Reading v Ipswich Town
Friday 11th September 2015 – 20:00
The Madejski Stadium
Opening Thought – Jamma
No one is a fan of the international break, particularly this one which comes so early in the season. But this time it would appear to have been no bad thing for Ipswich Town. Not only has it given us a welcome chance to clear up our lengthening injury list, it has also allowed us to reflect back on the season up to this point. After such a promising start to 2015/16, it was inevitably disappointing to go down to Brighton in the top-of-the-table clash, especially in the manner that we did. We effectively lost the game in the first 15 minutes, by conceding two quick-fire goals against a team full of confidence. Even though the Blues mounted a creditable comeback in the second half, the Seagulls always looked the more likely to win, and could conceivably have enjoyed a bigger margin of victory. There has been the full range of reactions in the aftermath, from the doom-mongers bemoaning a continuation of our defensive frailties through to the Blue-tinted brigade, seemingly happy to see Mick McCarthy dodge the bullet of the first Manager of the Month award. All in all, though, we can look back on a pretty satisfying opening month of the campaign, with 10 points from 15 seeing us in a healthy 3rd place in the league and with a mouthwatering cup tie against Manchester United on the horizon.
It may be a cliché but there is a lot of truth when a manager says that he learns more from defeat than victory, and Mick and Terry will have had a lot of food for thought at Playford Road over the last ten days or so. Tightening up at the back is an obvious priority, with Brighton’s 3 goals putting our goals against tally up to 7, with just the one clean sheet in seven matches. But there will also have been an emphasis on improving the cohesion of the team when playing out from the back. It was no coincidence that Cole Skuse and Jonathan Douglas were not at their most effective, and Ainsley Maitland-Niles did not enjoy his most successful game, as we resorted to more direct tactics against the high-pressing Seagulls. We will have to learn our lesson quickly, ahead of three tough away games, interspersed by the visit of an upwardly mobile Birmingham City. This is the kind of run of fixtures which could have a big bearing on where Town’s season goes from here. If we were to start another unbeaten streak, we could look back on the Brighton game as a mere blip. Another couple of winless matches, however, and the momentum built up in August could dissipate in an instant. First up is a Friday night televised clash at the Madejski Stadium, a ground at which we will be looking to improve our recent record...
The Opposition - Reading
Reading were formed on 25 December 1871 and originally played their matches at the ‘Reading Recreation Ground’ .The club then moved to ‘Elm Park’ for 102 years between 1896 to 1998. In 1998 the club moved to their latest home, the new ‘Madejski Stadium’.
The club holds the record for the number of successive league wins at the start of a season, with a total of 13 wins at the start of the 1985–86 Third Division campaign and also the record for the number of points gained in a professional league season with 106 points in the 2005–06 Football League Championship campaign.
Reading finished eighth in their first ever season as a top flight club.
Reading were elected to the Football League Third Division South of the Football League in 1920.
In more modern times Reading were promoted to the Second Division as champions in 1986 under the management of Ian Branfoot, but were relegated back to the Third Division in 1988.
The appointment of Mark McGhee as player-manager, shortly after the takeover by John Madejski, in 1991 saw Reading move forward. They were crowned champions of the new Division Two in 1994. 35-year-old striker Jimmy Quinn was put in charge of the first team alongside midfielder Mick Gooding and guided Reading to runners-up in the final Division One table only to be denied automatic promotion because of the streamlining of the Premier League, from 22 teams to 20.
In 1995 Reading looked to have booked their place in the Premier League only to lose against Bolton Wanderers in the final. Quinn and Gooding's contracts were not renewed two years later after Reading had slid into the bottom half of Division One. Their successor, Terry Bullivant, lasted less than one season before being sacked in March 1998.
1998 also saw Reading move into the new 24,200 all-seater Madejski Stadium, named after chairman, John Madejski. Tommy Burns had taken over from Terry Bullivant but lasted just 18 months before being replaced by Alan Pardew who had previously been reserve team manager before being released. Reading returned to Division One for 2002–03 after finishing runners-up in Division Two. The following season they finished fourth in Division One and qualified for the play-offs, where they lost in the semi-final to Wolverhampton Wanderers. Alan Pardew moved to West Ham United the following October and was replaced by Steve Coppell.
Reading won the 2005–06 Championship with a league record 106 points, scoring 99 goals and losing only twice. Reading were promoted to English football's top division for the first time in their history. Reading defied pre-season predictions of relegation to finish the season in eighth. The second season was less successful and Reading were relegated back to the Championship.
