Rival Watch

[Davezk]

Lets just hope we win tomorrow so we don't do a classic Reading crash and burn by somehow falling out the playoffs.

[RoyalBlue]

Lets just hope we win tomorrow so we don't do a classic Reading crash and burn by somehow falling out the playoffs.

Whilst we have a tendency to crash and burn in playoff finals and non-critical games mid season, I don't recall us often blowing promotion/playoff zone runs. There is only one previous Reading manager who I would have said was even less likely than Jaap to allow his team to blow this position, and that is Sir Steve Coppell (incidentally what the hell is he doing coaching in the 'Indian Super League'?!).

[Hound]

Sure they are
Making it worth Coppell's while being there

I think Fulham are going to find it very tough making the play offs looking at the run in. They messed up big time with dropping those points at home to Blackburn and Wolves, and also got a spanking at Derby

Very inconsistent and just from reading quotes they seem to be a little bit complacent. I can't see Weds dropping too many more points so I think it'll be over before their game up there

I'd fancy us to beat them in the play offs if they did make it as well

[Snowball]

If tomorrow brings a Reading win against Rotherham, a defeat for Fulham and no more than a point for Sheffield Wednesday it will all but mathematically confirm Reading a play off place, while a defeat for both means it is mathematically certain....

Huddersfield should beat BRUM but their other four games are very loseable

[Davezk]

Lets just hope we win tomorrow so we don't do a classic Reading crash and burn by somehow falling out the playoffs.

Whilst we have a tendency to crash and burn in playoff finals and non-critical games mid season, I don't recall us often blowing promotion/playoff zone runs. There is only one previous Reading manager who I would have said was even less likely than Jaap to allow his team to blow this position, and that is Sir Steve Coppell (incidentally what the hell is he doing coaching in the 'Indian Super League'?!).

Well aside from the ones you've mentioned (Bolton playoff final, Swansea final 1st half capitulation), there's also the game vs. Arsenal where we were 4-0 up. Remember when we were in the top 2 most of season but couldn't win a home game and fell out of automatics vs. Birmingham on last game of season.

We have a tendency to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory and it wouldn't be unexpected if we found a way to mess it up somehow.

On the other hand... surely our luck has to change sometime if we do make the playoffs.

[Needle]

If tomorrow brings a Reading win against Rotherham, a defeat for Fulham and no more than a point for Sheffield Wednesday it will all but mathematically confirm Reading a play off place, while a defeat for both means it is mathematically certain....

Huddersfield should beat BRUM but their other four games are very loseable

Derby, Wolves and Cardiff are on the beach

[Ian Royal]

Lets just hope we win tomorrow so we don't do a classic Reading crash and burn by somehow falling out the playoffs.

Whilst we have a tendency to crash and burn in playoff finals and non-critical games mid season, I don't recall us often blowing promotion/playoff zone runs. There is only one previous Reading manager who I would have said was even less likely than Jaap to allow his team to blow this position, and that is Sir Steve Coppell (incidentally what the hell is he doing coaching in the 'Indian Super League'?!).

7th under Adkins
7th and 9th under Coppell when in with shouts of making the play offs.
Clarke's utter implosion.
We've bottled automatic into the play offs and failure at least once too.

Wouldn't it be nice (and actually not completely unrealistic) to go into the Play Offs with 8 wins from our final 9 matches.

[CountryRoyal]

Lets just hope we win tomorrow so we don't do a classic Reading crash and burn by somehow falling out the playoffs.

Whilst we have a tendency to crash and burn in playoff finals and non-critical games mid season, I don't recall us often blowing promotion/playoff zone runs. There is only one previous Reading manager who I would have said was even less likely than Jaap to allow his team to blow this position, and that is Sir Steve Coppell (incidentally what the hell is he doing coaching in the 'Indian Super League'?!).

7th under Adkins
7th and 9th under Coppell when in with shouts of making the play offs.
Clarke's utter implosion.
We've bottled automatic into the play offs and failure at least once too.

Wouldn't it be nice (and actually not completely unrealistic) to go into the Play Offs with 8 wins from our final 9 matches.

I'd say that's more realistic than us crashing out of them. Won't happen though.

[tidus_mi2]

We could very realistically be 3rd come the end of play Monday.

[Mid Sussex Royal]

Lets just hope we win tomorrow so we don't do a classic Reading crash and burn by somehow falling out the playoffs.

Whilst we have a tendency to crash and burn in playoff finals and non-critical games mid season, I don't recall us often blowing promotion/playoff zone runs. There is only one previous Reading manager who I would have said was even less likely than Jaap to allow his team to blow this position, and that is Sir Steve Coppell (incidentally what the hell is he doing coaching in the 'Indian Super League'?!).

Well aside from the ones you've mentioned (Bolton playoff final, Swansea final 1st half capitulation), there's also the game vs. Arsenal where we were 4-0 up. Remember when we were in the top 2 most of season but couldn't win a home game and fell out of automatics vs. Birmingham on last game of season.

We have a tendency to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory and it wouldn't be unexpected if we found a way to mess it up somehow.

On the other hand... surely our luck has to change sometime if we do make the playoffs.

