Neil Adams shouldered his share of the responsibility for Norwich City's limp Championship 2-1 defeat at Reading.

The Canaries never threatened to reach the same heights that had seen them claim 10 league points from 12 since losing to the Royals at Carrow Road on a frustrating afternoon in Norfolk.

Bradley Johnson's goalscoring prowess was one of the few recognisable features of recent times but his third in two days did not spark a comeback after Hal Robson-Kanu and Simon Cox had notched prior to the interval.

Adams opted to keep Nathan Redmond in reserve with Alex Tettey restored to the visitors' line -up after his knee problem had ruled him out of the Boxing Day romp against Millwall until Redmond and Wes Hoolahan were introduced at the interval as part of a salvage mission.

'It was no slight on the players who went off but we had to do something,' said Adams.

'We didn't look like we were going to score in that first half the way the game had gone and when you are 2-0 down if you don't get the next you are going to lose.

'We just had to try and create and bringing on Wes and Nathan was an attempt to do that. We had to be proactive and it gave us more attacking options but as a group we weren't positive enough.

'We take collective responsibility. It is easy in hindsight to look at the line-up. The team selection in recent games away from home has done the job. They didn't here so the team and the management must take responsibility.'

Norwich were second best all over the pitch against Steve Clarke's battlers but managed to reduce the arrears in controversial circumstances when Johnson crashed an unstoppable shot past Adam Federici with the Royals incensed they were not able to make a substitution following an injury to Garath McCleary.

'I think Steve wanted to make the substitution and was not given the opportunity to do that,' said Adams. 'The referee wants the game to restart and when it does we score a great goal but I think they were complaining about not being allowed to make a change. It is different if the ball has been kicked out and there has been an injury because then you get into the realms of playing on or giving the ball back. It wasn't quite that. We were waiting for the substitute but once that didn't happen it is play on and we have to get on with it and we did.'