- Steve Clarke

Last time out against Huddersfield, Steve Clarke opted to make six changes to the starting line-up. This is something he has been heavily criticised for, but things may have been different had Reading come away with a victory. It goes without saying that changes have to be made from game to game in order to keep the squad as fresh as possible in the midst of so many games. Six changes all at once may have been too much however, especially when considering players such as Jake Taylor had not featured for the Royals since Boxing Day.

The main issue against Huddersfield was members of the squad being played in the wrong positions. Garath McCleary played in behind Yakubu, Danny Guthrie was played on the left wing and Jake Taylor out on the right. Getting a goal with a single striker is hard enough, let alone when you have your most effective winger in McCleary playing in the middle of the park and a central midfielder playing out wide.

In three of the most winnable games against Huddersfield, Leeds and 10-man Millwall, Reading have started with a single striker and failed to find the net. Playing a formation with two strikers up front gives the Royals their best opportunity to create a chance going forward and start scoring some goals.

Find The Net

Sounds simple really, but Reading have failed to score in six of their last eight games at home, so will have to start scoring goals if they have any chance against Forest, who have netted eleven times in their last five away games.  Both Pavel Pogrebnyak and Simon Cox were rested against Huddersfield, with Clarke opting to play Yakubu in their place. The Yak would have benefited from the 90 minutes game time, but it is clear that he is not quite up to speed yet. Since playing with a single striker does not seem to work for Reading, bringing Pogrebnyak and Cox back into the starting lineup will be their best bet at opening up the Forest defence.

Width is also important if Reading are to have a chance of creating anything. Forest have plenty of options on the wings with the likes of Christopher Burke and Michail Antonio, who have scored sixteen and assisted thirteen goals between them in total this season. Jamie Mackie, Garath McCleary, Hal Robson-Kanu, Jake Taylor and Nick Blackman (all of whom have featured out wide for Reading) in comparison have managed thirteen goals and seven assists in total this season between them. Jordan Obita, as we know, likes to get forward from defence and subsequently has the most assists for Reading having achieved seven in total. With Obita, Reading have an outlet but against Forest he is at risk of being pinned back. Forest like to play in a 4-1-4-1 formation, meaning they have extensive attacking options and a holding midfielder to help out when the ball is cleared. Reading need to start keeping the ball on the ground, pushing forward and creating out wide, giving players such as Obita and Kelly the opportunity to get forward. If not Reading’s hoof-and-hope defensive approach will simply result in a continuous onslaught on Federici’s goal.

Stop Henri Lansbury

One thing that works in Reading’s favour is that Forest’s top goalscorer Britt Assombalonga is ruled out after undergoing knee surgery. Forest are proving that they can cope just fine without him, however, and subsequently Reading face a tough time against a strong and highly capable attacking force. Out wide Kelly and Obita will have their hands full with Burke and Antonio, while the central midfielders together with Pearce and Hector will have to deal with the likes of Henri Lansbury. Lansbury has scored ten goals and assisted four so far this season; five of those goals have come in Forest’s last five games. Lansbury is enjoying his best season so far for Forest and will definitely be a threat to the Reading goal, especially from set pieces. With the Reading back four being described as mentally tired in the last defeat to Huddersfield, Clarke may choose to shake things up a bit coming into Saturday’s match. If he does stick with the same back four, there will be some doubt as to whether they can pick themselves up in time to face such a prolific lineup.

Get The Home Crowd Back On Side

It is safe to say that the Reading fans have not had much to cheer about in recent home matches. Reading have failed to score in six of their last eight matches at the Madejski and lost their last two games against weaker opposition in the form of Wigan and Leeds. Those last two performances have been met by boos from an underwhelmed home crowd. Fans will be aware going into the game that this will be a tough game against strong opposition. If Reading can put pressure on Forest from the off and give fans something to cheer about, maybe they can begin to turn home form around. Playing against a rejuvenated Forest, Reading will need their home support more than ever.

Clarke's Big Changes End In Big Defeat

24 February 2015
By Hob Nob Anyone?

Steve Clarke sprung some big surprises tonight as he made huge changes to his winning side. Reading traveled to Huddersfield Town and were soundly beaten 0-3, with the home side taking the lead after just ten minutes. After an impressive away win at Ipswich on Saturday most were expecting few, if any changes, to the Reading line-up. Instead Clarke chose to shuffle the squad around, making six changes and fielding an unrecognisable side as Reading crashed to opposition that had started below them in the table.