That's not quite right for the season when we lost at home to Birmingham last game. We were out of the top 2 from around Feb and only got back in with a chance of automatic promotion as Brum messed up a number of winnable games at the end of the season.

[Davezk]

Whilst we have a tendency to crash and burn in playoff finals and non-critical games mid season, I don't recall us often blowing promotion/playoff zone runs. There is only one previous Reading manager who I would have said was even less likely than Jaap to allow his team to blow this position, and that is Sir Steve Coppell (incidentally what the hell is he doing coaching in the 'Indian Super League'?!).

Well aside from the ones you've mentioned (Bolton playoff final, Swansea final 1st half capitulation), there's also the game vs. Arsenal where we were 4-0 up. Remember when we were in the top 2 most of season but couldn't win a home game and fell out of automatics vs. Birmingham on last game of season.

We have a tendency to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory and it wouldn't be unexpected if we found a way to mess it up somehow.

On the other hand... surely our luck has to change sometime if we do make the playoffs.

That's not quite right for the season when we lost at home to Birmingham last game. We were out of the top 2 from around Feb and only got back in with a chance of automatic promotion as Brum messed up a number of winnable games at the end of the season.

My apologies I only really remember we had a winner takes all situation and lost 2-1. Then again we have triumphed in this situation when we drew at Brentford in Div2.

[RoyalBlue]

Lets just hope we win tomorrow so we don't do a classic Reading crash and burn by somehow falling out the playoffs.

Whilst we have a tendency to crash and burn in playoff finals and non-critical games mid season, I don't recall us often blowing promotion/playoff zone runs. There is only one previous Reading manager who I would have said was even less likely than Jaap to allow his team to blow this position, and that is Sir Steve Coppell (incidentally what the hell is he doing coaching in the 'Indian Super League'?!).

7th under Adkins
7th and 9th under Coppell when in with shouts of making the play offs.
Clarke's utter implosion.
We've bottled automatic into the play offs and failure at least once too.

Wouldn't it be nice (and actually not completely unrealistic) to go into the Play Offs with 8 wins from our final 9 matches.

How many of those were crash and burns, falling out of the playoffs? IMO failing to do enough to get into the playoffs zone in the first place is a very different scenario.

The game v Arsenal mentioned by someone else was also a very different scenario.

Anyway. no chance of crash and burn out of the playoffs under Jaap.

[WAZZOCK]

Lets just hope we win tomorrow so we don't do a classic Reading crash and burn by somehow falling out the playoffs.

Whilst we have a tendency to crash and burn in playoff finals and non-critical games mid season, I don't recall us often blowing promotion/playoff zone runs. There is only one previous Reading manager who I would have said was even less likely than Jaap to allow his team to blow this position, and that is Sir Steve Coppell (incidentally what the hell is he doing coaching in the 'Indian Super League'?!).

Youre forgetting the two seasons under Coppell that were prior to the 106 season then. Implosions of the highest order in both of them, although these were started at the turn of the year rather than at this late stage. Stam's resilience at this stage appears to be much better than the resilience of the Coppell of 2005 and before.

[Ian Royal]

Lets just hope we win tomorrow so we don't do a classic Reading crash and burn by somehow falling out the playoffs.

Whilst we have a tendency to crash and burn in playoff finals and non-critical games mid season, I don't recall us often blowing promotion/playoff zone runs. There is only one previous Reading manager who I would have said was even less likely than Jaap to allow his team to blow this position, and that is Sir Steve Coppell (incidentally what the hell is he doing coaching in the 'Indian Super League'?!).

Youre forgetting the two seasons under Coppell that were prior to the 106 season then. Implosions of the highest order in both of them, although these were started at the turn of the year rather than at this late stage. Stam's resilience at this stage appears to be much better than the resilience of the Coppell of 2005 and before.

This. All in all Coppell's sides blew quite a lot of things, despite him being an utter legend.
When he took over from Pardew in 2003/04, we were competing very well at the top, we finished 9th, completely blowing up in December having reached 5th and been knocking about 2 - 12th the first half of the season.
In 2004/05 we were comfortably play offs all season and then lost our last three games.
In 2007/08 we spent the first half of the season knocking about in 10 - 12th, were as high as 13th in March and got relegated.
In 2008/09 we were mostly 2nd from December through to the beginning of March and then ended up bottling it on the final day to finish 4th and crash out of the POs.

Not trying to denigrate his performance here, but to suggest he'd be the manager least likely to lead a Reading team that could bottle this situation is completely ignoring history.

[genome]

Why is Fulham v Villa kicking off at 2:45?

[CountryRoyal]

Why is Fulham v Villa kicking off at 2:45?

It's on sky and don't know if that normally would affect it but QPR are at home too?

[genome]

Oh, right. God forbid if Fulham and QPR fans clash. I can see the A&E department at Charing Cross Hospital overwhelmed with people with mild slap marks.

[Melton Royal]

LoLeeds currently losing & with other scores have dropped out of the play-offs.

Shame

[genome]

Not rivals but LOL @ Birmingham. Losing 2-0 to Burton - in serious danger of relegation.

[Davezk]

Would be funny to see Birmingham relegated