Horrible feeling about this season...

[LoyalRoyal22]

I'll be honest, im gearing myself up for double disappointment. You just KNOW this'll be the birmingham season all over again. We'll get fvcked out of second place by the horrible mercenaries west ham and their 9 strikers and then lose to someone shite in the play-offs because we are gutted on missing out on second. In a way I hope we lose the next 5/6 and then make a late surge back into the play-offs with momentum.

Saints are out of reach, they keep getting lucky breaks and are a one man unit, unless lambert gets injured they will win it.

Yes finerain you are a negative twat, bla bla bla but i KNOW some of you feel exactly the same and you can see it coming too.

I hope someone bumps this to prove me wrong if it happens...but im dreading it tbh.

Just enjoy the moment pal

[Snowball]

I'll be honest, im gearing myself up for double disappointment. You just KNOW this'll be the birmingham season all over again. We'll get fvcked out of second place by the horrible mercenaries west ham and their 9 strikers and then lose to someone shite in the play-offs because we are gutted on missing out on second. In a way I hope we lose the next 5/6 and then make a late surge back into the play-offs with momentum.

Saints are out of reach, they keep getting lucky breaks and are a one man unit, unless lambert gets injured they will win it.
Yes finerain you are a negative twat, bla bla bla but i KNOW some of you feel exactly the same and you can see it coming too.
I hope someone bumps this to prove me wrong if it happens...but im dreading it tbh.

With our run in, it's unlikely we will lose a few, and then come back with a magnificent run. As stated in another thread, our actual run is like 30 games... It's genuine consistency.
When you wrote that OP, you probably believed Saints were out of reach - but with us to play them, and only being 2 points behind - how do you feel now?
We are in a magnificent position, as our run in is against the teams around us - so, where we pick up points they will be losing them - our final league position is in our hands for a change, and not relying on other results. Fantastic! This is so bloody exciting, I can't contain myself!

What is interesting about the games left is how easily it could all go brilliantly or become a total disaster.

Please don't think I am suggesting the following but had these games been spread out across the season, we would not
be remotely concerned about losing at West Ham (currently 3rd) Southampton (top) Birmingham (4th)

and Brighton (one point outside the play-offs with a home record of 10-5-3 30-16

Even WITH our great recent form, we COULD lose all four of these by the odd goal each time...

We also have a resurgent Leeds to play, and Blackpool who are still in the POs... and Forest who are fighting for survival.



Basically, we have an EXTREMELY TOUGH RUN-IN and will have to be at our very best to get anywhere NEAR 2 ppg

[Snowball]

Whoever said Saints will win it.

Very possibly, even probably.


We could go there, out play them, miss chances and then their star striker does it again,
suddenly (based on today) we are 5 points plus a huge GD deficit behind them. That would be "it".


But we could go there, and WIN, suddenly WE are a point in front (based on today) and with just 4 days to go.



My point is the stats become less and less important now, because individual results can have such a huge effect


There's a reason they call them six-pointers.


I think we need to WD at Saints/West Ham (either way round) to have a decent chance of autos.

I think two defeats will mean the POs.

[manny96]

Nothing wrong with the thread and asking the question every one of us must have asked at some point in the last few weeks. It's also the threat of this happening that makes winning exciting and worthwhile. As far as this season goes for me it's strange because whilst omens of seasons and playoffs past loom large to fans and the media, more than this I get the feeling the team doesn't care. The players seem to be getting on with their jobs and just taking each opponent and game as it comes.

Reading aren't supposed to go up with such a small wage bill and modest attitude in the place of a 'big' club, without playing champagne football. We just not very glamourous. Pundits and journalists are waiting for the 'natural order' to be resumed. Talking about omens or how the script should read can play on players' and managers' minds and ultimately be a self-fulfilling prophecy. But I just don't get that feeling from this team and long may logic and mental fortitude remain!

[grey_squirrel]

I have a sneaking suspicion we will beat WHU, 1-0 in, an end-to end, dirty, smash and grab, anxious nailbiter with a red card for us - can just see it being one of those games - and we'll get a bore draw at Southampton.

Southampton really annoy me. One man team. Fair enough, but as good as Lambert is, *that* last minute "lucky" pen at Millwall put my back up. Especially as it nearly brought Le Tiss to orgasm on Soccer Saturday.

[arthurfondrelli]

As a player I hate Ricky Lambert

But he always comes across well in interviews so I don't really know what to think

[Winchester Royal]

I have a sneaking suspicion we will beat WHU, 1-0 in, an end-to end, dirty, smash and grab, anxious nailbiter with a red card for us - can just see it being one of those games - and we'll get a bore draw at Southampton.

