Reading FC News: Manager speaks about transfers, free agents, injuries and much more ahead of Bristol City trip

Every word from Paunovic can be read below...

Paunovic on the women’s team’s form:

It’s a good thing that we can rely on some positives in the club. They are doing great and we are delighted with their performances, that’s a good thing and something to build around, the positivity for everyone.

On how close the two squads are:

They are maybe two pitches away from us, depends on teh day. Their building is across the street and at times when we’re not in red protocoles we sometimes share the canteen. So it’s pretty close.

On having some time without a game after QPR:

It was good for us to work and look at everything we need to improve, especially in defence. That was good time, very beneficial. I think we had finally a complete week of training with amost everyone being available; not everyday, some players still need to work a bit more in the treatment room and get themselves available for the games.

But yeah, a lot of sessions we were complete with the team we are expecting and want to start. That was definitely positive.

On scouting Bristol City’s game at Blackpool:

Our people went to watch it, it was a good insight for us. Sometimes I do go. It’s very important the in-person live insight, it always tells you more and gives you better information. But we also know their team, they know us. We also know they have their own issues, it’s going to be an interesting match-up for everyone.

On focusing on themselves rather than the opposition:

We want to get to that point of confidence which I think we are still building and working on. But I think definitely looking at our team is a priority, looking where we can improve, looking at the players who are recovered to lift their game-fitness and game-readiness, and cohesion is I think the most important thing for us.

On players returning from injury:

Junior (Hoilett) is the one who came back from the international break, he was with Canada, very good for him. Very positive state of mind and he brings a lot of positivity and joy to our sessions so that’s one. The rest are still almost there.

Tonight we have an U23s game where we’re going to have Tom McIntyre participating and Yakou Meite who’s in the final stage. Hopefully he can be available for Coventry game. But we have to assess after tonight’s game.

On Yakou Meite’s return:

He’s massive. His character brings what we don’t have on the field. He’s capable of intimidating especially when he’s fit - which I think the last two seasons were difficult challenges for him and affected the team immensely - but now we have to be careful but also positive and expect that when he comes back and when he’s fully fit that he’s going to bring a lot to our team.

On the signing of Tom Ince:

I believe we need…Alen Halilovic (is injured), Ovie (Ejaria) is still not completely fit, Yakou’s still not fit…we need options in attack. And you never know what can happen. And he’s definitely a player with a lot of talent who suits the way we want to play and not only this year but last season he would have been helpful as well.

I think it was a great solution we found for all parties: for our club, for Tom Ince, for Liam Moore, and it’s also something that worked for Stoke. So it was a good deal.

On not signing a defender:

We tried. Now we have to look in free agency. We tried until the end. We tried with a couple of loans, with Liverpool, with Stoke in that swap. We’ve been very creative and active and in the end, this is the best we could do.

We’ll continue looking in the free agency market to see if we can bring somebody to occupy that role because I think we’re still going to need it. Given our circumstances: injuries and people still needng to get fit. But what we need to do is brings somebody who’s ready now, we can’t bring somebody in and wait two months for them to get fit.

On losing Liam Moore:

Given the circumstances, we believe this was the best, even for Liam, given the past month was very difficult for him. The situation…he needed a chance, we believed this was a good opportunity for him and that’s all.

I think we have to…same as everyone affected in this deal…everyone has to turn their focus towards the present moment and the future. So for us, it’s very important, we wish Liam the best this season. Contractually he’s still tied to our club, coming back in the summer, but right now we have to focus on the tasks we have to do and the places where we are.

On changes he’s seen since the QPR defeat:

I think there is urgency in training, the quality was much better. We worked a lot defensively, had important meetings to address our vulnerabilities in that phase of the game. And we still have to improve.

We have to eliminate parts of the game that we put ourselves in difficulties without reason. We give the ball away too easily and that causes us to have to wokr more defensively. We concede crosses too easily and that sometimes leads to corners.

We look at how we are performing on a weekly basis but to answer some of the questions raised in the past, we conceded 168 corners and over those we’ve conceded four goals which is 2.5%. It’s not that bad given how many corners we concede - that’s the main issue I think.

