Mid-season report: Reading

Having secured promotion to the Premier League by storming to the Championship title, many predicted that Reading would perform the best out of the sides promoted to England's top division.

However, their summer signings, which included Pavel Pogrebnyak and Danny Guthrie, have yet to fire and they sit bottom of the Premier League table with the end of the year in sight.

It is understood that they have money to spend in the January window, but they could find themselves too far behind in the second part of the season.

Here, Sports Mole takes a closer look at how the Royals have fared this season and the problems they have faced.

August

Although the Royals did not acquire many new players in the summer, there were also no major departures and therefore they kept the bulk of their winning squad together. They began their season with an impressive 1-1 draw against Stoke City, before losing 4-2 away to Chelsea.

Their performances in the early stages of the season offered much encouragement, however, and they also secured progress to the next round of the League Cup with a 3-2 victory at home to Peterborough United.

September

Their first match of September did not arrive until the 16th when they faced Tottenham Hotspur, but it was not a happy homecoming as they were defeated 3-1 by Andre Villas-Boas's side. Their winless run in the league continued, meanwhile, when they were beaten by West Bromwich Albion one week later.

They did ensure progress in the League Cup with victory over Queens Park Rangers, however, before ending the month with an encouraging draw against Newcastle United. However, it had become apparent that their shakiness in defence would cost them as the season wore on.

October

Their winless run in the Premier League continued in the early stages of October as they were held to a 2-2 draw with Swansea City, before suffering a 1-0 defeat to Liverpool. They then needed a late Hal Robson-Kanu strike to take a point in a pulsating 3-3 clash with Fulham at the Madejski.

They were then involved in one of the most incredible League Cup ties in history when they took a 4-0 lead over Arsenal only to lose 7-5 in extra time. Granted their attacking play was impressive, but their inability to defend continued to cause them problems.

November

November began with back-to-back league draws against Queens Park Rangers and Norwich City, before they picked up their first three points of the season with a 2-1 win over Everton. However, their form has taken a turn for the worse in recent weeks.

A 3-2 defeat at Wigan Athletic then followed, before a strike from Christian Benteke was enough to hand Aston Villa the points at Villa Park at the end of the month as they remained in the relegation zone.

December

December has also been unkind thus far. The month began with an incredible 4-3 defeat against Manchester United, with all the goals coming in the opening half. They then suffered defeat to fellow relegation candidates Southampton and Sunderland, with summer signing Guthrie refusing to travel to the latter.

They welcomed Arsenal on December 17, but were once more exposed at the back as they conceded five goals to lose 5-2 and remain bottom of the table. They arrived at Manchester City the following weekend with many expecting the Royals to be on the end of the hiding.

A spirited display against City brought them within one minute of securing a point, but a late header from Gareth Barry condemned them to their seventh defeat in a row.

They then welcomed Swansea City on Boxing Day, but the points were shared in a goalless draw. However, Queens Park Rangers' defeat against West Bromwich Albion meant that they moved off the bottom of the table.