We Needed To Do Something - The Verdict

Martin O'Neill said we needed to do something in the second half today, because frankly we failed to turn up for the first.

Speaking on the Official Site following todays 4-2 victory over Reading, O'Neill described our first half performance as 'meek' but was thoroughly delighted with our play following half time.

'I'm delighted with the team, they showed great, great character.'

Passion and drive got us through today, we started looking like a Premiership team in attack only after we equilised....until that point not only did Reading look the more likely to score but we were seriously all over the place.

Our usually watertight defence forgot to put the plug in and were being pulled everywhere and caught ball watching on more than one occasion. Our midfield was non existent, and the less said about our strikers probably the better.

Again though, they kept plugging away, they never failed to keep running and we got exactly what we needed just after half time....some hope.

I've never known a team be so consistently different between halves. It's not the odd match here or there, it is literally every sodding game we have a period of 45 minutes, mostly the first half, which does leave you wondering how the hell they made it as professional footballers to begin with.

I don't get it, and I doubt I ever will.

'After our first half performance I think most of our players were grateful to get a second chance to go out for the second half.'

Ash and Big John in the aftermatch interviews confirmed tough words were said, but Monny doesn't think he gave them the hairdryer treatment at halftime, instead insisting that the players knew themselves how bad they had been and what they had to do to sort it out.

'They are very fine players, they knew how second best they were in the first half themselves so I don't think they needed much reminding of that.'

Monny also wasn't prepared to single out anybody for the change in performance, but did comment about Carew:

'I've said before John at his hungriest can perform like that. He got the goal for us and his game lifted three fold. The next thing you know he is controlling and holding players off which he wasn't doing in the first half.'

So onwards to Chelsea, should be interesting!

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