Reading started the 2008–09 season with a 15 match unbeaten home run. They finished fourth and qualify for the play-offs, where they lost to Burnley in the semi-final. Manager Steve Coppell resigned just hours after the game, and was replaced by Brendan Rodgers.
Rodgers left the club by mutual consent on 16 December 2009 and Brian McDermott made caretaker manager the same day. Reading eventually finished 5th in the Championship to qualify for the division's play-offs which they lost 4–2 to Swansea City in the final at Wembley Stadium.
In the 2011–12 season a streak of good form in the second half of the season, ensured promotion to the Premier League on 17 April 2012.
McDermott led Reading to their first Premier League win of the 2012–13 season on 17 November 2012 at the eleventh attempt. On the 11 March 2013, McDermott left his position at Reading.
On 26 March 2013, Adkins was appointed manager and could not stop Reading from being relegated from the top flight.
The 2013/14 season saw the Royals finish the season in seventh, one point off Brighton in sixth after being in and around the playoff zone all season.
Last season was a different story however as Reading could only muster 50 points and finished in a disappointing 19th place on the table
One to watch – Ola John
Like our recent opponents Sheffield Wednesday and Brighton, the Royals have been very active in the transfer market over the summer, with Matej Vydra and Ola John becoming the latest arrivals at the Madejski Stadium. Vydra, and the threat he poses, will be familiar to Championship fans. I am therefore going to focus on the second of Reading’s deadline day signings, who has also joined on a season-long loan.
Ola comes to England with a big reputation to live up to…and not just for being the younger brother of former Fulham striker Collins John. He already has an impressive haul of silverware, having been part of the Benfica side that clinched the Portuguese treble in 2014/15. The 23-year-old had a big part to play as the Eagles claimed the Primeira Liga, the Super Cup and the League Cup, scoring the winning goal against Maritimo in the latter. He was no stranger to success even at this young age, having previously won the Dutch Cup and two Super Cups as a 19-year-old at FC Twente. John secured a move to Benfica ahead of the 2012/13 campaign. The esteem in which he was held by the Portuguese giants was highlighted by the €45 million release clause that was inserted in his contract. Benfica went on to reach the finals of both the Portuguese Cup and the Europa League, with John enjoying a more prominent role in the team as the season progressed. 2013/14 was more stop-start and he spent time on loan at Hamburg. Having had such a successful campaign last time out, the young striker will be hoping he can make an impact in England to continue his development.
The Manager – Steve Clarke
Spotted whilst playing for Beith Juniors, Clarke started his professional football career with St. Mirren. He was transferred to Chelsea for £422,000 in February 1987. He stayed at Chelsea until 1998, making 421 appearances. He was a part of the Chelsea sides which won the 1997 FA Cup Final, 1998 Football League Cup Final and 1998 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Final. The latter game, against VfB Stuttgart in Stockholm, was Clarke's final appearance for the club. In 2005, he was voted into Chelsea's centenary XI, occupying the right-back berth.
In 1998, Clarke joined Newcastle United as assistant manager to Ruud Gullit, his former boss at Chelsea. Clarke was part of the coaching team with Gullit, which helped Newcastle reach the 1998-99 FA Cup final on 22 May 1999, where Newcastle finished runners up to Manchester United in a 2-0 defeat.
Clarke was caretaker manager following Gullit's resignation, taking charge of one match, a 5–1 defeat against Manchester United.
After a stint in charge of the youth teams at Chelsea, Clarke was promoted to the position of assistant manager when José Mourinho was appointed manager in the summer of 2004. Clarke was a part of the coaching set-up which saw Chelsea win two Premier League titles, an FA Cup and two League Cups over three seasons under Mourinho. During this period, he completed his UEFA Pro Licence in 2006.
When Mourinho departed Chelsea in September 2007, Clarke’s services were retained by Avram Grant, although Henk ten Cate was brought in as another assistant coach. Both Grant and ten Cate left the club at the end of the 2007–08 season.
On 12 September 2008, Clarke handed in his resignation to Chelsea, hoping to move to West Ham United to be assistant to former Chelsea teammate Gianfranco Zola. Chelsea initially rejected his resignation, demanding compensation worth two years of Clarke's salary. After a deal was agreed between the clubs, Clarke became West Ham's first team coach on 15 September.
