Play-off reunion with Rodgers for Reading
Reading continued their fantastic springtime form with a 3-0 victory away to Cardiff to book their place in the Championship play-off final at Wembley against Swansea, who are managed by their former boss Brendan Rodgers, who was sacked with the Royals battling relegation 17 months ago.
The renaissance of both club and dismissed tactician since then has been staggering, with Rodgers impressively improving on the fine work of Roberto Martinez and Paulo Sousa, and Brian McDermott taking Reading from 21st to fifth while enjoying cup success and raising funds in the transfer market.
Swansea are marginal favourites to follow QPR and Norwich into the Premier League at [1.88] having finished the higher of the two in the regular season and due to a positive recent record against the Berkshire side, having lost none of the last five meetings and done the double over them this term.
Reading head to the national stadium with arguably the more momentum of the pair though having triumphed by a bigger margin in their semi-final - admittedly aided by catastrophic mistakes by Stephen Bywater and Dekel Keinan - and won ten and drawn three of their last 14 fixtures.
McDermott's men are [2.12] to return to the Premier League after a three-year break and can take heart from the fact that Swansea's fierce rivals Cardiff have lost the last two England versus Wales collisions at Wembley against Portsmouth and Blackpool.
However, one of the most significant Championship play-off statistics of all is that six of the last seven finals have been won by the team that progressed from the third-versus-sixth semi-final, which on this occasion was Swansea.
Which club are you backing to gain promotion? Offer your opinion below...
Published: 18 May 2011
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