A jubilant Brian McDermott reflects on a vital win for his Reading side - whilst looking ahead to another gruelling challenge...
Brian: can you describe the magnitude of that win?Three points; that was it. We were 1-0 down pretty early in the game and it's never easy to go 1-0 down here. They could have kicked on, but we stayed in the game. We didn't play particularly well in the first 35 minutes or so and we needed to stay in the game, which we did. Then we got ourselves as goal from a set play; Ian Harte's delivery again, Kaspers' [Gorkss] goal and then Noel [Hunt] scored. So to go in [at] 2-1 was massive for us. Second half, I thought we played well with the ball, passed it well and we deserved to win.
You couldn't have seen that 2-1 coming because they had a lot of the first half?
Yes they did, but sometimes in football you have to [dig in]. When we go away from home we don't just get behind the ball, we're trying to win games and it's never going to be easy coming here. You saw that; we tried to score goals in the second half and try to play football that's attractive to watch so we're very happy today.
Mathematically and as a manager you see that as three points but your supporters will see that as six points in terms of the promotion race?
I wish! I wish it was. Ten points would be great! But you definitely only get three. But listen, the supporters will have a good night tonight, that's what it's all about. If I wasn't a manager I'd be a supporter, it looked really good behind that goal. I'd have really enjoyed that! That's what football's all about really. There's a load of Reading fans behind the goal, they go home really happy, go into Reading town centre tonight and have a good night. They'll look forward to Friday [v Leeds].
Presumably you wouldn't swap positions with Big Sam who's always under pressure here? You've crept up there without any sort of real pressure; do you look at it that way?
I don't know about pressure. I don't really want to talk about that - we're just trying to do the best we can in every single game. You can do any more than that. You can't look too far back, you can't look too far forward, just enjoy the games. And we're enjoying them. It's really important that our players enjoy coming to a place like this and performing the way they have today. We've come out on top and that's absolute credit to the lads.
You didn't do what a lot of teams do when they come here and just try and frustrate West Ham?
We have a certain way of playing, we have a shape to our team. We work hard in training and we always work on the opposition, but we work on our strengths. It's about what we do really. I promised myself as a manager that I'd always have two things; I'd always go on my gut feeling for selection and I'd try to win every game. You know, if you're 0-0 away from home, try and win it - there's a big difference between one point and three points. I've stuck to that.
You won't be able to have a good night tonight as I gather you're running tomorrow?
No, I'm gutted - it's certainly knocked the gloss off this! I'm doing the Reading half marathon tomorrow so I'll waddle round that!
Are you aiming for any particular time?
Staying alive! [laughs] I'm not naming any time. We've got around 20-odd staff and I'll end up 25th or whatever, I'll end up last. But I'm happy with that, I'll hopefully finish it.
It'll go within the blink of an eye after today's game, won't it?
Yeah. Are you doing it? Have you done it?
Yes...
Well you're a bit fitter than me.
Are you on the bus route?
Yeah, I'm going to get a taxi after!
Will it put an extra spring in your step though?
No. No chance!
So why are you doing it!?
I don't know! No - listen, it's for a really good cause, I'm doing it for charity. All the staff are doing it, it's a great cause really.
May I ask what the charity is?
Yeah - a hospice in Reading, I don't what the...
[PA] Help for hospices, it's a Duchess of Kent hospice in Reading - justgiving.com/royalrunners.
Yeah - so if any of you have got any money..!
Can I ask what was the injury to Jem [Karachan]?
Jem got a bloodied nose so he was seeing double, but I think he'll be okay for Friday. Jay [Tabb] got a smash on the ribs. The players were going down like flies today and the ones that came on I thought did really well, as well. It was good.
Sam Allardyce was saying that he thinks West Ham shot themselves in the foot today, that it was their basic errors that gave you the three points?
I can't talk about West Ham's errors, I only see one team when we're playing and that's us. We do the best we can, we can't do any more than that. To come here and get four goals is real credit to the lads.
You don't look cock-a-hoop, but you should be?
I've got the marathon tomorrow!
You've almost got a foot in the Premier League...
I've been around this game a long, long time - so 'cock-a-hoop' wouldn't be the phrase I'd use.
What will your routine be tonight then?
Tonight I'm staying in the hotel; my daughter's going to run as well. There's a few staff staying at the Madejski [Stadium]. I'm going to have whatever the sports scientist tells me to eat! I'm not allowed to have a drink; I'll have a hot chocolate, go to bed, wake up at 7 o'clock in the morning and have porridge apparently! It's all sorted, don't worry about that. If I had two bottles of wine it'd be irrelevant, it wouldn't make any difference to my time!
You're not tempted then?
No I'm not, no.
One glass maybe?
I don't do one glass! Thank you, cheers.
* Something to say about this story? Please visit the KUMB Forum to leave a comment.
