Reading FC blog run by fans, for fans.
Leam Richardson starts his League One Royals fixtures with a victory against high-flying Stevenage. Ben and Ross discuss the win, including the players who impressed and the areas of the pitch Leam’s Royals are looking to attack. With no preview needed, the boys dive into some deeply international-break-brained chat in the mailbag, exploring the worlds […]
3 months ago | 0 reads
In case you’re not familiar with the concept, the “knee jerk” reactions are essentially my thoughts over the last calendar month or so of Reading Football Club doing Reading Football Club-related things. The knee-jerk part has a tongue-in-cheek element to it, but even by my own standards, this piece is exceptionally late due to a […]
3 months ago | 0 reads
Reading Women eased through to the second round of the League Cup in some style, clocking up a double-digit scoreline, with an 11-1 victory against Kidlington Youth Ladies at Arbour Park, Slough on Sunday. Four goals (including a first-half hat-trick) from striker Nat Cowell, two a piece from Poppy Whitburn and Keren Banduka and finishes […]
3 months ago | 0 reads
After a rare Thursday win, there’s been plenty of time to take stock – both of the result itself and of our progress under Leam Richardson. We’re still in the early stages of that process and the sample size is small, but already there are tangible changes and reactions. Since Veljko Paunović departed, we’ve bounced […]
3 months ago | 0 reads
The Royals picked up a fantastic 1-0 victory against promotion-chasing Stevenage at the SCL Stadium on Thursday night. Charlie Savage scored the only goal of the game, in the fourth minute, to secure Leam Richardson’s first win as Reading manager. The win moves us up to 12th, five points off the relegation zone. Here is […]
3 months ago | 0 reads
Although Leam Richardson quite eye-openingly stated that last weekend’s Carlisle United crumble was more or less what he expected, it definitely wasn’t the start he would’ve wanted. Tonight we all wanted to see a reaction, of course, but in the same breath the players, and Richardson, needed to be proactive. We were, and still are, a […]
3 months ago | 0 reads
Joel Pereira: 6 Able to make his return to the lineup for the first time since the 1-1 draw with Exeter City on October 11. Had to do sparingly little in the first half, but started the second with a strong high claim. Made a pair of great saves as the game ticked over to […]
3 months ago | 0 reads
Reading have bolstered their squad with the addition of Randell Williams, who’s here until January. The specific date of his contract expiry hasn’t been revealed. He’s eligible to play on Thursday night. Williams had been a triallist at Reading. A well hidden one initially, but pictures and rumours recently emerged on social media, revealing his […]
3 months ago | 0 reads
After being knocked out in the FA Cup to a non-league side for the second time in three years, there needs to be some improvements in the upcoming games for the Royals. However, this will be one of the hardest matches this season. Stevenage are on the form of their lives, sitting fourth in League […]
3 months ago | 1 read
Form Stevenage finished 14th in League One last season, after 15 wins, 12 draws and 19 losses. This season marks their third straight season in League One, following their promotion in 2023. They are having a strong season so far and currently sit fourth in the league, two points off top spot with two games in […]
3 months ago | 0 reads
There’ll be no FA Cup run then… new manager, same result for Reading, as the Royals exit the cup to non-league opposition for the third time since 2022. Ross breaks down the immediate changes to Reading’s play under Leam Richardson, including the pros and cons of the style on display. Ben seems mostly fed up […]
3 months ago | 0 reads
A new era started for the Royals this weekend with Leam Richardson taking to the dugout for the first time. Non-league Carlisle United were the visitors in the first round of the FA Cup. It started well for the Royals with Lewis Wing putting us ahead in the first half before Mark O’Mahony doubled our […]
3 months ago | 0 reads
Sickness prevented myself from writing my weekly missive last week, but this week it was the turn of the club to present its ongoing malaise. Not for the first or second time in recent years, we’ve been undone by a non-league side in the FA Cup. We can front it up in many ways – […]
3 months ago | 0 reads
Well then. Where do you start with that? At 90 minutes, this game looked like it would surely end up as a solid, encouraging start to the Leam Richardson era. Reading were two goals to the good, thanks to Lewis Wing and Mark O’Mahony, with the visitors seemingly kept at arm’s length. Surely even the […]
3 months ago | 0 reads
Jack Stevens: 4 Let in a howler for 2-2, didn’t look confident otherwise either, spilling a shot in extra-time. Stevens shouldn’t be scapegoated for this defeat – most other players weren’t good enough either – but strictly speaking the game did hinge on one particularly poor error at a critical time. Andy Yiadom: 5 He […]
3 months ago | 0 reads
Form Carlisle United were relegated from the Football League last season after finishing 23rd in League Two, seven points from safety. That marked their second straight relegation after they finished bottom of League One in 2024. They have had a strong start in their quest to return to the fourth tier, currently sitting third in the […]
3 months ago | 0 reads
Off the back of another draw, the Royals have bolstered their squad with the signing of Leam Richardson. A new manager was imminent for the Royals and we are all excited to see how he sets up and what he can do with the talented players we have got. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, […]
3 months ago | 0 reads
I didn’t initially have particularly strong feelings either way about the managerial appointment of Leam Richardson. Not when it was reported over the weekend, nor on Tuesday when it was confirmed. On the face of it he seemed to be a solid enough, logical appointment, and that’s absolutely fine. Not every new arrival, whether in […]
3 months ago | 1 read
So that’s it, Noel Hunt’s spell as Reading manager has come to an end, and while I have every sympathy for anyone losing their job, results and performances were simply not good enough, and for me the right call has been made. Via this column I have regularly backed Hunt in his quest to build […]
3 months ago | 0 reads
We ran our final approval rating on former Reading boss Noel Hunt a few days ago, covering his final 20 games in charge, and the results are actually fairly positive. You gave him an average of 3.02/5, so pretty much exactly in the middle overall – not bad at all for a sacked manager, even […]
4 months ago | 0 reads
October was a very mixed month for Reading. In six matches across all competitions, the Royals won twice (1-0 home wins over MK Dons and Northampton Town), drew 1-1 three times (Mansfield Town at home, Exeter City away, Doncaster Rovers at home) and lost 2-1 at Cardiff City despite a very good attacking display. Ultimately […]
4 months ago | 1 read
So, here we are at the dawn of another adventure. We get so used to the voice of the incumbent manager that we feel we can predict what they are going to say and how they are going to say it. When a new guy comes along, everything is fresh and unpredictable. I’ll be honest, […]
4 months ago | 1 read
The Royals have acted quickly to appoint a successor to Noel Hunt, who was relieved of his position as first-team manager following Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Doncaster Rovers. Say hello to Leam Richardson, who’s agreed a deal until 2027. Danny Schofield and James Beattie have been appointed to his coaching team. A couple of media […]
4 months ago | 1 read
It finally happened then. Noel Hunt has received his P45 and departed the club after close to 11 months in the managerial hot seat. It’s a strange feeling, because while it seems a large chunk of the fan base wanted change, I for one didn’t expect it to happen so soon. There will be many […]
4 months ago | 1 read
We’ve got one final bit of TTE admin to do on former boss Noel Hunt, who was relieved of his position as first-team manager on Sunday afternoon. Having run our regular manager approval rating feature on him at the end of last season, now’s time for another one to cover the start of 2025/26. I […]
4 months ago | 2 reads