Mark Bowen said that he is 'expecting a lot more' from his team after Reading fell to a 3-2 defeat against Birmingham City. 

After the match, the Reading manager lamented his sides 'poor' performance, saying that he was 'angry and dissapointed' at the full time whistle. 

"We were poor. I'm expecting a lot more from my team in terms of quality on the ball.

"It is easy to say that our ball players in John Swift and Ovie were missing, but the players who were stepping in have got to be a lot better on the ball in terms of passing, retaining possession, being braver on the ball - all those things I'd expect I thought were lacking today.

"[I was] angry and dissapointed [at full time] just because I know they're better than that. We have got to get a consistency in our form. In fairness, in the eight games so far, I think we have had that. 

"There's not been many games, if any, that I have come in after and been really dissapointed. Today I was."

For the second consecutive game, Bowen switched tactics - setting his side out initially in a 3-5-2 formation before switching to a 4-4-2. 

"We changed the formation to a 4-4-2 last week and it worked, to get more bodies into forward areas and be more creative in those areas. 

"I did it a little bit earlier at half time this week and from then on in, you're looking for your players to get on the ball and make us play.

"Looking back at the game, too many of my players today weren't at it, in terms of showing what they are about. I have good players here but too many of them today weren't quite at in terms of being the players they are.

"It happens in games, we'll get on the training ground and work at it again and ask players to be a little bit braver in possession. 

"It was a bad day at the office for us today. We never really got going."

Mark Bowen also was unhappy with the referees performance, saying: "I think he was a little bit erratic, some of the decisions I did not quite understand where he got them from in terms of the consistency. 

"He punished us for certain situations that I saw happening but then on the other foot minutes later nothing happened. 

"It is no excuse at all. You can never blame a ref for a result like today, it was our making."