Reading Football Club News: March 2017

Play Off Rivals Clash As Leeds Visit

31 March 2017
By Hob Nob Anyone?

After the international break, the Royals return to Championship action this weekend, playing Leeds United at the Madejski Stadium with a 5:30pm kick-off on Saturday. The game has been shifted to later in the day to allow Sky TV to screen the match live as both sides look to vital points to close in on a play-off finish. Immediately before the two week break, Reading put a poor run of form behind them to win away from home at play-off rivals Sheffield Wednesday. That huge result swung a play-off finish back in Reading's favour when they had looked in danger of dropping out. With that result and seventh placed Fulham losing at home to Wolves, Reading find themselves with a six point cushion keeping them inside the top six. A win over Leeds on Saturday, which is a big ask, would see Reading move back up to fourth with seven games of the season remaining.

It is rapidly approaching make or break time and this is our toughest, most important home fixture remaining. After Leeds we only have Blackburn, Rotherham and Wigan visiting Reading - which are surely all winable games as we look to finish the season on a high. Leeds come into the match having beaten second placed Brighton in their last fixture and have gone seven games without league defeat. Their last three games on the road have seen them pick up an impressive five points to keep them narrowly above the Royals in the table. With recent wins over Brighton and Sheffield Wednesday and a draw away at Fulham they probably fancy their chances of picking up a point or more.

The international break gave no new worries for Jaap Stam, whose available players seems to grow every week. Reece Oxford and John Swift both made appearances for England's younger sides and returned without injury. The break gave Paul McShane and Liam Kelly opportunities to continue their recoveries from injuries and both players will hope to be involved on Saturday. For Leeds United Kalvin Phillips returns from suspension but they will be without defender Luke Ayling.

Reading will be looking to reverse a bad run of recent results against Leeds. In our last five games we have failed to score in four of them. That run includes two goalless draws and three defeats. We lost 0-2 at Leeds earlier this season and picked up a point from them in the last campaign with the highlight, if you can call that, being a 0-0 home draw. A draw wouldn't be a terrible result, but if we can pick up three points it really will feel like a play-off finish is more likely than not.

 

Recent Meetings With Leeds United

DATE COMPETITION OPPOSITION SCORE REPORT
13 December 2016 Championship Leeds (Away) L: 0-2 Read report...
16 April 2016 Championship Leeds (Away) L: 2-3 Read report...
16 August 2015 Championship Leeds (HOME) D: 0-0 Read report...
10 February 2015 Championship Leeds (HOME) L: 0-2 Read report...
01 October 2014 Championship Leeds (Away) D: 0-0 Read report...
11 March 2014 Championship Leeds (Away) W: 4-2 Read report...
18 September 2013 Championship Leeds (HOME) W: 1-0 Read report...
06 April 2012 Championship Leeds (HOME) W: 2-0 Read report...
17 December 2011 Championship Leeds (Away) W: 1-0 Read report...
22 April 2011 Championship Leeds (Away) D: 0-0 Read report...
27 November 2010 Championship Leeds (HOME) D: 0-0 Read report...

Wednesday And Reading Hope To Stay In Top Six

16 March 2017
By Hob Nob Anyone?

The run of tough away fixtures against play-off and promotion rivals continues with a trip to Sheffield Wednesday on Friday evening. The Royals travel to Sheffield after recent away defeats at Preston, Brighton and Huddersfield. Those three defeats, in which Reading have failed to score a goal, have cast Reading's promotion hopes into serious doubt with the Royals now just three points inside the play-off positions. Fulham, one place outside the play-offs, are hoping to sneak into sixth place at the expense of either the Royals or Wednesday. All the games are crucial at this stage of the season, but another away defeat for Reading could have serious consequences on a top six finish.

Reading have only won two games out of their last eight - that's hardly the form of a promotion chasing side. Away from home we have picked up just a single point from our last four attempts. The only consolation for Reading is that Sheffield Wednesday's recent form is so similar. The form for both sides in the league reads two defeats, a win and a draw, followed by another defeat. While Reading were losing 0-3 at Preston last weekend, the Owls were losing 0-2 at Aston Villa. However Wednesday's last two home games have been a 5-1 win over Norwich City and a 1-1 draw with Burton Albion. The Royals will need a change in their form away from the Madejski to get anything from this. If Reading are beaten on the road again they are likely to be the only team in the top ten with a negative goal difference.

