MATCHWATCH : Cardiff City (h)

[WestYorksRoyal]

The only positive of late is that we've stopped getting worse.

It just feels such and age since there was anything to get excited about. I know we've been on the fringes of the play-offs, but we never looked anything like a promotion-chasing side.

We've had flashes of fun times. I remember when Jose Gomes took over, we were 5 points from safety, we got some good loanees in and stayed up with a genuine feelgood factor. But that was definitely a false dawn. And then from the moment we won away at Wycombe under Selles to when he ultimately left were good times. And Paunovic's start I referred to. But these have all been fleeting, and particularly under Pauno and Selles you knew it could never last due to the situation of the club (and it didn't). The hope with these owners is if they can get it right, they can sustain it too.

I still think the missed opportunity was Dai fcuking around in the summer of 2024. Had the takeover gone through then, we'd have had Selles and the characters in the squad we liked such as Mbengue and Knibbs. That team was ready to get a few smart additions for depth and then be a genuinely good L1 side.

As it is, it all fell apart and Couhig et. al have a rebuild job instead.

[Clyde1998]

I've read all these comments and thought long and hard about our present position.

Whilst I am as frustrated as most about where we are on the pitch I think we need a reality check.

I can't tell you how much it gnarls me seeing our historical piers, Brentford, Bournemouth and Brighton all challenging for Europe but lest not forget we are fortunate to still have a Club.

It wasn't that long ago Bury was a permanent fixture for us. Lincoln were non-league. Coventry were homeless, bankrupt and a basket case. I could go on and on.

I don't actually think Richardson is the right man. But then again I don't think any of his 6 predecessors were either.

Everything these days is sadly contemporary and "I want it now".

We seem to have a safe, decent Owner. This is a massive fix for them and it will take time. Especially getting the right manager.

A lot of people here seem to think we have a divine right to be doing better and whilst I applaud the ambition, as an example, there are well over 20 current EFL Clubs (that DIDN'T nearly cease to exist) who have had previous Premier League membership in the past and are nowhere near regaining it.

I've been saying it for a while, people think we're a bigger club than we actually are.

Expectations have completely over blown, although that was not helped at all with the club's higher ups suggesting we'll improve on last season (ie. reach the play-offs).

There's absolutely no patience from the vocal section of our fanbase, nor any critical thinking as to attempt to understand why things aren't (or cannot) happen quickly.

I don't think expectations will reset properly going into next season either. There will be a big push to get into the play-offs, which will inevitably grow the second we start making signings.

I agree Richardson probably isn't the right manager, but he absolutely needs to be given an opportunity to get some players in which compliment each other and fit his ideal playing style.

I feel Hunt (who I maintain shouldn't've been sacked) and Richardson have both been trying to make the best of a poor summer transfer window in which it felt like we signed whoever was available, rather than signing players who'd fit a system. That to me is a factor as to why the football has been poor: the players don't work well together.

The January window was an improvement and hopefully that implies we've learned the lessons from last summer.

Realistically though, we currently have a mid-table League One squad and we're currently positioned mid-table in League One. Any expectations beyond that are completely overblown.

[nailseabiscuitman]

I've read all these comments and thought long and hard about our present position.

Whilst I am as frustrated as most about where we are on the pitch I think we need a reality check.

I can't tell you how much it gnarls me seeing our historical piers, Brentford, Bournemouth and Brighton all challenging for Europe but lest not forget we are fortunate to still have a Club.

It wasn't that long ago Bury was a permanent fixture for us. Lincoln were non-league. Coventry were homeless, bankrupt and a basket case. I could go on and on.

I don't actually think Richardson is the right man. But then again I don't think any of his 6 predecessors were either.

Everything these days is sadly contemporary and "I want it now".

We seem to have a safe, decent Owner. This is a massive fix for them and it will take time. Especially getting the right manager.

A lot of people here seem to think we have a divine right to be doing better and whilst I applaud the ambition, as an example, there are well over 20 current EFL Clubs (that DIDN'T nearly cease to exist) who have had previous Premier League membership in the past and are nowhere near regaining it.

