Real Football Man All of the Football, All of the time
It’s time for another guest article now as Reading fan Oliver Walsh (who you can follow on Twitter here) returns. This week he discusses whether his beloved Reading can go on to reach the Championship Play-Offs as always it’s over to you Oliver.
If you had offered any Reading Fc fan a place in the playoffs at the season they would’ve bitten your hand off for it. Now with nine season defining league games before the end of the season, that offer is becoming a real possibility.
In the last two seasons, the Royals finished 17th and 19th in two monotonous seasons under equally boring managers Brian McDermott and Steve Clark. However this season has been far from boring, due to the appointment of Dutch Legend Jaap Stam and the aesthetically pleasing philosophy he’s implemented, leading to Reading sitting in 5th position and a chance of reaching the pinnacle of English football.
After disappointing losses against Huddersfield and Brighton, the Royals performed exceptionally in a 0-0 draw against runaway league leaders Newcastle. Despite this perceived turning point, the Blues once again lost a critical away game against Preston North end, with their poor away form once again letting Stam’s side down. The loss means that their two upcoming fixtures against Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds are of paramount importance, with Fulham snapping at our heels.
Similar to Reading, it has been Sheffield Wednesday’s away form that has let them down this season: winning and drawing six as well and losing 7 away from Hillsborough. However when Stam’s side meet them on Friday it will be his side’s poor away form that will be tested, with the Royals lacking confidence and ruthlessness away from home this season, with manager Jaap Stam saying, “In the games that we’ve lost, it wasn’t because we’ve been outplayed by the opposition, mainly its because of the small mistakes we made ourselves.” The Royals must not only retain possession and aim to dominate the ball, but also be more direct in attack and not give The Owls opportunities to counter attack quickly, notably from Reading’s corners!
Following the Sheffield Wednesday game Stam’s side face Gary Monk’s organised and dangerous Leeds side who have impressed this season under the promising English manager. The home game is also of great importance with the Peacocks sitting in 4th position, and almost certain to remain in the playoffs come the end of the season. Furthermore, it precedes a run of easy games where a good run of form could greatly impact our end of season finish.
Overall, the Royals are looking more and more likely to drop out of the playoffs at the end of the season, however one good result could instigate a good run of form and insure we stay challenging with a few games remaining.