Jaap Stam may happily state that the plan was never to get promoted this season, but having been in the play-off positions for most of the season, it will still be a huge disappointment to drop out of the top six on the final run in. Reading were third in the table for ages before the recent drop in form. The outside chance of automatic promotion has long gone but Reading should still remain favourites for a play-off finish.

After a poor defensive performance at Preston, Stam may have both Liam Moore and Paul McShane available for selection. Moore has been out injured and McShane was replaced after 73 minutes at Preston - giving Reece Oxford some rare time on the pitch. Stam's changes this week will probably be in defence, but there are question marks in midfield where Liam Kelly could be back in the side after being rested. George Evans was an unused substitute last weekend and is another option. For the home side striker Forestieri is expected to miss out through injury and defender Vincent Sasso will definately be ruled out as he begins his suspension.

Recent Meetings With Sheffield Wednesday

DATE COMPETITION OPPOSITION SCORE REPORT
10 December 2016 Championship Sheff Wed (HOME) W: 2-1 Read report...
23 January 2016 Championship Sheff Wed (HOME) D: 1-1 Read report...
19 August 2015 Championship Sheff Wed (Away) D: 1-1 Read report...
31 January 2015 Championship Sheff Wed (HOME) W: 2-0 Read report...
20 September 2014 Championship Sheff Wed (Away) L: 0-1 Read report...
08 February 2014 Championship Sheff Wed (HOME) L: 0-2 Read report...
02 November 2013 Championship Sheff Wed (Away) L: 2-5 Read report...
27 February 2010 Championship Sheff Wed (HOME) W: 5-0 Read report...
05 December 2009 Championship Sheff Wed (Away) W: 2-0 Read report...
03 March 2009 Championship Sheff Wed (Away) W: 2-1 Read report...
16 September 2008 Championship Sheff Wed (HOME) W: 6-0 Read report...

Sheffield Wednesday vs Reading preview

16 March 2017
By Eddie Gallagher

In this match preview special we partnered up with Eddie Gallagher, Championship and Premier League editor at FootballPredictions.com, to give you some insights on the upcoming match. Sheffield Wednesday and Reading face each other at legendary Hillsborough Stadium in the opening game of Matchday 38. Both sides sit in the play-offs berth, meaning that a close encounter appears on the horizon.

Hillsborough Stadium - the fortress

Sheffield Wednesday are eager to return to the Premier League, but, as things stand now, they are unlikely to secure automatic promotion to the English top flight. The Owls, though, are on the right track to book their place in the Championship play-offs, but the season is quite long and they must take every single game very seriously if they are to finish the 2016/2017 campaign in top six. Sheffield Wednesday crushed Norwich City (5-1) in their penultimate home fixture in the English second tier, with experienced attacker Jordan Rhodes scoring twice against Alex Neil's troops. Rhodes aims to add more goals to his account and he is likely to pose a big threat for the opposition defenders in Friday's clash. Carlos Carvalhal's men have been impressive at their Hillsborough Stadium so far this season and it has to be noted that they are eyeing their 13th home win.

Last win at Wednesday back in 2009

Reading coach and former Dutch centre-back Jaap Stam is on a quest to bring glory days back to Madejski Stadium. The Royals sit in the play-offs places ahead of the trip to Sheffield, but their job is half-done. Reading are on a six-game unbeaten run at home ground and they did well to hold Newcastle United to a goalless draw in their last home fixture. Nonetheless, their away record is anything but impressive and, no doubt, the visitors would be happy with one point from Friday's showdown against Wednesday. Jaap Stam's team recorded their last win at Hillsborough Stadium back in 2009 and considering that the Owls are tough to beat at home, I do not believe that the Royals are capable of putting an end to the negative trend. When the two teams met at Madejski Stadium earlier this season Reading emerged triumphant, with Roy Beerens scoring a brace for the hosts. Former Bournemouth attacker Yann Kermorgant is widely expected to lead the attack for the visitors against Sheffield. The Frenchman is the team's top scorer, meaning that the opposition back-line should have him at bay.