There was no sign of either Simon Cox or Pavel Pogrebynak as Yakubu made his first ever Reading start. Neither player were even included on the bench as Yakubu was joined by Garath McCleary up front. Oliver Norwood, Hope Akpan, Jake Taylor and Danny Guthrie all returned to the starting eleven with Guthrie and Taylor playing wide. The only area where Reading remained unchanged was at the back with the back four and Adam Federici managing to hold on to their places. Chris Gunter was back on the bench after returning from injury but failed to see any action.

The ups and downs keep on coming for Reading. The Royals had established a good run of away form recently despite two poor home defeats against Wigan and Leeds. This defeat can certainly be grouped alongside those two and Reading struggled against opposition in the bottom half once again. It seems our best chance of success remains against higher placed opposition away from home. This was Reading's first away defeat in seven fixtures - a run that stretched back to January's 1-2 reverse at Fulham.

Adam Federici has been in fine form recently but this was a night to forget for Reading's keeper after his mistake cost an early goal. Reading looked like they might get back into the game throughout the rest of the first half as they enjoyed the better of the possession. Even at full time the statistics showed Reading had 59% possession throughout the game. However two second half goals from Huddersfield killed off any resistance from the Royals. Wells scored on 55 minutes when Federici failed to hold a shot, and Miller put the ball over Federici and into the Reading net with sixteen minutes left to play.

Clarke defending his decision to change the side around and thought Reading might have got something from the game during their first half showing: "I'm a little disappointed for the boys who came in, they tried hard and at one stage it looked like we'd get something but it was strange, like I say it slipped away from us. I'm ten weeks into the job, and it's always difficult to know when is the right time to make the changes. I just felt that in this run of horrendous fixtures, it was right to give one or two a rest and I had to look at some players as well. In the first half, you could see the players that I put on the pitch were good enough to win the game, it just wasn't our night. I didn't change the defensive players and if you look at the goals we concede, they can be a consequence of a little bit of mental tiredness and mental fatigue.

Huddersfield had remained the most dangerous throughout the game with Reading rarely threatening and managing just three shots on target. It seems likely that there will be big changes once more on Saturday as Nottingham Forest visit the Madejski Stadium - it seems unthinkable that Clarke would re-use this same eleven again.

• Huddersfield Town 3 Reading 0

Norwood Hopes For Huddersfield Return

24 February 2015
By Hob Nob Anyone?

Oliver Norwood will be hoping to be back in action for Reading tonight as they visit his old club Huddersfield Town in the Championship. He started the season at Huddersfield, making two appearances before signing for the Royals. Norwood, who made 90 appearances and scored 9 goals for the The Terriers, has already made a happy return to the John Smith's Stadium after helping Reading record a 1-0 away win in the FA Cup in January.

Norwood was an unused substitute on Saturday as Reading continued their fine away form with a win over promotion chasing Ipswich Town. He did play the ninety minutes last week as Reading limped to home defeat against Wigan. Norwood will be hoping that game doesn't count against him as he bids to return to the starting eleven. The temptation for Reading boss Steve Clarke will be to stick with his successful side. That will mean Jamie Mackie should retain his place in the side after his vital goal at Portman Road on Saturday. Clarke's decision making process is likely to be made easier as the usual suspects remain out injured. Chris Gunter, Danny Guthrie, Jem Karacan and of course Anton Ferdinand have all failed to recover from injuries.

Reading's FA Cup third round win was revenge for Huddersfield's 1-2 victory at the Madejski Stadium in the league earlier this season. The Royals have the upper hand over Huddersfield over the past twenty years with 7 wins against 5 wins for Huddersfield. Out of the last 13 games there has only been a single draw. Reading have won all of their last three games at Huddersfield - and all of them have been 1-0 victories.

Reading have superb away form right now. Meanwhile Huddersfield have lost two and drawn one of their last three home games. Despite that, sixteenth placed Huddersfield are very narrow favourites for victory:

• Huddersfield win: 8/5 (favourites)
• Reading win: 17/10
• Draw: 9/4

• Reading -v- Huddersfield - Recent Fixtures

Royals Take Full Bradford City Ticket Allocation

23 February 2015
By Hob Nob Anyone?

The club have done a great job in marketing tickets for Reading's FA Cup quarter final match at Bradford City on Saturday 7 April. We needed to sell out the initial allocation of 2,709 tickets fast to make it worthwhile taking up the second allocation. Tickets went on general sale this morning and the first batch were sold out inside an hour. The fast take up of tickets means that the Royals have now requested their full allocation from Bradford and should have an excellent turn out of traveling fans.

