Pre-season is an oddity that every fan treats differently. Some love the chaos of the transfer window, some travel to the friendlies to catch a glimpse of what the new season has to offer and others completely switch off from it all.
While still trying to keep an eye on friendly scores and transfer rumours when I can, I tend to fall firmly into the latter of those categories. Particularly after the way last season petered out pretty pathetically, and the handy distraction of a World Cup to boot, I’ve
had a healthy chunk of time not thinking about Reading. And, I’m not going to lie, it’s been rather nice.
However, the 3-0 win at Charlton Athletic started getting those juices really flowing once again. And even from the relatively far-away perspective in which I’ve positioned myself over the summer months, I can comfortably say it’s objectively been an extremely productive and progressive pre-season.
Here’s a round-up of my thoughts and musings on Leam Richardson, how the squad’s currently looking and what that all means for the new season.
Richardson’s redemption arc
I remember walking out of the Keepmoat Stadium in April, having just seen the Royals lose to Doncaster Rovers 1-0, putting in a performance worthy of a Laurel and Hardy sketch in the process. It was abysmally bad, and it didn’t get much better between then and the end of the season.
Regardless of owner backing or promises that have been made behind the scenes, it can get to a point of such toxicity that there is no coming back for a manager. I’m sure I’m not alone in this, but I was adamant that Richardson had reached that point, and then some. I genuinely can’t remember this fanbase being so unanimously against a manager as we were by the end of last season.
So, for Richardson to even be in the job now is an achievement in itself, but for him to have genuinely clawed back a fair amount of credit into the bank with the pre-season performances and signings is something else entirely.
They say time is the best healer, and I’m sure that has definitely played a part, but there have also been clear signs of progress on the pitch, for which Richardson deserves praise.
I made a quip to Sim recently that, compared to what we were subjected to during the run-in last season, pretty much anything would’ve been an improvement. But, all jokes aside, there are genuine signs that this team is going to be more proactive, attacking and confident moving into the season, which is really all we ever really wanted.
It should still be said though that fans have long memories. While Richardson is in a much healthier place with the fans than he was this time three months ago, he still needs to make a strong start. Rightly or wrongly, I don’t imagine it taking more than two or three losses on the bounce before the pressure starts ramping up again.
I haven’t been to any of the friendlies, so I’m genuinely excited to watch this new-look team in action. However, Richardson is still in a precarious position. While the general vibes around the club are a lot, lot stronger than they have been, the proof of true progress will be in the proverbial pudding.
More square pegs in square holes
The transfer window is a cruel mistress, full of complexities and nuances that I don’t think any fan watching on from the outside will ever be able to truly understand.
The amount of game-playing, politics, negotiations and back-and-forth clubs and players have to go through must be knackering, and Reading will not be immune to that. However, it can also be said that our squad could – and perhaps should – look a lot stronger and deeper than it currently does.
That’s not to say the business we’ve done so far hasn’t been impressive, mind you. Kyreece Lisbie, Udoka Godwin-Malife, Jacob Brown and Josh Stokes are four really solid additions who should all make a real impact on the first team this season. And that’s not even mentioning the resigning of Andy Rinomhota, who I think we’re all hoping has a much bigger part to play this season.
The fact we kept our cool in January and returned in the summer to snatch up Lisbie is particularly impressive, and the under-the-radar signings of Godwin-Malife and Brown are signs of a club doing its business professionally.
For me though, the biggest takeaway is that this is starting to look like the kind of team Richardson has banged on about wanting for months: direct wingers, a solid back line and energy at the top of the pitch.
Thankfully, the days of Charlie Savage playing as a number 10 and Ryan Nyambe at right-wing-back seem to be gone. We’re starting to get square pegs in square holes, which means a more balanced, rounded squad.
It’s pretty clear to us all though, Richardson included, that we still need more bodies through the door. Long Kelvin’s departure hopefully means we’ve now got a bit of a kitty to play with, and reinforcements are needed up top, at centre-back and in midfield.
Things don’t happen overnight in the transfer window – it takes time to get players that add true value and strength – but time is ticking.
The kids might be alright
There were a lot of things thrown at Richardson last season, some being more than fair criticism, some a tad over the top.
However, one thing many of us agreed on was that his seeming refusal to trust any of the academy players was a huge worry. I don’t need to tell you that this club is one that prides itself on its ability to nurture and churn out very good youngsters (one of whom had a particularly decent summer for France in the World Cup).
It’s almost an unwritten rule that academy players need to at least be given a chance at Reading. When a manager refuses to do that, it rankles.
Regardless of whether his hand has been forced by inactivity in the transfer window, Richardson has given plenty of opportunities to some youngsters during pre-season, and a few of them have grabbed it with both hands.
Boyd Beacroft capped off an impressive few weeks with a goal from his own half against Crawley Town, Emmanuel Osho has looked more than capable and Ashqar Ahmed seems to be once again the promising talent we saw a glimpse of at the start of last season, just to name a few.
Whether this opportunity continues into the proper season remains to be seen, but if the last few weeks are anything to by, we’ll hopefully see a fresh crop of academy players make a real impact on the first team in the coming months.
Ah, here we go again
It’s the start of August and the new-season jitters and excitement have really started to take a hold of me. You must really love something if your last true experience of it was that loss to Blackpool on the last day but you’re still excited to get back to it. Or clinically mad. Either or.
Like I said, it’s been an objectively good pre-season. Our only loss came at the hands of La Liga’s Getafe, we’ve kept multiple clean sheets and the team’s playing more direct, positive football on the front foot.
If you’d asked me on the walk back to my car after the Blackpool game what position I thought the club would be in one week out from the start of next season, my answer would’ve been a lot more depressing than the reality that has occurred.
We’re three days out from the Bromley game on Saturday and, I’ll be straight with you, I can’t f****** wait.
We’ve driven down this road before, and more often than not it always ends in tears, but that will never stop us getting back in the passenger seat every August and buckling in for another ride.
