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 a team that achieves in this division, but a reluctance to utilise players in a system that plays to their strengths, a lack of plan B when things are not working, and ultimately the poor results after each and every
90 minutes played this season, were Hunt’s undoing.
While the sympathetic part of me doesn’t like to see managers lose their job (especially ones with an attachment to the club who stepped up when no one else would touch us), the realistic part of me shouts louder and reminds me that Hunt was paid handsomely to achieve results he didn’t achieve, with early-season objectives not being met, and 15 points from 14 games certainly not the target for late October.
Football is also one of the very few industries where you are still rewarded financially for being dismissed, and where you can be sacked from one job and find yourself quite quickly head-hunted for the next, so I am sure we will hear more of Hunt in the future and I wish him all the best.
Shortly after Hunt’s dismissal the club announced the appointment of 45-year-old Leam Richardson on a deal until the summer of 2027. The length of that contract maybe indicates it’s an appointment to get us promoted from League One rather than for a sustained period in the Championship, but I’m OK with that. It’s a sensible contract with a clear objective – something that has been sadly lacking in recent years.
The Millers fail
When Richardson was appointed, I must be honest and say I was initially underwhelmed, mainly because of my own ignorance to his previous career, and secondly because I hadn’t really had a chance to understand what an ideal Reading manager should look like.
I was aware Richardson had led Wigan Athletic to the League One title in 2022 and that he had a somewhat turbulent spell in charge of Rotherham United in 2023/24, winning just two of his 24 games in charge, but beyond that I did not know an awful lot about him.
So, while the spell in charge at Wigan ticks a lot of boxes in terms of League One know-how, I’m sure a lot of supporters will look at Richardson’s spell at Rotherham and think it a complete disaster, which on paper you could not disagree with.
However, Richardson took charge of Rotherham when they were bottom of the Championship. And if you believe reports, he had a team with some interesting, non-compliant dressing-room characters to say the least (which included ex-Royals Sean Morrison, Tyler Blackett and Andy Rinomhota, by the way) who were simply not up to, or not willing to fight for, the cause.
It should be noted that Richardson’s successor at Rotherham (a chap you may know called Steve Evans) also failed to galvanise the team following his appointment in 2024 – one of the few clubs Evans has failed to make an impact at or bring any sort of success to during his reign. This was despite Evans sealing back-to-back promotions as Rotherham manager between 2012 and 2014.
Now, I know I have digressed a bit from Richardson at this point, but stick with me because the next part is important.
When Evans was asked why his second spell in charge of Rotherham was not as successful as his first, he cited boardroom interference and players being brought to the club that he didn’t want and who didn’t suit his ethos of hard work and dedication.
It is these comments that maybe give an indication of what life was like for Richardson at Rotherham. Maybe he should not be judged too harshly on a spell at a club where the hierarchy seemingly believed they had the right to interfere with player and team selections.
Of course, all of this becomes insignificant if Richardson fails to achieve at Reading, but on the basis that his spell at Wigan saw great success in League One, and his previous assistant manager roles have also gone well, I am more than happy with his appointment and think it’s a sensible choice that could turn out to be an inspired one.
I have to say I was also very impressed with his first interview, in which he spoke intelligently about the need to work hard and define the roles of the squad, together with an acknowledgment that supporters pay a lot of money to attend matches, and they should therefore have the right to expect value for the money spent.
So, despite my initial less-than-excited reaction to Richardson’s appointment, the more I delve into his career and look at his experience in this division, the more I believe the owners have made the right call in appointing him and his coaching staff, who also look like solid appointments with the experience we’ve been craving.
Sensible rather than spectacular is how I would describe it, and after the mess we have made with managerial appointments over the last few years, I will take sensible rather than spectacular any day of the week. So good luck Leam, let’s hope you bring us the success we deserve.
This Saturday we move away from League One duties and welcome Carlisle United to the SCL in round one of the FA Cup, for what will be Richardson’s first game in charge.
It’s difficult to know whether we will look at a few changes for this one with a midweek game to follow, or select a strong side and give everyone a chance to impress, but whichever XI we pick I do think we will be too strong for Carlisle on this occasion, and comfortably put our name in the draw for round two.
Reading 2-0 Carlisle United
(O’Mahony, Lane)
4,577
Until next week, much love and c’mon URZZZ!
Dixey
