Paul Clement Blasts 'awful' Derby After Draw Against Reading

13 January 2016 11:17

Derby head coach Paul Clement admitted he was in shock after what he described as an "awful" performance as his team were fortunate to escape with a 1-1 home draw against Reading.

The visitors dominated the game as they halted a run of six straight away defeats in the Sky Bet Championship and made second-placed Derby look distinctly ordinary.

The hosts took an early lead through Jason Shackell but the Royals soon took a grip on proceedings and levelled when Hal Robson-Kanu crossed for Daniel Williams to head in seven minutes before the break.

Derby did not improve in the second half and although Nick Blackman had a shot saved against his former club, Lee Grant was the busier of the two goalkeepers.

It left Clement angry and bemused as to why his players had performed so poorly.

He said: "We were awful from start to finish. There's nothing positive to say about that except that maybe a point is a bonus and I don't even think we deserved that.

"It's my worst game as head coach of this club. It was poor application of the tactical plan so (it is) a question of attitude.

"I told the players at half-time but the response was no better and I told them afterwards to wake up and wake up fast because that's two points we've taken out of nine since the turn of the year.

"I'm almost in shock and it's very difficult to explain how a team has gone 26 games and always worked hard, been resilient and given their best and then you arrive at game 27 and that happens.

"The last thing I said before they went out was about getting the fundamentals and the basics right and that obviously went in one ear and out the other because I can't pick out a player who performed tonight, we were individually and collectively poor with error after error."

Reading manager Brian McDermott was much happier with his team.

He said: "We are just trying to get the basics right and we did that tonight. We had good pace in the final third, passed it really well and everyone in the dressing room contributed.

"Unfortunately we couldn't quite kick on at the end and win the game. Derby is a great club, they are trying to have a real go at getting in the Premier League and Paul Clement is a top manager with really good players and I'm sure they will be really close at the end of the season.

"We are just trying to build something, a good side going forward and we have really good players in our dressing room, a good spirit and they can play which they've shown over the last six games."

Source: PA-WIRE