Adam Federici looks like he’ll be sadly missed by most Reading fans looking at all their tweets about him. The keeper has been at the Royals for 10 years but the lure of Premier League football was something he could not resist. It is revealing that he chose AFCB to come to as Southampton were also known to be interested in the keeper, so the Cherries may have stolen a second keeper from the Saint’s noses in just as many days.
While Adam will be known for his slip up in the FA Cup Semi-Final this season against Arsenal at Wembley he will be well aware that he will have to be at his very best to dislodge Artur Boruc from the top keepers’ spot. Signing for three years though would indicate that Federici is here for the long term and he has bought into what the club is all about judging from his comments after signing for the Cherries. Again it is good business for the Cherries as Adam was released by Reading and was a free transfer. Reading conceded 69 goals last season, 24 more than AFCB in the league and Adam Federici had 12 clean sheets in the league.
This does make it difficult to see Lee Camp and Ryan Allsop vying for a keeper’s position at Dean Court but Eddie Howe has said that he wanted Allsop to try and challenge for the No 1 jersey less than a month ago. Now the loan door probably opens up for him and keeping Lee Camp happy will also be difficult, but AFCB has several top keepers battling it out for just one place in the team and one on the bench.
I asked Dan at The Tilehurst End Blog if he'd answer questions about Adam Federici, so here they are:
CC: What are AFC Bournemouth getting with Adam Federici?
THB: You're getting a pretty decent bloke to have around the changing room and a solid goalkeeper at top end Championship/lower Premier League level. His shot stopping has generally been pretty good, while his distribution is amongst the very best I've seen at the Madejski Stadium. His handling is solid but not spectacular, while some fans have never been convinced about his command of an area.
Where he's really been held back is his ability to throw a clanger at the most inopportune moments, as this piece from one of our readers explains.
CC: What do Reading fans like about him?
THB: As mentioned, he's been known to make some big saves at crucial times and off the pitch he's always got on really well with the supporters.
CC: Is there a particular game that you can think of when he was truly magnificent for Reading last season?
THB: Not that immediately spring to mind! He was often doing his very best to keep the scores down, I think even in our thrashing at the Goldsands he was pulling off some fine saves to keep it respectable.
CC: Many thanks to Dan at The Tilehurst End Blog for giving us a bit more of an insight as to Adam Federici. One match back in 2008 which certainly did endear him to the Royals was when he scored against Cardiff in added-on time, which you can read about on this BBC report.
I noted that Baily Cargill had an exciting game last night for the England U20s. It finished 3-3 against Morocco.
Finally, one of our AFCB Canadian exile fans has asked me to post a video competition hosted by Vancouver White Caps that his three AFCB supporting sons have entered, to try and win their West Kelowna Football club (U10 Boys Vipers) a new indoor training ground - they need as many votes as they can get so please help by voting for Vipers FC here. You may also see an AFC Bournemouth goalkeepers shirt if you look closely!
Christian Atsu has singed from Chelsea on a season-long loan to the Cherries!
Rival Lines
Reading v AFCB
14 April 2015
Blogger Interview: The Tilehurst End podcast and Blog
The excitement for Reading fans is perhaps not so much for the match against Bournemouth but their semi-final tie against Arsenal in next week's FA Cup. Still, I managed to have a chat with Dan from the The Tilehurst End podcast and Blog before he got his busy week underway and I had a few questions to ask him about how he thought Steve Clarke might go about this game with the league leaders before their special weekend.
CC: Congratulations on doing so well in the FA Cup but if you don't get any further than the semi-final, will this season as a whole have been disappointing?
TTEB: It's tough to say really but personally I'll consider it disappointing but not disastrous. The FA Cup run has captured the imagination, even though the fact we're facing Arsenal has taken some of the shine off things. However to be still slightly concerned with relegation with just five games to go is disappointing by any standards. This will be our lowest finish since returning to the top two tiers in 2002 and few players will come out of the campaign with much to shout about.
CC: Why do you think Reading have not done better in the Championship this season?
TTEB:To me the team has just gone stale, that coupled with some poor man management, an appalling injury list and general poor play has led to this lowly position we find ourselves in. Our previous ownership crippled the club's manoeuvrability in the FFP era and there's only so far you can go when you've not paid money for a central defender in nearly three years.... Losing Glenn Murray back to Palace in January also deprived us of our only natural goal scorer and the midfield just hasn't chipped in with the number of goals we've needed.
CC: The 6-1 away defeat to Birmingham in December was probably the hardest day for a Royals fan, but I guess at least you brought in Steve Clarke then and he has done okay hasn't he?
