Do The Bookies Think Reading Will Make The Playoffs?
Here's the first brief weekly look into what the bookmakers are saying about Reading Football Club.
With six weeks left in the season, Royals fans are catching play-off fever. We've probably all had the odd dream of trips to Wembley and working out how/if/whether we'll make the play-offs (or dare I say it, win promotion....)
So how are the bookies rating our chances this week?
Championship - Promotion Odds: (Source - Oddschecker 01/04/11)
QPR 1/25
SWANSEA 13/10
NORWICH 11/8
CARDIFF 28/13
NOTT'M FOREST 7/2
LEEDS 4/1
READING 7/1
BURNLEY 8/1
LEICESTER 12/1
HULL 14/1
The bookmakers have us at a best price of 7/1 to win promotion this season, either via the play-offs or through automatic promotion with some markets pricing us as low as 5/1.
On Betfair (which is punter against punter, rather then punter v bookie) the odds of us getting promoted are about 6/1 at the time of writing, showing the punters have about the same confidence in our chances as the bookmakers.
To make the play-offs our odds are slightly better then evens, with Bet365 offering us at 11/10, behind all of the current playoff teams.
Also check out this excellent post from Jon West over at FanHouse UK, who gives a good summary of each team's playoff chances
Top Goalscorer
Shane Long is also in contention to be the top scorer in the Championship. Long is currently sitting second on 18 league goals this season, five behind Watford's Danny Graham and the bookies have the Irishman at a best price of 13/2 to overhaul Graham and finish top of the pile, with Graham best priced at 2/5.
Long is second favourite with the bookies to be the top Championship goalscorer