If any defence in the world is exposed so much from crosses and corners at some point they’ll give away goals. And I think we have to first work to prevent crosses and corners and with that will come better defensive performances. And that also comes with not giving away the ball when we have possession. All this we were working on and addressing and we believe there was progress but the best test is going to be the game.

On the squad’s mental toughness:

I’ve been in this situation as a player and it’s never pleasant. You’re never going to find that 100% of the team will know how to cope with this, but what I always found useful as a player was to see that my coach stays calm and works as the first day he came in - addresses people, talks to people, and looks for solutions. And that’s what I’ve been focused on. And I’m expecting also that that’s going to bring confidence back.

At this point, every challenge and adversity will be hard for us. If we deal with is and if we are capable of building momentum where we solve our issues, we are capable of confronting adversituies, that’s going to bring confidence and performances.

We have quality here. I always call on the guys to look across the changing room and see hwo they’re sitting in front of to recompose and build back that composure. That composure is very important and that trust and belief in each other is the main thing that I believe has to start to happen before we come back together as a team and bring back the good performances.

On the mentality needed for a relegation battle:

In these kinds of situations you’re going to have people who show refusal, people with frustration, some indifferent people who are waiting for stuff to happen and you’ll see people who give up. You’ll see also positive people as said with Junior. You have to align those people.

There are different categories where people have to be addressed in different ways and that’s the mental part we have to play as coaches and managers.

Tom Ince: freshness, new beginning. Karl Hein, new players who are coming in and players who are coming from injury they are also bringing freshness and a lot of positivity. 

There’s a great saying, and I’ve heard it from Luis Aragones, European Champion with Spain, he was at one point my coach. And he said: ‘Tell me how you train, and I’ll tell you how you play.’ So from that you can see all other parts of the game including the mentality. It’s nothing new, that’s part of it, you have to live it, find solutions, and work on it every day.

On how he is getting through this tough patch:

It’s a challenge, a continuous challenge that brings the best or the worst of people. So I’m trying to always show my best case and bring my best skills and experience to solve the situation.

On relationship with CEO/Owners:

We get along very well, we have very good communication. This is just how things are right now and I think it came to the point where it depends on the team, it depends on us. We can’t go back to fix things, not that it doesn’t matter, but we’ll just repeat things. We didn’t put the club in this situation, but we are here to solve it. 

I got very good advice from my friend and mentor Ken Lola who is a former coach in the United States: Everyone is going to show their character, and the character you show, you’re going to be remembered for that. Whether you’re best paid or not best paid whether you have a contract or don’t, what you can’t separate from someone is their character. And what you’re going to show now, depends on you.

I believe this is sometimes I spoke to the guys (about) and I put it written in our group, I think there was a positive reaction and now we have to see it. And there’s another part to this, there’s an opponent and they also work on their things but we’re doing everything to fix things. The best you can do is do your best and show no refusal.

I’ll read one of the passages: You can never separate yourself from your character. Either you’re enhancing it, developing it, growing it, or destroying it.

On whether he and the team have held some sort of ‘clear the air’ meetings during this break:

Yes, but you have to be careful. You don’t want to provoke a counter-reaction. The team demanded at some point to address things between them, on their own, and then with the coaching staff to address things that haven’t been done well. We had that in the right way, in the right manner, and in the right quantity.

But we can’t forget to work on the positives and encouraging people and I think the combination and balance of those is where you get it right or don’t.

On if players should stay off the sometimes toxic social media:

I think everyone has to have their own ways of switching off, trying to switch off. They have to know when things trespass their own comfortable zone and tolerance. So I think more experienced players know how to do that, younger need the experience and to ve told.

It’s part of the world we live in now and you can maybe not look at social media but somebody that you know did and goes back and tells you or is not cautious enough to tell you in the right way.

So it’s inevitable but it’s a learning experience for everyone, for those who haven’t had it before and for those that know how to deal with it it could be positive motivation: look to prove others wrong.

