Category: Reading

Game Of The Week: Leeds v Sheffield Wednesday

On Tuesday evening Philip Billing’s goal eight minutes from time meant Huddersfield beat Reading, a result that means the Terriers are now only four points behind Brighton at the top of the table.

It’s a big weekend at both ends of the table and amazingly both the televised games on Saturday are crucial matches at the top of the table. The fun starts this evening when there’s a big game at the other end, where there’s only a six point gap between Blackburn and Wolves.

Burton Albion v Blackburn Rovers (this evening, no TV coverage)

After a run of five straight defeats at home, Burton have won their last two and have a reasonable looking run in at the Pirelli Stadium that starts with Rovers’ first game under Tony Mowbray, who was appointed after Owen Coyle was sacked earlier in the week and hasn’t exactly been the most successful manager at this level.

He’s got his work cut out for him: Blackburn have won once in their last ten aways but haven’t earned all three points at any of the sides in the bottom half of the table at the moment. Considering only four of the 21 games between the teams currently in the bottom six have ended in away wins, Blackburn are clearly on the back foot here.

Leeds United v Sheffield Wednesday (12:30pm, Sky Sports 1)

There hasn’t been a draw in any of the 16 Yorkshire derbies so far this season, which may be significant considering this is Leeds’ last one of the season. Gary Monk’s side has only suffered two defeats at Elland Road in the last ten but United have only won two of their six games against the top six and that may be worth remembering when the playoffs come round. Wednesday were surprisingly beaten by Brentford at Hillsborough this week: they still have to travel to Barnsley and Rotherham before the season ends. Since the turn of the century, Wednesday have only won once at Leeds in six league games, but the last three have all finished 1-1. If this does finish as a draw, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Newcastle United v Bristol City

This could be the most one sided game in the Championship this weekend, but there are a couple of things to take into account. Four of Newcastle’s seven defeats have been against sides currently in the bottom half of the table – including both games against Blackburn – but in five of those losses, the current leaders have failed to score.

On the other hand, Bristol City haven’t kept an away clean sheet since September and haven’t scored in a league game at Newcastle since November 1977. One of those problems is down to Lee Johnson – who has seems to be immune from the sack – the other isn’t.

Brighton v Reading (5:30pm, Sky Sports 1)

This is another one that might not go the way it’s supposed to. Brighton’s thirteen game unbeaten run at the Amex will have to end soon but Reading will have only had four days rest after the defeat at Huddersfield on Tuesday night. That loss means that the Royals have now lost all of their away games to the teams immediately above them.

Albion have been really impressive at home in so many ways: only one home defeat, only Newcastle and Norwich have scored more goals at home and only nine goals conceded in 15 games, including eight clean sheets. But here’s the weird part: Brighton have only recorded two home victories against Reading in the last ten meetings and there were fourteen years between them.

Another thing worth noting: the reverse fixture finished 2-2 and so far is the only draw in games between the current top six this season.

The remaining televised games are a couple of derbies that will probably have little or no impact on the rest of the season: Wolves v Birmingham (tonight, 7:45pm Sky Sports 1) and The Old Farm Derby (Sunday, noon, Sky Sports 2)

I’ll be back on Tuesday for the clash between the top two.

Game Of The Evening: Huddersfield v Reading

In a few weeks time this game could be a possible playoff final. I’m quite happy to admit that I didn’t give either side much chance of being in this position before the season began. As I’ve covered Huddersfield a lot over recent weeks, it’s probably time to give Reading the once over.

After a relatively sluggish start, the Royals been outside of the top ten since mid-September but they look like a team that’s going to end up marooned in the playoff places for the rest of the season. That’s not necessarily a bad thing for a club that spent the last two campaigns in the bottom third of the table, but still indicates that they’ll probably have to go the long way round for promotion and may be better off waiting for next season.

They’ve been excellent at the Madejski Stadium – only two defeats in their last ten – but although their away form has improved substantially this season, they’ve only kept four clean sheets in fifteen away games, with three shutouts coming against sides currently in the bottom half of the current table.

Crucially, just over half of their thirteen away goals this season have been scored between the 76th and 90th minutes – and five of those were the difference between a draw and a win. Yann Kermogant, Garath McCleary and Jon Swift are their leading goal scorers away from home, but significantly Kermogant hasn’t scored on the road since netting twice in four minutes at Bristol City at the start of last month and McCleary hasn’t scored an away goal since Bonfire Night. That’s far from being the end of the story though: this season nine other players have scored one goal each in Reading’s travels. Summing up, Reading are making their own luck in away games, clearly have goals throughout the team but – surprisingly for a team that’s managed by one of the best defenders in Europe in his prime – can be a bit dodgy at the back.