There are 1,587 additional tickets now on-sale from the club meaning Reading's full allocation is 4,296. If you'd like tickets for the game then the advice is to make sure you book on-line today to ensure you get tickets before they sell out.

The fast sale of tickets to see Reading take on former Reading legend Phil Parkinson's League One side has been helped by the low prices. The tickets are prices at £15 for aduults, £10 for concessions (overs 60s and students) and just £5 for children.

The prices look set to guarantee a sell out crowd at Valley Parade as the two sides battle to become one of the final four teams left in the competition and take a historic semi-final place at Wembley. Reading have excellent away form at the moment, but that won't stop Bradford being the public's favourite to claim another higher division scalp. The Royals are probably underdogs against Parkinson's promotion chasing team.

For those not making the long trip to Bradford for the 12:45pm kick-off, the game is being screened live free of charge on BT Sport 1.

See also:

• Bradford City Game To Be Shown Live On BT Sport
• Reading Look To Equal Best FA Cup Run

Away Form Continues With Ipswich Win

21 February 2015
By Hob Nob Anyone?

An early Jamie Mackie goal inspired Reading FC to grab an unexpected victory at Portman Road. The low strike in the 13th minute was enough to split the sides in a scrappy contest, bringing the Royals a fifth victory in the last eight away games.

Two changes were made following the disappointing Wigan game. McCleary and Norwood dropping to the bench, with Mackie and Hector returning to the line-up. Chalobah pushed back into his usual centre midfield position.

Ipswich started the game brightly with Daryl Murphy causing problems with his movement and direct running. In the 5th Murphy drove through the middle of the Royals defence but weakly pushed his shot straight to Adam Federici. In the 12th minute Murphy pulled out wide and delivered a cross onto the head of an unmarked Freddie Sears. Sears was unable to get any momentum into his header, looping the ball high across the goal.

With Reading making no early attacking intent they grabbed the lead against the run of play in the 13th minute. Pogrebynak pushed a pass to Jamie Mackie on the right hand side. Mackie was allowed to drive to the edge of area with Mings backing away. Mackie had a sight on goal and took his opportunity by smashing a low shot across Bialkowski into the bottom corner. Jamie Mackie celebrated the goal by sprinting the full length of the pitch, before doing a Michael Jackson turn and spin in front of the 433 travelling Royals fans.

With the goal it brought confidence back into the Reading team. Following the disastrous performance against Wigan on Tuesday night the Royals showed all the attributes that were missing. They played with tempo when in possession and aggression without the ball. Danny Williams was colossus in the middle, able to carry the ball forward as well as tough without.

Read Dave's report in full:

• Ipswich Town 0 Reading 1 - Match Report

Royals Hope Away Form Can Continue

20 February 2015
By Hob Nob Anyone?

Reading are on the road once again this weekend as they visit Ipswich Town in the Championship. After another poor performance at home, losing 0-1 at home to second to bottom Wigan on Tuesday, Reading will be hoping their decent away form continues. On the road we've drawn one and won three out of the last four in league and cup. Despite that impressive away form, on paper this looks like a certain home win. Ipswich Town are in fourth place and just three points off the top of the table.

Ipswich have former Reading players Noel Hunt, Stephen Hunt and Jay Tabb on their books. All three players have seen plenty of action for Ipswich this season, however Noel Hunt, who has scored three goals this term, will miss out on a return to Reading due to a knee injury. New loan signing Blackburn Rovers striker Luke Varney is expected to step into the team in Noel's place.

Michael Hector should be available for selection again after a minor knock ruled him out of Tuesday's defeat. Chris Gunter is still expected to be missing giving Kelly a further extended run in the starting eleven.

Jay Tabb and Stephen Hunt are both likely to be involved for the visitors. Tabb will be looking to follow up last season's goal against the Royals - it was his first ever at the Madejski Stadium despite many years on Reading's books. Reading were 2-1 winners on that day and also beat Ipswich again at the Madejski Stadium earlier this season when Jake Taylor scored the only goal of the match. Last season Reading were beaten 0-2 at Portman Road.

