Reading FC started the new league season in a familiar fashion, but a disappointing second half left fans wanting more. The Royals are currently 17th in League One with 0 points from 1 game, 3 goals scored and 4 conceded, and 3 points behind leaders Huddersfield. The team's next fixture is against Blackpool on February 13, 2027.

Déjà Vu

The worst part of that second-half performance was the fact that, after a summer of progress and seeming positive steps, the same cracks we saw so painfully often last season were still there. Countless comical defensive errors, a midfield all at sea that the opposition played through with ease and a jarringly blunt attacking showing - particularly once Jack Marriott was subbed off.

Reinforcements Needed

Look, Rob Couhig and co weren't in the dugout or the ones on the pitch making unforced error after unforced error. But you could argue that it's their actions, or lack of actions, that have put us in this position at the start of the season. It's been evident for a while now that more signings are needed, and that need has only been multiplied tenfold by Saturday's debacle.

Jack Marriott

While it's very easy to focus on the second half, and as hard as it may seem to do so, we do also need to acknowledge the first half - there were again plenty of positives to take, the biggest of which was Marriott. He is priceless, invaluable. Out-and-out goalscorers are gold dust; we have the best one in the league. All three of his goals on Saturday showed him in his best form: right place, right time and devastatingly ruthless.

Conclusion

The long and short of it is that we scored three goals at home and still lost, after having a two-goal lead. As Leam Richardson mentioned after the game, that should be impossible. It just should not happen. It can't happen. But it did, and there's nothing can be done about it now apart from sit and pray we get a reaction. The first half was nowhere near perfect, but showed that, when we are on it, we can be an aggressive, front-foot team. But in the second we fell back onto the ropes as soon as Luton landed one punch. That's a deep-rooted mindset that needs to change and has needed to change for far too long now.