Jaap Stam will stay on as Reading boss despite suffering Championship playoff final heartbreak
Dutchman tries to remain upbeat after losing out to Huddersfield on penalties as Wembley as he looks to go again
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JAAP STAM has confirmed he will stay on as Reading boss despite suffering heartbreak in the Championship playoff final.
The Royals finished third in the table but failed to return to the Premier League as they lost out to Huddersfield on penalties at Wembley.
But despite missing out on the top flight, former Manchester United star Stam intends to go again in England’s second tier next season.
The Dutchman said: “I have a contract and I’m very happy here. It’s always hard if you lose but what we achieved this season is great – how we made progress, got in the top six and to the play-off final.
“Of course if you reach the final you give it your best shot, it doesn’t matter how you play, the result is the most important thing.
“The boys have worked very hard. You can talk about taking risks and taking the initiative but this is not just a league game, in the players’ minds there are other things.
“It’s a totally different occasion and it’s difficult to put that aside. We worked our way through it, got to penalties, and then basically it’s a lottery.”
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But counterpart David Wagner was far more upbeat at the final whistle, saying: “I know that a lot of pundits wrote us off before the season.
“Over the season I thought we could do a little bit more. I though around Christmas when we’d played everyone we had a chance. What happened is an unbelievable story – it’s a fairytale.”