After Reading Defeat, Allardyce Points The Finger Of Blame!

A clearly angry Doctor Evil was in no mood to pull his punches after the game. Raging about defeat in a free scoring game, he said:

"That's what the delusional fans were asking for. We controlled the game for 40 minutes playing the West Ham way and look where it got us. Had we just kept it tight, stolen a goal and kept a clean sheet we would all have gone home happy. Instead all that silly bugger talk about playing the ball on the ground cost us."

"Where was the ball when Noble lost possession which led to their first goal, that's what I want to know? On the ground. Don't ask me why he was fannying around with the ball like that. That's not what I want him to do. Get it, offload it. Get it, hit it forward. We were a goal ahead. We were winning the game. Keep the ball in the air and up the other end of the pitch and the opposition can't score can they? But that's not what West Ham fans want is it? They want entertainment. Well there were six goals today so presumably they feel that they have had good value for money. They have to be pleased with that don't they?"

"People are querying my substitutions. That shows how little my critics know. People are saying I should have brought on Lansbury for Noble. Why exactly? Can the boy defend? We conceded two goals in the second half anyway, it could have been even worse had I not moved Tomkins forward to anchor the midfield."

"Kevin Nolan was excellent again. He isn't a creative midfielder. That's not his game. He is a goal scoring midfielder and his header set up our opening goal. That's what he is in the team for."

"Reading were a bit lucky to be honest with you. Their fourth goal was offside, everybody in the stadium could see that apart from the officials and the penalty was dubious in my book. So had Maynard scored with his chance we could have won the game 3-2 and everybody would have been happy with that. But our forwards are going through a bad patch unfortunately and that is costing us. I have the facts, and let me tell you that over the 90 minutes we were the better team, as we have been in all our recent games. Sooner or later we will get the breaks and the rewards we deserve. Providing we cut out this playing on the ground crap."

"We are third in the table and clear of the chasing pack so everybody has to be pleased with that. Remember, I took over a team that finished bottom last season so, as I keep saying, third place represents outstanding progress. The so called experts are falling over themselves to praise Harry Redknapp because Tottenham are in fourth place but how many places have they improved this season? Not as many as us. Bottom to third is better in my book than fifth to fourth. You see, I have the facts, and it's facts like that which really matter. We are getting there and Bolton wasn't built in a day."