Earnshaw responsible for Reading defeat?

[Rudolph Hucker 0]

How much was the distraction of trying to sign Earnie and having him amoungst the team during negotiations an element in the poor preparation and performance at Reading?

[Northern Canary 0]

we were never going to beat Reading.

[Herb 0]

[quote user="Rudolph Hucker"]How much was the distraction of trying to sign Earnie and having him amoungst the team during negotiations an element in the poor preparation and performance at Reading?[/quote]I doubt it very much.If anything I would have expected our players (or at least our forwards) to play for their shirt more.Look at Zamora tonight for West Ham with Ashton waiting on the bench.

[Crazy Eddie 0]

Having a game on deadline day not an ideal scenario I think it''s fair

to say. I imagine it may have proven a distraction. Am i right in

thinking Reading did no business ahead of the game?

[YankeeCanary 0]

It was definitely a "disruptive influence".

[lucky green trainers 0]

according to a bbc extract, earnie signed his contract at half-time after arriving on the team coach. apparently, the lads had spent the entire journey practising his trademark machine gun rattle goal celebration,  so they could fire in unison at the bench when city scored as a gesture of welcome. unfortunately, they never got the chance to show their routine, which explained why the lads wore the most gloomiest looking faces worthy had ever seen in the city dressing room post match. They are nevertheless hoping they will get the chance to lay down lots of fire during the ipswich match.I doubt this explains why city put on such a poor showing last night though.

[Dame to Blame 95]

None whats so ever we are just crap and Reading are on fire.

[Alex Harvey-Jones 0]

[quote user="Rudolph Hucker"]How much was the distraction of trying to sign Earnie and having him amoungst the team during negotiations an element in the poor preparation and performance at Reading?[/quote]

It probably was a distraction for the management but that''s where professionalism comes in and something like that shouldn''t have had a big effect on the performance. I don''t think you can blame Earnshaw for the deafeat - maybe he didn''t help the situation but that is a very small cross to bear considering the signing we had made!!!