The key for both Reading and Southampton was to disillusion West Ham. I kept saying that there was a danger of Reading losing heart if they kept winning without climbing into the top two, and now the boot is on the other foot. Had Southampton won today, they would have negated our superb result at Barnsley and all our efforts would have felt in vain. Great we won, but so what? Reading beat Leeds with 10 men and Southampton would have maintained a six point gap. There was an increasing danger of a friendly style 1-1 draw when Reading travelled to St Mary's, or the New Dell as I still call it.
Now that game becomes a huge promotion head to head, providing we can start winning at home. If it's a draw, we can pull onto the shoulder of both, and if either team lose, they will feel the black pudding fuelled stench of Allardyce's breath on the backs of their necks.
I am in Transylvania at the moment, and West Ham have suddenly risen from the dead! Are those love bites on your neck Mark Noble, or Dracula's punctures?
It's all to play for now, and Reading fans may yet rue Southampton dropping points today.
My friend texted me right after Pompey drew level. He knows I have given up hope of a top two finish but wanted to make a point.
ReplyDelete"You now have two teams you have an equal chance of catching. The odds of getting second place just doubled. You may think those odds were very low to begin with, but they have still doubled. Before we needed Reading to have a bad run in. Now we need either Reading or Southampton. Much more likely that one of two falls apart.
The key to their game against each other is that the loser of the game is the one that struggles. My guess/hope is that Reading beats Southampton and Southampton falls apart."
Im just going to hope he is spot on.
I am hoping that the Saints will crumble. They have had some lucky and unlikely wins. Their luck is all used up now.
ReplyDeleteWe have been a bit on the unlucky side on more than a few occasions.
So we can certainly rely on luck holding out. Here's hoping. COYI
Anony-mouse ays,
ReplyDeleteAs is normal for you, you have a very strange take on things, Pompey get a womderful last gasp equalisser and by your reckoning that's suppose to be a bad thing for Saints rivals- are you mental HF? There is a logic to what you say but it's a deeply flawed logic.
That result today will make saints think not once, or twice but multiple times. They have been there or there abouts all season. Now it's opened up. Great result for Reading but an even better one for us. Anyway=regardless of others, we were f*cking great yesterday- so keep the faith!
West Ham are not going to win all their remaining games.
ReplyDeleteWest Ham will drop points.
ReplyDeleteDon't know how you say that Saints have had some lucky and unlikely wins unless you've seen all of their games. I grant you that the Leeds win was unlikely but I can also say that the Hammers were lucky to beat Millwall. Best of Luck to you in the play-offs.
ReplyDelete