PELLE Clement insists Reading FC players must shoulder most of the blame for their alarming run rather than manager Jaap Stam.

The Dutch midfielder insists the squad remains united behind under-fire Stam despite their worrying form.

Royals suffered a fourth defeat in five Championship games on Tuesday night after a woeful 2-0 home loss to Birmingham City, whose first away win of the season lifted them off the bottom.

Reading were booed off at the final whistle while chants of ‘You’re getting sacked in the morning,’ were directed at Stam.

But Clement pointed the finger at the players, suggesting they are bereft of confidence and are in urgent need of improvement.

“We’re not comfortable when we have the ball anymore,” stated Clement, who made his first league start since August against the Blues. “That is normally our strength.

“We have to keep believing, I don’t know why we keep switching off after a goal.

“Maybe it’s getting into our minds, but it shouldn’t be.”

When asked about Stam’s future at the club, he added: “None of the players are thinking about it.

“We just need to stick together, nobody in the dressing room thinks the manager needs to go.

“It’s normal. When things don’t go well people will moan, but that’s not up to us, it’s up to them.

“The fans should get behind us and bring us to a higher level.”

Reading Chronicle:

Pelle Clement was recalled by Jaap Stam for the 2-0 defeat to Birmingham City on Tuesday.

Royals have dropped to 18th place in the Championship table and four points above the relegation zone after six matches without a win. And Clement admitted confidence in the dressing room is at an all-time low.

“We’ve lost a bit of confidence but you don’t think about that when you’re playing,” he continued. “You have to play at a certain level that everyone is capable of and you have to get yourself to that level.

“When you have a lot of confidence you will grow as a team, but every player has to be 100 per cent every game.

“We can’t let ourselves give anything less, it’s not good enough anymore.

“We need to be more comfortable so we can dominate the opposition. That’s where it’s going wrong.

“We have the players to create scoring opportunities, but we go a goal down and try and force things and that’s when it goes wrong.”

Stam is set to ring the changes for Saturday’s trip to League Two Stevenage in the FA Cup third round (3pm ko). Jon Dadi Bodvarsson, Tiago Ilori and Omar Richards are all likely to start.