Rotherham United 0 Reading 1
Morrison 26
Rotherham United lost their fourth game on the bounce with a one-nil score line this afternoon when Reading got all three points at the New York Stadium.
The Millers had an early free-kick which Ryan Giles ran over and Lewis Wing took finding the head of Michael Smith but the Millers striker couldn’t keep the ball down. At the other end some nice work between Ovie Ejaria and Michael Olise saw the visitors win a corner which found Omar Richards just outside the box who let fly bringing off a good save from Millers’ ‘keeper Viktor Johansson who tipped over. Giles clipped the ball into the Reading box finding Angus MacDonald who sent the ball into the path of Clark Robertson who fired over under pressure from a Reading defender. A few minutes later a challenge on Robertson saw him fall to the ground and after treatment had to be replaced by Ben Wiles coming off an already depleted looking bench. A super challenge from Shaun MacDonald stopped a cross finding Andy Rinomhota in a good position before Angus MacDonald had to be alert to stop an Ejaria cross finding Lucas Joao in an equally good position. On the twenty-fifth minute Angus MacDonald cleared a ball in the area which came back off him and he was thankful to see it go just past the post. But two minutes later the Millers weren’t so lucky after a set-piece wasn’t dealt with Richards sending a cross to the back post which found Morrison who prodded it over the line to give the Royals the lead. It might have been two a couple of minutes later when Joao got the ball from Moore but put the ball wide under pressure from Wiles. Freddie Ladapo won a corner for the hosts which Giles found Crooks with but Reading easily clear the captain for the day’s header. At the other end Johansson had to race off his line to get to the ball before Rinomhota before Olosunde received a good ball from Giles in the box only to see his strike deflected. Minutes later a long Olosunde pass was knocked down by Angus MacDonald for Ladapo who put his shot over. Reading had another chance when an Ejaria ball found Joao who had space to turn only to see his shot clear the crossbar. In the final minute of the half a great cross into the box from Giles but Rafael was there to claim. In time added on it could easily have been a second goal for the visitors when a free-kick by passed two or three Reading players with Ejaria pushing it towards Alfa Semedo who despite being in acres of space couldn’t quite get to it leaving it at one-nil to the Royals going in at half-time.
Rotherham started well in the second half and a fantastic strike from Michael Smith found the back of the net but the tall striker had moved into an offside position. Viktor Johansson collected from an attempted lob by Lucas Joao before some ping-pong in the box was eventually cleared by the Millers for a Reading corner which Lewis Wing was grateful to clear off the line. A Wing cross found Smith in the box but again his header went over before Matt Crooks did the same for Freddie Ladapo who also saw his header rise above the crossbar. Some nice work from Crooks saw him find Ladapo who put the ball into the box for Giles but the Wolves loanee whose shot was deflected away from goal then cleared. A late challenge on Andy Rinomhota saw Angus MacDonald receive the first yellow of the game which was followed by a double change for the hosts seeing Trevor Clarke and Kieran Sadlier on for Ryan Giles and Shaun MacDonald. Wing tried to play Ladapo in with the ball coming back out to him with the Middlesbrough loanee sending his shot high. The Millers put pressure on their visitors with a number of corners that ended when Michael Morrison got the better of Ladapo and cleared down field. Reading replaced Ovie Ejaria with Tom McIntyre whose first touch brought a corner for the Millers which fell to Ladapo who saw his shot blocked. Another double change for Rotherham with ten minutes to go saw George Hirst on for Lewis Wing and Ladapo replaced by Florian Jozefzoon. McIntyre headed the ball on for Michael Olise whose shot from outside the box went inches wide. A shove on Olise by Ben Wiles bought the Rotherham player a booking before the Frenchman had a shot at goal which Johansson was equal to. As the board went up for a further five minutes a shot from outside the box from Clarke saw Reading ‘keeper Rafael make his first save of the half. A foul on McIntyre saw Matthew Olosunde the third home player to get a yellow. Smith got a good ball from Sadlier and in turn sent the ball for Hirst who saw his shot blocked. The last change of the afternoon saw Thomas Holmes replace Michael Olise for the visitors. Another cross from Sadlier found Clarke who again saw a shot blocked before a shot come cross from Wiles took a wicked deflection and looked like it was going to sneak in the far post but went just wide.
Well you can’t say we didn’t have chances – but you can say after six months we still don’t know how to take them. Crosses in easily blocked, corners not even getting into the box, can we actually hold on to a ball long enough for one of our players to get himself into a good position (that would be a ‘no’). I’m not sure any of us really thought we’d get a win today although we all hoped and it was pretty scrappy.
Can I really say ‘onwards and upwards’ again in a positive manner?
