Reading FC blog run by fans, for fans.
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 – […]
2 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 […]
2 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 […]
2 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 […]
2 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, […]
2 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 […]
2 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 […]
2 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 […]
2 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 […]
2 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, […]
2 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 […]
2 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 […]
3 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 […]
3 months ago | 1 read
Reading Women bounced back from their midweek Berks & Bucks Cup defeat to Ascot United with a 2-1 league victory over Sholing on Sunday, to climb to fourth place in the table. Goals from Keren Banduka and Nat Cowell either side of half-time put the Royals into a comfortable lead before Ella Wilson grabbed one […]
3 months ago | 1 read
After two home matches that lead to four points but poor performances, Noel Hunt has been removed as Reading manager. Ben and Ross pick out what did for Noel in the end, and debate the true level of the squad. The boys round up the likely managerial candidates and discuss what they want out of […]
3 months ago | 0 reads
I really, really wanted it to work out for Noel Hunt. In the end though, it just wouldn’t. On Sunday afternoon, his second spell in the Reading dugout finally came to an end. Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Doncaster Rovers was hardly the worst result of the Royals’ season so far, but it was an all-too-familiar […]
3 months ago | 1 read
The Royals picked up another point but looked tired in their 1-1 draw against Doncaster Rovers at the SCL Stadium on Saturday. Ex-Reading striker Billy Sharp gave the visitors the lead in the second half before Kamari Doyle equalised to share the points. The point leaves us two points clear of the relegation zone in […]
3 months ago | 1 read
I don’t really know where to begin with this report, so here’s the abridged version of how this afternoon went/made me feel: And to be honest, I’d much prefer to be able to write about The Fall of Rome and the End of Civilization by Bryan Ward-Perkins or Powers and Thrones by Dan Jones than […]
3 months ago | 0 reads
Jack Stevens: 6 An erratic but mostly effective performance. Had a shaky moment early on when he palmed a cross back down into a danger zone, but was able to clean it up. Made a really great save when Doncaster Rovers worked the ball into Reading’s box just before the break, sliding down to stop […]
3 months ago | 1 read
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 are currently smack bang in the middle of the table, sitting 12th in the […]
3 months ago | 1 read
The Royals finally managed a win on Tuesday, beating Northampton Town in the 65th minute… again, with the goalscorer being Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan… again. A very weird turn of events that was. To have the same scoreline as the 2023/24 fixture, the same scorer and in the same minute, very weird. Doncaster Rovers started the season […]
3 months ago | 1 read
Our win against Northampton Town on Tuesday evening came just three days after a disappointing loss at Cardiff City, and I say disappointing because I still believe that, if you are 1-0 ahead at half-time, you need to be securing a point at the very least, against any team in this division. While the Cardiff […]
3 months ago | 0 reads
Reading Women exited the Berks & Bucks Cup after a close match saw them finish on the wrong end of a 1-0 scoreline against Ascot United at the Racecourse Ground on Tuesday night. A clinical finish from Ascot’s Kate Fox in the 14th minute, a stunning top-corner save from Reading goalkeeper Lilly Hadrava in the […]
3 months ago | 1 read
The Royals picked up an important three points with a 1-0 victory against Northampton Town at the SCL Stadium on Tuesday night. Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan scored the only goal of the game in the second half to take us out of the relegation zone and move up to 16th. Here is what manager Noel Hunt had […]
3 months ago | 1 read
Jack Stevens: 6 Found the ball far away from his goal for most of the early stages. Made a good catch and a poor clearance with his first two major interventions of the first half. Bravely dove at the feet of the onrushing Northampton attacker to make an excellent save in the 25th minute. Alert […]
3 months ago | 1 read