The season so far
Tankar från England
Barry från Reading bidrar här med lite tankar om säsongen hittills:
There was something typically Reading in the way we marked the 50th game of Steve Coppells time in charge by crashing out of the Carling Cup with one of the worst performances since the dark cold days of Tommy Burns. Then, 4 days later and playing against the same team no less, we not only break their unbeaten run but in doing so go top of the Championship and achieve our highest ever league placing in 133 years of Reading Football Club.
We keep hearing about how much the club has progressed off the field but in truth all of that has been matched on the pitch too.
So for the record, Coppells first 50 games in charge of The Royals:
Played Won Drawn Lost
50 24 17 9
One of those 9 lost was, of course, the 50th and another was possibly the biggest night of the Mad Stads life so far, a slender 1-0 reversal to Chelsea in the Carling Cup, although the play off semi with Wigan runs it close.
So what's the best thing about the job Steve? "The job itself .. The job is fabulous " he told adoring but respectful fans earlier this season. Moreover he continued that this current job was his "best chance of working in the Premiership".
But there's more to the philosophy of Steve Coppell: "A football club is formed in many ways" for instance.
So, in how many ways is Reading formed?
Well, we can beat West Ham 2-0 in a glorious Saturday lunchtime game broadcast on Sky and then lose to (pre Milton Keynes) Wimbledon on Boxing Day with a display so pitiful the home fans cheered the visitors as they didn't bring many fans of their own.
Coppell is "delighted" that Reading is a "community club and not a cash club", but then the fans keep moaning about how the Academy isn't producing first team players we actually keep hold of and a Board Director berates the fans that attendances have "plateaued".
The players make themselves accessible and then the fans cheer as one of them is substituted.
We sell a record number of season tickets and the club changes its first team strip after only 1 year "for the good of the club".
We have, though, for the first time got a purpose built dedicated training centre, which the club owns and we're told we're all welcomed to visit once the grass has seeded.
But to quote that Director again, Reading Football club "is work in progress".
Sure it's becoming more and more of a money machine that chews up your wallet but, hey, we've now got a loyalty card to allow the club more "market specific targeting".
On the pitch we're in our best shape since 1871, the record books prove it. Kits is up front firing on all cylinders and forming a dynamite partnership with Fozzie, and he's such a nice bloke into the bargain!
In Sidwell and Harper we have a midfield who are "as good as anything in the Division and better than most" - the manager says so. Other managers, Ray Lewington among them, are also more than a little envious of our full back pairing, Shorey and Murts. There's plenty others too and there's more coming through, Simeon Howell and Louis Soares for starters.
We're not having a bad season, we've started OK but quietly and, despite what others think, without a benefactors deep pockets. We're "work in progress" so be warned.
Barry O'Brien