Reading fans off to the game should be aware of engineering works on the trains this weekend.

Bookmakers Odds

• Ipswich win: 21/20 (Favourites)
• Reading win: 12/5
• Draw: 5/2

From the Archive:

• Reading -v- Ipswich - Recent Fixtures

Reading Face Packed Fixture List

19 February 2015
By Hob Nob Anyone?

Thanks to Reading's run to the quarter finals of the FA Cup, we face a packed fixture list as the season approaches the finishing straight. The Royals will have to play at least 9 games over the next 30 days - meaning we are playing a game every Tuesday and Saturday until 21 March.

The home fixture against Brighton has been moved to Tuesday 10 March to make way for Reading traveling to Bradford City on Saturday 7 March in the FA Cup. Fans who are not making the journey to Bradford will be able to watch that game live on BT Sport for free. However, fans who are making the trip fancy a very difficult journey to try and get to Bradford for the 12:45pm kick-off. This Saturday should also cause some headaches for Reading fans who were looking to take the train to Ipswich - there are major engineering works planned.

It's going to be a tough time for Reading's away fans with Tuesday nights coming up at Huddersfield Town and Bolton Wanderers. Those away games are immediately followed by a battle to get to Bradford. Of course Reading's fixture congestion could get worse if they win or draw at Bradford and additional FA Cup games need to be squeezed into the already packed schedule. As the games come thick and fast Reading desperately need to pick up some league points to prevent getting dragged into a relegation battle, as well as trying to get to the FA Cup semi-finals for the first time in 88 years.

• Reading FC - Results and Fixtures 2014/2015

Bradford Game To Be Shown Free On BT

18 February 2015
By Hob Nob Anyone?

BT Sport are taking full advantage of the BBC's failure to show Bradford City live in the FA Cup once more by screening the game for free. BT Sport is usually only available to subscribers or BT Internet customers, but in a positive PR exercise they have opened the game up to everyone free of charge via their website. The BBC had already been criticised for failing to screen Bradford's fifth round win over Sunderland. It's great news for Reading fans who are not making the long trip to Bradford.

Giant-killers Bradford City have gripped football watching neutrals after putting out Chelsea and Sunderland in the last two rounds. For most people the result is a forgone conclusion with Bradford City firm favourites to put out the Royals and reach Wembley in the semi-finals. The game kicks off on Saturday 7 March at 12.45pm. The club are yet to confirm ticket details.

FA Cup Quarter Finals - Dates and times:

• Sat 7 March 12:45 - Bradford v Reading (BT Sport 1)
• Sat 7 March 17:30 - Aston Villa v West Brom (BBC1)
• Sun 8 March 16:00 - Liverpool v Blackburn (BT Sport 1)
• Mon 9 March 19:45 - Manchester United v Arsenal (BBC1)

Disappointing Royals Gift Wigan Only Fifth Win

17 February 2015
By Hob Nob Anyone?

A scrappy goal from a corner gave struggling Wigan their fifth league win of the season as Reading's home from continues to decline. This was surely one of the poorest performances from the Royals for a very long time time. Steve Clarke was brutally honest and accurate in his post-match summary.

In his interview he revealed he was 'embarrassed to be a coach of a team that plays like that'. It was, as he put it so succinctly, 'rubbish'. It was certainly an evening to forget as even more fans than usual stayed away making a mockery of the official attendance of over 14,000.

Those that did make the effort sat in silence as their team failed to create any clear scoring opportunities against one of the poorest teams in the league. The manager accepted his responsibility for the poor performance but no matter how well prepared his team is, there is little he can do when his players make poor decisions all over the pitch throughout the game.

Full report:

• Reading 0 Wigan 1 - Match Report

Royals Well Overdue Win Over Wigan

17 February 2015
By Hob Nob Anyone?

Reading are firm favourites to record a league win tonight as second to bottom Wigan Athletic visit the Madejski. Wigan are nine points adrift of safety and are already been written off as relegation certainties alongside bottom side Blackpool. However, Reading's last home fixture saw a 0-2 reverse against Leeds United who were below Reading in the table at the time. The Royals were also expected to beat Leeds after impressing against Sheffield Wednesday and Wolves.

Since that Leeds defeat we've secured our quarter final place in the FA Cup with last Saturday's surprise 2-1 win at Derby County, and Reading will be hoping to continue that style of performance and put the Leeds result behind them. The Royals have lost just that single game in the last six and have won four of those fixtures.

