McDermott needs to show Premiership respect

Reading sit bottom of the Premier League but the air of calmness around the club is thanks to the controlled and rational leadership of manager Brian McDermott. Last season the blue and white hoops struggled before going on a very impressive run, surging up the table and taking the Championship title. This time round, however, McDermott's men are unlikely to go on a second half blitz like last year and need to change their game plan if they want to stay up.

Monday night's 2-5 loss to Arsenal was a case in point. Completely overrun for an hour, it was only when McDermott subbed Noel Hunt and Pavel Pogrebnyak for Adam Le Fondre and Hal Robsun-Kanu, in the process moving from the the 4-4-2 which was stretched and penetrated at will by Arsenal's midfield and switching to a 4-4-1-1 that offer more cover in the middle and closed down Arsenal's three central midfielders.

There is a danger that Reading, one win from 17 league games and only nine points on the board, start chasing games, desperate for wins rather than accumulating as many points as and when they can. While it is refreshing to see a team struggling at the bottom of the table show no fear for more illustrious opponents, it also shows naivety from the manager.

Perhaps the 7-5 league cup exit to Arsenal at the end of October clouded McDermott's judgement, but a team who have conceded 36 goals - the most in the Premiership this season - should focus less on taking the game to the opposition and more on solidifying the defence and midfield. Only when Reading changed their system, and moving from a zonal midfield marking scheme that was torn to shreds to a man for man setup, could Reading take advantage of Arsenal's complacency.

Some games will be six pointers, must wins - they need to win at least one of their games in the period after Christmas and before New Years against Swansea and West Ham - but some they will do well to get one point, like the next fixture at the Etihad against Man City. At the start of the season, a narrow defeat would have been acceptable but now points are urgently needed, now they need results, and with a defence as porous as his McDermott might think attack is the best form of defence.

That mentality means you have to believe your opponents have more to fear than yourselves, that you cannot show them too much respect otherwise it will effect your game, and with a team like Reading, in the situation they are in, that could spell disaster.