Skip to main content

Billy Sharp to Reading

So, some very reliable sources are finally starting to say that a loan deal for Billy Sharp is close to done. One even saying that he'll be in our XI to face Derby tomorrow at Pride Park. Sharp played under Adkins at Southampton, and they just missed each other in their Scunthorpe days. Obviously many Reading fans have been calling out for a striker and it's no secret that Southampton are willing to let the 27-year-old go to whichever club is willing to pay his wages.

For a team that hasn't scored from open play in over a month since the three-all draw against Watford you would think that a striker who has a record of a goal almost every other game would be invaluable. With a strike force of Pogrebnyak, Adam Le Fondre and Billy Sharp I think most Reading fans will be thrilled. Especially if the big Russian can find the net on a consistent basis this year.

Also, Chris Baird to the club was confirmed earlier on twitter. He's joined us until January.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

If Anything, Reading's Win In Wales Is Just More Of The Same

Paunovic has been under increasing pressure in recent weeks. Last Tuesday he received criticism from all quarters after a dire midweek defeat to Sheffield United, where he changed the shape of the team to nullify the opposition threat. Although there were some interesting takes by those who didn't seem to fully appreciate the formation, it was clear that it wasn't just the opposition's attacking threat that the manager put the mockers on. And yet, one win seems to redeem all. My personal view on The Gaffer is that, given the injuries in the squad, he's doing as well as could reasonably be expected. Obviously he's made errors, but he's also been handicapped by off field matters. The six-point deduction has made the gap to relegation closer than it ought to be, but the team are clearly good enough to comfortably pull clear over the course of the season and, indeed, have been achieving if Reading had started on minus 6.  So my issue isn't with him, but with th...
Post a Comment
Read more

August.

After a good second half to last season, and a squad that largely stayed together, it was hoped that Reading would hit the ground running, despite a tough start. That start looks even harder given we've played three of the top 6, thankfully the international break meant our game against league leaders Stockport was moved to late October. Seven points from that run is a great return and we're the only team so far to take points off Birmingham or Charlton. David Button's form last season left a lot to be desired, and there were calls for Joel Pereira to take his place early on. At the back end of last season he showed himself to be a good shot stopper, a trend that's continued into this year, but with a habit of making costly errors with his feet. Thankfully his tendency to give up easy goals has, so far, been left in 2023/24. I would also say that while his shot stopping has been good, Opta have him as fourth best in the league for goals prevented, it can occasionally be...
Post a Comment
Read more

Summer 2024: Left Back

Finally, the summer. As ever, the first question on everyone's lips are - "who are we going to sign?". For Reading there is a glaring requirement to bring in players all down the left hand side, and so we'll first look at who could fit in at left back. So, what do our current left back options give us? Reading have, largely, used three different left backs. Starting the season with Matty Carson, before moving to Clinton Mola and Jeriel Dorsett. Let's start by examining what it was that caused Carson to be dropped. The main reason he simply did not do enough work defensively. Of left backs that have played over 500 minutes this season, Carson ranks lowest in successful defensive actions per 90 with just 7.17. Mola and Dorsett are both around 11. Even in the U21's game against Sunderland in the Premier League 2 Play-Off Semi Final (a mouthful) his side was targeted. There's all sorts of defensive frailties in his game that are unnecessary to go into, but eff...
Post a Comment
Read more