Prediction

Both Sheffield Wednesday and Reading are desperate to book their place in the Championship play-offs and many football predictions suggest that both sides will go for a win in Friday's derby. As we have already mentioned, the Owls have turned their Hillsborough Stadium into a real fortress and they are likely to find the net on Matchday 38. However, seeing that Carlos Carvalhal's men failed to keep a clean sheet in previous four home games in the league, we predict that the Royals will score in the Hillsborough Stadium clash as well. You should bear in mind that both teams found the net in each of their last three meetings in the English second tier. There is plenty of decisive matches coming up in this round of the Championship. You can find more of Galllagher and his team's work on https://footballpredictions.com/footballpredictions/championshippredictions/

Reading Aim To Remove Preston From Play Off Race

10 March 2017
By Hob Nob Anyone?

The tough games against teams at the top of the Championship continue to arrive at a fast rate for the Royals. Having secured a useful point at home to table toppers Newcastle United mid-week, this weekend Reading have a really good chance to effectively eliminate Preston North End from the play-off race. With 10 League games of the season remaining, Preston are 11 points behind the Royals in ninth place. A Reading victory would surely end any realistic chance Preston have of taking a play-off place from the Royals - and take Reading one huge step closer to a top six finish. However, as is always the way, a win for Preston would see Reading looking nervously at the chasing pack as they close the gap on sixth spot.

Jaap Stam's choice for starting eleven really is anyone's guess. It changes every week and he certainly doesn't like to be predictable with players out of position and those who'd you'd expect to be playing left out on the bench. Liam Moore has been excellent all season for Reading but will have to miss out after picking up a hamstring injury and limping off on Tuesday night. The arrival of Jordan Obita off the bench against Newcastle coincided with a strong finish to the game from Reading. Obita is clearly a better left back than Blackett - so the obvious choice is Blackett to move into the middle to replace the injured Moore and Obita to be recalled to the starting eleven on the left. However, Stam may have other plans.

Liam Kelly only managed the first half against Newcastle before being substituted. It appeared tactical but Stam hinted it was due to a hamstring issue. Either way he may find himself swapped out for the trip to Preston. Kelly is another player who has been excellent this season but wasn't his best against the Magpies on Tuesday.

Preston have only lost once in the League in their last seven games. That was a 1-3 reverse at Fulham who are rapidly closing in on Reading and the top six. Those last seven games may have only included 3 wins, but all of those have come at home. In the whole of 2017 Preston have only dropped two points at home over five league games and will be hoping to continue that run - and in doing so keep their season alive. Reading have only picked up one point from their last three away games - although that did include defeats at Huddersfield and Brighton. The last time the two sides met was on the opening day of the season when Preston were defeated 1-0 at the Madejski Stadium thanks to a debut goal from John Swift.

Recent Meetings With Preston North End

DATE COMPETITION OPPOSITION SCORE REPORT
06 August 2016 Championship Preston (HOME) W: 1-0 Read report...
30 April 2016 Championship Preston (HOME) L: 1-2 Read report...
12 December 2015 Championship Preston (Away) L: 0-1 Read report...
05 April 2011 Championship Preston (HOME) W: 2-1 Read report...
02 October 2010 Championship Preston (Away) D: 1-1 Read report...
02 May 2010 Championship Preston (HOME) W: 4-1 Read report...
29 September 2009 Championship Preston (Away) W: 2-1 Read report...
07 February 2009 Championship Preston (HOME) D: 0-0 Read report...
18 October 2008 Championship Preston (Away) L: 1-2 Read report...

Reading 0 Newcastle United 0: Things We Learned

08 March 2017
By Alex Bower

If the build-up to Tuesday's game was anything to go by, it was a biggun. Reading FC were taking on fellow promotion hopefuls Newcastle United, both arriving at the Madejski Stadium with the aim of securing three points.

Despite shots from both sides rebounding off the goalposts, the score was to end 0-0 and the points shared. Here are some things to come out of the game.

Possession Play On Point

From the off it was clear what the Newcastle tactics were- sit back and try and hit Reading on the counter. On several occasions in the first half, it nearly worked. As the game went on, however, Reading were dominating play in terms of possession. The most impressive aspect was that, despite playing against one of the top two teams in the division, the Royals remained composed right up until the final whistle. At full-time Reading had maintained 70% possession.