Huddersfield away has not been a particularly profitable match for Reading. The Royals last win in West Yorkshire came in December 2013, but Town won the next two meetings by an aggregate of 6-1. Significantly, the last draw between the sides at Huddersfield was in October 1992: this season only one of the 19 games between the teams currently in the top six has finished all square. Seven have been won by the away side, but Reading have already lost by two goals at both Leeds and Newcastle this season.

I’ll be back on Friday with a look at the games that matter at both ends of the table, so see you then.

 

Game of the Week: Sheffield Wednesday v Huddersfield

Before I go any further, in case you haven’t heard, former Aston Villa, Lincoln City, Watford, Wolves and England manager Graham Taylor died today.

News of Mr Taylor’s death emerged as I was finishing this post, which is an early one as Reading are entertaining QPR this evening (8:00pm kick off, Sky Sports 1) although if the last ten meetings between them in Berkshire are anything to go by, the visitors won’t win and there won’t be many goals.

Looking back at Christmas, the following points are worth passing on:

  • Newcastle were in pole position on Boxing Day, but after two defeats in their last three games, Brighton have take over the lead and now have a two point lead at the top. Right now, I can’t see any outside those two for automatic promotion.
  • Reading, Huddersfield and Leeds have all made big improvements since last season whereas Sheffield Wednesday have maintained last season’s level. With three of the four playoff teams coming from Yorkshire, the rest of the season could be intense – starting with this weekend’s game of the week.
  • Rotherham were five points adrift of Wigan on Boxing Day and I think both clubs will continue to struggle. It’s not abundantly clear who else looks likely for the drop though: Blackburn look most likely to drop out of the section at the moment, but both Bristol City and Nottingham Forest are struggling badly at the moment and could end up flirting with disaster.

In managerial news, no-one got the chop over Christmas although Paul Warne still hasn’t been confirmed as manager of Rotherham despite having had a favourable impact on and off the field since he took over from Kenny Jackett on a part time basis.

On to the game of the week:

Sheffield Wednesday v Huddersfield (3:00pm Saturday)

With the clubs being separated by four points and 30 miles, the twelfth Yorkshire derby of the season should be a cracker.

Having only won two of the five games they’ve played against the teams immediately above them, this isn’t exactly a gimmee for Wednesday. Although they’re currently on a four game unbeaten streak at Hillsborough and haven’t conceded a goal for 278 minutes, Huddersfield haven’t lost on the road since mid-November and have conceded just two goals in their last four aways.

Head to head: the clubs have met eight times in the league at Hillsborough since the turn of the century, but Wednesday have only won two of those games including the last meeting in November 2015. Despite the recent defensive prowess of both teams, there’s a chance that this one could feature some goals, but you’ll have to read to the end of the next paragraph to understand why.

Bonus fun facts: none of the previous Yorkshire derbies this season have ended in a draw and there’s only been one undecided match between the protagonists in the last eight games at Hillsborough – when Jordan Rhodes scored all four goals for Huddersfield in a 4-4 draw just over five years ago. Also, only one of the fifteen games between the current top six has ended in a draw: Reading v Brighton in August.

Honourable Mention:

Burton v Wigan

After a solid start at the Pirelli Stadium, the wheels have come off recently. Burton have lost their last three at home and their lack of a proven goalscorer at this level should be something Nigel Clough addresses during what’s left of the transfer window. Wigan have only lost two of their last ten away games in the division but their home form has been bad enough to keep them in the bottom six for almost the entire season. The only other league meeting between the clubs at Burton took place last April when both sides were pushing for promotion and finished all square.

Other televised games: there are only five points between Leeds and Derby (tomorrow, 7:45pm, Sky Sports 1) so that looks like a decent game to watch. Remarkably, Wolves have never played Aston Villa at Molineux in a second tier game (Saturday, 5:30pm, Sky Sports 1) but the occasion will be overshadowed by the death of Graham Taylor, who managed both of the clubs during his career and was in charge at Villa Park when Aston Villa last played at this level. RIP.

FA Cup Third Round Preview

Just a quick look this time round as I’ve had some technical issues as well as a hacking cough for most of the last two weeks.

As I’ve been fond of repeating for the last few seasons, we’re lucky if half of the clubs in the Championship qualify for the fourth round and having not had a second tier winner for almost 40 years, there’s no point expecting one in 2016/17.

Championship v Premier League 

Considering that six of the eight ties in this category involve the Championship teams travelling to clubs in the Promised Land, I can’t see much hope for an early upset. Sheffield Wednesday visit Middlesbrough in what could be a very competitive game and the Midlands derby between West Brom and…errr…Derby should be worth keeping an eye on, but does anyone genuinely fancy Burton, Reading or Preston causing upsets?

All Championship

With only four guaranteed places in the next round, there’s a chance that whoever takes their opportunities now may stand a chance of reaching the last sixteen. For that reason, Birmingham v Newcastle is potentially the tie of the round in this category: on the other hand, neither Wigan nor Nottingham Forest will want to hang around in the FA Cup if they’re serious about avoiding the drop.

