The Tilehurst Blog on Steve Clarke and Reading's season

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.

Kermorgant makes scoring an art form

I can look back at this season and pick out some amazing moments when AFCB players did some spectacular things. One of those moments was certainly Yann's goal against Brighton at the Amex which broke the deadlock. It was the context of the goal in a match that was heading towards a possible draw and the setting of the goal in that period of the game when it was on a knife-edge that made it almost the perfect moment for a painting or a freeze frame.

Yann has raced up to 16 goals this season now.

Yann Kermorgant was poised waiting and thinking for quite some time. Matt Ritchie looked just as keen to want the strike but the Frenchman clearly knew that he could craft his kick perfectly over the wall to beat Stockdale and that all he had to do was execute what he does in training. It was by no means a simple free kick and yet I heard after the match that Smudge (Adam Smith) was confident that it would be a goal before Yann struck the ball. He has probably seen Yann score from that position over and over again, but to do it in such a big game and knowing that it could be the only chance to score in such a tight game means that Yann faced the kick with a lot of courage.

There was another Frenchman who played in red for a top English team in what must be about a decade now who had great stature about him - Eric Cantona. Yann may not yet have played in the topflight for Bournemouth but he has that same delivery of the ball in his gentle sweeping motion of his shots that almost caresses the ball into the top corner. I am sure Yann would love to be thought of in just the same sentence of Eric Cantona, but for AFCB fans he is 'Yanndabbiedosie!' if you like. Just a great footballer that has added quality and vision to the team in the last third and when he was signed from Charlton how many of us really believed who would go on to become such an important player in this team?  

Join us tomorrow when we preview the match against Reading with The Tilehurst End podcast and Blog.

Today you can also check out the latest on the Championship Run In which has a story entitled - As you were then.

The Cherries are doing what they need to

All you can do is win your games at this point. AFCB are doing that and with their great goal difference as well it is going to become harder and harder for the other teams to catch them in this final sequence of games if the Cherries keep on dong the right things at the right times. I do hope that the players don't pay too much attention to what the other teams are doing and that they maybe even decline the odd media interview if it means the difference between having their head in the right place or not at this crucial stage. 

AFCB players come out onto the pitch at Brighton.

If anyone is anxious about the games now I think it is the supporters rather than the players. I liked the way Jeff Mostyn showed his match preparation before the Cardiff game and how even club chairmen don't find it easy to calm the nerves before these big games. From the outside as fans we can see how much it means to the players and we know ourselves what it means to us and it is something very special when you can share this same dream with so many other people.

It is easy to say just go with the flow and enjoy it but I think I have become more superstitious in my time in following the team this season as the prize is much bigger than in any other season that I have been following the club. I am not sure how Tommy Elphick keeps carrying out the same match routine but it becomes almost automatic and I see myself doing the same things as I did last week when the nervous tension was growing.

What has helped is all this changing of kick off times, but it does not seem to have a bad affect on the team I am pleased to say. They just get down to the business of winning football games and after the Brighton match I saw for the first time the players really smiling and believing that they are nearly there now. They are where they want to be and they are sitting more comfortably at the top of the league in my opinion whether it happens to be by goal difference a point or several points - they are starting to like being there. I am rather liking them being there too!

You can find out what I made of the form of chasing teams in the top eight in the weekend by going to the Championship Run-In tab and you'll also see some predictions for this weeks games for those vying for promotion to the Premier League.

Adam Smith gave the desired impact to the team

I believe that Adam Smith will have been very happy with his work in the Brighton match. So often we have seen players come on in the final half hour and feel that they have to do themselves and the team justice and that can be a hard thing to do. But Bournemouth's players seem to thrive on the moment and just playing in this team excites all the players that are in the squad.

Adam is one of those players that has never had a good run in the team and yet he seems very much apart of the Eddie Howe movement to blend in payers when required and just to slightly alter the dynamics of how the team is playing. Smith is quicker than many fans think and when he does go forward with the ball he adds energy into the team. We also see it with Ryan Fraser and Eunan O'Kane on occasion and Eddie seems to just know how and when to use these players to tinker with what is already a good AFCB side.