While shooting opportunities were at a minimum, it was encouraging to see Reading performing so well. Paul McShane and Joey van den Berg put in performance to remember (for all the right reasons) and Garath McCleary will feel disappointed to have not snatched the win at the death.

At times the possession style of football can be boring to watch (to the point where it feels time is moving slower than normal) but that was not the case on Tuesday.

Thanks For The Atmosphere

Much has been said in recent times about the attendances at the Madejski Stadium in support of a team chasing promotion. Largely they have been disappointing but that was not the case against Newcastle.

The fans heard Jaap Stam's comments about needing their support loud and clear and turned up in their droves. The large turnout from Newcastle fans was definitely a help, with a call and respond rapport often being built between the rival fan bases.

It has to be said that the atmosphere created by the home fans was noticeably better than usual. As if recognising the importance of the game, the supporters got behind their team throughout and it was great to hear.

Against such a large club like Newcastle, the 23,000 attendance was always inevitable even on a weekday evening. It is now important to make sure that similar crowds turnout to games against Leeds, Blackburn, Rotherham and Wigan.

Life Without Liam

It was not a good day if you were a Reading player named Liam.

Liam Kelly has emerged this season as a very promising player for the Royals. It was a disappointing performance from the midfielder, however, as he increasingly gave away possession.

Many will have assumed that his half-time substitution was due to his performance but he has apparently picked up a hamstring injury. The most concerning moment of the game was when Liam Moore dropped to the ground with what also appeared to be a hamstring injury.

The "Player of the Month" for February has been vital for the Royals in the centre of defence throughout the season. With McShane only recently returning to the squad himself and Tiago Ilori still out, it is less than ideal ahead of what will be a very important run of games.

What To Do About Grabban

One player who seems to be getting a lot of stick on social media is Lewis Grabban. The Bournemouth man has not set the world alight since his arrival in January and it has not gone unnoticed amongst the fans.

The issue with the striker is that he is not playing consistently and when he is he is often being asked to play in all kinds of weird and wonderful places. As a central midfielder or a winger, he has struggled to make an impact. Up front by himself he has also come up short.

Everyone knows about the partnership that Grabban and Yann Kermorgant developed while playing for the Cherries. The reality of the situation at Reading, however, is that nine times out of ten Jaap will play a formation that has room for only one striker.

Against Newcastle I was surprised to see Grabban playing on the wing ahead of natural wingers such as Adrian Popa, Roy Beerens or Yakou Meite. I will be even more surprised if he features there in the next game.

Reading And Newcastle Share Points

08 March 2017
By Hob Nob Anyone?

On an evening of outstanding entertainment both teams can feel more than satisfied with their contribution to a game which ended goalless but lacked nothing else. United brought a huge following, as you would expect for a team surely destined for the Premier League next season, and a with good turn out from the home fans contributed to the kind of atmosphere which seems to inspire good football.

Having beaten both of the teams immediately below them away from home in the past week or so, United were clearly going to provide the sort of opposition to test the Royals promotion credentials. United did indeed look a very good side, and a string of saves by Al Habsi was required to keep Reading on level terms by half time - not that Reading played badly. In the second half Reading looked the stronger side and came within a whisker of a remarkable victory in the last seconds of stoppage time when McCleary's strike from the narrowest of angles hit the crossbar. In the end a draw was a fair result.
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Newcastle Expected To Claim Another Away Win

07 March 2017
By Hob Nob Anyone?

It feel like Mission Impossible for the Royals tonight as table toppers Newcastle United visit the Madejski Stadium, to play in front of what is expected to be a near sell out crowd. Newcastle are in amazing form, having gone 10 League games without defeat, and find themselves five points clear at the top of the table. Consecutive away victories over second placed Brighton and third placed Huddersfield have made Newcastle firm favourites to win the league and promotion back to the Premier League.

On paper this is a guaranteed away victory, especially if you factor in Reading's poor form against teams at the top of the table. Reading have also just had those two away fixtures and our fortunes were reversed with a 0-1 defeat at Huddersfield and a really poor performance against Brighton as we went down 0-3. The only factor in Reading's favour is we are at home - but that's unlikely to trouble The Magpies.

