Reaction to Pardrew Comments....

By The Editor
September 2 2002

Reading boss Alan Pardrew told the Express and Star (9/2/02) the defeat at Cardiff in May 2001 was a blessing in disguise for his side. Well, Mr Pardrew, now we are all happy.

Alan Pardrew has said the beating his side got at Cardiff was a "blessing in disguise". His interview was in the Express and Star (2/9/02), and he said a few things which could be seen as being bitter and peculiar.

Pardrew made these comments after his sides 2-0 Victory at the Bescot this weekend. There is no doubting that Reading deserved to take the three points, after an abysmal performance from a Walsall side which we all know can do better. Most people would agree with the statement that Walsall lost the game, through appalling defending on two occasions where Reading counter-attacked and found the net.

I can assure Mr. Pardrew that if he thinks his side losing at Cardiff in May 2001 was a good thing, then every single Saddlers Fan on the planet wholeheartedly agrees with him because it was one of the most memorable days in the clubs history.  

Pardrew also said it stopped Reading putting players on big contracts, while relying on ITV Digital money.   He might be interested to know that the studiously run Walsall Football Club didn't rely on the ITV Digital money, and that the "crisis" hasn't made such a big impact at the Bescot, and the money we got  from Cardiff was nicely looked after, and not wasted.

Walsall went in to that game as the underdogs, against a side that had spent millions on players, had gates 2 or 3 times higher, and were outnumbered Walsall by 3 to 1 in the stadium. Reading would have loved to have won it.

Walsall went up automatically in 98/99, and without a shadow of a doubt the way we went up in 00/01 was far far better, and far more memorable (But Reading wouldn't really know about that.........would they)

As for the rest of this season,  who knows what will happen, but one thing is for sure, the victory at Cardiff will stay in our thoughts far longer than a defeat to a side that have spent millions on players over the past couple of seasons.

And as www.reading.org put it on that day, "The final whistle saw the Walsall fans and players obviously jubilant. The Reading fans and players just couldn't believe it. Words will never describe the feeling of losing this one, so I won't even try."

 

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