When : Saturday 11th December 2021, 3pm
Where : The Hawthorns, Halfords Lane, West Bromwich, West Midlands, B71 4LF
Capacity 26,850


The good thing about Reading’s biennial trip to the Hawthorns is that no-one will expect very much, especially given the unbelievable injury problems at the club. Therefore anything from this is a bonus despite the seemingly precarious current league position.

West Brom are, as usual, amongst the favourites for a quick return to the PL for another relegation season though their current form leaves a bit to be desired, for a club with their resources, being as it is a run of 1 win and 3 draws from 5. That win though was last time out and was recorded away at a really quite useful Coventry so maybe the Baggies “boing, boing” bandwagon is getting back on track.

Jake Livermore, Grady Diangana and Alex Mowatt are the midfield obstacles that Reading need to control so that supply to the likes of Karlan Grant, Matt Phillips and Callum Robinson is minimised. After Mr Grant’s 9 goal contribution the goals are spread around a bit with the aforementioned Mowatt, Phillips and Robinson all on 3 goals each so serious consideration on how to stop this lot needs to be given.

WBA injuries amount to 2 players out; Kean Bryan and Dara O’Shea. Reading are currently back up in double figures (12) again with Araruna, Rinomhota, Meite, Joao, McIntyre, Hoilett, Morrison, Moore, Azeez, Ejaria, Yiadom and Clarke all currently in treatment though it is hoped Hoilett, Moore, Ejaria, Yiadom and Azeez might be able to be considered to partake of the midland air. We shall see.

Referee

David Webb

Previously

21 Aug 2021 > Coventry City 2-1 Reading
20 Feb 2021 > Reading 0-2 Middlesbrough
30 Dec 2020 > Swansea City 0-0 Reading
30 Oct 2020 > Coventry City 3-2 Reading
26 Sep 2020 > Cardiff City 1-2 Reading
20 Oct 2018 > Reading 3-1 Millwall
29 Nov 2014 > Norwich City 1-2 Reading
24 Aug 2013 > Blackpool 1-0 Reading
01 Nov 2011 > Nottingham Forest 1-0 Reading
05 Dec 2009 > Sheffield Wednesday 0-2 Reading

Historically

This will be the 18th visit to The Hawthorns for a league game and it’s a right tale of woe with a catalogue of defeat after defeat stretching all the way back to the 1920s.

Reading have managed to produce a fairly consistent run of defeats (13) from their 17 previous league visits with the only sojourn being a couple of wins back in the mid 1980s of all seasons. So it’s now 11 league visits and 33 years since Reading last lowered the West Brom colours in a league trip to the Hawthorns, 1-0 in February 1988. Consequently the goal difference is a bit cr@p with 11 goals scored and 35 conceded.

How to follow the game

1. Get a ticket and travel


2. Listen to Radio 5 Live and/or a myriad of other radio stations for score flashes


3. Ring/text a mate for updates


4. Use a RoyalsTV subscription


5. BBC Radio Berkshire (FM : 104.4, 104.1 or 95.4 depending where you are in the area)

No trams running in West Midlands at present- service suspended in November due to safety concerns.

Will Rafael play? I think Southwood deserves to keep his place but will Paunovic agree?

Southwood

Tetek
Dann
Holmes
Baba Rahmen

Laurent
Drinkwater
Dele Bashiru

Azeez
Carroll
Halilovic


I am only dropping Swift because I think he needs a break, his form has dipped in recent games and lets be honest, he has earnt a break.

think Swift will be keen to play, and with the midweek off and the international break he shouldn't be too overloaded

Prob same team as saturday, Tetek for Yiadom if required. Be nice to see Hoilett back on the bench, not sure we'll get anyone else back yet

Be a tough one, and prob lose it tbh. Mind you if it meant WBA getting 3 points closer to Bournemouth it'd at least be a bit of a silver lining

Dropping a young keeper after one, maybe two mistake(s) after previously sticking by a senior one who made lots of errors would be awful management.