Adam Smith could well get a start at Reading after his performance at Brighton.

It is as much about Eddie's sensible management of the players which I believe has improved over recent years as it is about the individual following precise instructions of what they are being advised to do when they come on. Players can feel a little more relaxed when they start games in that they probably have time to make an impression, but as a sub it has to be the selection of top gear right from the start - thank goodness we don't have a player called Clarkson - that could have been a car crash!

Instead we have players that come on and drive the team forward. Installing purpose and urgency into AFCB's play is something that Eddie Howe has seen works well for him and I don't see him changing that even if Bournemouth are playing in the Premier League next season.

The Match Day Summary and Highlights video of the 0-2 win at Brighton are now up on the Key Match Highlights' tab.

It was worth enduring 69 tense minutes for two special goals

It was a heart stopping kind of game at the Amex. It was such a pulsating match and yet there were very few opportunities all game. For the Cherries to only have five shots in a game one would think that they had been well contained and not done enough to get the points, but Brighton stifled and frustrated and won some key battles in that first 69 minutes. It was a real scrap and as such I will be honest, I didn't much like the first half and knew that it needed something extra to win this game. 

Yann Kermorgat got the vital break through at the Amex.

Derby's are often like that and both teams had good reason to keep things tight knowing that neither side could ill afford to lose this game. The width of the Amex you would have thought would suit the Cherries game and make it difficult for the Seagulls to halt AFCB's natural wide game on the wings, but it was Brighton who used the flanks the best in that first half and they really kept winning the individual battles to provide opportunities to break on the Cherries. 

Chris Hughton's game plan of playing one up front might not have sat well with some but the extra player in midfield was a problem for the Cherries. Only by the end of the game the possession stats finally favour the Cherries and that was only 51 per cent. What Bournemouth needed was an open game and the freedom to create chances which Brighton fought so well to deny by giving the Cherries no time at all on the ball. But to do that for 90 minutes is extremely hard and the second half did see more space. For once the direct runs of players were making the chances rather than just playing a measured passing game.

When Brighton attacked like that through Carayol they nearly broke through, but did not have the quality in and around the box to score. For AFCB though the site of goal for Yann Kermorgant and Callum Wilson is a friendly site and they are enjoying a purple patch of scoring which did for Brighton in the end once Adam Smith (Smudge) had pushed them back on their heels with his forward runs. AFCB score two very special goals on the night and I do believe the result will lift the players for the remaining games, which is exactly what is needed.

Callum Wilson is back on fire when it comes to goal scoring.

Some of the remaining fixtures could also be tight and tense affairs and we have another derby against Reading next, but if the points keep coming there is no need to worry. I still hope that the Cherries will finish with a bit of a flourish and a floodgate of goals. All I know is that we will be yelling for the team and urging them on, because we know that by doing so it helps them play even better. 

I was kindly asked to talk on All Departments' website last night and you can listen back to our review of the Brighton match and thoughts about how AFCB are doing as the pressure ramps up during the run-in by visiting the All Departments' website or scrolling down the right hand panel on Cherry Chimes, until you come to the All Departments' sound bar that you can click on to listen.

The Cherries win at Brighton was masterful

The manner of the Cherries win at Brighton should fill the manager and the supporters with great belief. Okay, so it wasn't the most fluent of performances and Brighton closed down well and fought extremely hard to stop the Cherries getting into full stride. But three points is all that are important in these games and the pressure will be mounting on Norwich City, Watford and Middlesbrough ahead of their games now as they know they have to get results to keep up with this AFCB side that is starting to ask questions of them.

Tommy could be really pleased with his work at Brighton.

The Cherries entered the game on the back of conceding goals in their previous two matches and although they are now on an unbeaten run of nine games that extend back to 25 February 2015, the team is under tremendous pressure now to keep winning. That is what makes the performance against Brighton such a terrific result. A point away in the Championship is difficult enough but to go to a team that seems to always save its best for the Cherries and to keep them out was very demanding on Elphick, Cook, Daniels and Francis in particular. The fact that Artur Boruc only faced one shot on target does not fully tell the whole story of how hard the defence worked, but it does indicate that they did things right and set the platform for the win.

