Every word from Reading FC manager after Rotherham United defeat

Here is what manager Paul Ince said after the match.

READ MORE: Reading FC hit for four by newly-promoted Rotherham United

Ince on the match

I said to the lads you can’t perform like that first half. You got bullied and weak as piss. When you’re playing a team that have just been promoted at home they’re going to go long and prepare themselves for everything you’ve got to win second balls and fight- they didn’t fight. We’ve let everybody down. the most disappointing thing for me is conceding goals so early on. No preparation you can do Monday-Friday can stop that, if people don’t want to stop their crosses, get tight and put their head in you’re going to concede goals, and that’s what happened after six minutes. We’re not good enough to keep going a goal behind and think we can come back and win twos and threes; we haven’t got that squad at the moment. What we’ve got to do is fight for the fans who came today, and that’s all of us. it’s easy to single individuals out but we’re in it together. I thought the fans were unbelievable and that’s the most disappointing thing. These fans have travelled in stifling heat, and we let them down in the first half. That’s not a Paul Ince team, that’s not in my DNA. Yeah, a clean sheet in the second half and chances to get back in the game but it’s passed you by then. I don’t mind getting beat but performance wise if you play like that, you’ll lose more than you win. They’ve been told in no uncertain terms.

Ince on Joe Lumley

This is about us. everyone will look at the goalkeeper, but we lost 4-0 not because of the goalkeeper, because we weren’t at it in the first half. I don’t mind losing games if you perform but first half, we were slow and sloppy. People can blame the weather, but Rotherham played in the same climate, we just didn’t deal with long balls. They bullied us and when we got it down, we didn’t pass it. The decision making was diabolical, and everyone will point at Joe, but he will save us more points than he costs us. we win together, lose together, and draw together.

Ince on the defence

You look at the way play, and you need a man in there. We need people that are strong. Second half they came out and to keep a clean sheet is a positive note.

Ince on half-time thoughts

I felt the first half was that bad they should go out. it is easy to take four or five off and let them get away with it, no you put us in this position you get us out of it. If I could make 11 changes, I would make 11 but we can’t do that. They did respond but it was a little bit too late. It’s one game.

Ince on the season

There’s going to be some ups and some downs, what downs there are we’ve got to stick together and what ups there are you’ve got to stick together. Don’t get too high or too low, a happy medium. There has to be a reaction on Wednesday. We have to move forward as quickly as we can. You’ve got to put it to bed and move forward.

Ince on early goal

We did enough preparation in the week; they knew what was coming they just didn’t deal with it. If you concede that first goal, you are putting yourself under pressure and once you put yourself under pressure you start fragmenting and playing as individuals. We don’t do that; we play as a team. When you come to a place like this the last thing you want to do with a raucous crowd is get them up straight away. First half we didn’t compete, nowhere near it.

Ince on Loum

He's a powerful lad and he only had two Under-23 games at Porto so he is still miles behind in fitness, but he has this way he gets around the pitch, he gallops. It’s difficult because when you have someone coming over with a European style of football, the Championship is completely different to any league in the world, it’s quick and in your face. He’s got to understand how quick you’ve got to play. Apart from that, to play 90 minutes on Tuesday and again today, I think he’s going to be really good for us. Ty (Tyrese Fornah) is getting better as the games go on, they’re still young kids. We’ve got a lot more to come from Loum.

Ince on Long

At times he caused them problems. We’re not getting enough people in the box, we’re not ruthless enough. Thomas goes down and dinks one to the back post and nobody is there, you think if that was big Lucas (Joao) or big Yaks (Yakou Meite) that’s the difference- goal scorers. We can’t keep relying on Shane all the time, you know what you’re going to get with Shane. He’s great for us but you’ve got to bear in mind he’s 35, we can’t keep pushing him all the time. I love working with him, I think he’s a great character and the lads like him because he might make mistakes or lose the ball, but he is always going to give his all.