Will we finally nail our Madejski hoodo against a resurgent Reading?

Reading v Derby County
Coca Cola Championship
Madejski Stadium, Reading
Wednesday 10th March 2010 - 7:45pm

The Royals:

Current League Position: 19/24
Leading scorer: Gylfi Sigurðsson 6lg 4c
Manager: Brian McDermott (no relation)
Kit home: yellow shirt with red Trim/Black shorts
Kit away: All Black
Last Game: Reading 2-4 Aston Villa

Quotes from the manager:

Brian McDermott speaking to the BBC after Sunday's FA Cup game:

"If you are going to lose a game, that is how you lose it."

"We played really well in the first half and knew if we could keep it tight for 15 minutes in the second half we'd have a chance but that didn't happen."

"But I am proud of every single one of our players and it is just a shame we couldn't get through for our fans."

Current Royals Squad:
 
No. Position. Player

1 Keeper Adam Federici
3 Defence Chris Armstrong
4 Midfield Kalifa Cissé
5 Defence Matthew Mills
6 Midfield Brynjar Gunnarsson
7 Midfield Jay Tabb
8 Midfield Marek MatÄ›jovský
9 Striker Shane Long
10 Striker Noel Hunt
11 Midfield Jobi McAnuff
14 Midfield Jimmy Kébé
16 Defence Ívar Ingimarsson (club captain)
17 Midfield James Henry
18 Striker Simon Church
19 Midfield Hal Robson-Kanu
20 Midfield Jem Karacan
21 Keeper Ben Hamer
23 Striker Grzegorz Rasiak
24 Defence Ryan Bertrand (on loan from Chelsea)
25 Midfield Gylfi Sigurðsson
26 Defence Alex Pearce (vice-captain)
27 Midfield Scott Davies
29 Striker Nicholas Bignall
32 Striker Radoslav Vasilev
34 Midfield Brian Howard
35 Defence Shaun Cummings
36 Striker Gunnar Heiðar Þorvaldsson (on loan from Esbjerg fB)
37 Midfield Jake Taylor
38 Striker Abdulai Bell-Baggie
40 Defence Andy Griffin (on loan from Stoke City)
44 Defence Zurab Khizanishvili (on loan from Blackburn Rovers)

The Rams:
 
Quotes from Rams coach Gary Crosby:

Speaking about Michael Tonge on to the BBC;

"He has been struggling all week with a virus but he wanted to play for as long as he could."

"Michael adds quality, which he showed with the goal and that was with his supposedly weaker foot. He's very comfortable with possession in any area of the pitch and he is a lovely lad as well."

"He's gone to Stoke and they are doing very very well and he's unfortunate not to be involved there more often than he has been, but that's to our benefit at the moment."

"It was pleasing to get a clean sheet as well but I'm pleased for the whole team, not just the back four and the goalkeeper."

Rams Squad:

No. Position. Player

1 Keeper Stephen Bywater
2 Defender Paul Connolly
3 Defender James McEveley
4 Midfield Paul Green
5 Defender Miles Addison (vice-captain)
6 Defender Dean Leacock
7 Midfield Lee Croft
8 Midfield Robbie Savage (captain)
9 Striker Rob Hulse
10 Midfield Kris Commons
11 Midfield Gary Teale
12 Striker Chris Porter
13 Keeper Saul Deeney
14 Defender Shaun Barker
16 Midfield Stephen Pearson
17 Defender Jake Buxton
18 Midfield Ben Pringle
19 Midfield Michael Tonge (on loan from Stoke City F.C.)
20 Striker Steve Davies
21 Defender Dean Moxey
22 Midfield Arnaud Mendy
23 Defender Mark O'Brien
24 Defender Nicky Hunt (on loan from Bolton Wanderers F.C.)
25 David Martin (on loan from Millwall F.C)
26 Midfield Lee Hendrie
27 Defender Russell Anderson
28 Defender Mitchell Hanson
31 Defender Javan Vidal (on loan from Manchester City F.C.)
32 Striker Gilles Sunu (on loan from Arsenal F.C.)
33 Defender Mark Dudley
35 Striker Callum Ball

 
What the Bookies think:

Home Win: 4/5
Draw: 5/2
Away win: 7/2
 
First Scorer: Grzegorz Rasiak, Shane Long 5/1, Chris Porter 7/1

Information for travelling fans:
 
Driving: its 130 miles to the Madejski stadium. Best route is M1 south to junction 15a where you pick up the A43 link road to the M40. Take the M40 to Junction 9 and take the A34 to Oxford where you take the A423 and A4074 to Reading. Turn Right into Bridge St and left into Caversham Rd and onto the A33 to a roundabout. Take the 3rd exit, Northern Way and the stadium is on the left on Hoops Way.

For fans travelling on the M4 Footballgroundguides.com warns that getting off the M4 at J11 can be a pain and 40 minute tailbacks often occur on match days.

Parking: There is a car park at the ground and at the nearby speedway/greyhound track, both of which cost £7. Don’t expect to get out and homeward bound in less than an hour after the final whistle however.

Don’t be tempted to park on the nearby industrial complex unless you can find a unit that is allowing (and charging for) it. You may end up clamped.

Drinking: Like Pride Park, there aren’t many pubs near the ground. There’s a Harvester on the road into Reading. Footballgroundguides.com reports that a Holiday Inn close by has a small attached bar called Callaghans however it is very expensive.

A better option would be to head into Reading Town centre and drink there. Apparently the pubs do have a downer on fans wearing colours except at the Three Guineas pub on the Station Approach.

Mick’s Prediction:
 
Okay we won on Saturday - but the game itself was one that the phrase 'instantly forgettable' seemed to have been coined for.

The club released details this week of the season ticket packages for next year. While they seem to be good value if you renew early, there are substantial price hikes if you don't or cant, and will these rises be in place for next season?

More games like Saturday may have more people considering their position. The quality of product on show was very poor - both teams seem content to hoof the ball as far as possible up in the air. Add that to a freezing cold day and slow service at half time and it's not much entertainment for your money is it?

What entertainment that was on show came from Stephen Pearson. He seems slowly t be regaining some confidence. Okay his finishing touch is awful, and there's not much end product yet - but he can clearly run with the ball and could provide an outlet if he can get the confidence to have shot or get the ball away early.

He's a long way from the quality of the wingers we've had in the past (think Asanovic, McMinn, Callaghan, Micklewhite …) but he may get there with application.

Up front we started with Porter and Hulse and I'm afraid that as a combination that doesn’t work - especially not when Rob Hulse is labouring - probably with an injury. Have we not learned yet that untreated injury = long term injury?

If he's not fit, don't play him.

Mick's Team:

Bywater, Hunt, Barker, Buxton,McEveley , Green, Savage, Tonge, Pearson, Sunu, Porter .

Subs:Davies, Deeney, Pringle, Anderson, Hulse, Martin, Moxey, Leacock

Mick's Prediction:

Reading 2-0 Derby County

Photo: Action Images

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