Brighton had been on a bad run and coming back from a long trip up at Rotherham I always fancied them to tire a little in the second half. The fixture run-in for AFCB has been kind in that respect and the Cherries looked fresh and the impact players they now have on the bench are proving their value. For once the team and the fans can sit back and enjoy Saturday now and see how the chasers do. If the other teams all win though that should not lessen the importance of this victory though as many would have predicted that this was the game that was going to be the biggest test in these last few games. While there are still big matches to come, the boxes are all being ticked off one by one to see if this team is ready for the Premier League and from what I see it is A+ stars all the way at the moment. 

I am due to have a chat with Michael Dunne on his All Departments' podcast later tonight when we go over the events of the last 24 hours, this weekend's results and perhaps look forward to Tuesday's fixture against Reading. Make sure you join us when the podcast is released - I'll announce it on Cherry chimes when Michael posts it.

Photographs of last night's match are now up on Match Day Gallery.

The Cherries hold their nerve to beat Brighton 0-2 (videos)

Match Report

10 April 2015

Brighton 0 v 2 AFCB

Attendance: 25,919

This looks like the right place.

The players are fully charged for this one with the TV cameras looking on.

They don't come any harder than having a derby game to play away from home knowing that your nearest rivals are hoping that you slip up before they play the next day. Such was the focus for AFCB in this match that Tommy Elphick gave a lengthy talk in the team huddle to ensure that everyone was switched on and met the challenge full on. Brighton went into this match having had two defeats and they needed to prove that they were a better side than their league position. They came out of the blocks well and dominated the early part of the match, but they didn't have the talent to really hurt the Cherries, apart from in some fearsome challenges. The quality of play on the pitch was not a great spectacle in the first half and the Cherries had not troubled David Stockdale at all in the last third of the pitch. 

Tommy's inspirational team talk at the huddle.

A brighter second half is what was needed and both teams opened up more and tried much harder to get in front. Still it was the clever substitution of Adam Smith for Marc Pugh that eventually turned the game. Smith's direct running at the heart of the Seagull's defence caused panic and from the resultant free kick, Yann Kermorgant curled an inch perfect shot over the wall and into the top left corner of the goal. Brighton were broken and Callum Wilson signed off with another solo run that twisted and turned before he dispatched the ball into the Brighton net to give the Cherries an unassailable 0-2 lead. AFCB were now four points clear at the top of the table with just four games to go.

I didn't expect the opposition to be quite so confident of an AFCB win 
- I felt they needed a bit of encouragement!

Tommy Elphick stretches his legs.

Eddie Howe only made one change to his starting line up with Marc Pugh coming in for Ryan Fraser on the left wing. This game was huge in AFCB's promotion challenge and the regular first team players were all going to have to perform against a Brighton side who were not yet totally safe from relegation worries.

This is what pressure feels like.

More photographs of the day are now on Match Day Gallery - did you spot yourself?

Those who had not seen Ritchie's well worked free kick trick against Birmingham where he sets the ball down and runs off only to look confused and run back and swing in a cross were given the perfect replay of that with just three minutes gone when Surman acted as the pretend free kick taker. Sadly it didn't really work this time and the ball glanced off Callum Wilson's head, but it made Brighton fans sit up. Most of the early play centred on Mustapha Carayol taking on Francis down Bournemouth's right and Carayol was winning the battle at first. He was well supported by Joe Bennett in behind and the darting runs of Beram Kayal and Joao Teixeira were starting to ring some alarm bells in the first 15 minutes.

Ritchie took a big hit as early as six minutes in when Dale Stephens virtually ran through him, but this referee was letting an awful lot go. Ritchie was hobbling for some two or three minutes after the challenge. It was Brighton that were really pressing for the opening with a couple of early corners , but Tommy Elphick was organising things and making clearances.

