Reading FC forward Nick Blackman started the season in hot form, but could he now be fading back into the average?

I think the most shocking part of the Championship season this year has been Nick Blackman. There were calls from many for him to be binned over the summer, and was used mostly as a bit part player in the year before, only grabbing attention with the occasional stunner.

Other than that, bar this season, Nick Blackman's Reading career could be branded with labels like bland, ineffectual and forgettable. That is, until Wednesday 8th July 2015.

Blackman struck a fine, fine goal in Reading's first pre-season game of the summer against a Thai All Stars XI, drawing the game two a piece. This was the first goal in a rampant pre-season for the former Sheffield United man where he made fine performances and racked up three goals. This led to a start up front on the opening day against Birmingham, where he scored.

This led to a run all the way up to the 20th October, where he scored his last goal against Rotherham United, making it an amazing 11 for the season.

Since then, it's been an eight game slump where not only his but the team's performances overall have deteriorated, leaving the side low on confidence.

But has it all just been form? Is Nick Blackman still the average player he was? Many teams who came up against Reading in August and September have come away ranting and raving about the man, Brighton fans were particularly impressed after a 1-1 draw at the Madejeski  in October.

Perhaps, like the rest of the team, Blackman is low on confidence, which could potentially be boosted by Brian McDermott, who looks likely to replace Steve Clarke at the helm of the club, McDermott being the man who signed him in the first place.

Certainly Blackman's overall performances in recent weeks have been sub-par. November became the first month of the season where he didn't win the player of the month award.

However, I do think it's just a rut. The club have been performing awfully recently, and neither Blackman, Matej Vydra or Orlando Sa can help the fact that the creative element of the side has disappeared recently, and if you aren't getting good service, there isn't a lot you can do as a striker, unless you create the goals by yourself, but those strikers who do tend to be the Aguero's, the Suarez's and the Messi's.

You also can't escape the fact that he's clearly low on confidence. They need to but him in front of an empty net, have players pass into him, and give him that feeling of scoring a goal again, just to give his confidence a lift.

I think Blackman has turned a corner in his career this season and is finally developing into the stallion we've seen glimpses of since signing in 2013.

I think he and the club are in a poor spell, and once he gets out of it there is plenty more to come from him.

Reading fans... What do you make of this news? Has Blackman been poor recently? Is his form down to him or his teammates? Do you think his bad run has effected the team so badly that it's lead to this form? Let us know in the comments below!