MATCHWATCH : Huddersfield Town v Reading, Play Off Final, 29 May 2017 (Wembley)

[10539.4 Miles Away]

Well I don’t know how it happened but after two seasons of complete and utter cr@ppy cr@p, from Cr@pton in deepest Cr@ptonshire, an inspired management change that had lots of us slagging the board and slating Jaap before a ball had even been kicked has seen the club rise up to earn a place in the most valuable game in the world.

.......

Seriously great work Sutekh, I'll add to the thanks for the matchwatches throughout the season, very informative and amusing.

[Sutekh]

Ahead of the game, Kachunga is apparently a slight doubt for Huddersfield (according to GetReading).

Meanwhile Obita is still rated as a doubt. Club keeping cards close to its chest at the moment and not letting on. He was at Wembley with the rest of the squad yesterday apparently. No doubt Stam will be quizzed on this tat tomorrow's press conference.

[muirinho]

Ahead of the game, Kachunga is apparently a slight doubt for Huddersfield (according to GetReading).

Meanwhile Obita is still rated as a doubt. Club keeping cards close to its chest at the moment and not letting on. He was at Wembley with the rest of the squad yesterday apparently. No doubt Stam will be quizzed on this tat tomorrow's press conference.

He may not be Danny Rose, but it's a bit harsh describing Obita as tat!

[Nameless]

Ahead of the game, Kachunga is apparently a slight doubt for Huddersfield (according to GetReading).

Meanwhile Obita is still rated as a doubt. Club keeping cards close to its chest at the moment and not letting on. He was at Wembley with the rest of the squad yesterday apparently. No doubt Stam will be quizzed on this tat tomorrow's press conference.

Stam seems the sort of bloke who can survive a grilling from Jonathon Lowe. If he doesn't want to say anything about Obita then he probably won't !
My gut feel is we'll know nothing until the teams are announced. Keep Huddersfield guessing. They won't even know what formation we will use.

[Winchester Royal]

I'm fully expecting us to line up with the 7-2-1 formation we used so effectively against Fulham in the second leg.

[Hound]

'Preview' on Football365. Is this what the neutral really thinks I wonder They preview the other game as well. Fair to say every team got more of a write up than 'While Reading and Jaap Stam have preferred pragmatism to passion'

Team to watch – Huddersfield Town
When David Wagner took over in November 2015, Huddersfield were a club treading water. They had finished 19th, 17th and 16th in the previous three seasons, and were 18th when Chris Powell had been sacked. There were plenty – as there always is – who wrung their hands over the decision to go for a German with no experience in England over a more established name.

Wagner had other ideas. He was sold, by us too, as Jurgen Klopp Mk II, having managed Borussia Dortmund’s reserve side and forged a close friendship with Liverpool’s manager. “Jurgen and I share the same philosophy,” Wagner said at his unveiling. “We have known each other for 25 years and we spoke about football for maybe 20,000 hours in this time. The style of game we love is exactly the same. We love the speed and passion; the full throttle way.”

He has stayed true to those words. Many doubted whether a coach could replicate the heavy metal football of Dortmund in a market town in West Yorkshire, but Wagner has proved even the optimists wrong. Having finished 19th last season and invested in six players from the German leagues, Huddersfield mounted a serious title challenge before falling short. Having looked half-knackered for most of April and May, Huddersfield then beat Sheffield Wednesday on penalties to reach their Wembley final.

While Reading and Jaap Stam have preferred pragmatism to passion, Huddersfield have undoubtedly become the neutral’s Championship team over the past nine months. A club without top-flight football in 45 years could finally reach the big time.

[alfie9]

This is coming from a biased perspective of course but I can't wrap my head around why neutrals and the press hate us so much...

Can the Premier League reject a team for being too tinpot? Maybe they'll use our new owners as an excuse to block our possible promotion so that the average viewer doesn't have to suffer through our 'anti-football.'

"Pragmatism over passion." What a joke.

[Nameless]

The lack of passion was there for all to see in the semi final.
We just weren't that bothered were we ?
If only we had the passion of a Leeds, a Derby, a Villa, a Forest, dare I say a Fulham we could be off on our holidays now and planning for another season in the Championship.
That someone can accuse us of lacking passion gets me slightly miffed, but I'll get over it.

[Forty]

Great work, Sutekh. Thanks

[Top Flight]

This is coming from a biased perspective of course but I can't wrap my head around why neutrals and the press hate us so much...

Can the Premier League reject a team for being too tinpot? Maybe they'll use our new owners as an excuse to block our possible promotion so that the average viewer doesn't have to suffer through our 'anti-football.'

"Pragmatism over passion." What a joke.

It's great news! Let's stay under the radar.

Right now the Betfair Exchange have priced up the play off final as follows:

Huddersfield: 2.4
Draw: 3.2
Reading: 3.5

A Reading win is the least likely outcome. Huddersfield are STRONG favourites to win in 90 minutes.