Up front for Brighton, Leon Best was was bringing in Calderon and working hard, while Teixeira was looking very dangerous and had a shot deflected off Steve Cook for another corner on 11 minutes. Safe hands from Boruc was helpful at that point. Wilson quickly won AFCB their first corner, but Brighton looked even stronger when playing on the break. This was not going to be easy. AFCB's passing game had again deserted them and Lewis Dunk and Greg Halford looked very assured at the back for Brighton.

In midfield Arter and Surman had hardly had much of a kick. Lost possession was becoming a habit as the ball was being constantly turned over. Yann Kermorgant and Callum Wilson looked like spectators while Ritchie was finding it hard to find team mates. The Pugh and Daniels combination was fairly quiet and Teixeira's influence only seemed to be getting stronger as he kept picking up the ball and running at AFCB's defence. Down the right Brighton also made good use of Bruno who was linking up well and keeping possession. Even if AFCB did start an attack, Stephens was usually there to break things up centrally.

Brighton were switching play well and Bruno was growing in confidence and pushing Daniels back until around the 20th minute when Charlie went on a special run down the left and had Wilson not played him such a hard return ball, Charlie might have beaten Stockdale to the ball. AFCB just needed to keep the game tight, but Carayol was putting in the crosses from Brighton's left and played a great one-two with Bennett to get round the bck after 24 minutes. Luckily Brighton were not accurate enough with their passes around the box and Artur Boruc was never tested.

At this point AFCB were beginning to warm to their task. Pugh started getting on the ball and Surman was starting to pick up the second ball more often. Little mistakes at both ends looked how an opportunity might present itself. Ritchie had a shot deflected just before the half hour but there was no real feeling that the passing at this stage would be good enough to get a player clean in on goal from either side free kicks were breaking up the game which was becoming a stale affair. When Yann did get into the box he simply lost possession and when Wilson went down in the box he did not appeal as it was more of a slip.

AFCB's best chance of the half fell to Ritchie who found himself in space on the right side of the edge of the box when Wilson fed him a cross only to see Matt blast it high over the bar! That was on 40 minutes and I just wanted the half to end for Eddie Howe to sort things out. Things were summed up by Pugh's sudden burst of speed towards the byline only to see him run the ball clean out of play. It had been Brighton's half but luckily Boruc's only regret about the first half was one of his poorly hooked goal kicks. It was 0-0 at half time and it was tense.

Some Bournemouth fans spent the whole day in Brighton. I think 
they might remember this day for a while.

Not a lot to remember in the first half.

Can you do us a favour in that one Brighton?

Second Half
The next 45 minutes was going to be enormous in the context of the Cherries' season. The players knew it and they came out with more purpose with Pugh immediately winning a free kick off Bruno. Both sides were now trying to attack with more venom and when Teixeira was fouled by Francis, Brighton had an opportunity to get a shot on target but Stephens powered his shot just too high of the left upright.

I felt that things were happening now. Bruno was caught offside and little things were starting to go the Cherries way, at least in terms of luck. Charlie Daniels for instance lost the ball and Calderon took advantage finding Teixeira and then Stephens who blasted just over in probably the best move of the game up until that point.

AFCB came straight back at Brighton with Pugh menacing his way up the left wing and having a shot blocked before firing a cross in again and seeing the ball stick in Stockdale's hands. It was starting to go from end-to-end and Stephens again had a chance to work Boruc, but shot high and wide on 54 minutes.

Yann Kermorgant almost put Wilson through, but Callum was offside and finished the move anyway by shooting high over the bar which Brighton fans were none too pleased about. What followed though was a golden opportunity for Leon Best down the left when he got into the box and shot tamely right at Boruc who finally made his first save. AFCB were still slinging the crosses in and Yann Kermorgant got to one from Ritchie but headed narrowly wide of the left post.

It was going to take something special to see a goal in this match I thought and that almost happened when Carayol decided he could gallop through the centre of the pitch and right through the entire AFCB team only to have his shot blocked by Tommy Elphick who was having none of it!

