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[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohtpoDNIMX4[/embedyt]
Paul Clement did not hold back in criticising Reading’s first half performance as they scrambled a draw against rock-bottom Ipswich.
The Royals were fortunate to only trail 2-1 at the break and eventually battled back to draw thanks to Yakou Meite’s second goal of the game.
Here is what Clement had to say after the game.
On if a draw was a fair result…
Yeah I think so based on the performances of the two teams. In the first half, we were bad. Really, really bad and I was worried, absolutely because of the context of the season and we’re in a relegation zone. We were in the relegation zone at the start of play against another team in the relegation zone and it looked like only one team was in the relegation zone and that was Ipswich. They were fighting, running, their spirit was great, they played some good football and we were like a rabbit between the headlights, didn’t know what to do. I think we were fortunate at half-time to come in with the score-line only at 2-1, it could’ve been 3-1, could’ve been 4-1 based on the way we were playing and the errors we were making and the way our back-line started the game. I find it very difficult to explain why that was because the messages all week whether it be directly with the players or through you guys has been this is going to be a very, very tough game.
I don’t know why we played like that in the first half. I can only assume that you can say it as much as you want but if it’s at the subconscious level that it’s not quite right and you think oh we’re playing bottom of the table, we’ve got a great chance to win this game and it doesn’t work out like that. Very poor in the first half, really poor. Second half I think the players reacted well to what I said and played with the right spirit. The football wasn’t perfect but it certainly gave us the foundation to go and pin Ipswich back a little bit and I think we finished the stronger team and we deserved to at least draw the game and at the end we’ve had the better chances so that’s how I saw it today.
On putting in a performance like that after winning last week…
I think we did well last week and we did well this week, but only in the second half. It was a strange feeling what I was seeing. The rain was coming down, there were errors everywhere and I just didn’t recognise some of the players that were out there. At half-time I was angry with them and they knew it as well. If I had the ability to I could’ve made five or six changes, I would’ve done at half-time if the rules would’ve allowed it. But they didn’t and I had to think about the bigger picture so just the one change because I did the system change and it was harsh on Andy (Rinomhota) because he wasn’t doing anything wrong. He was a little bit on the fringes of the game but because we went 4-4-2 at that point it was best to bring a winger on and then in the end it was almost kitchen sink stuff to try and get back into the game with Barrow and McCleary as wing backs and two strikers and an offensive midfielder behind them and just the three defenders at the back. I’m just pleased with the spirit at the end. That’s how we have to be every game.
On Yakou Meite’s form…
He’s doing well. He was touch and go whether he would make it for this game but he was very determined to do so. He did all his treatment really well during the week, he trained yesterday, that was the first session. I thought he, from the first whistle was competitive and showed the right attitude from the word go. That’s how you have to be as a player and then after that you can build on the other stuff. He scored two good goals, especially the first one. He’s in good form, he’s proving a very important player for us at the moment.
On the penalty shout on Barrow…
I was expecting it to be given. I haven’t seen it back. The referee booked him for diving and I don’t know any more than that on it.
On moving out of the relegation zone…
Going into the game I didn’t expect anything different in terms of Ipswich today. I saw them play against Preston and clearly Paul (Lambert) has got them to respond. They’ve changed their shape, they’ve got energy, they’ve got fight, they have got some good players so I expected that. The fact that they’re bottom doesn’t mean anything when the whistle goes. It’s an opportunity for them and for us to try and get points and I did say, I’d prefer to be playing Middlesbrough, Leeds or Sheffield United, one of those teams this week rather than Ipswich because I think everyone gets affected when they see Ipswich have got 10 (points) and you’ve got a chance to go eight points above them, easy game. As soon as someone says that, it’s a disaster. Whether that’s someone within the club or from outside the club. You do your best to try and prepare the players mentally that no it’s not going to be like that, it’s going to be tough. This is a team fighting for their football lives and that’s how it turned out.
