Lacklustre Wolves soundly beaten

Wolves 1 v Reading 2

Pick the bones out of that then. But where to start? How about the referee, Keith Hill. Not good. Is that euphemism for poor? From the off you could tell from Mr Hill’s gait that an athlete he is not, an impression barely improved on by his manner which was both fussy and lacked presence. Never has shaving foam been applied to the pitch with such bravado and extravagance and never have substituted players (Reading) been permitted to stroll off the pitch in the blatant pursuit of time wasting without reprimand. If anything is guaranteed to raise the ire of the football supporter it is gamesmanship - bordering on cheating - and in that regard Reading gained top marks and Mr Hill gained none.

So we have done the ref, what about the Wolves. Regrettably, also poor. As has been the pattern of recent games plenty of possession with far too little to show for it. Why? The side is not creating enough from midfield and is not strong enough to accommodate the mercurial “talents” of both Bakary Sako and Rajiv Van La Parra. I have been grumbling about the Dutchman for a while now and though he created the Wolves goal in the 25th minute, with an excellent cross to Benik Afobe, up until that point he had performed to type. By which I mean elaborate runs which more often than not go nowhere or holding the ball too long before releasing it such that the receiving player no longer has sufficient space in which to use it. “For me” as Ron Atkinson used to say he doesn’t cut it and I would like to think we have seen the last of him as a starting player.

So what of the visitors? In football speak, they came and did a job and if we can put to one side our bias - and overlook the gamesmanship - Reading are a more than capable unit who should probably be higher than thirteenth in the league. In Pavel Pogrebnyak, Hal Robson Kanu and Danny Williams they have players of skill who can go past an opponent and deliver a decent pass. Their opening goal in the 20th second (you read that correctly) arrived courtesy of a poor headed clearance by Danny Batth which went to Simon Cox. He in turn fed Pogrebnyak, free in the box, whose volley gave debutant keeper Tomas Kuszczack no chance. Welcome to the Championship, mate. Their second and winning goal was an even better affair, Daniel Williams rounding off a fine move with a precise shot from the edge of the D.

So where do Wolves go from here? The team is where it should be, perhaps even punching above its weight. The confidence with which they arrived in the division has been partly punctured with the inevitable impact on performance. They could spend a fortune on new recruits but have been through that scenario before (the years of Sir Jack) and it failed to gain promotion, bar once via the play-offs. There are nuggets about. Find them and give them a chance. Mind you easier to write than to put into practice.

Wolves: Kuszszack 6, Doherty 6, Batth 6, Stearman 6, Hause 6, Van La Parra 5 Sub Henry, Edwards 6 Sub Price, Evans 5 Sub Dicko, McDonald 6, Sako 6, Afobe 6

Reading: Federici 6, Kelly 6, Hactor 7, Pearce 6, Orbita 6, McCleary 6, Robson Kanu 7 Sub Blackman, Williams 7, Chalobah 6 Sub Norwood, Cox 6 Sub Akpan, Pogrebnyak 7

Attendance: 20,247

Referee: Keith Hill 6

MB