I've been saying it for a while, people think we're a bigger club than we actually are.

Expectations have completely over blown, although that was not helped at all with the club's higher ups suggesting we'll improve on last season (ie. reach the play-offs).

There's absolutely no patience from the vocal section of our fanbase, nor any critical thinking as to attempt to understand why things aren't (or cannot) happen quickly.

I don't think expectations will reset properly going into next season either. There will be a big push to get into the play-offs, which will inevitably grow the second we start making signings.

I agree Richardson probably isn't the right manager, but he absolutely needs to be given an opportunity to get some players in which compliment each other and fit his ideal playing style.

I feel Hunt (who I maintain shouldn't've been sacked) and Richardson have both been trying to make the best of a poor summer transfer window in which it felt like we signed whoever was available, rather than signing players who'd fit a system. That to me is a factor as to why the football has been poor: the players don't work well together.

The January window was an improvement and hopefully that implies we've learned the lessons from last summer.

Realistically though, we currently have a mid-table League One squad and we're currently positioned mid-table in League One. Any expectations beyond that are completely overblown.

Nice to see some considered views on here rather than the entitled views of what appears to be a very vocal minority, not a small minority granted but the ever increasing use of Twitter has magnified these opinions. It probably stems from a lot of support garnered from our climb to the Premiership which gave a distorted view of our standing. Older supporters have memories of similar struggles, Branfoot, Porterfield and even Roy Bentley. I can only say I fully enjoyed a whole season which was under Jack Mansells tenure. But of course there was no social media to air our frustrations, just conversations in the pubs and so on. Then came the Madejski era, transforming the whole outlook but even in that era some difficult watches, 3 successive 3-0 defeats for Sir Steve for example. But at that point there still didn't appear to be the witch hunt that Richardson appears to have attracted. I'm not saying he would have been my choice, early heard of him but one thing I think you can say about Couhig is that he's no fool so he wouldn't have been appointed just because he was a mate of Jacobson. So perhaps give Richardson the chance to get players he wants this summer and see how it goes. After all there are 3 others in the coaching team, all very experienced and pretty sure they know more about football than someone like Brogue.

[Stranded]

I've read all these comments and thought long and hard about our present position.

Whilst I am as frustrated as most about where we are on the pitch I think we need a reality check.

I can't tell you how much it gnarls me seeing our historical piers, Brentford, Bournemouth and Brighton all challenging for Europe but lest not forget we are fortunate to still have a Club.

It wasn't that long ago Bury was a permanent fixture for us. Lincoln were non-league. Coventry were homeless, bankrupt and a basket case. I could go on and on.

I don't actually think Richardson is the right man. But then again I don't think any of his 6 predecessors were either.

Everything these days is sadly contemporary and "I want it now".

We seem to have a safe, decent Owner. This is a massive fix for them and it will take time. Especially getting the right manager.

A lot of people here seem to think we have a divine right to be doing better and whilst I applaud the ambition, as an example, there are well over 20 current EFL Clubs (that DIDN'T nearly cease to exist) who have had previous Premier League membership in the past and are nowhere near regaining it.

I've been saying it for a while, people think we're a bigger club than we actually are.

Expectations have completely over blown, although that was not helped at all with the club's higher ups suggesting we'll improve on last season (ie. reach the play-offs).

There's absolutely no patience from the vocal section of our fanbase, nor any critical thinking as to attempt to understand why things aren't (or cannot) happen quickly.

I don't think expectations will reset properly going into next season either. There will be a big push to get into the play-offs, which will inevitably grow the second we start making signings.

I agree Richardson probably isn't the right manager, but he absolutely needs to be given an opportunity to get some players in which compliment each other and fit his ideal playing style.

I feel Hunt (who I maintain shouldn't've been sacked) and Richardson have both been trying to make the best of a poor summer transfer window in which it felt like we signed whoever was available, rather than signing players who'd fit a system. That to me is a factor as to why the football has been poor: the players don't work well together.

The January window was an improvement and hopefully that implies we've learned the lessons from last summer.

Realistically though, we currently have a mid-table League One squad and we're currently positioned mid-table in League One. Any expectations beyond that are completely overblown.

