Swans v Reading | Vital Football

Swans v Reading

K

keith margam

Vital Football Legend
Swans sit 2nd in the table on 17 points, Reading at 20th on 7 points.

On paper an easier match than of late, but there are no easy matches in this division and on their day any team can beat another. I’m sure that Steve Cooper will not allow any complacency to creep in.

Bidwell is out, serving the second match of his 3 match ban for the red card last week. Wilmot is back in contention, having been ineligible for the Watford game due to it being his parent club. Kalulu is still out with a long term ankle injury suffered at Derby, where he was withdrawn at half time. Carroll has been out with a hip injury suffered whilst on loan at Villa last season and he has only played 73 minutes of first team football this season against Cambridge in the cup, he was an unused sub at Watford.

Swans last 3 Home: P3 W2 D0 L1 F6 A3 Pts 7

Reading last 3 Away: P3 W1 D1 L1 F3 A2 Pts 4
 
We should be looking to get a win here against an average at best side in Reading but like you say, its the Championship and anything can happen. On their day they can play well, they ruined Cardiff but they're inconsistent and their fans aren't too confident. Hopefully a comfortable win but we need to start games at a much faster pace.
 
Forgot about Cardiff losing up there 3-0!
Forest went top tonight, beating Stoke away 2-3. That’s 7 defeats from 9 matches for Welshman Nathan Jones’ side and his job must now be hanging by a thread.
 
It’s tight at the top end, and with these teams clashing today a few drawn games would be the ideal scenario, and a win for us of course:

Charlton v Leeds, Preston v Bristol C, QPR v WBA

Weather wise, strong winds and rain continue this afternoon and all weekend, which will hopefully not affect this match and hamper those travelling.
 
We have three matches coming up this week before another of the dreaded international break’s which so disrupt our momentum. After today’s home match with Reading, we have Charlton away on Wednesday, then Stoke at home next Saturday. Perhaps Leeds will soften up Charlton for us today. Stoke will still be missing Joe Allen after he was red carded last week and they could possibly be missing their manager Nathan Jones, who must be the next managerial candidate for the sack after a terrible run of form which leaves them sitting bottom but one in the table.
 
Steve Cooper : "Reading are a technical team. I actually think they’ve been better than their results have shown.
They play from the back and through the lines and if you let them they’re a dangerous team.
I think what I’ve learned is that every game is a challenge in one way or another and this will be a different one and we have to be at our maximum."

Berkshire Live reporter Jonathan Low says: "This is a very tricky game for Reading and one which is hard to see them getting anything from.
They can take encouragement, however, from the midweek display at Wolves which was a small improvement on previous weeks.
Being away from home and against a side which does not necessarily force the high press could suit them too, but it's still hard to see beyond a home win. Anything different would be a bonus - Swansea City 2 Reading 1 "

Reading manager Jose Gomes on facing Swansea, Fulham and Bristol City in the next week : "They are all very good teams who play very good football.
They have excellent players and I don't know which game will be the most difficult to face.
We must be to be prepared for everything.
We knew we would play all the teams and the schedule we knew from a long time ago so that's what we have and my players will be ready for it."

Sky Sports pundit David Prutton’s prediction:
“Swansea are another side who have seen their results dip since the international break. They have failed to win their last two games or score in either, which will be a little bit of a concern to Steve Cooper.
Reading are a strange one. They have looked so good in some games this season and seem to have a decent squad, but they have lost three in a row now, but I reckon they could arrest that slump with a 2-2 draw on Saturday."
 
Four games without a win since the International break in a bitterly disappointing second half as we allowed Reading to dominate possession with a glaringly weak midfield showing.

We went ahead as early as the 3rd minute as Ayew put in a great cross for Baston to head home. We dominated the first half but frustratingly couldn’t score again.

Second half we could do nothing right as Reading took over midfield. They harried us and dispossessed us with a high press as our passes went astray.

You just knew they would equalise as time ran down. We couldn’t keep possession and hold out for those last few minutes as sub Lucas Joao ran rings around us, eventually putting through Yiadom on goal in the 90th minute to equalise with a great shot. Three minutes injury time went so fast and it was goodbye to a top of the table position as the (useless throughout) referee blew time, and Reading avoided a fourth straight defeat.

Why Cooper was reluctant to change things around I don’t know, substituting too late, and with like for like players again in a match. Surridge for Baston who was playing well 77mins, Garrick for out of form Celina 77 mins, and Carroll for Fulton 82 mins, none making any difference.
 
Steve Cooper:
“It's a frustrated dressing room after conceding a goal so late on.
To be fair to Reading they did play some good stuff in the second half but we did manage to keep them away from the goals in terms of shooting position so to concede late on is disappointing.
I think we're also disappointed, after a good start, not just by getting the goal but within our play, that we didn't capitalise on it.
I did think we created some good chances to go 2 or possibly 3-0 up and that's equally as frustrating as conceding late on."

Jose Gomes:
"I am happy because from the bench I could watch my team playing good, positive football.
I am happy with my players today, but I think the way we controlled and kept the ball in the offensive half during the second half, we should even score more goals.
It would be really unfair to go back to Reading without any points.
If we play that game you don't know the name of the two teams, you could not say Swansea has 10 points more than Reading."
 
Swans - Reading
Possession: 50% - 50%
Shots: 17 - 12
On Target: 4 - 5
Corners: 3 - 6
Fouls: 8 - 14
Cards: 0 - 3Y
Ref: Keith Stroud 4/10
Attendance: 16,036
 
The curse of the Manager of the Month award?
The disruption of the International break of two weeks, Celina and Roberts coming back tired, and out of form since?
Whatever, September hasn’t been a good month.
We missed Bidwell yesterday, replacement Naughton was reluctant to go past the half way line throughout, and was out of position to allow Yiadom a free shot for the equaliser. Midfield trio Byers, Fulton, and Grimes were outplayed second half and visibly tired. Replacements came on too late to make a difference, and anyway were like for like.
 
Then there was the second controversial decision by the ref in a week. At Bristol City, Bidwell was sent off. This time No.18 Lucas Boye, yellow carded on 27’ for cynically bringing down Roberts, then blatantly pulled back Grimes, who had broken away on the counter attack on 45’+1’, a definite second yellow card and therefore a sending off. Yet he only gave him the wagging finger and the naughty boy telling off, to the howls of outrage from the East Stand where the incident happened. He was immediately pulled at half time, Josh Barrett replacing him.

Steve Cooper:
“They should definitely have been down to 10 men. We are definitely on the end of some poor decisions at the moment.
I was pleased we had an experienced referee today for the first time, as we seem to be getting the ones who are maybe a bit new to it, But we still got the same luck.
I don’t want to dwell on it too much. It was a clear second yellow card and the referee has made an awful decision.”
Cooper revealed he had also spoken to ref Keith Stroud about it:
“I spoke to him politely at half-time. I have come across him before, he is a really experienced referee and a decent guy, but I think he knew he had let himself down a bit.
He is going to have his excuses and his reasons, but I could tell he and the fourth official knew they probably were not at their best.”
 
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