AJ Has The Final Say

With half the season now gone, the Royals find themselves sitting in ninth place this Christmas after a 2-0 defeat to the travelling Everton.

Reading chairman John Madejski is talking breezily of a ‘comfortable mid-table position’. His manager, Steve Coppell, who, despite two manager-of-the-month awards already this season, possesses a post-graduate degree in circumspection, is too cute for that. Having referred to yesterday’s visitors beforehand as ‘battle-hardened veterans’ of the Premiership, he evidently still prefers to regard his men as little more than new recruits in this, the division of heavyweights.

After a contest in which the Royals` usually-solid-rearguard laid down their arms far too readily, in the face of Everton’s two goalscorers, the impressive Andrew Johnson and James McFadden, that was how they looked: uncertain whether to move forward or look over their shoulders in this clearing of uncertainty that they find themselves. Coppell no doubt prefers to regard his side as being no more than five victories away from Premiership survival. ‘Cream rises,’ he said, with a caustic nod towards certain lines of questioning when his men had embarked on a sequence of victories last month. ‘I don’t see too many people now asking me about Europe…’

Coppell kept faith in the side that lost to Blackburn last weekend, meaning Seol Ki Hyeon kept his place upfront, and Glen Little began on the right of midfield. As kickoff approached, a large section of the home support picked out former Crystal Palace striker Andrew Johnson as the receiver of some light-hearted abuse – an action that would soon come back to haunt them.

Johnson, who enjoyed the rarest of experiences this week as he received an apology from Jose Mourinho after the Chelsea manager had accused him of a dive during last Sunday’s contest, started the day with a strike from a narrow angle that tested Royals stopper Marcus Hahnemann inside just ninety seconds. A fine run down the Everton right by the impressive Mikel Arteta ended with the Spaniard cutting the ball back for Johnson, who, offered space and time, brought the ball under control before unleashing his drive into the far corner, with the aid of a deflection by Ibrahima Sonko, to open the day`s scoring.

‘He was the difference, as far as I was concerned,’ insisted Coppell. ‘He’s so quick-footed. Otherwise there wasn’t a great deal of daylight between the teams.’ Johnson’s manager, David Moyes, added: ‘He’s gone a few games without a goal, but it was never a case of ‘would he?’ but ‘when?’. He was a threat all day and a catalyst for the win.’

Everton’s triumph was all the more meritorious, given that they are notoriously poor travellers and that they lost two players before the start; the teenage striker Victor Anichebe after feeling sick and the defender Alan Stubbs, who jarred his knee in the pre-match warm-up.

James McFadden and Gary Naysmith replaced the pair, and the transition was seamless. Before half-time, Hahnemann denied McFadden, and then Leon Osman shot high and wide after working himself into a wonderful position. Meanwhile Everton’s resolute defence, with Reading`s summer target Joleon Lescott a powerful influence, dealt capably with the Royals` top scorer Kevin Doyle. Everton were in imperious mood and were frustratingly close to going further ahead. A McFadden run, and Johnson lay-off, culminated with a thunderous effort from Osman which beat Hahnemann but bounced down off the crossbar and onto the line before skipper Graeme Murty, in his 300th appearance for the Royals, headed the loose ball back to his goalkeeper.

Everton enjoyed some good fortune, if not relief, seconds before half time as Korean international Seol Ki Hyeon was brought down inside the area by Gary Naysmith after a neat ball in from Little. Referee Steve Tanner, officiating in his first ever Premiership match, waved away the home side`s appeals despite it looking an obvious uphendment and a clear case for a spot kick. Such luck would follow as it was not to be Reading`s day.

Tanner`s decision proved to be crucial as, within two minutes of the restart, Everton added a second to the scoreline. Ivar Ingimarsson yielded possession to Johnson on the Everton right and the England man’s ball into the area was cleverly steered home by McFadden after he had eluded the cautious challenge of Graeme Murty.

The hosts improved significantly after Coppell threw on Leroy Lita for Seol, and the striker finally brought Tim Howard into action. It was also Lita who headed back Glen Little’s deep cross for a perfectly positioned James Harper only a few yards from goal. Reading knew it was not to be their day when the midfielder volleyed over. The keeper also thwarted Doyle and Steve Sidwell.

Next up is Stamford Bridge for Reading. ‘Chelsea is not just a game,’ Coppell said, with the injuries to Petr Cech and Carlo Cudicini in the corresponding home fixture in mind. ‘It’s a bit more than that. It will be played as much off the pitch as on it.’ This was by no means the ideal manner to prepare for it.