Ytterligare en rapport från Brailli
Martin Brailli ger återigen sin syn på läget i Reading FC. Blir det kval? Tillsammans med vem?
Well things are looking interesting up the top of Division One aren't they !
Despite the doubters we've managed to hang on in there and I reckon that the top 6 are going to stay pretty much as they are now. The order from 3-6 might change around but that's of minor importance !!
Maybe the only question mark is whether Forest's run in from hell will prove to much for their current excellent form. I think they'll come through and to be honest I don't think any of the chasing pack are going to put a strong enough string of results together to put them under pressure.
The playoffs themselves are going to be interesting. On the message boards there seems to be a view that we are the team everyone wants to play. We are certainly being seen as the underdogs and I think that suits us !! We've had it all season from every team we've beaten - they had an off day, we were lucky etc etc. I guess we should be grateful that there have been 11 away days on which the home team had an off day !!!
We also feel we are probably the team with least pressure on us. We didn't expect to be here and the consequences of not going up are minor (although I guess in 'lost opportunity' terms they are significant !!).
For Wolves the pressure will be huge and the price of failure probably another manager out of work , a couple of careers ended and a lot of suicidal boys from the Black Country. Sheff Utd won't be able to hold on to Tonge, Brown and Jagielka if they fail and have money problems so may not get the cash to rebuild. Forest would also surely lose Dawson and Harewood although maybe there are some more good youngsters to come ?
I don't think we'd lose anyone - despite having half a dozen 20 -21 year olds in the side they haven't got the publicity of the 'glamour' clubs so haven't attracted the vultures and the likes of James Harper, Nicky Shorey, Steve Sidwell, Nathan Tyson and Darius Henderson would still be around.
In addition our youth academy is a couple of years behind Forest and looks like it's just about to start really delivering. Next season could well see some of the best kids we have ever produced starting to come through - make a note of the names of Ahmet Rifat, Darren Campbell, Andre Boucaud and Peter Castle as they are the Royals of the future !
Of course there are still games to go and things may change, but the feeling amongst Royals fans at the moment is that we are on the verge of something exciting. For the firsttime we can really enjoy the playoffs and perhaps this approach will be our biggest advantage. If any of the other sides in the shakeup find the going tough the weight on their shoulders could prove too much. The Royals players can go in knowing that whatever happens they are heroes and that should give them the freedom to play the fast, counter attacking game that has proved so successful.
It's been a truely great season and it is going to get better ! There is nothing that gives more satisfaction than reading the bitter and jealous comments of other fans and we've had plenty of that this season. Reading FC has made it's mark and thereis now more than a decent chance that next season we will be upsetting some even bigger teams. It can happen !!!!
Martin Brailli
