Ahead of Saturday's match, we caught up with Dan from the excellent Royals blog, The Tilehurst End, to find out what we can expect from our opponents.
Next up, Reading FC head up the M1 to Oakwell, unbeaten in four matches after a hard-fought goalless draw with Birmingham in midweek.
Ahead of Saturday's match, we caught up with Dan from the excellent Royals blog, The Tilehurst End, to find out what we can expect from our opponents.
How would you sum up Reading's season so far?
Pretty decent, without really venturing into the spectacular. Jaap Stam's arrival has seen a totally new style put in place, as he seeks to turn us into a Dutch style outfit playing 4-3-3 with a heavy emphasis on possession. The possession point hasn't been an issue as we lead the Championship in that category but sadly it's not translated to many goals, with the club averaging the fourth lowest shots on target rate in the league. Sometimes it's frustrating watching countless passes around the back, but Rome wasn't built in a day and unlike Brendan Rodgers, who tried similar with us seven years ago, Stam has been picking up regular points. The jury is still out, but so far, so good.
So where do you think you'll end up?
A solid midtable finish is on the cards unless we make some big signings in January. I think we'll flirt with play-off contention but I could equally see us going on a bit of a slump. I'll say a 10th placed finish right now.
Who should we be wary of on Saturday?
Winger Garath McCleary seems to have rediscovered the mojo that saw him linked with a host of Premier League clubs a few years ago, while Roy Beerens has shown glimpses of why he was so highly thought of coming up in Holland. John Swift has been excellent since arriving from Chelsea but injury has slowed him down in recent weeks.
Any Barnsley player that's caught your eye?
We were heavily linked with Tom Bradshaw last season so it was disappointing to see him head to another Championship club, and he now seems to be hitting into form. Likewise, Adam Armstrong has the potential to be a cracking player and I'm slightly surprised that Newcastle let him go again.
Any fond memories of games between the two sides?
We've had some fun days out at Oakwell over the years, with a 4-0 win in 2012 being one of the best. Personally I enjoyed watching us earn our first win over Brendan Rodgers with a 3-1 win in 2009, that led to protests against the manager from unhappy Tykes fans!
Any not so fond ones?
My first season watching the club was the 94/95 season when our two clubs were locked in a battle for the final play-off spot. I remember you came to Elm Park in the March and absolutely drubbed us 3-0 and it was the first time my young self had ever seen us humped so heavily (sadly not the last!).
Finally, give us a score prediction?
I'll say 1-1.
Ahead of Saturday's match, we caught up with Dan from the excellent Royals blog, The Tilehurst End, to find out what we can expect from our opponents.
How would you sum up Reading's season so far?
Pretty decent, without really venturing into the spectacular. Jaap Stam's arrival has seen a totally new style put in place, as he seeks to turn us into a Dutch style outfit playing 4-3-3 with a heavy emphasis on possession. The possession point hasn't been an issue as we lead the Championship in that category but sadly it's not translated to many goals, with the club averaging the fourth lowest shots on target rate in the league. Sometimes it's frustrating watching countless passes around the back, but Rome wasn't built in a day and unlike Brendan Rodgers, who tried similar with us seven years ago, Stam has been picking up regular points. The jury is still out, but so far, so good.
So where do you think you'll end up?
A solid midtable finish is on the cards unless we make some big signings in January. I think we'll flirt with play-off contention but I could equally see us going on a bit of a slump. I'll say a 10th placed finish right now.
Who should we be wary of on Saturday?
Winger Garath McCleary seems to have rediscovered the mojo that saw him linked with a host of Premier League clubs a few years ago, while Roy Beerens has shown glimpses of why he was so highly thought of coming up in Holland. John Swift has been excellent since arriving from Chelsea but injury has slowed him down in recent weeks.
Any Barnsley player that's caught your eye?
We were heavily linked with Tom Bradshaw last season so it was disappointing to see him head to another Championship club, and he now seems to be hitting into form. Likewise, Adam Armstrong has the potential to be a cracking player and I'm slightly surprised that Newcastle let him go again.
Any fond memories of games between the two sides?
We've had some fun days out at Oakwell over the years, with a 4-0 win in 2012 being one of the best. Personally I enjoyed watching us earn our first win over Brendan Rodgers with a 3-1 win in 2009, that led to protests against the manager from unhappy Tykes fans!
Any not so fond ones?
My first season watching the club was the 94/95 season when our two clubs were locked in a battle for the final play-off spot. I remember you came to Elm Park in the March and absolutely drubbed us 3-0 and it was the first time my young self had ever seen us humped so heavily (sadly not the last!).
Finally, give us a score prediction?
I'll say 1-1.
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