I think your opening line is a result of the fact that for any Reading fan under the age of 30-35 will have grown up only watching Reading play in the top 2 divisions. Someone born in 1990 for example, will likely only really have memories of watching Reading at the SCL - and from 2002/03 through to 2013/14 had 12 seasons where the club never finished lower than 9th in the Championship - so an "established" Top 30 club in England.

So again if born in 1990 - between the ages of 12 and 24 you will have seen the club be successful at the top end of English football. Even in the clusterfuck of the past 12 years we still had a couple of seasons where promotion back to the PL could have happened.

So the view of the size of the club will definitely be defined by your age and experience - for those of us in our 40s or beyond - we know we are/were a smaller club who built something great but for those say 35 or younger, they will be more inclined to see us as a "bigger" club who are only where we are due to rank mismanagement.

Therefore, I'm not surprised that the overriding angle on social media is an over-expectation, as it isn't really seen as such in a lot of the fan base as they just want/expect Reading to be playing at the level they have always seen Reading as being part of i.e. a Top 10 Championship side with occasional visits to the PL.

[MR. CYNICAL]

I've read all these comments and thought long and hard about our present position.

Whilst I am as frustrated as most about where we are on the pitch I think we need a reality check.

I can't tell you how much it gnarls me seeing our historical piers, Brentford, Bournemouth and Brighton all challenging for Europe but lest not forget we are fortunate to still have a Club.

It wasn't that long ago Bury was a permanent fixture for us. Lincoln were non-league. Coventry were homeless, bankrupt and a basket case. I could go on and on.

I don't actually think Richardson is the right man. But then again I don't think any of his 6 predecessors were either.

Everything these days is sadly contemporary and "I want it now".

We seem to have a safe, decent Owner. This is a massive fix for them and it will take time. Especially getting the right manager.

A lot of people here seem to think we have a divine right to be doing better and whilst I applaud the ambition, as an example, there are well over 20 current EFL Clubs (that DIDN'T nearly cease to exist) who have had previous Premier League membership in the past and are nowhere near regaining it.

I've been saying it for a while, people think we're a bigger club than we actually are.

Expectations have completely over blown, although that was not helped at all with the club's higher ups suggesting we'll improve on last season (ie. reach the play-offs).

There's absolutely no patience from the vocal section of our fanbase, nor any critical thinking as to attempt to understand why things aren't (or cannot) happen quickly.

I don't think expectations will reset properly going into next season either. There will be a big push to get into the play-offs, which will inevitably grow the second we start making signings.

I agree Richardson probably isn't the right manager, but he absolutely needs to be given an opportunity to get some players in which compliment each other and fit his ideal playing style.

I feel Hunt (who I maintain shouldn't've been sacked) and Richardson have both been trying to make the best of a poor summer transfer window in which it felt like we signed whoever was available, rather than signing players who'd fit a system. That to me is a factor as to why the football has been poor: the players don't work well together.

The January window was an improvement and hopefully that implies we've learned the lessons from last summer.

Realistically though, we currently have a mid-table League One squad and we're currently positioned mid-table in League One. Any expectations beyond that are completely overblown.

Nice to see some considered views on here rather than the entitled views of what appears to be a very vocal minority, not a small minority granted but the ever increasing use of Twitter has magnified these opinions. It probably stems from a lot of support garnered from our climb to the Premiership which gave a distorted view of our standing. Older supporters have memories of similar struggles, Branfoot, Porterfield and even Roy Bentley. I can only say I fully enjoyed a whole season which was under Jack Mansells tenure. But of course there was no social media to air our frustrations, just conversations in the pubs and so on. Then came the Madejski era, transforming the whole outlook but even in that era some difficult watches, 3 successive 3-0 defeats for Sir Steve for example. But at that point there still didn't appear to be the witch hunt that Richardson appears to have attracted. I'm not saying he would have been my choice, early heard of him but one thing I think you can say about Couhig is that he's no fool so he wouldn't have been appointed just because he was a mate of Jacobson. So perhaps give Richardson the chance to get players he wants this summer and see how it goes. After all there are 3 others in the coaching team, all very experienced and pretty sure they know more about football than someone like Brogue.

