Here's our weekly look into what the bookmakers are saying about Reading Football Club.
Monday's disappointing 3-2 defeat against Sheffield United officially ended our automatic promotion hopes, but the Royals are still in with a fantastic chance of the play-offs, needing a dramatic set of results to deny them a top six finish. So how do the bookies rate our chances of making it back to the Premier league through the play-offs?
Championship - Promotion Odds: (Source - Oddschecker 29/04/11)
TODAY LAST WEEK TWO WEEKS AGO
QPR 1/200 1/200 1/200
NORWICH 4/9 4/6 5/4
CARDIFF 10/11 5/6 EVS
READING 13/5 7/4 2/1
SWANSEA 11/4 11/4 6/4
NOTTINGHAM FOREST 9/2 10/1 8/1
MILLWALL 12/1
BURNLEY 16/1 20/1 50/1
LEEDS 24/1 8/1 13/2
KEY: ODDS SHORTENING ODDS LENGTHENING
So with automatic promotion out of the question our odds have taken a hit, with the bookies rating us as a 13/5 shot to come through the play-offs and win promotion.
The bookies have QPR all but up with the best price you can get on them winning promotion 1/200. Norwich are now 4/9 to win promotion with the bookies making them big favourites to go up, with Cardiff just better then evens. Out of the other likely play-off sides Forest have seen their odds slashed to just 9/2 with Leeds the big loser over the last week, seeing their odds lengthen by around 300%.
In terms of making the play-offs, the bookies have stopped taking bets on us, none apparently worried of any dramatic slip ups.
Down at the bottom despite their win at the Madejski Sheffield United are 200/1 ON to be relegated, with Scunthorpe 500/1 ON to join Preston in League One next season.
Top Goalscorer
The bookies have also ruled out Shane finishing as top goalscorer, with the Irishman three goals behind Danny Graham with two games remaining.