'Doing a Reading'

[Lieutenant Pigeon]

Losing the play-off final is the worst way not to get promoted.

Especially when you finish as runners-up...

C.

[Smoking Kills Dancing Doe]

There's no comparison between us and any of the promotred clubs what so ever and any journalist trying to claim there is (of which there will be plenty) are just thick, as we already know!!

Massive changes at every level over recent years for Sunderland and Derby and hugh player turnover at Birmingham, all have already spent masssive money and will spend so much more than we and in truth be able to atract a quality of player we couldn't.

I just shake my head when all you here from these clubs is that they're gonna spend massive, anyone trying to do a Reading would give their players a chance, granted most of the promoted clubs players unlike ours are not good enough, but as Hunt has shown a bit of faith can go a long way.

[RoyalBlue]

It seems the team that wins this game is more important than the one's who do it by going up in the promotion places? The 60 million pound game....... I don't recall us being labeled the 60 million pound league winners?

Rightly so. When we won the league the projected income was a lot lower as the new TV deal hadn;t been signed.

Had to alugh at the number of times people said that winning the playoff final was 'the best' way to get promoted.

I'm pretty sure that getting promoted with 106 points and wiping th efloor with the rest of the league was way, way better than scraping up via a lottery !

We are rarely as one on things RFC but that's exactly the same remark I made to my family as we watched the game and the commentator came out with that remark!

There can be no better way of doing it than 'The Reading Way'!

Whilst I agree, for the sheer adrenaline rush that goes with gaining promotion over one cup final then the play-offs cannot be beat. Doing it our way is better for the prolonged high that goes with it but the winner takes all nature of a one off game heightens that emotion.

And all that needed to be played after our second Wembley appearance was:

I don’t wanna talk
About the things we’ve gone through
Though it’s hurting me
Now it’s history
I’ve played all my cards
And that’s what you’ve done too
Nothing more to say
No more ace to play

The winner takes it all
The loser standing small
Beside the victory
That’s her destiny

Thank god it is now history!!

[Berthwaite]

Let's just remember our last game against Derby:

http://www.royals.org/matdoc/010406.html

[Henleyensian]

Let's just remember our last game against Derby:

http://www.royals.org/matdoc/010406.html

My thoughts exactly.

Besides, remember our first game against them in recent years when we had our first game of the season at Derby, having been promoted (and they had been relegated) when they chanted "You're only here to see the Champions" and look how they finished compared to us.

That 5 - 0 was very sweet.

[biscuitsrus]

They are a bigger club.

They've got a bigger ground, will have a bigger average attendance and will spend more on players this summer than we will. They've also won a fair amount, unlike ourselves.

I very much doubt they'll finish anywhere near us though.

seconded - size is not directly proportionate to success

Trust me, size does matter

[Y25]

in a way i'm glad they went up as thats easy points

Derby are shit and will more likely do a 'Sunderland'

[Tails]

They are a bigger club.

They've got a bigger ground, will have a bigger average attendance and will spend more on players this summer than we will. They've also won a fair amount, unlike ourselves.

I very much doubt they'll finish anywhere near us though.

seconded - size is not directly proportionate to success

Trust me, size does matter [/quote

oh you misinterpret me, size does matter, but its the way you go about the thing you want to do is the real turning point for success.

[Franchise FC]

I don't think Derby has any chance of staying up, and I honestly don't think Birmingham or Sunderland have much of a chance either. Of course, it is early to make predictions.

Please..PLease..PLEase..PLEAse..PLEASe..PLEASE don't become what we hated last year. The likelihood of all three going down is extremely small.

Sunderland (without the first six games) were not that far short of the sort of form that we showed last year.
Birmingham have some financial clout and connections through Bruce.
Derby - who knows.

Remember, everyone thought we'd be straight back down.

[AbovetheI]

"Reading are Champions."

[RoyalBlue]

I don't think Derby has any chance of staying up, and I honestly don't think Birmingham or Sunderland have much of a chance either. Of course, it is early to make predictions.