Don't think it's just the younger fans, we've probably all been spoilt having been in the top 2 leagues for over 20 years or so, fans like myself who have been watching RFC for over 50 years have seen some dark times having watched us in all four divisions. Just been thinking back to the proposed merger when Maxwell tried to take over, thought we were going to lose our club then, remember even now driving home after that Gillingham game hearing it announced on the radio, was utterly shocked!
For me, relegation from the Championship was a big deal, made even harder to take because of the points deductions which sealed our fate. Always felt it would of been easier to stay up rather get promoted back up and indeed that looks the case.

[Brogue]

I don’t think it’s unreasonable to think the club is a championship level club. Yes people can say we have come from humble beginnings and historically we have been a small club. Doesn’t mean you can’t move up the ranks. We’ve been a championship side for a generation.

If a working class person betters themselves moves into a middle class lifestyle and they have children. The children are now middle class. They don’t always stay working class.

By this logic Brighton aren’t an established premier league team. They are a league two side because that’s where they’ve been for a number of years.

[Armadillo Roadkill]

I think it's the feeling that because we were an established Championship team we have a right to be one and that this will never change. That our fortunes are mystically determined by previous experience.

Look at the likes of Coventry - from playing their home games in Northampton to the Premier League. You see "big" clubs drop down from their once elevated status and it can take years -even a generation - for them to recover. Leicster in league 1. Portsmouth in League 2. Bolton stuck here for season after season. Luton in non-league.

Being established at a level doesn't mean you stay there - the footballing gods and the whims of sh1t owners are too determinant for that.

[Brogue]

I think it's the feeling that because we were an established Championship team we have a right to be one and that this will never change. That our fortunes are mystically determined by previous experience.

Look at the likes of Coventry - from playing their home games in Northampton to the Premier League. You see "big" clubs drop down from their once elevated status and it can take years -even a generation - for them to recover. Leicster in league 1. Portsmouth in League 2. Bolton stuck here for season after season. Luton in non-league.

Being established at a level doesn't mean you stay there - the footballing gods and the whims of sh1t owners are too determinant for that.

i think there is a difference between thinking we have a 'right' to be there, and being dissapointed we are not. I certainly dont belive we have 'a right' but i believe we 'should' be, given our infrastructure.

Do many people really think we have a right to be there? i dont think i've ever seen anyone say we have 'a right' to be in the chump. it's kinda a false narrative

[Armadillo Roadkill]

You may well not be one of them, but I do detect a sense of entitlement, based upon twenty years of success, amongst some of the fan base.

Football is a weird thing. Lincoln's remarkable success is a bit of an outlier, because league positions can largely be correlated to budgets. Not on a season-per-season basis, but over the longer period.

As such, we were a big fish in a small pond back in the Pardew era, then astutely led to Championship stability, then all the stars aligned and we ascended to the top flight. The money from that kept us in and around the top end of the Championship until Dai's disastrous stewardship of the club dumped us back into League 1. I know this is to oversimplify, but when viewed from a distance, it seems like a reasonable account.

Much as I am genuinely delighted about Spurs getting relegated, if it should happen, their money probably means it will be a temporary, albeit hilarious and well deserved, blip.

But us? Poor crowds, disgruntled minorities, reduced budgets. I think we're a solidly League 1 club. We won't be buying our way out of this league. It will probably take wise owners getting lucky.

[Brogue]

You may well not be one of them, but I do detect a sense of entitlement, based upon twenty years of success, amongst some of the fan base.

Football is a weird thing. Lincoln's remarkable success is a bit of an outlier, because league positions can largely be correlated to budgets. Not on a season-per-season basis, but over the longer period.

As such, we were a big fish in a small pond back in the Pardew era, then astutely led to Championship stability, then all the stars aligned and we ascended to the top flight. The money from that kept us in and around the top end of the Championship until Dai's disastrous stewardship of the club dumped us back into League 1. I know this is to oversimplify, but when viewed from a distance, it seems like a reasonable account.