Southampton really annoy me. One man team. Fair enough, but as good as Lambert is, *that* last minute "lucky" pen at Millwall put my back up. Especially as it nearly brought Le Tiss to orgasm on Soccer Saturday.

What really annoyed me is that Millwall were winning with 5 minutes to go, and the it's two oxf*rd penalties that won Southampton the game. The first one was soft as, as well, and coming from behind like that is going to be give them the confidence when a defeat there could really have hit their morale, especially if they were knocked off of top spot in the process.

I've just got a bad feeling that were going to do everything but go up - I reckon we'll have an excellent run and with 3 games to go, it'll be ours to lose. and then we'll lose it, like we did in the Birmingham season.

West ham won't be easy but I reckon we can beat them - just got the feeling that we'll get the points there and then lose against Forest or somebody like that...

[SpaceCruiser]

I know where FR is coming from.

To me this feels a bit like the year we lost to Walsall in Cardiff. Hopefully this time we won't be the third horse in a three horse race.

Disagree. Last season was that playoff final defeat season.

Actually, if you look at patterns, we're at the end of a 4 year cycle. Looking back to that season, it was the third season of that 4 year cycle. This season feels more like the season after we lost to Walsall in Cardiff, i.e. coming 2nd in a three horse race. Did you forget the 1-1 draw at Brentford?!?

While we're on the patterns topic, the season before last season when Rodgers was sacked and McDermott became our manager, it was so much like when Burns was sacked and Pardew became our manager. Can you see it now....?

[Winchester Royal]

I know where FR is coming from.

To me this feels a bit like the year we lost to Walsall in Cardiff. Hopefully this time we won't be the third horse in a three horse race.

Disagree. Last season was that playoff final defeat season.

Actually, if you look at patterns, we're at the end of a 4 year cycle. Looking back to that season, it was the third season of that 4 year cycle. This season feels more like the season after we lost to Walsall in Cardiff, i.e. coming 2nd in a three horse race. Did you forget the 1-1 draw at Brentford?!?

While we're on the patterns topic, the season before last season when Rodgers was sacked and McDermott became our manager, it was so much like when Burns was sacked and Pardew became our manager. Can you see it now....?

Makes sense I guess...

[Avon Royal]

Did you forget the 1-1 draw at Brentford?!?

Would that be the be the Brentford that put together a late season run only to fall just short, then miss out in the playoffs?

[themadstad]

Tough run in and that'll be where we drop most points. Missing out on 2nd is certain then we'll lose in the play offs once again.

[Silver Fox]

6 pages just so finerain can say "I told you so" if we don't go up? Classic team board

[Snowball]

6 pages just so finerain can say "I told you so" if we don't go up? Classic team board

and, "I'm glad I was wrong" if we do.

[melonhead]

Tough run in and that'll be where we drop most points. Missing out on 2nd is certain then we'll lose in the play offs once again.

joy to the world

[muddyfeet]

no horrible feeling yet, I genuinely think this could be our year.

[Maguire]

no horrible feeling yet, I genuinely think this could be our year.

This.

Astounded how well we've done this season (as we all are) and don't see why we can't do it. Win at Saints or West Ham and we're laughing.

[under the tin]

no horrible feeling yet, I genuinely think this could be our year.

This.

Astounded how well we've done this season (as we all are) and don't see why we can't do it. Win at Saints or West Ham and we're laughing.

Zatley.
Nothing to fear from either club, just an out dated inferiority complex.

[sandman]

I think it's pretty obvious by now that we are going to fade into mid table obscurity and the club will fold after Anton pulls out of the takeover deal. FC Reading coming soon to a sunday league park near you.

[southbank1871]

The fact that we’re only really just hitting some excellent form (in terms of performances), on the back of 9 wins out of 10, means I am strangely confident. We know from the 106 team how important confidence and the players knowing each other’s game is. We’ve now got three very effective partnerships running through the centre of the pitch and add to that a consistent keeper, two gr8 wingers and a couple of competent full-backs (one of which who is gr8 at free kicks and corners) and you’ve got a top two side.

[Snowball]

The fact that we’re only really just hitting some excellent form (in terms of performances), on the back of 9 wins out of 10, means I am strangely confident. We know from the 106 team how important confidence and the players knowing each other’s game is. We’ve now got three very effective partnerships running through the centre of the pitch and add to that a consistent keeper, two gr8 wingers and a couple of competent full-backs (one of which who is gr8 at free kicks and corners) and you’ve got a top two side.

Also interesting that now McD seems to be allowing the CMs to have a crack at goal