On another big away allocation heading to Bristol:

We appreciate it a lot. Our message is we’re looing to recover the performances and recover their (the fans) trust. And look to give them a great experience, not only on this trip but the rest of the season.

On the upcoming fan protest ahead of the Coventry game:

Fans have the right to do it and of course, as long as it’s peaceful I understand it and there’s no comments on that. What I have to do is focus on the team to react and come back in the best possible shape so we don’t have these kinds of things going forward.

On transferring his passion to the players:

I’ve learnt to deal with that in the past and I’m looking to always control myself. Sometimes you need to show your passion, you need to show where the level should be. I was told in the past many times that I demand so much, my expectations are so high. And I asked; ‘should I lower my expectations?’ No. But increase your level of tolerance and that’s what I’m trying to do.

On February being a new beginning after the rough month of January:

That’s what we are looking at. We are looking at February as a month where we are going to be playing against a lot of teams in our current league and I think that’s something we want to rise up in our players. There is a hope, there is potential, there is talent, and now there’s enough fitness for that. It is time. It is time to come back.

On the talent in the Reading squad:

In football we’re told that not only talent plays. Talent is the reason you are selected at some point and carried you to the level where you are. But it takes much more than talent. It takes fitness, it takes belief, it takes cohesion, it takes social skills, it takes a strong mentality to deal with adversity. It takes tolerance to repetitive effort that you have to put in training and games. Once all these boxes are ticked then it’s a matter of time until success comes.

On if he’s seen the above boxes ticked in recent days/weeks:

Yes, I did. But I said, we didn’t have a real test yet. If the level of training is high it’s going to bring you closer to perform even better in games and that’s what I can confirm we’ve had in the last ten days. Now the test is coming Wednesday.

On losing George Puscas and not bringing in another striker:

It was an opportunity for all parties to change and now we all move on to our goals and objectives in front of us.

We are going to look at Yakou coming back as a big and massive improvement in the team. We are going to look at Jahmari (Clarke) who’s finally fit and training with the first team who showed in the past that he can be helpful to the team.

We are going to look to see if we can improve in free agency our backline and other opportunities. We still have two spots on our current squad we can fulfill. So we are limited but we have some room for improvement still.

On whether a striker is being looked at in the free agent market:

I’ll honestly tell you: I don’t want to bring in someone that we already have. I want something new, something different. Perhaps pace, perhaps quickness, the capability to affect in the final third whether it’s a winger, a pure striker, a number ten.

We just need something different I think. Our issue, especially last year, is we had the same type of guys in attack and when teams figured out how to play against us it was difficult for us to change it from the bench.

On whether his team needs to be less open/uglier:

This a more profound conversation we might open but players have their own properties you can’t change. So I’ll give you an example with a lemon: if you put lemon in your tea, it’s still going to taste like lemon. If you put it in food it’s still going to taste like lemon. It’s the same with players.

You can’t change somebody’s character unless he wants to change it and invest in that. And you don’t have time for that. So you have to work with what you have, with the properties that are unchangeable. That’s what identifies a footballer and gives them their own profile. And you have to work with that in every single part of the field and put that together to work and function as a squad.

We saw that playing with two strikers, we are vulnerable in defence because we don’t provide enough pressure and we’re too open at the back.

On the long term you can look at how every time we’ve played with two strikers we didn’t get the best possible results. And it’s not that we’re not going to do, but I think it’s an alternative we can have. And given the properties we’ve got we have to be very careful when we have move into different formations.

On if his squad is capable of playing an uglier, more attritional, style:

With a full squad I think we so. 

On Scott Dann’s recovery:

We expect in the next two weeks to have him him back but soft-tissue, especially hamstring have to be addressed week by week. But we’ve definitely missed him a lot so far and he’s going to be a huge improvement for us when he’s fit and back.

On the players being less frantic in bad moments:

This is where we’ve failed multiple times, especially against Fulham. It’s come from the right place, everybody wants to react but we do it on our own. And when you lose the context of the team it becomes a disaster. It happened to us against Fulham, it happened to us against QPR and at half-time we addressed it and while we conceded one more goal we stopped the bigger damage.