Dropping Southwood shouldn't even be a topic of conversation.

This

Obviously want Reading to win every game but if we lost I do echo the sentiments that at least it means West Brom keep pace with Bournemouth who for me are possibly the most unlikeable team in the Championship right now.

Sorry , I don’t get this Swift needs a break , I don’t see that being young and spending your entire week maintaining your fitness then playing 90 minutes of football tires you out, even 2 games a week should not be a hardship . After all there are amateurs that play 2 games on a weekend, after being at work all week , doing a full days work , not a couple of hours a day .

You'll all be bitching and crying when his hamstring goes......

in training?

Having laid to rest the albatross around our necks called (Swan)sea the optimist in me says that it is time to do the same with The Throstles.
The pessimist, and realist, in me says that WBA will be too physically strong for us.

If it goes, it goes. It won't be through overload now. Maybe a few weeks back when we seemed to be playing constantly. Can't wrap him in cotton wool

yeah but they are probably a bit rubbish (relatively) at football, not playing at championship level and intensity

Its this type of game I really enjoy, a free hit no expectations....a bit like the Fulham game.

Swift needs to play - he is a pro and lets face it we have rode our luck on his fitness all season, why stop now.
Anyway, if his hamstring goes then at least he will have his annual injury over Jan transfer window.

Hound , there are many players in the National League also doing a job of work , and a number of these will be promoted or scouted into the football league next season , so they are not rubbish .
A professional footballers life is not really that demanding , it’s more a pleasure , being paid to keep fit , to do something that you would otherwise do for pleasure .
I recollect Brian Clough taking all the Nottingham Forest players down a coal mine and telling them this was what they could be doing if they were not footballers .

Didn’t Alex Ferguson once bring the United team down to a Reading game and say the same thing?

As said elsewhere, will be a tough game, WBA conceding just 3 goals in their last 9 home league matches and I believe boast the record of the only unbeaten home record in the league

Really does mean we’ll have to cut out the basic goal giving errors more than ever, Drinkwater against Bournemouth, Moore against Birmingham, Southwood on Saturday etc

Would probably stick with the same team, injuries permitting. From the past meeting with Ismael, he gets his sides to defend with a very high line so timing and precision of passing will be key, something I feel we didn’t quite grasp at Oakwell last season. In an ideal world, Puscas would start with this one as its perhaps a game suited to his strengths but he’s so out of form that it would likely backfire

they are also not playing twice a weekend like you said earlier on

Oh the same ref that added 6 minutes on at Coventry and kept playing until they scored the winner.

Some refreshing common sense here.

WTF are you on about needs a break?.

Piss off you racist.

Out for this as I’ll be in Lithuania freezing my bollocks off and getting rat arsed.

I reckon we could get something from it though.

In a league with Millwall, Cardiff, Sheffield United, and Neil Warnock’s Middlesbrough? I wouldn’t even have Bournemouth in the top six.

That said I would put West Brom as one of the least dislikable, only competitors would be the Barnsleys and Peterboroughs of the world.

In a league with Millwall, Cardiff, Sheffield United, and Neil Warnock’s Middlesbrough? I wouldn’t even have Bournemouth in the top six.

That said I would put West Brom as one of the least dislikable, only competitors would be the Barnsleys and Peterboroughs of the world.
Neil Warnock who hasn't been Middlesbrough manager for over a month?

I think we could get a point here.

WBA are a good team but they're not exactly flying at the moment, and if we start well I think we'll stay in the game. Could even nick a win.

There have been two confirmed Covid cases at #WBA - and Valerien Ismael says there could be a third - ahead of facing #ReadingFC

Valerian Ismael is a fraud who won't last long beyond Christmas.

The bookies have exposed themselves massively here by pricing us at 6/1 and I shall be taking advantage.

Interesting* to see if they are players and if so if any more have to isolate. There are a couple of fairly anti-vax players in their squad.