Promotion thread 2024/25

[Stranded]

Yep we've never been 4th position in playoffs, and only 3rd position once I think, the year we beat Cardiff in the semis.

Think you mean 6th! Reading have finished 4th in the play offs on two occasions. Finishing 4th means a semi final exit (and logically a 6th placed finish would mean the same ).

Reading PO record summary
94-95 - finished 2nd (lost in po final)
00-01 - finished 3rd (lost in po final)
02-03 - finished 4th (lost in po semi)
08-09 - finished 4th (lost in po semi)
10-11- finished 5th (lost in po final)
16-17 - finished 3rd (lost in po final)

I know the memory cheats and everything but ... if had we beaten Blues on the last day, we'd have gone straight back up?
I don't even remember the game being on TV (I was on holiday, in Newquay, but you'd have thought somewhere would have shown the last day). I never even contemplated Reading winning that day.

Yes, due to our GD we would have finished 3rd ahead of Sheff Utd with Brum in 4th. Our form imploded after Christmas as I recall - don't recall us winning a home game after January. We only won something like 4 of the last 17 - 2 of which were the 2 away games immediately before that Brum game - but given our home form, no-one expected us to win.

[WestYorksRoyal]

Think you mean 6th! Reading have finished 4th in the play offs on two occasions. Finishing 4th means a semi final exit (and logically a 6th placed finish would mean the same ).

Reading PO record summary
94-95 - finished 2nd (lost in po final)
00-01 - finished 3rd (lost in po final)
02-03 - finished 4th (lost in po semi)
08-09 - finished 4th (lost in po semi)
10-11- finished 5th (lost in po final)
16-17 - finished 3rd (lost in po final)

I know the memory cheats and everything but ... if had we beaten Blues on the last day, we'd have gone straight back up?
I don't even remember the game being on TV (I was on holiday, in Newquay, but you'd have thought somewhere would have shown the last day). I never even contemplated Reading winning that day.

Yes, due to our GD we would have finished 3rd ahead of Sheff Utd with Brum in 4th. Our form imploded after Christmas as I recall - don't recall us winning a home game after January. We only won something like 4 of the last 17 - 2 of which were the 2 away games immediately before that Brum game - but given our home form, no-one expected us to win.

It often gets forgotten, but we were unlucky against Burnley in the POs that season. We outplayed them away and conceded a late penalty, while in the home leg we conceded two "goal of the season" goals in the space of 10 minutes.

[stealthpapes]

https://x.com/i/status/1911398033440334194

[stealthpapes]

There was something definitely broken in the team in the second leg.

Reading: Hahnemann, Rosenior, Pearce, Duberry, Harding, Kebe, Gunnarsson, Matejovsky, Tabb, Church, Long.
Subs: Federici, Cisse, Hunt, Little, Kitson.

I remember being more suprised at the starting line up, my memory is we went 4-3-3 ish and made more changes.
That's Church's first start iirc.
Doyle injured, I guess, and no Lita?

[JedMaxwell]

There was something definitely broken in the team in the second leg.

Reading: Hahnemann, Rosenior, Pearce, Duberry, Harding, Kebe, Gunnarsson, Matejovsky, Tabb, Church, Long.
Subs: Federici, Cisse, Hunt, Little, Kitson.

I remember being more suprised at the starting line up, my memory is we went 4-3-3 ish and made more changes.
That's Church's first start iirc.
Doyle injured, I guess, and no Lita?

I think Doyle's hammy blew up in the first leg - he definitely went off injured and that was the point I thought we had absolutely no chance.

[Stranded]

There was something definitely broken in the team in the second leg.

Reading: Hahnemann, Rosenior, Pearce, Duberry, Harding, Kebe, Gunnarsson, Matejovsky, Tabb, Church, Long.
Subs: Federici, Cisse, Hunt, Little, Kitson.

I remember being more suprised at the starting line up, my memory is we went 4-3-3 ish and made more changes.
That's Church's first start iirc.
Doyle injured, I guess, and no Lita?

To be fair - the only changes from the first leg - which we should have won comfortably - was Pearce in for the suspended Bikey and Church making his debut for Doyle - who went off injured with his achillies at Burnley.

I don't think Lita played much in the 2nd half of the season and he left the club that summer at the end of his contract.

[Snowflake Royal]

….and the least likely team to win it.

Could this be the one?

