In the pub after this match, JD Wolf suggested that this match report should consist of just one word, repeated again and again across two large paragraphs. It doesn't take a psychic of Uri Geller's ability to guess that the word that JD suggested had four letters, started with an S and ended with a T.

The queues for the John Ireland were surprising long and so -queuing up with Stuperstitious Wolf to get in we heard the team announced. I didn't listen past the midfield - I guessed that D. Jones had stuck to the same squad and shape (besides the replacement of Oakes by Murray which was forced on him). So imagine my surprise when the teams lined up and Ndah had replaced Blake. I thought this must be due injury as Blake has been playing well. So I don't understand why Blake was on the bench and came on in the second half. Things are just getting weirder and weirder.

Wolves were sluggish for most of the first half. Some people thought that we had reverted to a 4-4-2 formation, but I am not so sure. We certainly didn't have any width, which meant that most of attacking play languished in the middle of the park or was on the end of a boot upfield.

The defence still looked vulnerable, and Butler missed quite a few headers from big punts from Reading. To be fair however, Reading weren't making much progress down the wings. They had obviously read the Clever Trevor Francis script and early on they tried to get down their right wing. Luckily Naylor was up to the task, even though there was a slight suspicion of Naylor doing two jobs as they doubled up on him.

Ndah was looking bright, but Sturridge was all but non existent. On one occasion I was reminded just how better our players were than the Reading squad. Ndah - who is fourth or fifth choice forward and "surplus to requirements" - skinned their left back and centre back with ease, but nothing came of it.

In fact nothing came of anything for Wolves in the first half. Reading certainly looked the more likely to score, playing almost exclusively on the break. After about half an hour there was a massive goalmouth scramble and Murray pulled of a great save and then held onto the ball as a couple of Reading players slid in late. Quite probably this was a tactic, as a Reading player had already been booked for a late challenge on the Wolves goalie. Just before half time Wolves had a let off as Hughes - with plenty of time and space - looped a shot over the bar when he should have done better. Unfortunately - later on he did.

The half ended with a bizarre booking for Ndah, but this was a strange ref. I don't think that I have ever seen so many stoppages for head injuries in one match.

Half time 0-0.

Irwin did force a save from the Reading keeper early in the second half, but it didn't really seem that it was going to be Wolves day. Some fancy foot work from Ndah and Newton set up Rae on the edge of the box, but he fell over and scuffed his shot. Fortunately the ball went through to Ince who fizzed a shot just over the bar.

Then came the moment that Reading hadn't really threatened, but somehow just seemed inevitable. We cleared the ball from Reading attack, but it fell to one of their players who fed it to Hughes midway in our halve. Unfortunately he was given the time and space to send a swerving shot past Murray and into the back of our net. No so much a stunned silence from the crowd, more groans of inevitable doom. 0-1.

Almost immediately Wolves nearly crafted an equaliser. Ingimarsson crossed and a Sturridge header cannoned off the post and the ball fell invitingly for Ince who shot wide.

A Butler defensive header swerved out of play instead of back to our forwards and this signalled chants of "Ludo Ludo", which - some short time later D. Jones heeded in his own obscure way. Cooper came on for Butler, with Ingimarsson slotting into the centre of defence.

Cooper did look more creative than any of other players, but he lacked the final ball. He could also do with some new boots - I remember him slipping over three times (and still managing to keep the ball) during one attack.

Besides hitting the post, our best chance came when Cooper played Ince through and his cut-back cross was sent well wide. Blake came on for the last quarter of an hour, but like Cooper he looked good without ever looking like he'd create a goal.

The biggest worry I have coming out of this match is that we look like a team whose whole is less than the sum of its parts. We were only playing Reading. Individually they are no where near the standard of the Wolves squad. But as team they certainly edged this match.

Certainly Jones can't blame individual errors or the conceding of an early goal for this defeat. Its not necessarily the 4-3-3 formation which is to blame, but it could be the way that the formation makes our players play. That is to say - it doesn't really matter whether loss of form and confidence of almost the entire squad is all in the players' minds - if the answer is to change the formation, then that is what needs to be done.

Ingimarsson didn't look more able than Butler when he went to centre back, and so I think that the fan's attacks on him - and Naylor - are unjustified. But nobody could argue that any of the players have earned their right to wear the shirt. Even Irwin looked nervous - rushing a freekick in the first half and giving the ball away.

So what's the answer? I admit I have no idea, but D. Jones has to find a way of getting the players confidence back quickly or I think it might well cost him his job.

...Oh.. and incessantly picking on and booing certain players doesn't help.

Full time 0-1