A tougher test?

[kingcole]

Don't get me wrong. I'm not dillusional and really we are not even at the bell in an 800 metre race.

But are we going to have tougher back to back opponents than the last two games?

To return 4 points when we were behind in both is quite superb.

 

[Tory Boy]

If Villa are safely in a play off position, unless they have a chance of automatic promotion then they we be fielding a team of kids.

TB

 

[Icy Gull]

Our last few games have all been against teams either in form or expected to be in the mix come season's end. The results have been immense and the fact that we are 2 points behind the leaders and 4 ahead of the chasing pack confirms it.

Reading have won 5 on the bounce but now face Fulham, Leeds and Wednesday in their next three games. Lots of points will be dropped and all four teams are contenders.

We just need to keep grinding out results and keep them all at arm's length whilst hoping Newcastle are going to go through a rough patch.

 

[kingcole]

If Villa are safely in a play off position, unless they have a chance of automatic promotion then they we be fielding a team of kids.

TB

Assuming you are referring to the last game?

The stuff of bad dreams here would be us needing a point for automatic. Them needing a win to nick 6th.

3 consecutive games against Villa

 

[Icy Gull]

Assuming you are referring to the last game?

The stuff of bad dreams here would be us needing a point for automatic. Them needing a win to nick 6th.

3 consecutive games against Villa

I reckon Villa are the team we'll need to stay ahead of and they will make the playoffs comfortably and probably win them if they don't get second. 13 points looks a big gap but.....

 

[Skaville]

Our last few games have all been against teams either in form or expected to be in the mix come season's end. The results have been immense and the fact that we are 2 points behind the leaders and 4 ahead of the chasing pack confirms it.

Reading have won 5 on the bounce but now face Fulham, Leeds and Wednesday in their next three games. Lots of points will be dropped and all four teams are contenders.

We just need to keep grinding out results and keep them all at arm's length whilst hoping Newcastle are going to go through a rough patch.

Yep. Just checked Reading's 5 game streak. Rotherham, Wigan, Wolves, Bristol City and Burton. Five on the bounce is impressive but that's quite an easy run.

 

[Skaville]

All five of Reading's last five opponents are in the bottom eight in the championship form table

 

[GoldWithFalmer]

Don't get me wrong. I'm not dillusional and really we are not even at the bell in an 800 metre race.

But are we going to have tougher back to back opponents than the last two games?

To return 4 points when we were behind in both is quite superb.

The next two are not going to be that much easier..

 

[The Optimist]

Both games were at home. So slightly 'easier' opposition but away could be harder. In theory we play Sheff Wed and Newcastle in a row but only if both us and Newcastle are knocked out of the cup. We also have Derby followed by Leeds which could be tough.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Great to see the team digging deep and scrapping hard for the points yesterday, especially in the second half. Bodes well.

 

[Rugrat]

Our last few games have all been against teams either in form or expected to be in the mix come season's end. The results have been immense and the fact that we are 2 points behind the leaders and 4 ahead of the chasing pack confirms it.

Reading have won 5 on the bounce but now face Fulham, Leeds and Wednesday in their next three games. Lots of points will be dropped and all four teams are contenders.

We just need to keep grinding out results and keep them all at arm's length whilst hoping Newcastle are going to go through a rough patch.

Good post. Might not be to the liking of everyone but I'm looking down rather than up at the mo. IF we can win the next two I can see a case for the gap to 3rd extending to 8.

There's a number of genuine contenders for play off places matching up against each other in upcoming fixtures, and the longer teams in 3rd -10th are in range of each other the better for us IMO

 

[Behind Enemy Lines]

Derby are much improved from earlier in the season and will be very tough opponents.

 

[el punal]

At the beginning of the season I had Fulham down as the division's "dark horses". They had beaten us convincingly in a pre-season friendly and then turned over Newcastle in the first league match. This feeling continued in the first half yesterday where they outplayed us for the first 45 minutes.

In previous times we would have been dead and buried, but not this time. Although not firing on all cylinders we had the strength of character to battle out (literally, at some stages!) a win. So this game, and the last match against Villa, tells me that even in adversity we can still grab the necessary points be it for a win or a draw against the so-called fancied teams.

What concerns me are the "banana skin" games. Playing those teams who on paper are considered easy pickings. It would be horrible to lose out on promotion if we were complacent and dropped points against sides that we could and should beat convincingly. Proof of the pudding was yesterday's match at Newcastle with Benitez making six changes against Blackburn to ensure that he had his strongest team for the League Cup tie on Tuesday. Result? 1-0 to Blackburn, who were in the bottom three.

At 4.00 pm yesterday the games could have ended with us being a possible 8 points behind Newcastle, at 5.00 pm it, in fact, ended in a difference of 2 points. How significant could that be at the season's end?