Wigan haven't won a game since last December, which was a 2-0 win at Leeds. Since that win they've been dumped out of the FA Cup while losing six and drawing two out of eight. They've had a poor season all round but seem to have hit a new low in their form as they come to Reading.

Yakubu will attract plenty of attention tonight after his FA Cup winner at Derby when he shook off the attention of two defenders to finish in style. Yakubu has played just two twenty minute slots from the bench since signing for Reading, and there is media speculation that he may be handed his first Reading start tonight. Garath McCleary is likely to miss out again with his knee injury and Chris Gunter's injury drags on and on. He was expected to miss a couple of games but has missed longer than expected as he continues to recover.

Reading have lost four out of their last five games with Wigan. We started this season with a 2-2 draw at Wigan with two former players - Cummings and Morrison - scoring the goals. Last season we lost both encounters including a 1-2 home defeat - so the Royals are long overdue a win over Wigan.

• Reading -v- Wigan - Recent Meetings

FA Cup Draw - Away At Parkinson's Bradford City

16 February 2015
By Hob Nob Anyone?

Reading have been drawn away at Reading legend Phil Parkinson's Bradford City in the quarter finals of the FA Cup. It is Reading's fourth straight away draw in the competition this season. The game will take place on either Saturday 7 March or Sunday 8 March depending on TV schedules.

The League One side have hit the headlines again this season for their success in a cup competition. Two years ago they reached the League Cup final while in League Two, losing to Swansea City at Wembley. This season they have already famously put out Chelsea after coming back from two goals down to win 4-2 at Stamford Bridge. That was followed by another shock as they put out Premier League Sunderland in the last round with a 2-0 home win at Valley Parade.

Based on their cup form, and home advantage, Bradford City will probably go into the fixture as favourites to make it into the semi-finals and another appearance at Wembley Stadium. It is obviously a tough draw for Reading, as they again missed being drawn at home, but it does give the Royals a realistic chance of getting into the last four for only the second time in the history of the club.

Former Reading midfielder, and multiple winner of the player of the season, Parkinson has enjoyed plenty of success at Bradford. He had a mixed managerial career at Colchester, Hull and Charlton before being recruited by the Bantams. He joined at the start of the 2011/2012 season and by December was voted League Two manager of the month. He followed a season of safety with promotion to League One via the play-offs and that amazing League Cup run that included wins over Aston Villa and Arsenal.

This season he has led his team to their FA Cup quarter final meeting with his former club, and has promotion to the Championship in his sights. Bradford are currently just two points outside of the League One play-off positions with two games in hand following their cup run. The FA Cup fixture all set up to be a classic encounter with Parkinson's Reading links and two sides that will be thinking they have a very realistic chance to progress in the competition.

Bradford's route to the quarter finals:

• Round 1: Halifax 1 Bradford 2
• Round 2: Bradford 4 Dartford 1
• Round 3: Millwall 3 Bradford 3
• Round 3R: Bradford 4 Millwall 0
• Round 4: Chelsea 2 Bradford 4
• Round 5: Bradford 2 Sunderland 0

Reading's route to the quarter finals:

• Round 3: Huddersfield 0 Reading 1
• Round 4: Cardiff 1 Reading 2
• Round 5: Derby 1 Reading 2

Reading Look To Equal Best FA Cup Run

16 February 2015
By Hob Nob Anyone?

Reading made it three wins from three away FA Cup games to defeat Derby County 2-1 at the weekend and make it into the last eight of the competition. The Royals will now be hoping for a kind home draw as the fixtures for the quarter finals of the FA Cup are revealed this evening. Reading are ball number seven in the draw which will be made live on BBC 1 after 7pm and before the Preston and Manchester United game.

Reading are the third lowest ranked side left in the competition after Reading legend Phil Parkinson's League One Bradford pulled off another shock win against Sunderland to reach the last eight. There are five Premier League teams left (Liverpool, Arsenal, Aston Villa, West Brom, and Manchester United) and two from the Championship after Blackburn overcame Stoke City. Preston and Bradford represent League One.

