Reading FC blog run by fans, for fans.
Reading FC chairman Rob Couhig joins the podcast to give an end-of-season update on the team. Ben and Ross quiz Rob on the recent results, his first season as Royals owner and, of course, on how his dogs are getting on. Rob discusses club infrastructure challenges and hopes for summer recruitment, while also being open […]
Tia Johnson’s first-half hat-trick helped Reading Women continue their good run of league form, with a resounding 5-0 victory over Woodley United at Arbour Park, Slough on Sunday. Keren Banduka’s sixth goal of the season gave the Royals a comfortable lead at the break, with a second-half penalty from Mia Parker wrapping up a convincing […]
After a tough week, the Royals were back on the pitch on Saturday against promotion-chasing Cardiff City at the SCL Stadium. Unfortunately, it was another week of the away side celebrating promotion, with the Bluebirds confirming their return to the Championship with a 3-1 victory. The defeat leaves us six points from the playoffs in […]
Another day, another team winning promotion in our own back yard. Another dollop of salt rubbed into wounds that were already raw after a week of every scab being picked off one by one. It’s not supposed to be like this, is it? And yet here we are. All week the rumour mill churned out […]
Joel Pereira: 6 Gathered up some early easier saves without fuss as Reading enjoyed a good opening period. Took a knock when making a save midway through the first half – Pereira made a strong save from the powerful close-range effort but could only parry it into the middle and was hurt in the ensuing […]
The last seven days or so have been a bit of blur. The 90 minutes of slapstick comedy we saw at Doncaster Rovers, Rob Couhig’s open letter backing Leam Richardson, a whodunnit dressing room leak and a 10-out-of-10-for-effort attempt at crisis comms from the club: it’s certainly been a week. My overarching feeling before the […]
Form Cardiff City were relegated from the Championship last season after finishing bottom of the league, five points away from safety. Relegation ended their six-year stay in the second tier, having been relegated from the Premier League in 2019. However, they are on track to return to the Championship at their first attempt, sitting second in […]
After losing to both Doncaster Rovers and top-of-the-table Lincoln City, the Royals now host Cardiff City, who are also looking to be automatically promoted. The Royals are playing some horrible football under Leam Richardson and even the players are rumoured to be complaining now. We were warned by Wigan Athletic fans that his style of […]
NB: The following article was predominantly written before the Doncaster Rovers defeat. Player improvement Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan is the obvious choice here: six goals in six games over March and looking like an actual striker with striking instincts now, scoring a mixture of goals, thanks to his work with James Beattie and the other coaches. Jeriel […]
It’s not gone well in the last week, has it? Reading completed a turgid three-game run with a loss on the road to beach-bound Doncaster Rovers. Ben and Ross discuss the very shape of that Yorkshire beach and try to work out what the shape on the field was, with Paudie O’Connor ranging upfield. There’s […]
Reading Women put in one of their performances of the season to pick up a valuable point yesterday, with a 1-1 draw against title-chasing AFC Portchester at the Onsite Group Stadium. A first-half goal from Reading striker Georgia Hayes was cancelled out within two minutes after the referee awarded a penalty to the home side […]
You can probably count on one hand the number of genuinely good afternoons out we’ve had watching Reading this season. But Saturday was definitely a new low. It was so bad it was almost funny. The emotions in the away end started with impatience, moved through to frustration, then all-out anger and ended in open […]
The Royals fell further away from the playoffs with a disappointing 1-0 defeat against Doncaster Rovers at the Eco-Power Stadium on Saturday. Owen Bailey gave the home side the lead in the 58th minute to secure the points. The defeat for Reading now leaves us five points away from the playoffs with the Royals in […]
Well, that’s that then. Not mathematically, but it doesn’t take a savant to see we’re out of the playoff hunt. What makes it worse is the manner of it – drifting out of the race with a jarring set of bumps and whimpers. No drama, no fight, just a slow slide into irrelevance. For much […]
Joel Pereira: 7 Caught in a communication mixup with O’Connor at the back that had Pereira scrambling back into his net with Doncaster in the box. Opened the second half with a pretty good low save on the rugged terrain of the Eco-Power stadium, but spilled the rebound and needed the linesman’s whistle and Dez […]
In many ways, today was the biggest game of the season for Reading. I am mindful that I feel like I’ve been saying that a lot, but when you view this through the lens of the negativity that has emanated towards Leam Richardson after the Easter weekend’s failings, it was imperative that Reading served up […]
Form Doncaster Rovers secured promotion back to League One last season after finishing as League Two champions, four points clear of runners-up Port Vale. Promotion ended their three-year spell in the fourth tier, having been relegated from League One in 2022. They currently sit 17th in the table and could yet get drawn into the relegation battle, sitting four places […]
Reading suffered yet another late goal against Lincoln City on Monday. The two games over Easter should have been four points for the Royals, cementing their playoff hopes, but just one point being taken due to two 96th-minute goals is a massive sting in the teeth and ends the playoff run, in my opinion. However, […]
On reflection, the following article ended up more negative than I’d originally intended, so I had thought about spiking it (I typically prefer positive vibes, especially on the eve of a match!). That said, it’s an honest reflection of where I’m at right now, it helped me collect my somewhat disparate thoughts, I don’t think […]
Reading Women suffered another narrow cup defeat in their Combined Counties Cup quarter-final tie at Maidenhead United on Wednesday night, with the Magpies’ Katie Akerman scoring the only goal of the match to secure a 1-0 win at York Road. The United midfielder struck a fierce long-range effort in the 70th minute to earn the […]
The Easter schedule was probably the biggest weekend of football for Reading this calendar season, coming up against playoff-battling Huddersfield Town and a Lincoln City side romping its way to the title. Tough games, but ones where our playoff credentials could be tested. Picking up four points would have been the confidence-booster to show we […]
There’s not a huge amount I can say in this intro that hasn’t already been said on the Reading FC hashtag over the last day or so. It seems Monday afternoon was a bit of a breaking point for most. I need to be careful here, as I could very easily find my way down […]
The Royals concede late twice over Easter weekend and leave themselves with a lot to do to make the playoffs. Ben and Ross dissect the duo of games with fairness… and a little frustration. The mailbag leads the boys into a discussion of whether Kamari Doyle should return next season after his loan spell, and […]
There’s a photo somewhere of me at Elm Park as a mascot, grinning like I’d just signed for the club. I was eight at the time, so around 1987. I’ve attached it, mainly because if I don’t, this probably sounds like one of those stories that gets less believable every time it’s told. I’m 47 […]
The Royals conceded another last-minute goal to lose ground on the playoffs after a disappointing 2-1 defeat against Lincoln City at the SCL on Easter Monday. Lincoln scored within the first five minutes through Ryan Oné. Lewis Wing netted a rocket to make it 1-1 in the 92nd minute, but the Imps went on the […]