23 December 2016
By Hob Nob Anyone?
Reading enter Christmas in third place in the Championship - having massively exceeded expectations in the season so far. The visitors on Boxing Day are a side that, after a very bright start, have been hugely disappointing. With Norwich in tenth place and Reading in third, a reverse in positions would have been much more likely and was nearly the case just a couple of months ago. The Canaries were top of the table after 12 games, with the Royals back in 8th spot. Norwich visit the Madejski Stadium with manager Alex Neil under intense pressure. With fans still hopeful for a return to the Premier League, a defeat for his side at Reading could well mean he is shown the door.
Football fans are more than fickle. Right now Jaap Stam is gathering immense support and praise from Reading fans, and the media, as he has introduced a new type of football to the club, and the results have swung in our favour. However, earlier in the season, after a handful of poor results, Stam was fighting off the criticism and vowing to stick to his tactics of passing possession football. It has paid off for Stam, and you have to admire his perseverance that has led to success on the pitch. Sure, we lost at Leeds and got labelled as "boring, boring Reading" in the process but the results in general are starting to speak for themselves.
The Royals will have Danny Williams returning from suspension and is likely to feature for the first time since the 0-5 thrashing at Fulham. Since then Reading have collected six points from a possible nine to retain that third place. At the Madejski Stadium we have now had four straight wins and only let in two goals. Meanwhile, Norwich have lost four consecutive away games in the League as they slip down the table. Nearly everyone would point to a Reading win, but some bookmakers seem to believe City are capable of turning their season around. On 10Bet football betting the Canaries are favourites for the win at 31/20. Reading are due to drop points at home but it's hard to see why Norwich are favourites with Reading looking to hold that third spot.
The last time the two sides were in the Championship together was in the 2014/2015 season when Reading secured six points out of six with two 2-1 victories both home and away. None of those goalscorers are likely to be in action unless Jake Cooper, who scored two amazing headers at Carrow Road, gets some action. Hal Robson-Kanu and Simon Cox scored the goals at home but have since moved on. It's fair to say Reading have moved on as a club since that season - so here's hoping for another three points against promotion rivals on Boxing Day.
| DATE | COMPETITION | OPPOSITION | SCORE | REPORT |
| 28 December 2014 | Championship | Norwich (HOME) | W: 2-1 | Read report... |
| 29 November 2014 | Championship | Norwich (Away) | W: 2-1 | Read report... |
| 20 April 2013 | Premier League | Norwich (Away) | L: 1-2 | Read report... |
| 10 November 2012 | Premier League | Norwich (HOME) | D: 0-0 | Read report... |
| 12 February 2011 | Championship | Norwich (Away) | L: 1-2 | Read report... |
| 13 November 2010 | Championship | Norwich (HOME) | D: 3-3 | Read report... |
| 27 April 2009 | Championship | Norwich (Away) | W: 2-0 | Read report... |
| 13 December 2008 | Championship | Norwich (HOME) | W: 2-0 | Read report... |
| 31 January 2006 | Championship | Norwich (HOME) | W: 4-0 | Read report... |
| 24 September 2005 | Championship | Norwich (Away) | W: 1-0 | Read report... |
| 12 April 2004 | Division 1 | Norwich (HOME) | L: 0-1 | Read report... |
| 30 September 2003 | Division 1 | Norwich (Away) | L: 1-2 | Read report... |
| 05 March 2003 | Division 1 | Norwich (Away) | W: 1-0 | Read report... |
| 18 September 2002 | Division 1 | Norwich (HOME) | L: 0-2 | Read report... |
| 03 May 1998 | Division 1 | Norwich (HOME) | L: 0-1 | Read report... |
| 21 October 1997 | Division 1 | Norwich (Away) | D: 0-0 |
Report not available |
| 04 March 1997 | Division 1 | Norwich (HOME) | W: 2-1 | Read report... |
| 16 November 1996 | Division 1 | Norwich (Away) | D: 1-1 | Read report... |
| 16 March 1996 | Division 1 | Norwich (HOME) | L: 0-3 | Read report... |
| 30 December 1995 | Division 1 | Norwich (Away) | D: 3-3 |
Report not available |
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