Championship v League One

In one of those quirks of fate that happens when the draw is made, all four of the ties in this category have the Championship clubs at home. I can’t see Brighton or Huddersfield having much trouble with MK Dons and Port Vale respectively, but there’s a possibility that Bristol City and Rotherham might find Fleetwood or Oxford too much to handle.

There’s only one game where a Championship club takes on one from League 2: Barnsley travel to Blackpool. On paper, both of the ties between sides from the Championship and non-league teams ought to be straightforward for both Brentford and Ipswich, although neither Eastleigh or Lincoln are mugs.

Televised games: Manchester United v Reading (BT Sport 1, 12:30pm tomorrow), Preston v Arsenal (BT Sport 1, 5:30pm tomorrow) and Spurs v Aston Villa (BBC 1, 4:00pm Sunday). The draw for the fourth round will be on Monday, I’ll probably update as the weekend progresses and I’ll be back next week.

Update: Leeds, Fulham, Brentford, Brighton, Huddersfield, Blackburn, Wolves, Derby and Wigan all won at the first time of asking over the weekend. Birmingham, Newcastle, Barnsley, Bristol City, Ipswich (against Lincoln!) and Norwich all face replays, so there are currently ten guaranteed places for Championship clubs in the fourth round.

So far the only confirmed fourth round ties involving Championship teams are:

Fulham v Hull, Chelsea v Brentford, Rochdale v Huddersfield, Derby v Leicester and Manchester United v Wigan. If Ipswich win at Lincoln in the replay, they’ll host Brighton in the next round and if Barnsley beat Blackpool in their replay they’ll travel to Blackburn.

I’ll be back on Thursday, in time for the Reading/QPR clash that evening.

Game Of The Evening: Leeds v Reading

Welcome to what is apparently my 400th post for Buzzin’ Championship Football. As a bonus, here’s Sol Bamba ‘losing his head’ last weekend, which seems to be part two of an occasional series titled ‘Championship Players Losing It And Attacking Their Comrades’.

The top three won’t change whatever the outcome of tonight’s games, although on paper Brighton have a chance of overtaking Newcastle at the summit. Although Rotherham won on Saturday for the first time since August, they’re still eight points behind Wigan although any of the clubs from QPR downwards could find themselves in the bottom three after this evening’s games have finished.

Game of the evening: Leeds United v Reading

OK, I didn’t see this coming. Both sides have done far better than I expected before the season began, so credit where it’s due to both Garry Monk and Jaap Staam.

Leeds’ only home defeat since mid-September was against Newcastle so there’s no shame there, but they’ve only won one of the last six games at Elland Road against this evening’s opponents. On the other hand, United have a very poor record in games against the other five teams in the top six, having lost all four of their matches without scoring: that’s an indication that they may be due for a change in fortunes fairly soon.

From Reading’s point of view, it depends which team turns up: they’ve won half of their last six aways, but suffered heavy defeats at both Brentford and Fulham in the same time span. At least this evening’s game isn’t being played in West London, but Reading were also tonked 4-1 at Newcastle earlier in the season, so if they concede an early goal things might not go their way.

Blackburn Rovers v Brighton

Rovers aren’t doing too badly at home against teams in the bottom half of the table and having won at both Newcastle and Derby this season, they look like one of those teams that are capable of raising their game against good opponents. Brighton are enjoying a 14 game unbeaten streak that will have to end soon, but since the turn of the century they’ve not been beaten by Blackburn in any competition.

Burton Albion v Huddersfield Town

I’ll return to the subject on Friday, but Burton’s season may be defined by how they do over the Christmas period. Their home form is fine, but this game is arguably the first real test they’ve had at the Pirelli Stadium since they beat on out of sorts Derby in September. The Terriers got back to winning ways on Saturday when they beat Bristol City last weekend, but Huddersfield have lost four of their last six road trips and have already lost twice against teams in the bottom six.

Cardiff City v Wolverhampton Wanderers

Neil Warnock’s recipe for avoiding relegation is to rely almost entirely on home form and to some extent it’s working at Cardiff (one defeat in the last six in the Welsh capital) so it’ll be interesting to see how the Bluebirds approach this one. Wolves have only lost twice in their last six away games and although I don’t think the visitors can win, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if this ended all square.

Tomorrow: Wigan Athletic v Newcastle United

Newcastle returned to winning ways with an emphatic 4-0 win over Birmingham at the weekend and I can’t see them tripping up at the DW Stadium this evening. Will Grigg’s 88th minute winner against Wolves on September 27th remains the last time a Wigan player scored a goal in a home game in the Championship, although I have to point out that Wigan have won six of the previous seven meetings in the league in Lancashire. If the Latics win tomorrow night, it’s a contender for surprise result of the season.

Back on Friday for the Christmas Special, which usually writes itself.