West Ham finished ninth in the Premier League in the 2008–09 season, earning Clarke an extended contract that made him the highest paid assistant manager in the league. The club struggled during the next season, however, narrowly avoiding relegation. In June 2010, not long after the dismissal of Zola as manager, Clarke left the club by mutual consent.
On 10 January 2011, Clarke was appointed first team coach at Liverpool by Kenny Dalglish, after Dalglish had replaced the dismissed Roy Hodgson two days before. Clarke was credited (alongside Dalglish) for turning Liverpool's season around. On 12 May 2011, Clarke, as well as manager Dalglish, signed a three year contract to remain in his current role as first team coach.
On 14 May 2012, Clarke offered his resignation to Liverpool following the sacking of manager Dalglish and Liverpool's 8th place finish in the 2011–12 Premier League. The club declined the offer but, on 6 June 2012, following the appointment of new manager Brendan Rodgers, Clarke left the club. Clarke himself said that Liverpool sacked him.
On 8 June 2012, Clarke was announced as the new manager of West Bromwich Albion, having signed a two-year contract. The job was Clarke's first permanent management role for any club, though during his time the club referred to him as 'head coach'.
In November, the club won four consecutive matches in a row for the first time since 1980, defeating Southampton, Wigan, Chelsea and Sunderland. Due to his efforts in November, Clarke was awarded the Barclays Premier League Manager of the Month. Although the team would go on to lose their next three matches, Clarke's team were seventh in the table by Christmas 2012.
On 27 April 2013, Clarke's team secured a 3–0 away victory over Southampton, giving West Brom their fourteenth win of the season, their highest win total in the Barclays Premier League. West Brom finished 8th in the table on 49 points, their best finish since 1981.
Clarke and West Brom returned for the new season but the team initially struggled to score goals, eventually recording their first league goal in the fourth game of the new season. 28 September 2013 saw them secure an historic 2–1 victory against league champions Manchester United, their first win at Old Trafford in 35 years. However, under his managership, they won only one further game and, on 14 December 2013, Clarke was placed on gardening leave until May 2014, after a 1-0 loss at Cardiff City. This defeat had left the club two points above the relegation zone in 16th place. They had won nine of their previous 41 Premier League games.
On 16 December 2014, Clarke was appointed manager of Reading on a two-and-a-half year deal, succeeding Nigel Adkins.
Past Match - Video Highlights - Trev
Trev’s Trivia
Player to play for both clubs
Jab Tabb ITFC 2013 - present Reading 2009-2013
Media Watch - K L Blue
A fascinating and topical wee read on Town’s current and former International players which I found in the Sudbury Mercury
Take a look at our numerical guide to Ipswich Town’s history in international football.
10 - The number of full internationals in the current Ipswich Town squad. They are Jonny Parr, Jonas Knudsen, Tommy Smith, Christophe Berra, Daryl Murphy, David McGoldrick, Tommy Oar, Kevin Bru, Jonathan Douglas and Larsen Toure.
124 - The total number of senior caps won by those players. Christophe Berra leads the way with 30.
1954 - The year in which an Ipswich Town player was capped for the first time, as Billy Reed played for Wales against Yugoslavia.
3 - A joint record held by three players, as Terry Butcher, Mick Mills and Paul Mariner become the first players to represent England at a World Cup finals, against France in Bilbao in 1982.
1961 - Ipswich’s first player capped by England is Ray Crawford as he plays for the Three Lions against Northern Ireland.
9 - Terry Butcher holds the record as Ipswich’s most capped player at World Cup finals, with nine between 1982 and 1986. Nine is also the number of caps Kevin Beattie earned before injury brought his career to a halt. Sir Bobby Robson described him as the best England player he had ever seen.
87,500 - The cost per cap of Amir Karic during his time with Ipswich Town. The Slovenian was signed for £700,000 in September 2000 and played just three times for the Blues before being released the following October, During that time he won eight caps for his country.
6 - The number of African Cup of Nations appearances made by Finidi George in 2002, as he helped Nigeria lift the title, It proved to be the end of international career as he called time on 62 caps.
47 - Allan Hunter is the player to have won the most international caps while with the Blues, having picked up 47 for Northern Ireland in just over 10 years at Portman Road.
270 - The number of minutes current Ipswich player Tommy Smith played at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, where his side picked up three draws before exciting the tournament at the end of the group stage.
