Swansea away not a happy hunting ground. Remember them terminally destroying our back to back promotion hopes in 1981in a sardine packed Vetch. Boy we gave Leighton James some stick and he replied with a fine goal- he was a really classy player. To Saturday and I have hope but realistically we are going to get beaten and perhaps badly. By all accounts Swansea have really clicked in their most recent games. We will also find out how bad our covid crisis so am expecting a very odd line-up and to be forced to discover if Aynsley Pears is actually any good. At least there are the under 18s and under 23s tomorrow against the toughest opposition in their respective age groups to distract us from getting totally paranoid before Saturday. Or maybe make it even worse...

Two rounds of the league format already completed. I had expected the English contingent to struggle but the quartet top their groups and would have had a 100% record but for Chelsea's draw with Sevilla. Mancs' win in Paris and demolition of RB Leipzig the most unexpected- I had them as sure to be knocked out. They are 16th currently in the EPL. Real Madrid rock bottom of their group currently will surely stir themselves while troubled Barca are going very well with that win away at Juve.

People objected at Half Time to my describing four Reading players as Premier League class. My four are Cabral the keeper. Esteves (aged 18) Richards (aged 22) Olise (aged 18) We have talented youngsters but Esteves in particular is Elliott level something else and comfortably outshone Elliott last night.

Showing symptoms = tested positive or have been in very close contact with someone who has. It means Co0vid is at best, very close to the Rovers camp and given how extremely contagious it is, we are going to be very lucky not to have an Accrington Stanley style affliction. After last night, I wouldn't have a problem postponing Swansea and Boro to later in the season when hopefully Travis and Dack are back. As for Pears, a great reaction save from Del's og attempt but otherwise, the best that can be said is he occupied the goal keeping space and looked more convincing than Walton. Really shouldn't have been where he was after 9 seconds even if Douglas had collected the ball with his instep rather than the back of his heel. Not that he would have stood too much chance one on one with Meite clear with the ball half way inside our area.

A quick word in praise of Armstrong. He took his two goals last night brilliantly well. We would have been raving about him and them today had what went on behind him not happened. As it is, Arma has scored 67% of all the goals Reading have let in this season.

Aspects of the Reading game were unlucky but - I got the impression they surprised us as we didn't look like we had been set up correctly. Sticking with our 4-3-3 doesn't mean you ignore what the opposition has and I write that as someone who accuses Mowbray of over thinking. - the Reading manager on the night was a totally different level to Mowbray especially the way his team went up a gear when it went 2-3. That was absolute class on their part. I have never seen a Mowbray team do that. And what he did with the subs last night was close to criminal. I know he is good but Elliott has now played in four radically different positions in his three games for us. We have a competitive squad and first team. But, there are easily six managers in the Championship a whole level better than Mowbray and that is the graveyard where our promotion hopes are buried.

Feeling very low after that. As soon as it went to 3-2 the entire Reading team went up a gear. They had clearly been trained for that and coached. Manager's instructions at half time equally clear and precise. We were beaten in the dug outs again. Given the players available, Mowbray was so-so apart from his substitution decisions which were bad but the Reading boss is clearly top top quality. Two depressing thoughts. Reading were always going to win that regardless of the freak 9 seconds goal. Any player with a sniffle is out of the game. I hope that is all Johnson and Bell have or otherwise we are potentially facing something between facing the next four matches with several players out and an Accy Stanley style Covid debacle. And Rothwell looks to have pulled something self training at home so how long is that going to take? Lose to Swansea (currently second) and Boro (currently seventh) and we are out of the race for automatic promotion and top six becomes a distant dream. There is little to suggest we won't lose those two games.

So disappointing. Reading good value for their win, lifted their game when we pulled it back to 3-2. Too many passes going behind players tonight. Sorry to single two players out but Gallagher was awful when he came on and like he had at Coventry, Lenihan had spells where he couldn't get anything right. Very afraid we are going to be looking at a mountain to climb to get into contention after the Swansea and Boro games.

Reading have at least 4 players who are Premier League quality

The video was working fine on chrome but has now gone back to the revolving quarter circle. So watching it on my Safari browser. Crazy!

Over doing the beating up on Evans. He was absolute pants in the Forest game but he is usually solid and has been known to have really good games. Ayala is a puzzle but I guess if he is not 100%, Reading are too physical to risk him. Wharton provided he doesn't start misplacing passes is more than OK. Williams and Lenihan statistically are a very good partnership. That said the bench has a hint of keeping happy in rotation about it. Pears will be tested- that's certain.

Watched three Reading highlights and they re-enforce my view that Reading are not that tight at the back and will give us chances. The keeper is good. They are pretty deadly when they get chances but have been fortunate at times. Barnsley were severely testing them before being reduced to 9 men. Watford looked the better side but Reading emphatically took their chance.

Good job they made a decent start so they shouldn't be bottom 4 when they eventually get their season going again. Hopefully out lot are taking notice are don't get us lumbered with a two week four match break

You are getting into Jack Walker/Kenny Dalglish territory when we signed Duncan Shearer from Swindon just to nobble their promotion push. I think that Shearer ended up playing all of five games for Rovers...

Amazed there is no thread for Joe. He is developing into one hell of a player. The long diagonal to Ben Brereton which lead to the penalty was unreal in its pinpoint accuracy against Coventry. He doesn't have the Nyambe ability to burn past opponents but whenever I see him on the ball in advanced positions I am on the edge of my seat expecting something to happen rather than on my knees praying something will happen when Ryan ventures forward. I don't know if right back us the real position for Joe. At present I think he would be skinned by most Premier League teams attacking down their left flank but that said, Joe has the look of growing into a real Premier League quality talent.

Congratulations to Ben for getting player of the weekend for the Championship.

Much more confident about Brereton than I have ever been about Gallagher. I rewatched highlights of the Watford game and must admit I thought Foster had dropped a clanger letting that one in on Wednesday night's viewing. But in fact it is an amazing strike by Ben with bend bouncing just in front of the keeper and going through a ball's width gap between diving keeper and post. I urge everyone to look at the camera angle behind the goal and not go wow!

I am just grateful we are now in a position where 1) we don't need to rush the best player we have had for the last three seasons back from serious injury and 2) the team we now have is so good we have no idea how to fit him in when he is back. Sadly, the inevitable injuries and suspensions will probably solve the dilemma and not much of a decision will have to be made. A more immediate question in the mould of where do you play Dack is where does Rothwell fit in when he is back from isolation on Saturday?

Really looking forwards to this test. I know it is very early in the season but even if dreams come true and we smash them tonight, Reading will still have a league position we can only fantasise about. Don't know what to expect. Surely the league leaders are not going to come to Ewood and try to shut up shop like a team in 24th would?

Not an assumption, It happened for 30 minutes against Coventry.

Just in time for Downing to sign...

Great podcast!

I was coming at it from a different angle which is Elliott probably has the ability to play central and giving him a go there might be part of the deal with Liverpool. If he can it means we have goal scoring cover for Arma. After all, that is exactly what happened when Armstrong was subbed off after 64 minutes on Saturday.

The one player Mowbray has gone public about is Ryan Nyambe and he expects a new contract won't be a problem.