Premier League Relegation Betting: Reading ready for another Great Escape

 

Reading's weekend win over Sunderland has put daylight between Brian McDermott's team and the bottom three. Ralph Ellis remembers some old advice about avoiding  relegation and wonders whether The Royals have got what it takes...

 

Back in 2006 I talked to Bryan Robson about how his West Brom team had fashioned their Great Escape. The one-time Captain Courageous of England and Manchester United  was then - and is now - the only manager in the Premier League era to have kept a side in the top-flight when they were bottom on Christmas Day.

 

I wanted to know how it happened and why. What were the special set of circumstances that made West Bromwich Albion in 2005 different to every other side before or  since that had spent December 25 on the bottom of the table? We distilled the essence of the achievement into eight points which Robson reckoned all had to be in place  before it could be done again.

 

I remembered that piece when I was driving home from Reading on Saturday night. Jimmy Kebe's late header to beat Sunderland had lifted Brian McDermott's team two  points above the bottom three, and it left me wondering if his side had got what it takes to match Robson's achievements.

 

Betfair's markets don't think so. They still make The Royals 1.7 to be relegated, one of three odds-on chances alongside QPR 1.48 and Aston Villa 1.7. But I dug out the old Sunday Mirror cutting, to see how many boxes they could tick - and here goes:

 

1. It's all about belief:  Robson reckoned the biggest issue facing a struggling side was convincing the players to keep going - recent late wins over West Brom and  Sunderland plus a miracle 95th minute equaliser against Chelsea suggests Reading's squad won't give up.

 

2. Rally everybody to the cause: Albion's 2005 squad had a Steve McQueen lookalike provided by their sponsors and paid for coaches for their fans for away games. A bit  of work still needed by the marketing department here.

 

3. You need two or three big characters:  Robson gave Geoff Horsfield and Kevin Campbell the credit for keeping spirits up - Reading have got Kebe and, even though  he's injured at the moment, Jason Roberts who aren't afraid to speak out.

 

4. Make the right signings in January: A limited budget means the jury is out at the moment but Stephen Kelly has added experience in defence while Hope Akpan, picked  up for a bargain fee from Crawley, has injected enthusiasm in midfield. At least the recruiting was planned and done early rather than a panic on the last day of the  deadline.

 

5. Keep the fans on your side: No problems on this one - the Madejski Stadium support remains positive and Adam Le Fondre's goals have given them a hero and some hope.

 

6. Have a good physio and medical team: Keeping everybody fit is essential when you've got a small squad. Reading's record is good here, they have been at the cutting  edge of sports science and invested a lot of cash from their last Premier League adventure into medical and training infrastructure.

 

7. Good management: A tick for this, both at boardroom level where Sir John Madejski has made sure wealthy new Russian owner Anton Zingarevich has bought into the  ethos of stability, and with McDermott who has good man management and tactical skills.

 

8. Be lucky: This is the one you can't control. Robson recounted a day when Southampton got a last minute equaliser at Crystal Palace when if either side had won the  game he would have had to win at Old Trafford to be safe. Instead he had a magical day when United hit the woodwork several times, he stole a point and was suddenly in  pole position to survive. Will the gods shine on The Royals? Only time can answer that one.

 

By my reckoning that's definitely five ticks in the boxes and three maybes.  With home games still to come against Wigan, Villa, Southampton and QPR it might just be  enough for Reading to produce their own Great Escape.

 

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