Stam disappointed after Reading’s loss at QPR
Reading boss Jaap Stam insisted his side are not suffering a play-off hangover after their season started with a 2-0 defeat at QPR.
It was a miserable afternoon for last term’s beaten play-off finalists, who had Tiago Iloro sent off and saw summer signing Jon Dadi Bodvarsson go off with a knee injury in the second half.
Conor Washington scored both Rangers’ goals, heading in from close range on 22 minutes and slotting home a penalty 14 minutes into the second half after Iloro had been red-carded for fouling Pawel Wszolek in the box.
“The players need to be up for it again and they are,” said Stam.
“The play-offs is an easy excuse. It needs to be an inspiration for the players – and it is.
“You have to want to be in that position again and we do. To do well you have to work hard and have some pain at certain times.
“We just didn’t play well. We knew QPR were going to play a certain way to stop us getting opportunities and they did that very well.
“The sending-off was obviously a turning point but at 1-0 we had chances and didn’t take them.
“We were not good enough and if you don’t do what you need to and bring a certain level of aggressiveness you are not going to beat teams.”
However, Stam did feel that play should have been stopped in the build up to Iloro conceding the all-important penalty as Bodvarsson lay injured.
The Dutchman said: “I think play should have been stopped. Bodvarsson was on the floor and he was screaming with his knee.
“Then, after that, there were a couple of times when someone was down and the game was stopped.”