The Royals need one more win in the FA Cup this season to equal their all time record of reaching the semi-finals. The Royals have reached the last four just once - all the way back in 1927 - and will be hoping 88 years later to match that again. With Reading locked in midtable in the Championship it seems the ideal season to concentrate on the cup, try and break records, and earn the club plenty of additional income from the competition. Reading now find themselves just one game away from a trip to Wembley.

In 1927 Reading entered in the first round and needed to play nine games before eventually being beaten 0-3 in their tenth game against eventual winners Cardiff City. The run included three games against top tier side Manchester United in the third round. After drawing 1-1 at home we drew 2-2 away before winning 2-1 at Villa Park to reach round four.

Having never reached either the League Cup or FA Cup final Reading fans may feel starved of Cup success. However, this will be Reading's third FA Cup quarter final appearance in just six years after reaching the last eight in 2010 and 2011. That's not bad for a team that's only spent three seasons in the top flight. In 2010, 2011 and this season we've been in the Championship but still made it through to the quarter finals.

In 2010 we put out Liverpool in the third round replay in that memorable night at Anfield, when a last minute penalty earned extra time before Gunnarsson's superb cross saw Shane Long score a 100th minute winner. We eventually went out to Aston Villa. Villa will of course be in tonight's draw, so we may earn a chance for revenge. In 2011 we saw off West Brom, Stevenage and Everton before losing away to Manchester City by a single goal. With memorable FA Cup wins in the past against Manchester United and Liverpool it will be Arsenal, who thrash us every time, that Reading might hope to avoid.

1927 Cup Run

2010 Cup Run

2011 Cup Run

FA Cup Quarter Final Draw - Ball Numbers

1. Liverpool
2. Arsenal
3. Aston Villa
4. West Bromwich Albion
5. Bradford City
6. Blackburn Rovers
7. Reading
8. Preston North End or Manchester United

Super Sub Yakubu Puts Royals In Last Eight

14 February 2015
By Hob Nob Anyone?

A Yakubu goal with eight minutes left to play sent Reading through to the last eight of the FA Cup at Derby, for the third time in five years. The Royals were 2-1 winners after Hal Robson-Kanu's goal was cancelled out by Darren Bent's equaliser in the second half. The game was 0-0 at half time but the home side finished the half with ten men after Warnock was sent off for his second booking. Reading made the most of the extra man when Yakubu came off the bench with twenty minutes to play and scored the decisive goal.

Derby enjoyed the better of the possession before they were reduced to ten men after Warnock's late tackle on Mackie, but both sides had chances to score. Federici pulled off a couple of good saves to keep it level, and down the other end Cox saw an effort blocked on the line and put one over from a rebound.

The extra man allowed Reading to see a bit more of the ball after the break. Reading had a strong claim for a penalty after the ball struck a Derby arm in the area, but the referee waved the appeal away. The Royals did take the lead seven minutes into the second half when Simon Cox did well down the right and cut the ball back to Hal Robson-Kanu in the middle. Robson-Kanu's effort was impressive - curling the ball into the left of the net to make it 1-0.

Bent was on the scoresheet for Derby eight minutes later when he got in the way of a shot to send a deflection past the unfortunate Federici.

For the second consecutive match Yakubu entered the action with twenty minutes to play but this time made his mark. Goal scorer Robson-Kanu turned creator to thread the ball through the middle to Yakubu who steamed through and made it count with a cool finish.

• Derby County 1 Reading 2
• Archive: Reading's recent FA Cup history

Last Chance For Glory At Derby

13 February 2015
By Hob Nob Anyone?

Reading travel to Derby County once more this weekend in the fifth round of the FA Cup in what seems like one final chance to make something of this season. The Royals appear stuck in midtable in the Championship. We're certainly not going up and it seems highly likely we're not going down. With the season well into its second half, a mid-table finish for Reading seems more likely than not, leaving the FA Cup as the last chance for some excitement for Reading fans. A defeat at the weekend, which is the expected outcome according to form at the bookmakers, and we'll be left with talk of what might happen next season. A win for Reading, or even a draw, would keep the season alive and let us dream of FA Cup glory.

Derby are the third straight Championship opposition away from home that Reading have faced in the competition this season. It's four straight away games against same Division opposition if you also include last season's third round exit against Brighton. Meanwhile, this will be the eighth consecutive home game for Derby in the competition. Luck of the draw I guess. Derby have had a much easier passage to round five. They beat Southport 1-0 in round three and Chesterfield 2-0 in the fourth round.