Please..PLease..PLEase..PLEAse..PLEASe..PLEASE don't become what we hated last year. The likelihood of all three going down is extremely small.

Sunderland (without the first six games) were not that far short of the sort of form that we showed last year.

But that (the first six games) is exactly why they are so far short of what we were.

RTGs maybe, but none of the promoted teams played football anywhere near as well as we did last year.

[Ian Royal]

I don't think Derby has any chance of staying up, and I honestly don't think Birmingham or Sunderland have much of a chance either. Of course, it is early to make predictions.

Please..PLease..PLEase..PLEAse..PLEASe..PLEASE don't become what we hated last year. The likelihood of all three going down is extremely small.

Sunderland (without the first six games) were not that far short of the sort of form that we showed last year.

But that (the first six games) is exactly why they are so far short of what we were.

RTGs maybe, but none of the promoted teams played football anywhere near as well as we did last year.

Sunderland have the potential to be a fair force in the prem under keane if they can replicate what they did in the championship under him. If they start badly I think they may crack given their last two relegations though.

Birmingham could spend big and are a big club, but I think they'll falter and be towards the bottom... Derby I think will struggle. But all 3 are stronger than Watford and I'd say the automatic two are likely to be stronger than Sheff were.

I think we'll do better than enough teams, but I don't think it'll be as easy for us as last season.

[brendywendy]

i dunno

i think with the management changes at teams like fulham and wigan, and even bolton will see them close to the bottom, even the teams who are being taken over may suffer from too many changes new players managers etc
i think that apart from the big 4 there will be many surprises, biggest of which will be reading finishing in the top half again
i think derby will struggle, but sunderland and brum may have enough, just need a good start

[pardew'spony]

Wigan are certainties for the drop IMVHO.

I also think Bolton will finish in the bottom half next season, though I don't think they'll be relegated.

Boro could struggle if they lose a couple of players and Gibson doesn't dig deep again.

[Fred Sharpe's Nose]

I think we'll do better than enough teams, but I don't think it'll be as easy for us as last season.

[SpaceCruiser]

I don't think Derby has any chance of staying up, and I honestly don't think Birmingham or Sunderland have much of a chance either. Of course, it is early to make predictions.

Please..PLease..PLEase..PLEAse..PLEASe..PLEASE don't become what we hated last year. The likelihood of all three going down is extremely small.

Sunderland (without the first six games) were not that far short of the sort of form that we showed last year.
Birmingham have some financial clout and connections through Bruce.
Derby - who knows.

Remember, everyone thought we'd be straight back down.

Sunderland could possibly stay up if Keane keeps up his progress as a manager.

Birmingham, I can't see them improving on their previous seasons in the Premiership, especially the last season. Steve Bruce is not much cop as a manager.

Derby, their players are nowhere near as good as our players, they had to do it via the playoffs and therefore achieved nowhere near what our players achieved. Even though they play as a team rather than a bunch of skilled individuals.

I guess it all depends on what players these three teams bring in.

[Dirk Gently]

The scary thing about Sunderland is the wealth of their co-owners - all three of them are in the Top 30 in the ST Rich list, so if they wanted to they could throw some extremely serious money at the team.

[Vision]

The scary thing about Sunderland is the wealth of their co-owners - all three of them are in the Top 30 in the ST Rich list, so if they wanted to they could throw some extremely serious money at the team.

Let's be honest Roy Keane wouldn't have taken the job if there weren't certain assurances about the ambitions within the club.

Think they will be comfortable next season and probably push on even further within the next few years.

[Dirk Gently]

And I've just seen that Sunderland had 37 points from 26 games on 31st Dec, so they got 51 points from the last 20 matches - which is equivalent to a season-long total of 117 points!!!

Yes, it's less than half a season's worth, but it's definitely the sort of form and dominance that we displayed, so they'll have the same sort of confidence and self-belief that we took up with us.

[papereyes]

Personally, I would imagine

Sunderland pushing for UEFA Cup (if they get a good start)
Birmingham just above relegation
Derby in the relegation scrap