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Reading FC manager Paul Ince has been speaking to the media on Wednesday afternoon in the lead-up to Friday’s game at home to Birmingham City.
The Championship clash is the first since the news broke on Tuesday lunchtime that Royals have been deducted six points by the English Football League (EFL) for breaching a business plan agreed with the organisation.
Below are the boss’ views on the impact the punishment has had on the club over the past 24 hours or so.
READ MORE: Mark Bowen outlines Reading transfer issues, academy audit and hope for the future
Mood among staff and players?
“It’s not been great. I knew it was hanging over us for a period of time but a lot of people at the club didn’t know it was going to happen until it broke five or six weeks ago. The reality of it happening – of course it’s demoralising, but we have to deal with it.
“The timing of it is poor, that’s the most disappointing thing for me. I don’t know why it has taken so long.”
Why so long?
“I don’t know. Even the players have been saying ‘when are we going to get these six points? We just want it over and done with.’ As players and staff you try and push it to the back of your mind but subconsciously it’s always where and you can’t do anything about it.
“As much as you focus on the games, it’s always in your head.”
Relief it’s out the way?
“It’s tough because we were there on 46 points, but we knew it was coming. It’s not a nice place to be in. You’re thinking with 46 points, one more win and you’re safe. But now we need three wins to stay in the league so you can understand how the mindset has switched.
“We can’t do anything about it – it wasn’t through our fault – but we have to be the ones to try and get us out of the situation.”
Confident of staying up?
“We have to be. I don’t want us to start moping about it or to have it in our mindset. I want us to think it’s done and let’s move on. I don’t want us to think if we go down, it’s because of the six points. We can’t think that way.
“We saw at Bristol City the players are prepared to fight and it’ll be nice to get four or five players back from injury but that’s not the case. The players never down tools, irrespective of the situation. They’ll fight for every game, starting on Friday against Birmingham.”
Own mood?
“I just feel like I want to get on with it. We’ve got a game where we need to pick up points. Looking at the season as a whole, 50 points is probably the magic number to keep you up. Maybe sometimes we haven’t been as attacking as we should have been but now we are in a situation where we have to pick up points.
“It’s not about trying to lose games, it’s about trying to win them now and that’s how I feel. We need to start winning games and the only way is to get forward and produce attacking play and hopefully that’ll bring us the points we need.
“Emotionally, I’m a bit up and down because it has been a tough year. Unless you are in it 24/7 as I am, it takes its toll. With the injuries, embargo and now points deduction, to put yourself in a position where you’ve achieved the objective – at times it hasn’t been great – of staying in the league, now you’re in a different mindset where you could go down. It’s very disappointing but we just have to get on and focus on the next seven games.”
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