Well I don’t think anybody really saw that coming but the signs were there in our first 2 matches that we could be on the end of a scoreline like that.

We started well enough but after Pack went off we looked simply awful. It’s quite obvious that Richards is the only real backup for Peltier, and neither Bacuna or Nelson are anything more than stand ins.

Their first 2 goals were both hugely disappointing to concede. We really lack the pace to compete with wingers attacking us. Bennett went flying out and totally missed his tackle for their second goal, leaving Ralls stuck in no man’s land and unsure where to position himself.

Flint and Morrison may be a formidable partnership when the ball is in the air but they’ve looked totally at sea when the ball is on the floor in front of them. Indeed Morrison gave away another penalty with a clumsy late tackle.

I was trying to stay optimistic after Wigan and after our first home match. But I said to my pal leaving the ground last week that Neil seems to have gone shit or bust on Warnock-ball. If overpowering the opponent does not work then what are we left with?

Yes we have several injuries which have disrupted us, and we will welcome Peltier, Bamba, Pack and even Tomlin back into the squad, but I’m really concerned after the first 3 matches. We’ve started this season poorly and Neil needs to find answers quickly.

My real concern is the succession planning. If Neil is genuinely retiring at the end of this season then it seems the next manager will have a huge rebuild on his hands come the summer.

I await Neil’s post-match assessment as I feel that he got his substitutions completely wrong this afternoon. It’ll be interesting to see if he takes ownership. Although a lot of our players need to look at themselves as Reading soundly beat us with their endeavour and determination.