Play-off Watch

[The 17 Bus]

Why go up we are quite simply not good enough. Looking at the table and our form we will finish outside the top 6 at this rate.

Because without promotion, relegation there is no point following your team, there is no guarantee of anything in football. Hull were odds on for bottom of the table, wrong. If we go up we are guaranteed football at least in level two for 2010/11, something that we will not be guaranteed if we do not go up.

[Schards#2]

Why go up we are quite simply not good enough. Looking at the table and our form we will finish outside the top 6 at this rate.

As i've said all season, in the medium to long term, we're not going to progress due to manager/chairman issue. However, mid table mediocrity and financial stability is better than mid table mediocrity with less financial stability.

[Rex]

As has been memtioned we have the 4th worst form on show. That says something.

[true blue 4 ever]

Whilst I suspect that we will make the play offs there is no way I can see us beating any of the other likely PO contenders over two legs so I doubt very much whether a trip to Wembley will result. However at least we will be saved the embarrassment of the current squad performing in the Prem.

Couldn't agree more....we don't have a hope

[The Real Sandhurst Royal]

Watford f*cked it up last season I am now convinced we will do the same.

[The Real Sandhurst Royal]

We will miss out on the play offs finishing 7th or 8th and be left with a club in need of great cahnge.

Watford and Charlton last season are examples of what can happen if it is not sorted quick.

[WestCoast Life]

If by some fluke we do go up, if nothing is changes (ie no money spent) we will beat Derby's record.

[Royal Lady]

If by some fluke we do go up, if nothing is changes (ie no money spent) we will beat Derby's record.

And if we don't go up, our better players will go and we'll bring in sub standard replacements as usual. Good times.

[Rex]

We will miss out on the play offs finishing 7th or 8th and be left with a club in need of great change.

If we go up - the club needs investment. Stay down the club will sell players. Either way the team is still in flux.

[backintheday]

If by some fluke we do go up, if nothing is changes (ie no money spent) we will beat Derby's record.

It would have to be a major fluke now and the money needed to be spent to even allow us to compete will not be available.
Finish in the play offs, beaten home & away in the semi's.

[Snowball]

You can now get almost 8/1 for us to win this league... about right

But why have the bookies still got us at odds-on for promotion?

Surely no Reading fans are putting money on?

[moo]

If by some fluke we do go up, if nothing is changes (ie no money spent) we will beat Derby's record.

And if we don't go up, our better players will go and we'll bring in sub standard replacements as usual. Good times.

I keep hearing this same old crap about 'losing our best players'.. Apart from Doyle, who is irreplaceable? We have a load of talent out on loan doing the business at other clubs. I think if we don't go up then we still have very strong foundations and realistically we have no irreplaceable players to lose....

[brendywendy]

agree totally with that

at the very least if we dont go up and coppell leaves we have the makings of a very good young talented team to replace the ones who go

[Billy The Fish]

Why go up we are quite simply not good enough. Looking at the table and our form we will finish outside the top 6 at this rate.

Er, no actually. I wondered about this so I did a bit of unscientific lies, damn lies and stats. I took all the teams and looked at their last 6 results, so for example Wolves and Brum are averaging 1.83 points per game at the moment, while we are averaging 0.83 per game. Making the big assumption that current form stays the same to the end of the season, that gives us this predicted final table....



So even on current shocking form we still comfortably finish in a play-off place. And not only that we get to knock Sheff U out in the semis!

[working class hero]

Not sure we have really looked nailed on certs for promotion, certs for the play-offs yes.

At the moment my hope would still be for a top two finish, dented this week by results. If that aim falls away then play-offs will be what i look towards, at each drop in expectation I look to the next best thing.

Well I don't think we will be relegated

[Elm Park Old Boy]

Why go up we are quite simply not good enough. Looking at the table and our form we will finish outside the top 6 at this rate.

Er, no actually. I wondered about this so I did a bit of unscientific lies, damn lies and stats. I took all the teams and looked at their last 6 results, so for example Wolves and Brum are averaging 1.83 points per game at the moment, while we are averaging 0.83 per game. Making the big assumption that current form stays the same to the end of the season, that gives us this predicted final table....



So even on current shocking form we still comfortably finish in a play-off place. And not only that we get to knock Sheff U out in the semis!

Excellent - already looking forward to it. What are the dates by the way?

[CMRoyal]

So even on current shocking form we still comfortably finish in a play-off place. And not only that we get to knock Sheff U out in the semis!

Not sure about comfortably, but I agree we should just scrape in on current form but this is more down to the fact that Preston, Swansea and Bristol City are only marginally better than us on form and are running out of games. They'll get closer, but if we continue to scratch around a point a game, we should be safe. However, although we won't get drubbed in the playoffs, clearly we will be the rank outsiders if form amongst the top 6 persists as it has done recently. My latest forecasted top 8:-

1. Wolves - 87
2. Brum - 84
3. Sheff U - 78
4. Reading - 76
5. Cardiff - 75
6. Burnley - 75
7. Preston - 69
8. Swansea - 69

[cmonurz]

Billy's table really shows how the form book has gone out the window in the Championship. Just three sides scoring less than a point a game in their last 6, and only two teams scoring more than two points game over the same period.

[bb0118]

What are the dates of the playoffs? Better arrange the work diary around it

8th-17th Coca-Cola Football League Play-Off Semi-Finals
No confirmed dates as yet

[papereyes]

What are the dates of the playoffs? Better arrange the work diary around it

8th-17th Coca-Cola Football League Play-Off Semi-Finals
No confirmed dates as yet

If I have it right the first May day bank holiday is the last weekend of the season and the second bank holiday is when the playoff finals are.