Garath McCleary was rested during Reading's 2-1 home win against Wolves at the weekend, but may make a return against Newcastle. It's a different starting eleven every match under Jaap Stam - and that's partly due to the huge number of options he has available. There seems certain to be more tweaks to the side, and many fans will be hoping that Jordan Obita is preferred to Tyler Blackett at left back. One player who surely will be playing will be central defender Paul McShane who marked his full return from injury with a great performance and a match winning goal. Mutch will probably find himself remaining on the bench - but hopefully Stam can find room for Liam Kelly who was an unused substitute on Saturday despite his amazing performances so far this season.

Earlier this season Reading were thrashed 1-4 at Newcastle. We will of course be hoping to avoid a repeat of that, but you can't help feel that it's a possibility. It's no wonder that the visitors are firm favourites for the win. However they are around evens, which could be worth a judas bet this evening and you can find some of the best football odds at William Hill Ireland online with complete list of different matches across the globe.

Find some of the best football odds at William Hill Ireland online

Recent Meetings With Newcastle

DATE COMPETITION OPPOSITION SCORE REPORT
17 August 2016 Championship Newcastle (Away) L: 1-4 Read report...
19 January 2013 Premier League Newcastle (Away) W: 2-1 Read report...
29 September 2012 Premier League Newcastle (HOME) D: 2-2 Read report...
13 April 2010 Championship Newcastle (HOME) L: 1-2 Read report...
15 August 2009 Championship Newcastle (Away) L: 0-3 Read report...
05 April 2008 Premiership Newcastle (Away) L: 0-3 Read report...
27 October 2007 Premiership Newcastle (HOME) W: 2-1 Read report...
30 April 2007 Premiership Newcastle (HOME) W: 1-0 Read report...
06 December 2006 Premiership Newcastle (Away) L: 2-3 Read report...
 
Reading and Newcastle - Head to head record (since August 1994)
Games Between Reading and Newcastle 9
Reading Wins 3
Newcastle Wins 5
Draws 1
Reading Goals 11
Newcastle Goals 19
Average Goals Per Game 3.33
 

Reading 2 Wolves 1: Things We Learned

06 March 2017
By Alex Bower

Reading returned to winning ways on Saturday afternoon with a 2-1 victory against Wolves at the Madejski Stadium. Yann Kermorgant opened the scoring when he deflected a Danny Williams shot into the net. Wolves levelled moments later through Ben Marshall when he was allowed to tap in from close range. It was captain Paul McShane, however, who was to head the Royals in front and secure all three points.

Here are some of the talking points from the game:

Points Make Prizes

After two back-to-back defeats to fellow promotion candidates Huddersfield and Brighton, Reading needed to win against Wolves. While the performance was by no means pretty, the win stopped the rot and brought back some much needed confidence ahead of Tuesday's game against Newcastle.

Lacklustre Attendances Continue

No one thought at the beginning of the season that Reading would be challenging for promotion. The reality of the situation, however, is that they are. The problem for the Royals is that there is no direct correlation between the league positioning and the attendances. When your local team is challenging for promotion to the Premier League, you would expect people to flock to games.

Despite the end of the season creeping ever closer, attendances still fall well behind those of their promotion rivals. Even Jaap Stam this week has commented on how poor it is considering their league positioning.

The main argument for people not coming to the game will be the style of football. Yes at times it is not the most exciting thing to watch. Yes it has the potential to go wrong with the pitch in the state it is. But at the end of the day the Reading players have performed above expectations this season and deserve the attendances to reflect that.

Stewarding Scenario

It is an issue that has gained increased coverage across social media and one that does not show signs of stopping. Everyone who attends games at the Madejski Stadium knows how often home fans get rightfully mocked for the near silent atmosphere. Reading could be winning the game comfortably and you could still be able to hear a pin drop.

This is why the fans in Y25 and Y26 are vital. Unfortunately those who are responsible for generating the majority of noise are being punished for standing during games. With the Reading players often pleading for an improved atmosphere, it is difficult when the stewards are encouraging the exact opposite.

Yes health and safety is important but game after game the away fans are allowed to stand for the duration. Fans buy tickets in that stand to purposely make noise and get behind the team. Forcing them to sit or potentially leave will only be a detriment to the team.