5 - A quintet of nations were connected to former Blue David Johnson over the years, although he only played senior international football for Jamaica. Johnson played for England schoolboys, under 21s and B teams, before making his Jamaica debut in 1999. That same year he rejected a call-up from Northern Ireland, joined up with Wales before his chances were ruined by an ankle injury and was also approached by Scotland. He turned out not to be eligible for anyone other than England and Jamaica.
2 - The number of managers Ipswich Town have directly supplied to England, with Bobby Robson following in the footsteps of Alf Ramsey. Both were knighted.
33 - The total number of England caps won by homegrown Ipswich player Kieron Dyer, although none were won during his time with the Blues.
Stat Time
Head to Head
Reading Wins......................21.....(40.38%)
Ipswich Wins.......................22.....(42.31%)
Draws................................9......(17.31%)
Reading Goals.....................73.....(1.40 Ave per Game)
Ipswich Goals......................83.....(1.60 Ave Per Game)
Head to Head at Reading
Reading Wins.......................13.....(50.00%)
Ipswich Wins........................8......(30.77%)
Draws................................5.......(19.23%)
Reading Goals.....................38....(1.46 Ave Per Game)
Ipswich Goals......................37....(1.42 Ave Per Game)
The Predicted Teams
Reading
Steve Clarke will be torn between keeping a winning side, after the Royals’ impressive victory at Brentford, and adding his new signings to the mix.
1 Jonathan Bond
2 Chris Gunter
5 Paul McShane
15 Anton Ferdinand
11 Jordan Obita
23 Danny Williams
6 Oliver Norwood
21 Stephen Quinn
10 Carlos Orlando Sa
7 Matej Vydra
22 Nick Blackman
Ipswich Town
The return from injury of Jonathan Parr, Kevin Bru, Teddy Bishop and Daryl Murphy adds to the options available to Mick McCarthy. Christophe Berra is still a week or so away from recovering from his hamstring injury and it will be interesting to see who lines up in goal...
33 Bartosz Bialkowski
4 Luke Chambers
21 Piotr Malarczyk
5 Tommy Smith
3 Jonas Knudsen
7 Ainsley Maitland-Niles
8 Cole Skuse
17 Kevin Bru
14 Ryan Fraser
10 David McGoldrick
20 Freddie Sears
Marko’s Caption Contest
A few beauties for the Mick McCarthy beard caption. Had to give the 5 points to Bluemike for adding Tommy to the caption, superb stuff. I still find that funny. And welcome Ando to the competition, excellent caption and 4 points to you. 3 points to Derick, 2 points to Floors.
LEAGUE TABLE
Quasar 10
Floors 9
DerickIpsw 9
Barmy Billy 8
Foxy lady 8
Charnwood 8
Blueblood 7
Number 9 7
Bluemike 7
Herforder 6
James Scharmann 5
IpswichtownNO1 5
Frosty 5
Nicscreamer 4
Ando 4
Ohiotractorboy 3
Hallamblue2
LoudNProud 1
Have a go at this,......, I wonder what news this guy has just received.
Match Referee - T.B.A.
Final Thought - Frosty
It was a bit disappointing to go into the International break with a loss, but at least on reflection it wasn’t to a side placed 23rd in the division. We have a chance to go back top this week, if only because we are playing our fixture before anyone else. The nature of this season’s fixture list has created yet another ‘top of the table’ clash this weekend with the Seagulls at home to Hull which should be an interesting match to keep one’s eyes on.
Reading won’t be an easy opponent having beaten us 7 times over the previous 8 fixtures, including two wins against us last season. Not one of our greater records in recent times. As James mentioned earlier in this preview, at least we will probably have plenty of options to wheel out this Friday to try to improve on this recent poor record.
Reading are having a better start to their otherwise disappointing last season, with a good 3-1 win over Brentford in their previous outing and before that a win over Portsmouth to put them in the third round of the Capital One Cup. Prior to this they picked up 2 points with draws between the MK Dons and Sheffield Wednesday.
In other fixtures of note from this round, QPR host Forest, Cardiff look to have a 3 pointer in their sights with Huddersfield coming to town and Boro square off against the MK Dons at the Riverside.
For once I actually know what the train trip to Reading is like having made the journey myself a few years back …… sadly it was merely to visit my sister rather than a game of footie, although I did receive a red card from her after about 4 hours of visiting.
Safe journey’s to everyone that is going on Friday night.
COYB!
READING 0 IPSWICH TOWN 1
Haven't the 'Royals' assembled a fantastic squad this season?
Sorry
Berra, Murphy, & McGoldrick are all fit for Friday Reading Match