I don’t think we (or Orient) would be least likely to win by any stretch. Being one of the form teams going into it on a high.

To be honest, over the standard 6 game form table - everyone is pretty much in form - Orient aren't even the most in form team.

Form table for teams potentially in the play-offs

1. Charlton 16pts
2. Stockport 16pts
3. Leyton Orient 13pts
4. Wrexham 12pts
5. Reading 10pts
6. Wycombe 10pts

Over the last 4 we are the "out of form" team - only Wycombe have also lost and they won the other 3.

Naturally 2 of those will have to deal with the disappointment of missing out on the autos and the last 2 games can change things, but the top 7 are all in pretty good form - we have pulled away from the rest mainly due to Bolton & Huddersfield imploding (both picking up just 6 pts from their last 6 games).

So in short, whoever makes it in, this could be a very open play-offs

Two games to go to get into them though, and for us or Orient to get there, our fom likely improves. And its going in on a high vs low

[WestYorksRoyal]

I don’t think we (or Orient) would be least likely to win by any stretch. Being one of the form teams going into it on a high.

To be honest, over the standard 6 game form table - everyone is pretty much in form - Orient aren't even the most in form team.

Form table for teams potentially in the play-offs

1. Charlton 16pts
2. Stockport 16pts
3. Leyton Orient 13pts
4. Wrexham 12pts
5. Reading 10pts
6. Wycombe 10pts

Over the last 4 we are the "out of form" team - only Wycombe have also lost and they won the other 3.

Naturally 2 of those will have to deal with the disappointment of missing out on the autos and the last 2 games can change things, but the top 7 are all in pretty good form - we have pulled away from the rest mainly due to Bolton & Huddersfield imploding (both picking up just 6 pts from their last 6 games).

So in short, whoever makes it in, this could be a very open play-offs

Two games to go to get into them though, and for us or Orient to get there, our fom likely improves. And its going in on a high vs low

If Charlton are in the play offs they're my favourites. They're in great form, and I actually think they're a better, higher potential team than Wycombe and Wrexham, who just had a slump over the autumn that could prove costly. If they steal 2nd, it's wide open. I don't rate Wycombe and Wrexham highly; it would just be 4 functional L1 who have found consistency and the knack of winning tight games.

[Stranded]

I don’t think we (or Orient) would be least likely to win by any stretch. Being one of the form teams going into it on a high.

To be honest, over the standard 6 game form table - everyone is pretty much in form - Orient aren't even the most in form team.

Form table for teams potentially in the play-offs

1. Charlton 16pts
2. Stockport 16pts
3. Leyton Orient 13pts
4. Wrexham 12pts
5. Reading 10pts
6. Wycombe 10pts

Over the last 4 we are the "out of form" team - only Wycombe have also lost and they won the other 3.

Naturally 2 of those will have to deal with the disappointment of missing out on the autos and the last 2 games can change things, but the top 7 are all in pretty good form - we have pulled away from the rest mainly due to Bolton & Huddersfield imploding (both picking up just 6 pts from their last 6 games).

So in short, whoever makes it in, this could be a very open play-offs

Two games to go to get into them though, and for us or Orient to get there, our fom likely improves. And its going in on a high vs low

Of course, which is why it will be open - realistically, Orient/us are going to need 4 points to get in - either may qualify with 3 or less but that seems unlikely.

It will be interesting to see how Wycombe react to their stuffing at the weekend - it will either galvanise them to get a result at Orient or they'll be so deflated that their season will collapse now.

[Snowflake Royal]

To be honest, over the standard 6 game form table - everyone is pretty much in form - Orient aren't even the most in form team.

Form table for teams potentially in the play-offs

1. Charlton 16pts
2. Stockport 16pts
3. Leyton Orient 13pts
4. Wrexham 12pts
5. Reading 10pts
6. Wycombe 10pts

Over the last 4 we are the "out of form" team - only Wycombe have also lost and they won the other 3.

Naturally 2 of those will have to deal with the disappointment of missing out on the autos and the last 2 games can change things, but the top 7 are all in pretty good form - we have pulled away from the rest mainly due to Bolton & Huddersfield imploding (both picking up just 6 pts from their last 6 games).

So in short, whoever makes it in, this could be a very open play-offs

Two games to go to get into them though, and for us or Orient to get there, our fom likely improves. And its going in on a high vs low

Of course, which is why it will be open - realistically, Orient/us are going to need 4 points to get in - either may qualify with 3 or less but that seems unlikely.

