Alan Pardew believes the international break could have come at the right time to help West Ham United arrest their alarming slump in form.
The Hammers have lost five consecutive games, have not scored in 488 minutes of football, and are yet to keep a clean sheet this season.
Their hopes of rectifying that record against Reading were dashed after 79 seconds when Seol Ki-Hyeon beat Roy Carroll from 25 yards.
Reading then sat back and West Ham had enough opportunities to have won the game three times over but could not even force home an equaliser.
Pardew will lose most of his squad to international call-ups over the next week - but the break gives him priceless time to halt that downward spiral.
'We have to come out fighting and make sure we claw ourselves up the league,' said Pardew.
