Reading FC blog run by fans, for fans.
We’re almost there, folks. Almost at the end. Not the polished, finished article we all hoped to see on the pitch – just the end of a season that looks exhausted, frayed and ready to be cast into the bin of disappointment. All any of us want now is for this sorry campaign to be […]
I’ll be completely honest with you, I really don’t know where to start with writing anything interesting on this game, an Absolute Nothing of a 90 minutes at Rotherham United, so this is going to be a bit of a rant. The best thing about the match, truth be told, is that the time added […]
Joel Pereira: 6 Had the ball kicked out of his hands by Rotherham’s forward in the 76th minute and won a free kick from this, after using his footwork and body well to cut out the danger from the forward sniffing at a chance on the left of Reading’s box. Quite literally I have no […]
Form Rotherham United finished 13th in League One last season in their first year back in the third tier, following relegation from the Championship in 2023/24. The Millers regularly yo-yo between the second and third tiers and have spent five years in each division in the last decade. However, they will start next season in the […]
The Royals come into this match from a difficult game against Cardiff City, with their fate now sealed: in League One again next season. However, a game against another team who have had their future decided is an easier run at the end of the season. Rotherham United have already been relegated to League Two, […]
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 […]