Much as I am genuinely delighted about Spurs getting relegated, if it should happen, their money probably means it will be a temporary, albeit hilarious and well deserved, blip.

But us? Poor crowds, disgruntled minorities, reduced budgets. I think we're a solidly League 1 club. We won't be buying our way out of this league. It will probably take wise owners getting lucky.

yes when i look at the champ table, who are we actually bigger than? only team i could genuinely say we are bigger than is Oxford, and not just becuase we are rivals, we genuinely are a bigger club than them.Every other team you could make an argument for being of similar/ bigger club than us. So for any fan to suggest we have a right to be there is just deluded.

[West F]

The club has changed. The perception of the club has changed. As soon as you accept the current position as the norm, it becomes such. You have to aspire to something greater than reality in order to grow and move forwards. We are a championship club with a league one team. It is up to the owners and the manager to change one of, or either both of those two things.

[RoyalBlue]

You may well not be one of them, but I do detect a sense of entitlement, based upon twenty years of success, amongst some of the fan base.

Football is a weird thing. Lincoln's remarkable success is a bit of an outlier, because league positions can largely be correlated to budgets. Not on a season-per-season basis, but over the longer period.

As such, we were a big fish in a small pond back in the Pardew era, then astutely led to Championship stability, then all the stars aligned and we ascended to the top flight. The money from that kept us in and around the top end of the Championship until Dai's disastrous stewardship of the club dumped us back into League 1. I know this is to oversimplify, but when viewed from a distance, it seems like a reasonable account.

Much as I am genuinely delighted about Spurs getting relegated, if it should happen, their money probably means it will be a temporary, albeit hilarious and well deserved, blip.

But us? Poor crowds, disgruntled minorities, reduced budgets. I think we're a solidly League 1 club. We won't be buying our way out of this league. It will probably take wise owners getting lucky.

yes when i look at the champ table, who are we actually bigger than? only team i could genuinely say we are bigger than is Oxford, and not just becuase we are rivals, we genuinely are a bigger club than them.Every other team you could make an argument for being of similar/ bigger club than us. So for any fan to suggest we have a right to be there is just deluded.

I think it depends on what criteria you use and the weighting on them. Take into account our facilities (particularly Bearwood) and academy and I would suggest there's a fair number more that we would rank above.

Not that any of that should create an entitlement, more an expectation.

[katweslowski]

rather than the entitled view

Can we please, for the love of oxf*rd God, stop this oxf*rd stupid label of being "entitled" - as if fans of this club are unreasonable to want more.

We've had years of decline, years of complete shit, years of bad ownership and now have a chance to rebuild.

Fans are NOT entitled to want more, to want a better team, to expect more. Many of us have gone for years, through these dire times and long before. I don't feel it's worth my time and continually, every season I say I'm not sure I'll bother. But I do, because I always get caught up in the hope, the new signings, the ambition.

So it's not entitlement, it's the fact this club is capable of so much more

[West F]

rather than the entitled view

Can we please, for the love of oxf*rd God, stop this oxf*rd stupid label of being "entitled" - as if fans of this club are unreasonable to want more.

We've had years of decline, years of complete shit, years of bad ownership and now have a chance to rebuild.

Fans are NOT entitled to want more, to want a better team, to expect more. Many of us have gone for years, through these dire times and long before. I don't feel it's worth my time and continually, every season I say I'm not sure I'll bother. But I do, because I always get caught up in the hope, the new signings, the ambition.

So it's not entitlement, it's the fact this club is capable of so much more

In a nutshell. It is fair to hold the manager and owner up to criticism when things are not going well. This is Richardson’s biggest job to date in his career, and he knows it. He, along with his staff are probably still pinching themselves over where they have ended up. This is his opportunity to prove himself as a manager capable of being at the helm of a club who have an expectation placed on them not only by their fans, but by the fans of other clubs who see us for what we are, not what we were.
I actually felt sorry for him in his post match interview. He sounds like a manager under pressure and used it as an opportunity to plead for more time. He is to blame for the poor end to the season. He decided to introduce a pre-season fitness regime in training when he came in. Telling the players they were neither good enough or fit enough to compete at the top of this league. The end result was a team who had burned their way through their physical and mental energy, to the point where the tanks were dry a couple of months before they should have been.
He may have felt this was necessary to pull us out of any relegation risk. But, i have not seen any development in the team since he took over. He has done what he has always done, made us dogged and determined defensively, in the hope that we can nick a goal and hang on.
He gets the summer and the early part of next season to show some sort of development and growth. If he doesn’t, then the three or four years he says he needs will be at a different club.
Maybe one with a smaller chair and office.

