Reading FC: Jaap Stam confident Royals will not be intimidated by Leeds United at Elland Road

Royals will be aiming to end a run of poor form when they fly to Yorkshire tomorrow in preparation for the mouthwatering fixture.

But Stam and his players are unlikely to get the red carpet treatment after last season’s bad-blooded clash in December.

Royals enjoyed 77 per cent possession on the day but lost 2-0, leading to chants of ‘boring, boring Reading’ from the home supporters.

Stam then hit back at those taunts by saying: “You can tell something about how they are as human beings to be fair. It's a way of thinking.

“If you think that this is boring I think they need to have a look at their own team and how they play.

“They can say ‘we won’ and of course at the end it’s about the result - but if you need to play like that then I don’t want to be a manager.”

Stam’s outspoken comments sparked an immediate response from the then Leeds boss Garry Monk, who said: “I felt a bit embarrassed for him.”

However, it was Reading who had the last laugh as a 1-0 home win over Leeds in April helped Stam’s men clinch a play-off spot, while Monk’s men missed out.

There was no love lost between Jaap Stam and former Leeds boss Garry Monk.

Now, the sides are set to lock horns again, only this time with new boss Thomas Christiansen in the Leeds dugout following Monk’s departure.

And Stam called on his players to block out the crowd when they step over the white line.

“It’s not about the me or the reception I get,” he declared. “I don’t mind if they are against me so long as the team is performing.

“Everyone wants to play in these games and this is one you look forward to.

“It’s a big stadium with a big crowd. If you go there and think ‘I’m not sure about this’, then it’s not a good sign.

“We’re eager to go there, show ourselves and get a good result, we’re all looking forward to it.”

Yann Kermorgant celebrates his winning goal against Leeds United at Madejski Stadium in April.

Reading have won just twice in 10 Championship games so far, are without a victory in five league matches and have lost their last two to Millwall and Norwich City.

While Leeds are riding high in fifth place after a strong start, their last two games ended in a 3-0 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday and 3-1 loss at Cardiff City.

Stam added: “They’ve lost their last two games and there is always that question about whether it’s a good time to play them.

“Some say if the opposition are doing well and you get a good result against them it’s a good sign. Others say if a team hasn’t won many games you can do well.

“We just need to focus on ourselves. We know what Leeds can do, we have watched a lot of videos of them when they were doing well earlier in the season.

“We know what to expect from them. They have lost their last two games and they’ll want to win, so we need to be ready for that.”

Leeds United manager, Thomas Christiansen.

Saturday’s clash is the start of a tough run for Reading who return to the north a week later to take on third-placed Sheffield United.

But Stam is refusing to look any further ahead than the Leeds fixture.

“We’re not in a place to say ’we need to get these results from this batch of games’. Where we are now, we need to look at it game-to-game and get a result each time.

“After Leeds we have a whole week to prepare for Sheffield United and hopefully do well again. That’s how we’re approaching it.”

Stam is set to hand a first league start to 19-year-old Omar Richards in place of left-back Jordan Obita.

Obita has been ruled out for the season following reconstructive knee surgery this week, adding to Stam’s growing injury woes.