Come on then Huddersfield. Let's see your gegenpress in action. Let's see your high throttle, fast paced football. Everyone is backing you. You are the best. Don't let Yorkshire down now Huddersfield. Don't let the pundits down. Don't let Prutton and Beagrie down. Don't let all the neutrals in England that love you down. You are expected to win. Nothing is expected of us.

[Top Flight]

Huddersfield have been on a training camp in Portugal in the run up to this play off final. Will that help them or hinder them?

Going to a nice, sunny, relaxing place like Portugal could make them feel like they have done it. They have won and now they are celebrating and relaxing. All the hard work is over now. There is no longer a job left to do. On the other hand it gets them away from the media attention. They are the favourites after all. The Liverpool/Borussia Dortmund of the Championship with their exciting gegenpress style of football. They can relax, focus and get away from it all and that might help them prepare for the big game.

I am hoping their trip to Portugal will work against them. The time for jetting off should be after the play off final next week when you really have achieved your aims.

Maybe I'm clutching at straws here but any little thing that gives us a chance against the mighty Dortmund of the championship I need to take.

How on earth are we going to manage against such a powerful Huddersfield side?

[No Fixed Abode]

Genuinely good luck on Monday. I hope you break your play-off hoodoo.
Hoping for a 4-4 and Reading win on penalties.

[Hound]

I am hoping their trip to Portugal will work against them. The time for jetting off should be after the play off final next week when you really have achieved your aims.

Have to say I couldn't work that one out. I can understand a week of warm weather training in January, but even in the grim miserable north the weather has been as good as it is in Southern Europe this past week.

Surely all the additional travel/hotels is more of an unwanted distraction than a help?

[Kuhl_Runnings]

Huddersfield have been on a training camp in Portugal in the run up to this play off final. Will that help them or hinder them?

Going to a nice, sunny, relaxing place like Portugal could make them feel like they have done it. They have won and now they are celebrating and relaxing. All the hard work is over now. There is no longer a job left to do. On the other hand it gets them away from the media attention. They are the favourites after all. The Liverpool/Borussia Dortmund of the Championship with their exciting gegenpress style of football. They can relax, focus and get away from it all and that might help them prepare for the big game.

I am hoping their trip to Portugal will work against them. The time for jetting off should be after the play off final next week when you really have achieved your aims.

Maybe I'm clutching at straws here but any little thing that gives us a chance against the mighty Dortmund of the championship I need to take.

How on earth are we going to manage against such a powerful Huddersfield side?

Also maybe because it's f0cking boiling ATM and Monday is no exception apparently

[Sutekh]

Huddersfield have been on a training camp in Portugal in the run up to this play off final. Will that help them or hinder them?

Going to a nice, sunny, relaxing place like Portugal could make them feel like they have done it. They have won and now they are celebrating and relaxing. All the hard work is over now. There is no longer a job left to do. On the other hand it gets them away from the media attention. They are the favourites after all. The Liverpool/Borussia Dortmund of the Championship with their exciting gegenpress style of football. They can relax, focus and get away from it all and that might help them prepare for the big game.

I am hoping their trip to Portugal will work against them. The time for jetting off should be after the play off final next week when you really have achieved your aims.

Maybe I'm clutching at straws here but any little thing that gives us a chance against the mighty Dortmund of the championship I need to take.

How on earth are we going to manage against such a powerful Huddersfield side?

Also maybe because it's f0cking boiling ATM and Monday is no exception apparently

The weather forecast isn't too good actually with lots of heavy thunder and rain expected for east berks/north west london area from Sunday into Monday. Should have dried up by the time the game starts but it's not expected to be sunny just overcast and temperatures around the 20 degree mark

[bobby1413]

Each seat to have a blue or white bag on - when held up it spells out ROYALS

Think that will look pretty bloody good. Would have been nice to have the t-shirts though as that's a constant visual thing

Placed on every Royals supporter’s seat at Wembley, will be a commemorative bag – some blue, some white.

When the two teams emerge from the tunnel at Wembley, the East side of the great stadium needs to spell out ROYALS as, with your assistance, our giant crowd mosaic paints one half of Wembley blue and white!
Read more at http://www.readingfc.co.uk/news/article ... CMWseco.99

[Nameless]

Anyone up for breaking into the stadium and rearranging the bags to spell Tinpot ?

[bobby1413]

Anyone up for breaking into the stadium and rearranging the bags to spell Tinpot ?

Count me in!

I'm free Tuesday if that suits

[Sutekh]

Anyone up for breaking into the stadium and rearranging the bags to spell Tinpot ?

That'll be a challenge, have you ever tried rearranging the letters in ROYALS to read TINPOT? Funny thing is though with a bit of tipex and a marker pen you could transform "Brighton" into "tinpot" fairly easily.....

Wish Reading were still known as the Biscuitmen though, much more impressive and could "bend" round the corners

[Ian Royal]

Anyone up for breaking into the stadium and rearranging the bags to spell Tinpot ?

That'll be a challenge, have you ever tried rearranging the letters in ROYALS to read TINPOT?

Wish Reading were still known as the Biscuitmen though, much more impressive and could "bend" round the corners

I get the feeling they're not just using 7 bags with letters on.