01 February 2019
By Hob Nob Anyone?
Not since the 2001/02 season has Reading Football club plied its trade in the third tier of English football, but a downward curve over the last 18 months has a very real chance of catching the Royals out and condemning them to relegation.
With 17 games left to go in the Championship, Reading find themselves a point adrift of safety and, with everything on the line, those who like to seek out the best bookie for betting with high stakes may want to chat to the Reading board as relegation for the former Premier League outfit would be a disaster.
Already the Royals have dismissed Paul Clement this season after a dismal first half of the campaign led him to be replaced by Portuguese Jose Manuel Gomes who has so far recorded just one win from seven games.
However, before the death knell is rung, the season is far from over and a glance at the remaining games, one can see where Reading may yet save their season and start the summer rebuilding process for another campaign in England's second tier.
Where Will Reading Get Another 20 Points from?
During the 2017/18 Championship season, Bolton were the side that finished one place above the drop zone in 21st with 43. The Royals currently have 24 points from 29 games meaning they need a remarkable improvement if they are to achieve nearly the same number of points again only in twelve games less.
What that means is Jose Manuel Gomes may need to raise his sides average points per game from its current 0.83 to 1.18 if they are to achieve survival. Therefore Reading must start finding some wins rather than draws.l
Ironically, the Royals have just played Bolton, who themselves are one spot below Reading in the table and in need of their own miracle.
The game was a real six pointer, which neither side managed to take advantage of, although Bolton will come out of the game the happier after such a late equaliser that could be vital in their survival hopes. The draw probably wasn't enough for Reading.
The table does not lie and not every side will go on a much-needed winning run. Bolton still have the headache of the FA Cup to contend with and have won only one of their last nine home games in the league. With Ipswich seemingly down, Reading will have to get better results than both Bolton and Rotherham.
The Royals also still face their second legs over both rock bottom Ipswich Town and 21st placed Rotherham United with all three games against Bolton, Rotherham, Ipswich occurring no later than the 3rd March.
It is imperative that the Royals pick up wins over Rotherham and Ipswich as four of their final six fixtures are against sides currently in the top seven and all fighting for promotion.
The final home tie against Birmingham City could well be crucial and 90 minutes of football that will decide Reading's fate for the 2019/20 season with the relegation fight going down to the wire.
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