TTEB: I think OK is about the best way to describe it because in truth he's got a worse PPG ratio than Mr Adkins. The FA Cup run has obviously kept him in the good books of many Reading fans but there's already been a few questions about his team selections and short-term signings. It's unfair to judge him until he's had a full pre-season under his belt but there's not been an instant transformation or wow factor.
CC: At the time of writing, I see that Pavel Pogrebnyak and Jamie Mackie have only scored six goals each for Reading all season (at the time of writing), so are you hoping that there are changes in the striker department over the summer and do you think the club will have money to spend?
TTEB: 100% hoping for change! As Mentioned, losing Glenn Murray has left a massive hole in our striking options and while Mackie and Pog have done their best, neither are the type of dynamic 20 goal a season striker that really helps you compete at the top of the table. With many expensive contracts coming off the books this summer there should be a bit of money to spend but with our parachute payments decreasing and a new training ground to be built, I wouldn't expect a massive spending spree. Jamie Mackie himself is one of those that will go back to Forest this summer, so hopefully he is one that comes back.
CC: How has Zak Knight been performing who was brought in on loan until the end of May?
TTEB: The only thing Zat Knight has been performing well in is the race to see who's been the bigger bust, himself or Anton Ferdinand.... How that man ever played for England is beyond me! Kwesi Appiah has shown flashes of promise since joining on loan from Palace while Nathan Ake has demonstrated why Chelsea think so much of him at just 20 years old.
CC: Do you think your fixture congestion this month could cause you problems with your league position still not safe yet?
TTEB: At the time of writing it looks as if our draw with Blackburn has probably kept us safe but with yourselves, Brentford and Derby all to play before the end of the campaign, a couple of Millwall wins might just cause a tinge of concern. Still I think we've got enough points to survive.
CC: Would beating Brentford mean more to Reading fans than beating Bournemouth?
TTEB: In all honesty I don't think either would register particularly highly among the fanbase, sorry! There's perhaps a little more niggle due to Bournemouth's seeming dislike for us but I don't think there's any particular animosity between us and Brentford.
CC: You play Derby on the last game of the season. That could be intense if Derby need points to remain in the top six but do Reading usually play well against Derby away?
TTEB: We've actually had a good time of things at Pride Park/iPro Stadium in recent years, including this season's FA Cup win at the same stadium in the Fifth Round. That being said, Reading will very much be 'on the beach' for this fixture and if Derby have anything to play for I can't see us standing in their way.
CC: It's an evening game against Bournemouth but do you expect Reading fans to be there in numbers with an FA Cup semi-final just around the corner?
TTEB: 4,000 Cherries fans will swell the attendance but judging by recent weeks I don't think you'll see a particularly bumper crowd from the Reading side of things. With Wembley at the weekend and our league form pretty awful there's little incentive for fans to come down and the fact we'll likely take a thumping won't help things either!
CC: Do you expect Clarke to rest players for the Bournemouth game and if so who in particular?
TTEB: Our last pre-FA Cup game saw Clarke rest virtually the entire side and it wouldn't surprise me to see him do the same again. Adam Federici has had a quiet couple of games so he might get a run out, as will cup-tied loanee Nathan Ake but beyond those two I really wouldn't be shocked to see nine changes from the game against Blackburn.
CC: What is your score prediction for Reading v AFCB?
TTEB: Reading 0-3 Bournemouth.
It looks a bit like AFCB's match against Reading is a bit of a sideshow to the main event for Royals fans but the match is everything to the Cherries who could secure a play-off place tonight and whatever team the opposition puts out AFCB really need a win. Many thanks to Dan at the The Tilehurst End podcast and Blog for giving us his thoughts on what have been the problems for Reading FC and how life in the Championship has been for fans of Reading. If you go over to The Tilehurst End site later today you should find some of my answers to questions put to me about the Cherries' season.
AFCB V Reading
Match Preview
Blogger Interview - The Tilehurst End
Cherry Chimes had the opportunity to quiz the The Tilehurst End about the Royals push for the play-offs and the thoughts of the blog's editor Dan Wimbush on his teams run-in.
CC: We are right at the business end of the season and Reading are in with a play-off shout, but do you think the team secure a top six place and what do you think about the run in of fixtures you have left - some games must stick out as very hard ones?
TTE: Well it's a mixed picture really but in my mind this game is going to be the hardest of our remaining six! After our trip to the South Coast we've got a home games with already promoted Leicester, and a probably promoted Burnley as well as games against teams with probably nothing to play for in Donny, Middlesbrough and hopefully Wigan. As an eternal pessimist I can still seeing us mess it all up but we're in a fantastic position to make the promotion lottery.
CC: Was the Barnsley game just a bad day at the office or do you think it's the pressure building up?
