Back to the Championship for Reading, according to our predictions.
Where will your side finish in 2012-13? With the season just one week away, our pundits have put our heads together to give you a comprehensive set of predictions.
Opinions and analysis on all 20 Premier League clubs are given here by 12 of our writers and pundits here at HITC Sport. On the basis of the predictions from our ‘daring dozen’ we have calculated how the table will look come next May.
How does it work? All the predictions are totalled together, the team with the lowest score will finish 1st, and the highest will finish 20th. Here are the predictions for your club.
Verdict – Reading will finish in: 18th
Highest prediction: 12th, Lowest prediction: 20th.
Dan Coombs: 18th; Reading were last season’s surprise package from the Championship, and they will put up a good fight this season. Bringing in Pogrebnyak was a good move and they could surprise a few people. That said, it is a long hard season, and even with a good start survival may just be too much for them, even though it could come down to the final day of the season.
Vic Daniels: 19th; Reading – heartache for McDermott, as he fails to make the top grade.
Mathew Nash: 16th; Star Player – Adam Federici Top Scorer – Pavel Pogrebnyak. Again Reading should have a solid start to their Premier League campaign but can see them fading toward the end of the season. However they should have done enough to avoid the drop by their and their home form will be paramount toward survival. Jem Karacan will hope to shine in the Premier League as will pacy but indecisive winger Jimmy Kebe. With the added experience of Jason Roberts and goalkeeping quality of Adam Federici, Reading should stave off relegation.
Tomo Taka: 18th; Reading marched to the top of the Championship last season but there are doubts over manager Brian McDermott’s experience in the Premier League. With impending new owners taking over long standing John Madjeski, could it potentially destabilise the club? There is debated uncertainty around the quality of their new arrivals Danny Guthrie, Pavel Pogrebnyak and Adrian Mariappa. They also lack a goalscorer with 24-year-old Adam Le Fondre their top scorer from last season with 12. Star player: Jimmy Kébé or Jobi McAnuff. The two wingers each had 10 assists last season and are experienced enough to repeat such performances in the Premier League. Their creativity will be key in unlocking Premier League defences. Reading’s biggest concern is their stretch of games in December where they play Manchester City, Manchester United and Arsenal. With games coming thick and fast over the Christmas period, successive losses could see the team towards the bottom of the table and their bad form roll into the new year.
Jake Lane: 12th; A surprise this campaign will see the winners of last season’s Championship finish in a comfortable twelfth. Expect them to continue playing the free-flowing football which saw them pip fellow promoted side, Southampton to the title. Many will tip the Royals to return straight back to the league they won last year but this will allow the players to play with no pressure for a manager they love, Brian McDermott.
Nigel Owen: 17th; Brian McDermott has largely stuck to what he knows, with half of his summer signings coming from the Championship. This is a plan that many promoted sides have followed before, and most have subsequently struggled, and I see a similar situation for the club which will have the worst in-ground atmosphere in the Premier League, who were promoted using several players who were not quite good enough for the top flight, but more than good enough for the next one down. I think Reading will just stay up, by the slimmest of margins, with Adam Le Fondre the key if they do. 7 goals in 11 games in the run-in is what McDermott bought him for, having scored 24 in 49 games in League Two for Rotherham the previous season. Can he step up again?
Surya Solanki: 18th; Yes, they have made some great transfers, but the competition from other teams in the league could turn out to be too much for Reading. Hence, I see them going down this season, but nonetheless, you can’t write them off completely as they do have the potential to pop out some surprises.
Paul Moore: 15th; Brian McDermott is a good manager and has made some decent signings. They play nice football but will it be enough? A few of their players could cause big surprises.
John Aggrey: 16th; They will be 16th because; who wins the Championship trophy twice? Sure nobody, you win it once and leave to the Premier League. They lit up the Championship the best way they know how and with the signing of Pavel from Fulham they have shown they can compete in the Premier League. Their defense in the Championship last season was stingy and should they be able to re-create this form, 16th place would not be a dream but a reality. Their main star should be Adam Federici; another goalkeeper who makes this list, proven shot stopper and with such a decent season behind him in the Championship that even saw him named player of the season at Reading, the 27-year-old Australian is headed for much bigger things. Biggest challenge; Just like any other promoted team, cementing a place should be the first priority. 16th is not so a decent position but just good enough to survive. Should they survive, shouldn’t they, sure they will.
Naveenan Thanendra: 20th; Brian McDermott led Reading on what was an unbelievable run of results to send Reading to the top of the Championship last season. However, this season will give them a sizeable reality check. Their squad, while magnificent in the second half of last season, just oozes a wealth of talent that seems more suited to the Championship. The addition of Pavel Pogrebnyak does add significant quality in the striker department, but the rest of the team will really be put to the test in what could be a very long and painful season for the Royals.
Keval Shah: 16th; Reading were a solid outfit last year in the Championship boasting the best defensive record in the league. The addition of Pavel Pogrebnyak was a real coup for the club, and after making a great start to life in the premiership with Fulham he will be looking to kick on for his new club. Where the club may struggle however is with their attacking strength in depth. At times last season, Reading struggled to find the net and this issue will have to be fixed before the transfer window shuts.
Khiam Barry: 19th; New boys Reading will be desperate to stay up but I feel that other teams are stronger than them and they’ll unfortunately they’ll face the drop.
Connor Jipps: 15th; What Brian McDermott has done has eclipsed the achievements of Steve Coppell in my opinion. McDermott took on a squad very much depleted and void of confidence and has brought them from the lower half of the Championship to the Premier League. What’s more remarkable is that he’s done it on a very limited budget, particularly in comparison to many other Championship teams. Last season Reading lost captain Matt Mills and star striker Shane Long yet still gained promotion. Proof to all that one player, or in this case two, do not make a team. Reading’s signings of young up and coming players combined with players with Premier League experience is a blend that will suit the side well. Pogrebnyak was deadly in his loan spell at Fulham last year whilst Guthrie took his chance well in the absence of Cabaye midway through last season. Gunter will have a point to prove after his disappointing Spurs spell and Adrian Mariappa is a talented centre back who probably should’ve been playing in the Premier League sooner. When you then throw into the mix Reading’s stars of last season, Kebe, Gorkss, Federici and Harte amongst others, there is a squad of players that will work hard to keep the Royals up in the league. I don’t know what it is but my head is telling me they will be this year’s surprise package and comfortably avoid relegation.
Full predicted table: (1) Manchester City, (2) Manchester United, (3) Chelsea, (4) Arsenal, (5) Tottenham, (6) Liverpool, (7) Newcastle, (8) Everton, (9) Fulham, (10) Sunderland, (11) Aston Villa, (12) Stoke, (13) QPR, (14) Swansea, (15) West Ham, (16) West Brom, (17) Norwich, (18) Reading, (19) Wigan, (20) Southampton.
Where do you believe Reading will finish next season?
image: © crystian cruz
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