How do you stop a run of eight successive Barclays Premier League defeats? With a bit of positive thinking, according to Nigel Howe, the Reading chief executive, who has called for an attitude of "positive defiance" from players and supporters as the club fights to move out of the relegation zone with a crucial match against Aston Villa next Sunday.

"Our season will not be decided by one result alone and there are still plenty of fixtures remaining, but our current position in the bottom three means that we need a win as soon as possible,” Howe said. “We all have to face up to our situation and respond accordingly, and the best response could perhaps be described as "positive defiance". Positive because we need to be constructive and focused, defiant because we are not prepared to give up.

“We will not hide. We will accept our responsibilities and we will come out fighting. We have taken this club a long way in a short space of time, overcoming a number of obstacles along the way. Now we have to move forward together again - it is time to stand up and be counted.

"We have everything to play for. Let's all give it everything we've got. "