It will be interesting to see how Wycombe react to their stuffing at the weekend - it will either galvanise them to get a result at Orient or they'll be so deflated that their season will collapse now.

Now I've said it, there's a decent chance we both lose our last two games in a fight not to get in the POs

[Sutekh]

Think you mean 6th! Reading have finished 4th in the play offs on two occasions. Finishing 4th means a semi final exit (and logically a 6th placed finish would mean the same ).

Reading PO record summary
94-95 - finished 2nd (lost in po final)
00-01 - finished 3rd (lost in po final)
02-03 - finished 4th (lost in po semi)
08-09 - finished 4th (lost in po semi)
10-11- finished 5th (lost in po final)
16-17 - finished 3rd (lost in po final)

I know the memory cheats and everything but ... if had we beaten Blues on the last day, we'd have gone straight back up?
I don't even remember the game being on TV (I was on holiday, in Newquay, but you'd have thought somewhere would have shown the last day). I never even contemplated Reading winning that day.

Yes, due to our GD we would have finished 3rd ahead of Sheff Utd with Brum in 4th. Our form imploded after Christmas as I recall - don't recall us winning a home game after January. We only won something like 4 of the last 17 - 2 of which were the 2 away games immediately before that Brum game - but given our home form, no-one expected us to win.

If Reading had beaten Brum that day they would have been promoted in 2nd as they had a superior GD to Sheffield who only drew at Palace on the final day.

However, as stated, home form had become diabolical and as I recall the performance v Brum was abject and miserable like the club had nothing to play for, presumably one of the few times you have to criticise Coppell.

[stealthpapes]

There was something definitely broken in the team in the second leg.

Reading: Hahnemann, Rosenior, Pearce, Duberry, Harding, Kebe, Gunnarsson, Matejovsky, Tabb, Church, Long.
Subs: Federici, Cisse, Hunt, Little, Kitson.

I remember being more suprised at the starting line up, my memory is we went 4-3-3 ish and made more changes.
That's Church's first start iirc.
Doyle injured, I guess, and no Lita?

To be fair - the only changes from the first leg - which we should have won comfortably - was Pearce in for the suspended Bikey and Church making his debut for Doyle - who went off injured with his achillies at Burnley.

I don't think Lita played much in the 2nd half of the season and he left the club that summer at the end of his contract.

Lita was there, two loan spells early in season, back and scored in a 4-0.

I was more commenting on how I remember it all at the time.

My clearest memory of the second leg was Archie's Penalty almost getting into a scrap.

[stealthpapes]

Two games to go to get into them though, and for us or Orient to get there, our fom likely improves. And its going in on a high vs low

Of course, which is why it will be open - realistically, Orient/us are going to need 4 points to get in - either may qualify with 3 or less but that seems unlikely.

It will be interesting to see how Wycombe react to their stuffing at the weekend - it will either galvanise them to get a result at Orient or they'll be so deflated that their season will collapse now.

Now I've said it, there's a decent chance we both lose our last two games in a fight not to get in the POs

Yes. That's the spirit.

Recall such promotion campaigns as 04-05 where having got back into contention with 5 wins in 7 games, including a tough away performance vs Sunderland, we promptly lose our last three, including a phenomenally insipid performance vs Wigan on the last day, to finish 7th. One solid win would have probably been enough to sneak into play-offs.

Or 13-14 where, in spite of not really being convincing all season, a win in the last day puts us in the play-offs. We draw 2-2 and fans invade the pitch anyway .

Or 2020-21, where our barnstorming start was capped with 1 win in 11, to see us well adrift of the play-offs. There were games in that run where we were missing penalties and open goals.

I think I've got the big three.

[Stranded]

Of course, which is why it will be open - realistically, Orient/us are going to need 4 points to get in - either may qualify with 3 or less but that seems unlikely.

It will be interesting to see how Wycombe react to their stuffing at the weekend - it will either galvanise them to get a result at Orient or they'll be so deflated that their season will collapse now.

Now I've said it, there's a decent chance we both lose our last two games in a fight not to get in the POs

Yes. That's the spirit.

