Are we any good?

Our 7 game unbeaten and four game winning run had started to make fans think of promotion and just as we had learned how to win games the Reading game was a shock to the system .We don't know whether the result was due to the two quick goals immediately after Keogh went off. We don't know if the absence of Ledley was cruical. We don't know if we can continue to win games by relying on counter attacks. Was the Reading result a one off or the sign of a deeper malaise?

Of course we have been here before. 2015, end of a busy February, scoring goals for fun and heading the table with a relatively soft looking run in. What could go wrong? Simply our central defence was not being protected and so teams found it easy to score against us. Shackell and the equally slow Albentosa couldn't cope if a forward had space time against them. Although Bent and Ince were scoring neither was holding the ball up so the opposition could counter attack very quickly. Our defensive midfielder was a young lad better equipped for setting up our attacks than breaking up the opposition. Basically we had acquired the wrong players to get us to the finishing line.

This season Rowett has concentrated on defending the back four with two defensive midfielders. Ledley keeps it simple (around 95% pass completion) leaving Huddlestone to do the Hollywood passes. We have the pace and strength up front to counter attack effectively. It might not look pretty but we thought it was effective. Is our lack of a box to box midfielder going to scupper our chances?

In short have we got this or will it be same old, same old, with end of the season recriminations. I am not panicking yet but deja vu all over again springs to mind.