On bringing Jaakkola back in goal…
That was 51 per cent to 49 in Jaakkola’s favour. It could’ve easily been Sam (Walker). He played in a winning team last week, he made a couple of really good saves, he made a couple of other errors but Anssi, just before he picked up the minor injury he’d been playing well. He’d arguably had his best game in a Reading shirt a couple of games before he got injured so for that reason I decided to put him back in.
On the regular change of goalkeeper this season…
Sometimes it’s been forced on me and today I suppose it’s a situation where I had two fit first team players and I decided to make the change. Anssi did OK today, I don’t think he did great, especially with his kicking. I’d have to look back in more detail about some of the finer points to decide whether I thought I made the right or wrong shout on that.
On the second Ipswich goal…
I thought the defensive line started the game really poorly. That goal is the kind of goal you very, very rarely see in professional football. It might be a goal that you see in a Sunday morning park or school game. Very difficult to explain. Yes the conditions would’ve played a part, but for experienced professionals who do this for their job, you have to deal with that, no excuses.
On the next two weeks without a game…
Back on the training ground on Tuesday and we’ve got to continue to work on all aspects but particularly defensively. There was a lot of emphasis on that over the last two weeks but the last two games we’ve conceded two and then two again so it’s not right. We’ve got to keep working at it. The players are the players that we’ve got so repetition is the best way to try and improve those things. Four, five, six sessions might not be enough but when we start doing it 25, 30, 35 times hopefully we’ll see the rewards coming. Offensively I think we’re doing OK. I haven’t seen the table for goals scored, but I think we’ve got a good record for goals scored but goals against is not good enough.
On his own future…
No change from when I spoke to you a couple of days ago. I focus on what’s in my control and nothing else.
On failing to record back-to-back wins again…
There was a lot of motivation going into this game. An opportunity if we’d won we maybe would’ve gone 18th, back-to-back wins, three wins at home in a row, for sure would’ve got out the relegation zone, we have done anyway, international break so don’t play again for two weeks, there would’ve been a good feeling. On reflection I think we’re neutral. It’s not worse, it’s not better. The table says it’s better but in terms of the way we played I don’t think we’ve made a step forward based on what we did last week against Bristol City.
On the tough run of games after the break without Bodvarsson…
Not havng Jon Dadi around is not ideal but I don’t think our issue is on the offensive side. All four games that we won we scored three. We scored two away at Blackburn, two away at Brentford, two today so we’re doing enough on the offensive side to give you a chance to win games but we’re clearly not doing enough on the defensive side. So whether or not Jon Dadi is available or not, that’s not really going to have a big impact on what we do defensively, we’ve got to tighten up in that area.
On working hard on the defence in training recently…
A couple of weeks works out at about four or five sessions and within that session you don’t do two hours or defending, it would be mind numbing and also physically it’s very difficult to do. So you get it in little and often, but we’ve just got to keep doing it. I can’t let off on this. We’ve got to stick at it. 17 games, one clean sheet. You’re going to be in difficulty and we are, we’re right down at the bottom for me because of that reason.
On having options such as Ilori and McShane…
The more and more goals that go in, the more and more I have to look at other options in terms of personnel as well as working at it. McShane, Ilori’s been on the bench, Gunter has not been involved in the last couple of games and I know they’re looking at me. They’re thinking we’re still conceding and I’m here so I have to look at that.
On Sam Baldock’s late misses…
I’ve not spoken to him but I’m sure he’s thinking I’ve got to at least get one of those two on the target. Both he got under them and lifted. They were both decent opportunities I think at that point of the game.
On the strong end to the game…
They pushed to get the result. I got as many offensive players as I could onto the bench. That last change was whether to go with Aluko or McNulty. I just felt let’s go with another striker rather than an advanced midfielder or winger. I think we got it in enough areas at the end to at least have a couple of attempts and we did. It would’ve been nice to get over the line having been behind and to win it then but it wasn’t to be today.