Recall such promotion campaigns as 04-05 where having got back into contention with 5 wins in 7 games, including a tough away performance vs Sunderland, we promptly lose our last three, including a phenomenally insipid performance vs Wigan on the last day, to finish 7th. One solid win would have probably been enough to sneak into play-offs.

Or 13-14 where, in spite of not really being convincing all season, a win in the last day puts us in the play-offs. We draw 2-2 and fans invade the pitch anyway .

Or 2020-21, where our barnstorming start was capped with 1 win in 11, to see us well adrift of the play-offs. There were games in that run where we were missing penalties and open goals.

I think I've got the big three.

Lucas Joao at Barnsley - he means you.

If he scored that and we had gone on to win, as we probably should have done, I think we would have gone on to sneak in the play-offs - we wouldn't have won them of course but still.

[Mid Sussex Royal]

Now I've said it, there's a decent chance we both lose our last two games in a fight not to get in the POs

Yes. That's the spirit.

Recall such promotion campaigns as 04-05 where having got back into contention with 5 wins in 7 games, including a tough away performance vs Sunderland, we promptly lose our last three, including a phenomenally insipid performance vs Wigan on the last day, to finish 7th. One solid win would have probably been enough to sneak into play-offs.

Or 13-14 where, in spite of not really being convincing all season, a win in the last day puts us in the play-offs. We draw 2-2 and fans invade the pitch anyway .

Or 2020-21, where our barnstorming start was capped with 1 win in 11, to see us well adrift of the play-offs. There were games in that run where we were missing penalties and open goals.

I think I've got the big three.

Lucas Joao at Barnsley - he means you.

If he scored that and we had gone on to win, as we probably should have done, I think we would have gone on to sneak in the play-offs - we wouldn't have won them of course but still.

04-05 we lost it not turning up at Cardiff 3rd from last game and losing 0-2. If we'd won that we'd have made it I reckon.

[From Despair To Where?]

I know the memory cheats and everything but ... if had we beaten Blues on the last day, we'd have gone straight back up?
I don't even remember the game being on TV (I was on holiday, in Newquay, but you'd have thought somewhere would have shown the last day). I never even contemplated Reading winning that day.

Yes, due to our GD we would have finished 3rd ahead of Sheff Utd with Brum in 4th. Our form imploded after Christmas as I recall - don't recall us winning a home game after January. We only won something like 4 of the last 17 - 2 of which were the 2 away games immediately before that Brum game - but given our home form, no-one expected us to win.

If Reading had beaten Brum that day they would have been promoted in 2nd as they had a superior GD to Sheffield who only drew at Palace on the final day.

However, as stated, home form had become diabolical and as I recall the performance v Brum was abject and miserable like the club had nothing to play for, presumably one of the few times you have to criticise Coppell.

I remember Marcus letting in an absolute howler.

[stealthpapes]

Yes, due to our GD we would have finished 3rd ahead of Sheff Utd with Brum in 4th. Our form imploded after Christmas as I recall - don't recall us winning a home game after January. We only won something like 4 of the last 17 - 2 of which were the 2 away games immediately before that Brum game - but given our home form, no-one expected us to win.

If Reading had beaten Brum that day they would have been promoted in 2nd as they had a superior GD to Sheffield who only drew at Palace on the final day.

However, as stated, home form had become diabolical and as I recall the performance v Brum was abject and miserable like the club had nothing to play for, presumably one of the few times you have to criticise Coppell.

I remember Marcus letting in an absolute howler.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Hp1AM7Pu2Y

creeps through but there's a Blues player quite close in. hmmm.
Phillips goal is well-taken.

[stealthpapes]

We almost spaffed it in 01-02. Unbeaten, but 3 wins in 13. Helicopters vs Peterbrough m8.

[From Despair To Where?]

If Reading had beaten Brum that day they would have been promoted in 2nd as they had a superior GD to Sheffield who only drew at Palace on the final day.

However, as stated, home form had become diabolical and as I recall the performance v Brum was abject and miserable like the club had nothing to play for, presumably one of the few times you have to criticise Coppell.

I remember Marcus letting in an absolute howler.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Hp1AM7Pu2Y

creeps through but there's a Blues player quite close in. hmmm.
Phillips goal is well-taken.

It looked an absolute howler from where I was sitting in the North Stand and, to be honest, I've never watched it back before now.

[windermereROYAL]

5 defeats on the bounce 8 in the last 10 for Huddersfield, the last 2 after leading, who`s hopeful?