Swansea captain Garry Monk was not a happy man after his side were ripped apart by Reading at the Madejski

Monk was at the heart of the Swans defence that was torn apart with ease by one of the league's front runners in a 4-0 reverse that could easily have been more.

Goals from both Hunt brothers and a brace from Kevin Doyle put the seal on an impressive Reading display but one that left the Swans in tatters with their worst result of the season.

And with games against Preston (Tuesday) and leaders Wolves (Saturday) coming up, the Swans have to move quickly to put the result behind them as the games come thick and fast.

But the captain was more worried with his honest appraisal of the Swans defensive skills on the day as he told the Western Mail “It was a joke, an absolute joke, we were rubbish, simple as that.

“After Crystal Palace this is the second time we haven’t been at the races. And, as you have seen on both occasions, you can’t afford to do that.

“We just gave them goals. All three of their first-half goals were rubbish from us.

“For the first one we had three men marking one player and he still got a near post header. That just can’t happen because it gets their tails up and gives us a mountain to climb.

“I just don’t know what is going on with set-pieces. We will have to look at the videos, get back on the training ground and get them right.

“When you go in 3-0 down at half-time all you can do is come out and show a bit of fight, a bit of pride for the fans. Unfortunately we didn’t do that and that’s not like us.

“The gaffer is not happy at all,” he said. “And you can’t blame him for that.

“When you cross the line it is down to 11 players to represent this club. Too many of us out there let Swansea down.

“We just have to come out at Preston and show that this defeat hurt. No-one is happy with what happened out there and we need to take out that frustration."

Photo: Action Images

Middlesbrough Polls