Popa Looks Promising

The surprise change ahead of the game was the introduction of Adrian Popa in place of Garath McCleary. McCleary has been a vital component in the Reading machine this season but in recent times has appeared somewhat off his usual standards. As a result I was happy to see him rested ahead of the Newcastle game.

As for Popa (the first Romanian to play for Reading) I was largely impressed. The winger showed that he had plenty of pace and a willingness to run at defences - arguably qualities that have surprisingly been missing from McCleary's game in recent times.

One of the best qualities he possesses is his willingness to chase down defences when he doesn't have the ball (unlike Roy Beerens on the opposite flank). The only concern will be his current lack of an end product. Given his lack of game time this is somewhat unsurprising. As the season comes to a close, he could be a real asset if given the opportunity.

Much Ado About Blackett

I'm sure many will be with me when I say that I am tired of singling out Tyler Blackett after games. Unfortunately, the left-back put in another disappointing performance against Wolves. It has to be said that in the first half in particular the Reading performance in general was pretty poor, but Blackett is a repeat offender. Somewhat strangely, however, the errors in his game only seem to happen when he is playing at left-back.

While he is somewhat error-prone, I do at times feel sorry for him. When Roy Beerens is playing, Blackett is often left to contend with numerous opponents by himself. That said, the misplaced passes to teammates and dawdling on the ball are worrying events that continue to occur.

Wolves Preview: Royals Need Win After Recent Defeats

03 March 2017
By Hob Nob Anyone?

Reading are back at home this weekend as Wolves come to town hoping to make the most of Reading's dip in form. After being in touch with the top two for most of the season, the Royals finally had to say goodbye to any outside chance of automatic promotion after defeats at Huddersfield and Brighton. Having slipped to fifth in the table, Reading are still well within the play-off positions, but will need more points to secure a top six finish this season. With Newcastle visiting on Tuesday night, and Reading winning just once in their last five league games, Saturday's visit of Wolves becomes a "must win" match.

While Reading need to points to maintain the chance of promotion via the play-offs, Wolves are also in desperate need as they find themselves just two points outside the drop zone. Wolves will be pleased to see the back of February after the month saw them play five games and lose all five. One of those was their cup exit to Chelsea, but the four league defeats included three defeats at home. The pick of the bunch was a 0-1 home defeat to relegation rivals Wigan. A word of warning for the Royals though - Wolves have won three out of their last fives away games in all competitions - including a 2-1 FA Cup victory at Liverpool. The outcome of this match is far from a definite.

There is nothing new to report on the injury front, with no new worries for Jaap Stam. Competition for places remains fierce and it will be interesting to see what changes Stam makes this week after two recent defeats. Stam never seems to like fielding the same team two matches in a row and is sure to tinker with his starting eleven once more as he still attempts to find his ideal starting line-up. Swift and Kelly both came off the bench during the defeat at Brighton and both probably deserve a starting place given their form this season - but will Stam shuffle things up in their favour. Loanee players Grabban and Mutch are yet to make an impression - perhaps Kermorgant and Swift will be favoured over them this weekend.

Our last five meetings with Wolves have seen just a single Reading win. You have to go all the way back to 2009 to find our last home win, when a second minute Wolves own goal separated the sides. We lost 0-2 at Wolves at the start of this season, drew 0-0 at home the season before, and also failed to score the game before that with a 0-1 defeat on the road. Reading are certainly due a goal against Wolves.

Recent Meetings With WOLVES

DATE COMPETITION OPPOSITION SCORE REPORT
13 August 2016 Championship Wolves (Away) L: 0-2 Read report...
06 February 2016 Championship Wolves (HOME) D: 0-0 Read report...
26 December 2015 Championship Wolves (Away) L: 0-1 Read report...
07 February 2015 Championship Wolves (Away) W: 2-1 Read report...
28 September 2014 Championship Wolves (HOME) D: 3-3 Read report...
27 January 2009 Championship Wolves (HOME) W: 1-0 Read report...
30 September 2008 Championship Wolves (Away) W: 3-0 Read report...
18 March 2006 Championship Wolves (HOME) D: 1-1 Read report...
26 December 2005 Championship Wolves (Away) W: 2-0 Read report...