Championship Play-Off: The Gateway to Riches
Posted by Rob Shepherd on Monday, May 29, 2017
The Championship play-off is regarded as the most valuable game a team can ever win. Success and you are playing Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal, etc. Lose and its Burton Albion, Preston North End and Leeds United instead.
This year’s finalists are Huddersfield Town and Reading.
Who, What, Where and When?
The Championship play-off takes place at 3pm, Monday 29th June. It is held at Wembley and is the perfect way to spend the bank holiday Monday. You can watch the action on Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports HD.
Money, Money, Money – It’s a Rich Man’s World
The financial implications of winning this game are huge, it is estimated that the value of this game is a staggering £200 million. Think about that, £200 million, you could buy 2 Pogba’s for that! However, it’s not just the immediate financial benefit, due to relegated clubs receiving a “parachute” payment of £75 million, it means financial stability for the club. Even the relegated clubs from this year’s Premiership earned at least £100 million each. Reading were last in the top flight four years ago, for Huddersfield you have to go way back to 1972 since they last enjoyed playing in England’s top league.
What the Bookies Think!
Looking at the odds, the bookmakers fancy Huddersfield to join the football Elite. At the time of writing you can get around 13/10 for the team from West Yorkshire to taste glory.
Reading are quite a bit behind at 11/4 and the draw is offered at 21/10.
I wouldn’t totally discount Reading though, they have the better form going into the game and have lost only one in their last seven games. Winning five of them on the way.
Huddersfield have a patchier record, winning only two in their last seven with two draws.
Head to head meetings between these two are evenly spread. Two wins each and a draw in the last five meetings.
The Bosses
Reading are managed by the legend that is Jaap Stam. The 44-year old has played for top European clubs such as PSV Eindhoven, Manchester United, Lazio, Milan and Ajax. The former centre-back is used to the big occasion and it’s probably the Jaap factor and the experience he brings that could be pivotal in the game.
Reading manager Stam said, “You’ve always got ideals as a manager that you want to go for the best results or finish as high as you can, but to end up in the top 10 would have been a good season for us.”
“It’s a very big and important game, but the players know what they need to do. Everyone’s quite calm within the team and there’s experienced players there.
“Times like this are probably easiest for a manager, as you don’t need to say a lot as a manager as everybody knows what they need to do to win that game and everybody knows what’s at stake.”
Huddersfield are managed by David Wagner and have exceeded expectations by miles. Huddersfield have in recent seasons not troubled the top half of the table and their fans will be delirious if they can pull off a win today. Huddersfield will look fondly on a season that saw them finish above Aston Villa, Derby, Norwich and Leeds United, it could get so much better.
Wagner said, “I think everybody expected Fulham and Sheffield Wednesday in the final.”
“There were a lot of statements before the semi-finals about momentum and about form. It is another example where we have proven that experience and what has happened in the past is irrelevant.”
“After the 120 minutes against Sheffield Wednesday there were a lot of tired legs, but now after a training camp in Portugal and training on the grass here, everybody is ready to go.”
Who to Look Out For!
Kasey Palmer could be a surprise inclusion for Huddersfield Town. Kasey is on loan from Chelsea (who isn’t?). Kasey has been out with a hamstring injury but could prove to be an ace for Huddersfield if he plays. Palmer made his debut for Huddersfield on 6th August 2016 replacing Jack Payne in the 78th minute of a 2–1 win over Brentford. What made his debut special is that he scored the winning goal within a minute of being on the pitch.
Reading will be hopeful that Jordan Obita is available after missing the semi-final second leg against Fulham with an ankle injury. Reading’s top scorer this year is Yann Kermorgant who has hit the net 19 times with 3 assists. Of his 98 shots, 45% have been on target.
Who Will Win?
I’m going for a 2-1 win for Reading! The odds of 12/1 are pretty attractive to me. However, I do have a reverse Midas touch when it comes to correct score betting so I would take the tip with a pinch of salt.
Anyway, forget the result. It’s bank holiday Monday, grab a beer and enjoy the match.