Boothroyd optimism looks out of place amid the drudgery
When
It's a risky business when a struggling manager says one particular result could prove the turning point of a dire season. But
Whether or not they have been irritated by criticism of their long-ball style (if that is the word),
Boothroyd in bullish mood despite blank display
AS IF waiting for the Godot who will never come,
Godot certainly did not visit
And it takes two to combine in mediocrity. So, while
Boothroyd in search for strikers
No prizes for guessing what Adrian Boothroyd would most like for Christmas: a pair of strikers to compensate for the lengthy absence of Marlon King through injury and help turn draws into wins.
Two successive goalless draws hardly constitutes a revival. After all, the Premiership's bottom club have still won only one Premiership game. But there were signs yesterday, as they more than matched
Commitment, integrity and passion were the words he used to sum up the attitude of his players so far this season but history shows that you invariably need more than that to survive in the top flight.
"We'll keep fighting until we can't fight any more," Boothroyd said. "It's obvious that in January we need to add to the squad. We've drawn eight of our 16 games and that tells a story in itself. So does the fact that we've kept six clean sheets. We create chances but we're just not taking them." Sunday Telegraph
Coppell's Royals can't raise their standard
A dull 0-0 draw belied the usual difference in quality between these sides, who remain 15 points apart in the table. Reading may be hailed as the golden boys of the promoted sides - this season's Wigan, reckons Mark Lawrenson - but their away form appears to be their Achilles' heel. Steve Coppell's side have lost three of their past four away games, and a miserly draw against
Last season's matches in the Championship produced two scoreless draws when these sides met and the deja-vu result yesterday frustrated the visitors, who really should have done better. Both teams struggled to make an impression on the game. 'We didn't even manage to string two or three passes together,' said Coppell. 'It was all about commitment, effort and desire - the ugly words - not what you want to hear when you're talking about football.'
Leroy Lita - the £1m signing who has scored just one league goal this season - came closest twice in the first half, beating stand-in keeper Richard Lee, as both efforts flew just wide of the far post. The Sunday Observer