PA PhotosBrian McDermott's Reading should be able to play wih freedom

It’s been a mad, confusing and difficult week for Reading as they approach Sunday's match with QPR at Loftus Road - one of the most difficult many Loyal Royals can remember.

It started reasonably well, with last week’s match with Fulham. Reading had started with such high-hopes of gaining three points - and had dominated for the first hour of the match - but ended up congratulating themselves for snatching a point at the death. That didn’t deliver the elusive first three points of the season, which in turn makes Sunday's match even more critical. QPR are rock bottom of the Premier League, with even fewer points than Reading, and are also the only other team without a League win. So a Royals victory would be a great psychological boost, whilst a defeat would inflict a shattering blow to their confidence.

And that confidence must already be in short-supply after the events of this last week. When Reading defeated QPR in the Capital One Cup at the end of September it clearly gave them a boost which they carried through to their next few Premier League matches - but the question on everyone’s lips is whether the same principle will apply following Tuesday’s demoralising defeat to Arsenal in the same competition.

As is well known, Reading stormed into a stunning 4-0 lead, pegged back by just a single goal before half-time, but in the second-half they slumped. With an almost tide-like inevitability, Arsenal came back into the game, and equalised with the last kick of added time to force an incredible 4-4 draw. There was only ever going to be one winner from that point, and Arsenal duly delivered with a final score of 7-5 at the end of extra-time.

It’s almost unprecedented for any team to play so well in the first-half against a team like Arsenal and then surrender such a seemingly unassailable lead - and Reading's players, coaching staff and supporters were almost universally devastated when the final whistle went. In particular, Royals manager Brian McDermott looked like a man who’d correctly picked the Euromillions numbers but then realised he'd forgotten to buy a ticket.

So, what can the mental state in the Reading camp be before tomorrow's vital match? Just how much effect will this cup defeat have had on the team and on that vital element called confidence? Of course, if the coaching staff can somehow focus on the positives of that outstanding first-half and ignore the events of the following hour or so then all is not lost. But if the ensuing capitulation is seared as deeply into the brains of the players as it is into those of the supporters then that will be a difficult job.

But whatever happens at the training ground and in the dressing room, it’s clear that the psychology of the supporters has suffered a major blow. It's hard for many to take a defeat like Tuesday's in their stride, and to remain resilient throughout. Of course, every club has supporters who tend to see things very black and white with no shades of grey, but in this internet driven-world of instant connectivity the mutterings of Reading’s “knee-jerk element” are becoming ever louder.

Although still a tiny minority, those calling for the manager's head are starting to make their voices heard, and criticisms of his selections, tactics and substitutions - which just a few months ago would have been considered heresy - are now becoming louder and more frequent. That's not to say that such views are widespread, but Reading, based in the UK's silicon valley, has a greater proportion of supporters with PCs and broadband connectivity than any other English club, and in these circumstances the internet tends to have a magnifying effect, making these murmurings of discontent seem much louder and widespread than they actually are.

This feeling that all is not well in the club hasn’t been helped over recent weeks by two public “bust-ups” - both of which were most unlike Reading’s normal way of dealing with such things. First Adam Federici tweeted his unhappiness about being dropped/injured (depending on who you believe) before his girlfriend tweeted more petrol onto the flames, and just last week it was widely reported that Danny Guthrie had been sent home after giving McDermott his opinion on again not being selected for the team. This was officially denied by the club, and Guthrie is now reported to be injured - but in both of these situations conspiracy theorists are, of course, more than ready to fill in blanks in the narrative for anyone who will listen.

It's clear the club are aware of the problems of growing supporter unrest - if only by the number of articles released in the past week saying how wonderful the team spirit, how united everyone in the dressing room is and how the Reading spirit of “togetherness” is still very much there.

But the fact that this has to be emphasised so much tells its own story, and the inevitable fact is that the only way that the rising tide of supporter dissatisfaction can be dissipated, and the whisper of disapproval quietened is on the pitch. A win against QPR really is vital – because the effect a defeat would have on the morale and loyalty of many who follow Reading can only be destructive.

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