[Royal Rother]

I agree Richardson probably isn't the right manager, but he absolutely needs to be given an opportunity to get some players in which compliment each other and fit his ideal playing style.

This, oft stated, viewpoint honestly baffles me a bit.

I don't like the revolving door, but it just seems illogical to me to say you think he's not the right manager, and then want the club to spend more money to, in all likelihood, prove you are right.

[stealthpapes]

I actually felt sorry for him in his post match interview. He sounds like a manager under pressure and used it as an opportunity to plead for more time. He is to blame for the poor end to the season. He decided to introduce a pre-season fitness regime in training when he came in. Telling the players they were neither good enough or fit enough to compete at the top of this league. The end result was a team who had burned their way through their physical and mental energy, to the point where the tanks were dry a couple of months before they should have been.
He may have felt this was necessary to pull us out of any relegation risk. But, i have not seen any development in the team since he took over.

Except for the significantly better results, better defensive stats and more goals scored, just what did Leam achieve this season?

But the key bit is in bold, right. This happens to almost every team over a 46 game season. It's why you have a squad, so you can rotate players who are starting to burn out, or could suffer over-use injuries. It's why you don't put in place high intensity fitness mid-season, as that burns you out some more. Some times, the atmosphere carries you over the line. That Huddersfield goal just did for us, like the stuffing got knocked out.

While we were not in any serious risk of relegation - although a vocal minority really did seem to think at the time we were - he's dragged us to the edges of play offs. I don't know how you can't recognise that.

Oh, and what ever else has been said about it taking time to turn the ship around. Yeah. That.

[WestYorksRoyal]

One of the most smug, pretentious comments is that fans are "entitled' for wanting their team to do well.

Supporting the club used to be fun. For the past 10 years it hasn't been, but I've stuck with it. I would like it to be fun again.

Now of course I recognise it doesn't happen overnight and we need to be patient, but if fans aren't convinced that this ownership and management can deliver it, does it really make them "entitled" to voice that?

[Dirk Gently]

rather than the entitled view

Can we please, for the love of oxf*rd God, stop this oxf*rd stupid label of being "entitled" - as if fans of this club are unreasonable to want more.

We've had years of decline, years of complete shit, years of bad ownership and now have a chance to rebuild.

Fans are NOT entitled to want more, to want a better team, to expect more. Many of us have gone for years, through these dire times and long before. I don't feel it's worth my time and continually, every season I say I'm not sure I'll bother. But I do, because I always get caught up in the hope, the new signings, the ambition.

So it's not entitlement, it's the fact this club is capable of so much more

It's a simple equation when a company offers you a service. If you think it's good and worth the money - and provides you the entertainment you want - you carry on giving them your money. If not, you walk away.

RE the Twitter noise, it may also be that, in the main, the more sensible, realistic and measured people have tended to migrate away from Twitter over the past few years. So those left there have become, on average, more excitable and outspoken than the average users of a few years ago.

[tidus_mi2]

At this point I'd be happy with actually looking like a top League One side, I don't think that's too unrealistic.

[katweslowski]

It's a simple equation when a company offers you a service. If you think it's good and worth the money - and provides you the entertainment you want - you carry on giving them your money. If not, you walk away.

I think that's a very logical point - but with football (and maybe other sports), there is a real emotional tie as well. It's not like we're going to the same restaurant each week and complaining about poor food.

Over the last few years, I've continued to debate whether to get a season ticket. I do so, reluctantly, as I don't want to miss out, I feel almost obliged to go, I want to be there for the big season where it finally clicks (still waiting!), and want to support the team and club.