:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/45702578/462366728.0.jpg)
It is getting to the point of just over a week ago since we lost to Nottingham Forest. We are now eight points behind Millwall above us, and only have a two point gap above bottom side Blackpool; at one point on Saturday we were bottom of league.
Will that spur the players on? I somehow don't think so.
We looked completely devoid of anything remotely related to confidence last time out, and don't see any reason for that to have changed. The question for me though, why aren't we playing two striker s up front?
With Emyr Huws out till end of season, and now Chris McCann out for week or so; our midfield is looking very thin on the ground. Surely that twists Mackay's arm to play two men up front and go all out attack. As it stands what do we have to lose?
Especially when you go and face a Reading side who are on the up.
Steve Clarke took charge 13 games ago and since then have only gone on to lose three times. The weekend saw an impressive performance as they beat Derby County to progress in the FA Cup. The Royals will want to keep that winning feeling going.
The change has just been a lift of spirits and a realising of potential by a side who were chasing a play off place last season, and were expected to do so again; much like ourselves. The reverse fixture was the 2-2 opening day draw, which showed no signs of what would come for the two teams, at the time it looked like a match between two teams aiming for the upper reaches of the league.
Of course the paths of the two teams have been very different. While we sit in the bottom three, Reading are now again looking up in hope of aiming for a top six spot.
To help them do that they have sign a player who just scores goals wherever he plays. Yakubu once of Portsmouth, Everton and Blackburn has returned to English soil and returned with a goal. The striker has everything you ever want in a forward power and pace with that killer instinct.
Something we are badly missing at the moment.
Are we likely to win this one? I would like to hope so, but my brain tells me that we will be sadly disappointed with the result. You never know though we didn't play at the weekend ad those fresher legs could prove the difference come tonight.