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Caz, I have read your stuff for many years and I honestly think you are a top person. But. And it’s a big BUT. You simply aren’t critical enough. The manager has in my view been palpably inept. Hopeless. Out thought on a regular basis. The owner has failed to invest time and time again. The recruitment team has bought or brought in duds time after time. The whole set up is rotten and second rate and you just seem happy to make excuses for them. These are pros earning more money than I earned when I ran an office of 50 staff and they can’t shoot, can’t pass and we’re all supposed to cuddle Warne’s beanie when he tells us in another game we might have scored five or whatever crap. The club is a farce and you should be calling them out.
Rant over!
I’m not really sure it’s my job to criticise anyone, Kevin – unless I feel I could do better which I definitely don’t. I just think you start being over critical and it will get back to the players, some of them it will gee up some it will make nervous and then they do make mistakes. I thought the subs were wrong, again, yesterday. I thought Giles was getting into his stride when taken off. I’m annoyed that we don’t put our kids on the bench when the Manager is praising them up (although can, in a way, understand why he doesn’t want to put them out there when the team aren’t doing well but it does make us look like we are in a sad state of affairs when we can’t fill the bench). I won’t call for a Manager’s head as I think that doesn’t help anyone – I was the first to be appalled when we set Steve Evans on but I bit back my words and think he is probably one of the best we’ve had. I do get sick to death of the ‘good lads’ that comes out of Warne’s mouth and feel we need a Tony Grealish out there who can give as good as he gets. I don’t see that running round for miles helps when it’s clearly the simple things we don’t seem to be getting right. In the end I feel it all comes down to money and I don’t know how much our Chairman has (again I wasn’t over impressed when Mr Stewart took over but now realise he was the man for the job. I then look at the bigger picture and look who is out there to take over in either the management department or as the owner and I can’t see anyone better than we have to be honest. Every time we are in the Championship I say I’ll be happy this season to just stay up and then build on it – we tend not to stay up and so lose our players and the circle starts again. Do I think we will still be in the Championship next season? I’m doubtful BUT I still hope we can give it a good go.
I kevin i though you would be the first to write in a lot of truthsin what you say. definetly poor recrutmet and very poor managmet and a skin flint chairmam who wont spend . did you how many ex rotherham player or lonees scored this weekmore than likely players who warne says dont fit in,if they can score they shuod be at rotherham all this crap about being good people, it good footballers we want WARNE OUT c in l
caz anybody can criticsise anybody even if they cant do the job better warney is always getting thing wrongand should be getting loads of stick and then the sack it a new input of blood we want before its to late c in lind
That’s your opinion CinL and I respect that. Who is out there who you think could do a better job than Warne?
caz some names if we have any ambition FRANK LAMPARD.MARK HUGHES. EDDIE HOWE,DAVID WAGNER . PHILPARKINSON .ROBERT DI MATTEO no cheap opsions
Exactly, CinL, they won’t come cheap and they will still have the same players in the squad until the summer at least. And would any of them come to Rotherham?
Can I just mention how did a new man in charge go for the Owls??? As I said before it’s still the same players. If you are going to get someone new in charge, for me, I think it has to be done during the summer when he has time to stamp his authority/ways on the team.
Just wondering if cin l is playing footy manager on is phone when mentioning managers available for miller’s is he living in cuckoo land??, nota chance. Spot on with your first comment, I also was never thrilled about Evans but he got results, possibly his way on our budget wrks, but still like warneys way promote youth frm within r lower leagues just think he shud av done a moore & asked for 2/3 players on loan frm prem, think that’s how Evans worked it aswell, always a big fan of a couple of nearly prem players remember dicko/tavs pretty awesome months, also think we av about 5 defensive players out now, how’s Liverpool getting on with simalar probs, again arnt we quick t judge, back off lads it’s pethetic!!
hello darren from cuckoo land if a football manager wants aj job no matter who he is or what he,s done in tha past’ its not all about pay if they have been out of work a while they might be pleased tt get back into football. rotherham must show some ambisionor they go down if out of work managers wont come then go for some manager in a job rotherhms lost good managers that way . I might be going into cuckoo land slowly i all i am 74 years old and been a rotherham fan for 65 years so ive seen a lot of managers in that tine and warnes one of the worst from c in l in cockoo land take care
To c in l, if you’ve been a miller’s fan that long I applaud u for your commitment but I will still stand by my words we r a league one side with a league 1 budget & I wud sooner av a tight ship than a bury, the only crazy times we had for expenditure was a ton johnson & I’m sure you’ll remember where that got us, & I was merely pointing out your selection of managers still not a chance, & why av 2 good managers walked away from the job when init jacket/warnock, clearly budget, quite a few good managers in league 1 Appleton for one, wud like ambition in striker dept all the best c in l