MILLWALL fans have had a mixed reaction as they picked over the bones of last night’s 4-0 defeat to League One Reading in the EFL Cup.
Following an impressive 1-0 win on the opening day against Middlesbrough, supporters arriving at The Den may have expected a straightforward evening against a Reading side that were relegated out of the Championship last season.
But that was not what transpired, with the Royals striking within the opening minute through Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan.
The 20-year-old, spearheading a youthful team, struck again early in the second-half before Charlie Savage and Mamadi Camara added weight to the scoreline.
Some fans on social media, although troubled by the performance, believed all could be forgiven if Millwall did not repeat their mistakes in the league against Bristol City on the weekend.
One said: “[It was] awful. But win on Saturday and it can be completely forgotten.”
Another said: “Really disappointed but it ain’t the end of the world like some are making out.
“It’s a massive week for the club and hopefully some are saving themselves for Saturday which will be a very emotional day [with the John Berylson pre-match tributes].”
Others said were not overly bothered about the Carabao Cup, a competition Millwall haven’t gone beyond the third round of since the 2006-07 season.
One fan tweeted: “It’s the Millwall we all know and love. Haha it was so bad that it’s actually quite funny.”
While another said: “Not bothered we’re out the cup. Bothered about losing 4-0 with near enough a full strength side.”
And one supporter said: “Am I the only one that doesn’t care about the result? We weren’t going to win the cup so I’d rather go out first round.
“One less game to prepare for while teams around us play again. For me I’m only concerned about how we perform in the league. COYL.”
Others thought that the manner of the defeat was alarming.
Reading had not won away from home since November and had not been victorious in a competitive game of football since February.
Manager Ruben Selles also named a team with nine players 21 years old or younger as he made nine changes from the weekend defeat against Peterborough.
All of those factors left some fans concerned at why the Lions – who made only five changes from the weekend – were so clearly second-best on the night.
One supporter said on social media: “I’m definitely not exaggerating when I say that’s one of the worst performances I’ve ever seen from a group of Millwall players, from top to bottom the players have let the club down badly tonight. They certainly don’t want to let John Berylson down Saturday with a show like that!”
Another added: “Embarrassed! Strong team bullied by kids.”
Gary Rowett was not happy with the defeat but stressed that the loss did not happen in a league game which are the most important to the club.
He said: “First and foremost, I think Reading thoroughly deserved the win. They were far better than us, they ran with more intensity, they looked like they wanted to fight and play for each other more than we did. And we got we deserved, and they got what they deserved. Which was a cracking win for them.
“I’m not going to diminish the meaning of the game because we wanted to win it. But there wasn’t three points on it like a game at the weekend and they’re the ones we desperately need to win to get to where we want to be. But yeah I was looking forward to trying to win a cup game and see where we could go with that.
“Making limited changes it was an opportunity for people to come in and perform but as a team – not the players who came in – as a team, we didn’t. The goals we conceded were woefully poor. If you watch them back they were terrible goals to concede. And that sums up the evening.”