TTE: It was a horrendous day at the office but sadly was just one of a string of woeful home performances that have seen us win just two games in eleven. We really struggle against teams that sit back, which is why our home form is so bad but our away form has been so excellent. We really do have the ability to beat any team on our day and the more open the game the better!
CC: Would you say the majority of Reading fans are pleased with Nigel Adkins?
TTE: I think most fans sympathise with him at this stage because he was clearly sold a vision of the club that's very different to the reality. He set about trying to rebuild the side but the sudden departure of our owner left him with no funds and having to work with Brian McDermott's side who were used to playing a much different brand of football. Throw in a ridiculous injury list and keeping us in the top six has to be seen as a very good effort. Sure he's made the odd baffling decision but he's done well overall.
CC: If Reading get promoted what does Adkins need to do to make the team a stronger outfit at the top level?
TTE: A lot to say the least. The squad is largely made up of players who looked out of their depth last season in the top flight and few have taken significant steps forward. We'd need large scale investment across the pitch to be competitive but the likes of Crystal Palace show that with the right moves you can do it.
CC: Who would you say is the player that is your biggest goal threat at the moment?
TTE: Goal scoring hasn't exactly come easily in recent weeks, with Adam Le Fondre without a goal since January and Pavel Pogrebnyak also struggling in open play. Our midfielders are all chipping in with the odd goal which is nice and I suppose the real positive is that while no one player looks an outstanding threat, you can see just about any of the 10 outfield players scoring.
CC: Royston Drenthe looked a great player when he came on against the Cherries at the Madejski. He seems to be getting more games for you now but it is surprising to see he only has two goals this season. How is he doing?
TTE: Drenthe had a fantastic August but an injury against Leeds in mid-September coupled with some undisclosed personal problems looked as if they'd see the Dutch winger out of the club with a whimper and without finding the net. Thankfully those issues seem to be behind him now and while he's still not dominating games the way many of us had hoped, he's become a lot more effective, especially away from home.
CC: You battered AFCB for the first 20 minutes or more at the Madejski but got caught with two quick breakaway goals, so what kind of game do you expect at Dean Court?
TTE: That game was typical of most of our home games this season, where we failed to make early pressure count before capitulating to sloppy defeats. We've one just once all season from going behind but likewise haven't lost when we've taken a lead. With that in mind the first goal is going to be absolutely crucial on Tuesday night and if we get it I think we'll have enough to hold on but if we go behind it could get ugly fast for the Royals.
CC: What do you think about your away form this season?
TTE: You can't be unhappy with a campaign that's seen 10 away wins including wins at QPR and Derby. We've not lost away since January and we've played some of our best football on the road this season, if only we could translate that to results at the Madejski Stadium!
CC: Will it be easy to pick Reading's best player of the season?
TTE: Not really because no one player has had a consistently good season, as lots of players have played well in patches or have been steady but not spectacular. Young full-back Jordan Obita is winning plenty of hearts after his conversion to left-back while goal keeper Alex McCarthy has been outstanding at times. Adam Le Fondre was awesome in January while his strike partner Pavel Pogrebnyak has plugged away all season long and has earned the respect of Reading fans after a difficult first season at the club.
CC: Are you surprised that Burnley and Leicester are so far ahead of the other teams in the league?
TTE: Yes and no, I don't think either have been amazing to watch but both have just had the consistency to get results where as the rest of us just seem to slip up far too often. There's not much difference between the top eight in terms of ability and potential but the fantastic team spirit at Turf Moor and the ruthless consistency at the King Power look to have seen both of them back to the Premier League.
CC: I had better ask what you think the score will be tonight?
TTE: I'm going for a very nervy and edgy 1-1, I think Bournemouth will come at Reading full steam and we might just catch you on the break. From there it's a big defensive effort from Reading but we can't quite hang on.
CC: Thank you for giving some detailed answers Dan. I know this is a difficult game for both teams and will be one of the crunch fixtures this Tuesday that could define so much of the season, not only for our two clubs but for others as well. It is an eagerly anticipated game by fans of the Cherries and imagine it is equally so among Reading's fans. In many ways I think the match at the Madejski was key in Bournemouth's season and it helped give our side belief. It is fitting that this big match at Dean Court will be an evening fixture and I hope it is a good atmosphere with many travelling fans expected despite it being a mid-week game.
For more news and thoughts on how The Royals are shaping up for this fixture please have a read of the recent reports on The Tilehurst End. Cherry Chimes has also written some answers for The Tilehurst End blog so you could well see some more of my thoughts about tonight's match up on this site at some point later today.
You'll also see that we have put a short snap poll up in the right hand panel to see who just may be the Bournemouth player who is likely to walk off with all the player of the season trophies this year. I've narrowed it down a bit but if your favourite isn't there click the other box!
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