Reading FC Bookie Watch: November 2013

All odds are the best available and taken from Oddschecker.com on November 18

(BOLD TEAMS = ODDS SHORTENING)

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Well it's not hard to see who the bookies fancy to be partying come May, with Harry Redknapp's QPR side rampant favourites at more than 2 to 1 on, meaning a hundred pound bet would only net you £44 in profit right now.

Burnley have seen their pre-season odds slashed after their impressive start, with 16/1 pre-season odds down to just over 2/1 now.

Nottingham Forest were fifth favourites pre-season and they've edged in very slightly but it's Bolton who've seen the biggest crash, with Dougie Freedman's side tthe third favourites at 100/30 pre-season but now out at a distant 18/1.

Reading and Watford were both fancied pre-season but both have suffered minor slips after mixed starts to the season. For me it's interesting that Reading have only gone out to 7/2 from 3/1, considering we've hardly lived up to the pre-season hype. However as mentioned at the top of the piece, it's certainly a good thing to be so fancied by the bookmakers and considering we're still in a play-off place after such a mediocre start, maybe we should be a tad more optimistic going forward.

If you want some long shots, well Middlesbrough at 33/1 look appealing, while as a total random shot in the dark, Charlton at a best price 66/1 might be worth the change in your pocket.

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Again it's Harry Redknapp's side who are the strong favourites to lift the trophy they last won in 2010, with Leicester then Burnley both under 10/1.

Reading have seen their odds more than double out to 20/1, with Bet365 offering the best odds right now. Most of the other companies are a bit more conservative, pricing the Royals around the 14/1 mark.

20/1 seems rather long odds for a team still in the play-off places but then I suppose such odds are designed to target gullible fools such as myself. That being said, take a look at our bookie watch written in November 2011, where Reading were a whopping 80/1 to win the league, compared to 25/1 to be relegated, we all know how that one panned out......

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Good news everyone! We're now around six times less likely to be relegated according to the bookmakers than we were pre-season. If you do fancy a spectacular collapse you can get odds of 250/1, well behind the favourites Yeovil, Barnsley and Doncaster.

Of course that's not to say it couldn't happen.... After all just take a look at this table, 18 games into the 1995/96 season. Millwall sat on top of the pile after losing just two of their first 18 games, only to see themselves relegated after losing 18 of their next 26 games.

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Golden Boot & Others

I won't list all the names here but Adam Le Fondre was 14/1 to lead the goalscoring charts pre-season and despite six goals so far, he's now fallen to 33/1 well behind 10 goal Jordan Rhodes at 3/1 and 11 goal Ross McCormack at 8/1. Big Pav is the second highest rated Royal at 66/1 after four goals so far, with Hal Robson-Kanu unchanged from his pre-season 150/1 and Nick Blackman also at 150/1.

As for other markets well Nigel Adkins is 50/1 to be the next manager to leave his post, with Blackburn manager Gary Bowyer, the manager of Reading's opponents on Saturday the favourite at 4/1.

Reading are 4/7 to make the play-offs and 1/12 to finish inside the top half.

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So that's how the money men see it. If you are of age, in a country that allows it and fancy a flutter please gamble responsibly while you can always visit to Gamble Aware for support and information on the dangers.