The Rams are flying high in the Championship - third place and just a single point away from the top spot. But Derby's position could well help Reading. Derby look set to rest players with promotion their firm focus for this season. Boss Steve McClaren is happy to admit before this game that it's the League takes priority: "All will be revealed on Saturday but we will make some changes."

Reading on the other hand will put out their strongest side in an attempt to follow up wins at Huddersfield in round three and Cardiff City in round four. The Royals might have already lost twice to Derby this season (0-3 at home in the league and 0-2 away in the League Cup), but this feels our best opportunity yet to win, despite going into the fixture as firm underdogs.

The Royals have failed to score against Derby in the last three meetings, after drawing 0-0 at home in March. Despite the poor results this season our recent history against Derby has fallen firmly in Reading's favour. Before the two recent defeats Reading had won 5 and drawn 2 of the last seven games and the stats show that the games normally produce plenty of goals with a Reading win being the most frequent result.

• FA Cup 3rd Round: Huddersfield 0 Reading 1
• FA Cup 4th Round: Cardiff 1 Reading 2
• Reading -v- Derby - Match Report History

Leeds Halt Royals Recovery

11 February 2015
By Hob Nob Anyone?

Reading followed up excellent wins against Sheffield Wednesday and Wolves with a poor home defeat against Leeds United. The Royals had looked much improved recently under the guidance of Steve Clarke but were back to their old ways as they were brushed aside by an average Leeds side. Clarke chose to change the winning side around with Blackman and Norwood starting and Cox finding himself back on the bench.

Reading weren't too bad for the opening twenty minutes, but after that Leeds were in easy control of the fixture with Reading's game littered with mistakes. Leeds took the lead just after the hour mark and the impending defeat saw Cox hauled off the bench alongside Yakubu who made his Reading debut. Yakubu's appearance was a non-event as he had little involvement. Instead, Leeds wrapped up the three points with ninety minutes on the clock, making it 0-2.

Reading can't go up and won't go down. Fortunately we are still in the FA Cup which gives us our only shot at some excitement this season. A defeat at Derby on Saturday and it will feel that the season is already over. With Derby fighting for promotion a lot more rests on this game for Reading than the home side but it will be much more difficult than the visit of Leeds United.

• Reading 0 Leeds United 2 - Report and Opinion
• Reading 0 Leeds United 2 - Fan Opinion - Have your say

Resurgent Royals Up To Thirteenth

07 February 2015
By Hob Nob Anyone?

Reading returned from a difficult away trip to Wolves with three points in the bag - thanks to a second goal in two games from a resurgent Pavel Pogrebnyak and a second half winner from Danny Williams. The win saw Reading record consecutive league victories for the first time since September last year. Under Steve Clarke Reading find themselves unbeaten in four games, in the fifth round of the FA and up to thirteenth in the Championship table - our highest placing since the start of November.

The Royals appear to have turned a corner and have hauled themselves firmly back into midtable and away from danger with a good chunk of the season to go. Reading's performances continue to improve and the Royals deserved this win after being the better team, despite being away from home against a side trying to earn a play-off finish.

Clarke seems to have discovered a winning side and is sticking to it. With Pogrebnyak in fine form and working well with Cox there was no place for new signing Yakubu, although he was named on the bench he will have to wait before making his Reading debut. Reading were unchanged from their victory the week before against Sheffield Wednesday and worked excellently as a team once again. Norwood and Blackman were both involved from the bench in the second half and Hope Akpan made a late appearance to play the last six minutes as he completed his return from injury.

Pogrebnyak put Reading ahead inside 20 seconds of the game with a great finish for his third goal in five games. Wolves had chances to draw level before they made it 1-1 on 26 minutes when Afobe headed past Adam Federici. Reading however emerged the stronger side after the half time break and the winner came on 70 minutes when Garath McCleary provided a pass in front of Danny Williams allowing him to smash the ball home via the post.

• Wolverhampton Wanderers 1 Reading 2

Yakubu Hopes To Appear At Wolves

06 February 2015
By Hob Nob Anyone?

New shock signing Yakubu will be in the squad this Saturday as Reading travel to Wolves in the Championship looking to build on a run of three games unbeaten. The Royals have made a slight recovery in the league and progressed to the fifth round of the FA Cup since the arrival of Steve Clarke.