Eddie Howe clearly felt a change was needed and on came Adam Smith for Marc Pugh. Matt Ritchie immediately switched to the left wing and Adam stayed on the right. Kayal then pulled up with what looked like a groin strain and he had to be replaced by Rohan Ince. It was only then that Adam Smith tried to run directly at Brighton's back four and he was up ended by Dunk who was yellow carded. The ball was still some 25 yards out, but with Yann Kermorgant standing over the ball we wondered if he could do something special. I was actually thinking that Ritchie should hit it while Yann could also have slipped Smith in down the side of the wall. But while the various permutations were going through my head, Yann took a quick look up and fired the ball cleanly over the wall and straight into the top left hand corner of the goal - magnificent! AFCB were 0-1 up with 20 minutes to go.

Yann Kermorgant was more active now and sent in a dinked little chip for Smith to chase before Stockdale read it, coming out just in time. Adam Smith was feeling the worse for wear a few moments later when he was flattened by Lua Lua.

While it was hard to see down the far end of the ground there was a lot of shouts from Brighton players and Calderon in particular for a Matt Ritchie handball following a corner. Whether it was just momentum that took him over and he put his hand down on the ball to stop himself falling or whether he was trying to play the ball with his hand was what the assistant referee would have had to decide, and he said nothing. If he had called penalty it could have been a totally different outcome to the game. Titles are won and lost on such matters.

It was a decisive moment as in the next play, Yann Kermorgant found away through to Callum Wilson leaving the striker with just Halford and the keeper to beat. He beat Halford one way and then the other before slotting home passed Stockdale to secure all three points. It was game over. AFCB were 0-2 up and the real party could start now with just nine minutes to go.

Yann Kermorgant was subbed for Dan Gosling to make the midfield more solid in the remaining time. Craig Mackail-Smith was now up front with Best and he went as close as any Brighton player firing just wide from an acute angle, with Boruc struggling to get to his right post. Kenwyne Jones then came on for Callum Wilson with just three minutes to go which did not give him much time to try and send a few cartwheels or flips flying, but an added three minutes did bring something. It was a yellow card both for Adam Smith for a late tackle on Joe Bennett and a yellow for Bennett for a kick out in retaliation on Smith.

Final score.

We salute the team and the manager.

Adam smith get congratulated on his performance.

Up to 106 goals in all competitions and a record points haul.

Summary
This was the game that now gives AFCB the platform I believe to go and get the title they so crave. Yes there is still much hard work to be done in those four remaining games, but this team is showing the kind of fight and nerve to be the Champions. It is not always about style, a team needs substance and determination and AFCB had bucket loads of it in this game. The players were more than delighted with the result and their faces tell you that this win was just the boost they needed to feel that they can win this title. They could have played much better in this game and might not have won, but they stuck to their jobs and when the chances came in the second half they found the clinical finishes that puts them four points clear - fantastic!

Well done lads you were terrific.

Recharge the batteries for Reading now lads.

Yann picks up his man of the match award and Tommy
reports on another great captain's performance from himself.

AFCB 
Boruc, Francis, Elphick, Cook, Daniels, Ritchie, Arter, Surman, Pugh (Smith 64) Kermorgant (Gosling 83), Wilson (Jones 89)

AFCB Subs
Camp, Gosling, Smith, Stanislas, Jones, Ward, Pitman

AFCB Ratings
Boruc 5 (not his fault, little to do), Francis 6, Elphick 8, Cook 7, Daniels 7, Ritchie 7, Arter 6, Surman 8, Pugh 6, Kermorgant 8, Wilson 8

Brighton
Stockdale, Bruno, Halford, Dunk, Bennett, Stephens, Kayal (Ince 67), Calderon, J. Teixeira (Mackail-Smith 74) Carayol (Lua Lua 74), Best

Brighton Subs
Hughes, O'Grady, Mackail-Smith, Forster-Caskey, Ince, Lua Lua, Walton

Referee watch: Craig Pawson 6/10 - Ritchie certainly put a hand on the ball and luck was in AFCB's favour this time. I do think Matt slipped and was falling and I'm not convinced that he intended to touch the ball - so not a penalty for me. Brighton fans will disagree and I have no grudge with them disagreeing. There were some fouls early on as well that could have been carded.