Once again The Championship promises to be close league with many surprising results and games decided through one bit of skill, a mistake or a controversial decision. The fate of clubs can be decided by many factors - injuries , key players losing form, exceptional/poor management, disruptive players, great teamwork – and unlike some Premiership games, you often leave a Championship ground thinking how all 3 results could have been possible from the game you have just seen.
The fate of Reading in the 2009/10 Championship season is a hard one to predict. Reading’s most successful manager in history, Steve Coppell, has departed and with him has gone a sense of stability and some of the senior players largely responsible for recent success.
Brendan Rodgers is now seated at the helm and he has already displayed his addictive positivity, man-management skills and high regard in the game to the Reading team and public. His appointment not only coincides with the departure of the excellent Kevin Doyle and a certain amount of cloth-cutting by the RFC moneymen, but also a big crop of youngsters itching to secure a first team place.
Just how good these youngsters prove to be will hold the key to Reading’s season. Pub conversations about desperately needing strikers, wingers and defenders will fade into insignificance if Reading can remain injury-free and the majority of Church, Henry, Robson-Kanu, Davies, Karacan and Pearce have great seasons. Alternatively, if they seem unable to consistently match the better players in this league then a season of mediocrity beckons.
Mills and Bertrand look like good additions and alongside Armstrong, Pearce, Mills, Ingimarsson and Bikey (if he stays) there can be some confidence that left back and centre-back will not be problem positions this year. Right back is a matter for debate as the jury is still out on Kelly’s suitability for the role this season and Rosenior’s form last season, after a great first 15 games or so, was subsequently pretty poor.
Whilst there are many central midfielders at the club, the less optimistic would argue that there are not too many top quality players amongst them and they could struggle to match the likes of Brian Howard, Ferrie Bodde, Jonathan Greening, Joey Barton and Guy Moussi. Reading’s best chance in this area may be an inspired Marek Matejovsky well supported by Tabb, Karacan and Davies throughout the season. With Doyle departed and Stephen Hunt looking a shadow of his former self (and maybe bound for new pastures) Reading may seemingly lack a few matchwinners and the likes of Matejovsky, Robson-Kanu and Kebe will be required to produce some great solo moments.
The league will be competitive throughout and whilst predictions are generally for fools in this league, I expect West Brom, Sheff Utd, Middlesbrough, Cardiff, Newcastle to be there or thereabouts come the end of the season. Ipswich and QPR may remain on the verge of great things but I expect Notts Forest and Peterborough to surprise a few this year. The likes of Scunthorpe and Doncaster have long seasons ahead of them and Coventry, Bristol City, Preston, Crystal Palace and Watford may all do worse than their finishing position last year. Reading’s fate is perhaps harder to predict than many teams, bit anything outside of the top half would still be a genuine surprise.
ROYALS PREDICTION: 5th-7th