Reading FC boss on Bristol City win and Jeff Hendrick quality

Here's every word from Royals boss Paul Ince.

Ince on the game

Very good victory and thoroughly deserved. Clean sheet was really important after conceding two at QPR and three at Swansea. When you look at our team and our squad, we’ve got four centre halves out and a back three of 22, 22 and 20. To keep a clean sheet against the side who are top scorers, along with Burnley, it was a great effort from everyone. They’ll learn from it. You know, as a manager, what’s going to happen. They’ll sit deep. I keep telling them to get up and squeeze the park but we dealt with most things.

You’re always taking a gamble with balls dropping in your box, it’s luck. We threw our heads in and made tackles. The defeats weren’t defeats where we haven’t performed well. QPR was the 82nd minute where we make a stupid decision to give a penalty away, Swansea we were 2-0 up and make individual mistakes and get punished. If we weren’t playing well and getting beat we’ve got a problem, but what you see with the players is every time they give you as much as they can. You’re asking the same 14 players to perform two or three times a week. The Championship is gruelling and it’s tough. The fans got us through. When you get tired it’s important we have the atmosphere around the club, and we did. Overall, a good three points considering we’re going to Burnley on Saturday.

Ince on Andy Carroll, Shane Long and Jeff Hendrick

You’re talking about top players that know the game. They’re cut, they’ve played at the highest level and we’re lucky to have them. Jeff was outstanding, best player on the park by a mile. I’ve asked him to be more influential in games. With Jeff you will always get a six or a seven, but he’s got much more than that. He’s a Premier League player and what we showed today was Premier League level. He played the ball down to Shane [Long] and I thought I was quicker than both of them two- who’s going to get there first? Shane is so cute and clever, and you look for him to have a wise-head and pick the right pass. That’s what he did. It was a great finish because it was a touch wide. It’s important when you make those subs that they work, so it’s a great result for us.

Ince on match quality

Games are going to be scrappy, it’s football. When you look at the way they play, it’s going to be a scrappy game. The bottom line is we went in at half-time at 0-0, that’s the most important thing. I said to the lads you’ll get opportunities, we need to get the first goal. We have a pattern where we get the first goal, defend deep and counter-attack teams. Today we should’ve had three or four chances where we put the game to bed. I don’t always want to be like that but it’s where we are. I’m not interested in whether it’s scrappy, great, Barcelona or Manchester City- it was three points which was thoroughly deserved.

Ince on Amadou Mbengue

He put in a very good performance; I’m pleased for him. We’ve got four or five centre-halves out and I’m going to have to rely on these players. It’s important you can bring them in. It’s tough for them as he doesn’t really know the Championship. He made one mistake where he slashed at a ball but apart from that he was brilliant. He’s only young but he has a great character and he’ll learn all the way. It was great to see Nelson Abbey come on too, it’s important. Fans and myself want to introduce these players so it was good. I’ve watched him training for the last two weeks and he can develop- we will develop him. He’s got the physique and stature with bundles of pace. He’s one for the future, but this is where we are now at this moment in time. There are opportunities there now, especially at the back.

Ince on Shane Long

He doesn’t have to prove any point, Shane Long. He’s had a fantastic career, he doesn’t have to prove anything to me. We’ve got four centre-forwards, it’s about picking the right ones. You forget Shane’s 35. Andy Carroll’s not even 65% fit, Yak’s just come back, so the good thing about it is you can kind of swap and change, take people off, bring people on and you know what you’re going to get from Shane, what you’re going to get from AC, they’re honest, they’ll give you everything they’ve got and that’s all you want. Pleased that Mama scored. Again another young player, we forget. I thought he was very good today. He’s got a lot of learning to do. At times, he loses the ball in positions that he shouldn’t. That goes with being a bit care-free at times. But you see when he’s on his game he’s a man mountain. Not just the header that he just scored, but defensively how he got up and won them. He’s going to be a very good player so long as he learns and listens, and does the right things and doesn’t do silly things that puts the team on the back foot. You’ve got to be pleased for him, he’s a lovely guy, and the players love him so let’s hope there’s plenty more to come.

Ince on returning injuries

Maybe Hutch, he’s one of those that we’ll see. I’d like to get Hutch back, he gives so much leadership and experience. Obviously Yids is back. Others won’t be back till December 10, when we play Coventry.

Ince on Junior Hoilett

The reason why I changed it was that all of a sudden Bristol City were hitting diags onto Junior and they were winning the first ball and getting balls into our box. I just felt it was just a case of getting someone who could at least challenge, and that’s why I changed it. It’s tough, Junior, he’s 32, you know what I think of him, you know I love him. He’s playing as a wing-back every game at 32 and he just does it, he gets on with it. So there are going to be times where he has cramp, where he’s going to feel it, because I’m asking the same players every week to play at the demands and standards I expect them to. And it’s tough for these guys it’s not a big squad, but Junior comes in and gets on with it. They kept launching those long balls and thought any minute they’re gonna knock one down to Chris Martin or Conway or someone like that, and they could come away with a point. I don’t think on the balance of play they deserved a point.

Ince on schedule

Again, I’m going to winge and moan, but after Burnley we go Luton and then Preston. That’s three games in six days again, I don’t see any of the other teams doing that and I’m not sure why they’re doing it, but they’re doing it. To have this free week to get some rest and just get a win before we go to Burnley because we know that’s going to be tough. They’re a very, very good side and I think no getting a win today, you think you’ve got to go up to Burnley and get three points, which we will do anyway, but it just gives us a bit more confidence.

We get a free week, there will be a nice atmosphere around the training ground. There always has been, no-one’s been down. This team, in a funny way, are used to losing games because we did that last year. We know how to win games, but we know how to lose games. So when we lose two or three, it doesn’t affect them. They still stay strong together. The atmosphere’s been great the past two weeks even though we’ve lost games and that’s a credit to the players and the culture we’ve got at this club.

Tough one on Saturday, but if you look at the Championship it’s mad, isn’t it, you think ‘they’ll get beat’ and they don’t. Sheffield United lost three on the bounce. Norwich have lost three on the bounce. We’re not Norwich, we’re no Sheffield United. We’re Reading, and that’s what I keep telling the players. The best teams can keep losing games on the bounce so don’t get down on the fact that we’ve lost three games. I think they were despondent about how they lost those three games more than anything. But it’s a bizarre league and we’ll go up there and give it a go like we always do.