The arrival of striker Yakubu has caused plenty of interest throughout the football world and a mixture of reaction from Reading fans. Some fans feel he could be the player we need to give the side a boost and help us climb the table after an inconsistent season. Others are worried about the lack of his match action at a reasonable standard in recent years. It is a long time since Yakubu was banging in goals in the Premier League, but Reading remain hopeful he can pick up where he left but at a division lower. Yakubu seems likely to make an appearance from the bench depending on how the Royals are faring at Wolves. Clarke believes that Yakubu is match fit and ready to go.

Other than Yakubu, Reading should be essentially unchanged at Wolves. Full back Chris Gunter continues to make progress towards returning to action from injury, but Kelly is expected to continue defensive duties in his absence. Hope Akpan will be trying to get back into the side as he returns from injury. Anton "45 minutes" Ferdinand will be off-duty once more.

Wolves will be without regular goalkeeper Carl Ikeme for the first time this season after a major injury has ruled him out for up to two months. He suffered the injury after a tackle from former Reading player James Henry in training. Perhaps Reading born Henry is still on the payroll?

Reading are unbeaten in five games against Wolves. Before that we lost five games in a row against them, which included both legs of the Division One play-off semi final in 2003. Earlier this season we drew 3-3 at home with Wolves - Hector, Taylor and Murray were on the scoresheet for Reading that day.

Read More:

• Reading -v- Wolves - Match Report Archive
• Royals Sign Striker Yakubu on Transfer Deadline Day

Transfer Deadline Day - Yakubu Signs

02 February 2015
By Hob Nob Anyone?

Former Portsmouth, Middlesbrough, Everton, Leicester City and Blackburn Rovers striker Yakubu has signed for Reading on transfer deadline day. The 32 year old striker, who has an excellent record in English football, was looking for a move back to England and is happy to take a pay cut as he approaches the later stages of his football career. Yakubu is reported to have attended a medical at Southampton earlier today prior to agreeing a short term contract with the Royals to keep him at Reading until the end of the season. Before signing for Reading, Yakubu was a free agent after playing in Qatar earlier this season.

Steve Clarke is faced with a serious lack of budget on transfer deadline day as he attempts to strengthen the squad for the remainder of the season. Clarke has serious limitations on both immediate spending and on wages, which appears to rule out any long term contracts or players with high salary demands. The Nigerian striker, last seen in English football three years ago, was on the books of Qatar club Al Rayyan last season. Yakubu's signing certainly comes as a surprise but it would seem to fit Reading's transfer profile right now.

Speaking as the club confirmed the signing Steve Clarke said "Yakubu brings a fantastic scoring record to this club and his addition will complement the strikers we've already got at Reading and help us to improve as a team in latter stages of the season. I know all about him as a player and I have heard very good reports about him as a personality in the dressing room. He is no-risk signing for us."

Yakubu, full name Yakubu Aiyegbeni, is well known for banging in goals in the top tier of English football. He scored 29 league goals for Portsmouth before a 7.5 million pound move to Middlesbrough. At the height of his career Everton paid Middlesbrough over 11 million pounds for his services in the summer of 2007. After a further 25 league goals for Everton he moved to Leicester on loan and then to Blackburn. At Blackburn he scored a total of 18 goals in just 30 starts.

He scored a total 114 goals in his English career which stretched from 2003 to 2012 before a million pound move to Chinese club Guangzhou. He has a career total of 468 games and a very impressive strike rate which has seen him score 198 goals. Despite his long career he is still only 32 years old and may still have something to offer the Championship. Reading fans point to the signing of Jason Roberts that worked as a catalyst to Reading climbing the Championship table in the past - there's hope that Yakubu's experience and goals could rejuvenate the season. Yakubu should be available for selection next Saturday as Reading travel to Wolves for their Championship fixture.

Last week's rumour surrounding the signing of Danish international Lasse Vibe faded rapidly after Reading were reported to have offered only half the amount IFK Goteborg were expecting. Interest in Vibe seems to have picked up elsewhere meaning the player is now well outside of Reading's budget. The signing of Yakubu further shows Vibe will not be signing for Reading. With Yakubu signing and Pogrebnyak having an excellent game at the weekend (and seemingly not going anywhere today), Steve Clarke can turn his attention away from looking for a striker. Reading fans will be wondering if the club have any other surprises on transfer deadline day, or if Yakubu will be our only signing as the transfer window closes.

• Reading FC Complete Yakubu Signing - Have your say