I am putting pen to paper (well actually I am not, quite clearly – I am on the keyboard in front of a computer, but hopefully you get the point) as I made the mistake of going on X recently. Having done
so, I think I may join Ross in not bothering again!
To put you in the picture, I am a 59-year-old season-ticket holder who has supported Reading since I was taken along to a 2-0 win against Newport County at Elm Park in the 1985/86 old 3rd Division season (the 12th game from the record-breaking 13-win start to a season).
Until then I had supported Arsenal, but as my local team (I used to live in Newbury before moving to the land of Ben’s fathers in 1989), I was hooked on Reading. (I still like Arsenal by the way, but support Reading.)
I say this not because it gives me greater knowledge or more brownie points than younger supporters, but what it does I think give me is a sense of perspective!
About half the X posts I saw were moaning about how bad this team is, that it’s the worst ever, and others – for gravitas – saying something like: “My dad says it is the worst ever.” All I can say to that is that your dad must have a very short memory then.
If you want to see a bad Reading team, try the 1986/87 season (made bearable by the Simod Cup win – still our only victory at Wembley) or 1997/98 if you like. For younger fans, 2022/23 was pretty horrific too with Ince Ball.
The last two games against Peterborough United and Bradford City have been pathetic from the team. There is no excuse for how they played. We all know – and have seen – they are far, far better than that, and they should hang their heads in shame.
However, two games do not make a season. Before those matches we had two wins and a draw in Leam Richardson’s tenure as manager. That is as ‘middle of the road’ as you can possibly be, of course. It’s not great, it’s not bad; it couldn’t be any more average. However, on X you already have some saying he should be sacked! You have got to be kidding!
These two matches have also not been our worst performances as many are ‘factually’ declaring. For me personally, that was Reading 0-4 Ipswich Town in 2018: utterly abject and devoid of any professionalism or pride whatsoever.
I really don’t know if Richardson is the answer, but he’s only had five games and a return of seven points from the possible 15 is fine by me. I would have liked more (15 would have been nice), but these are the players he has to work with, and instil his way into, and I personally am up for the journey.
Play like we did in the last two games and we will absolutely be relegated, and Richardson would then deserve to lose his job. Play like we did (especially in the first half) against Stevenage (which is where I was born, just for a throw-in fact), and we will be near the play-offs.
I really don’t know at the moment which way this season will go, as I personally think we have some really good players (Joel Pereira, Derrick Williams, Paudie O’Connor, Lewis Wing, Charlie Savage, Matt Ritchie and Jack Marriott would all get in most League One teams), yet the last couple of performances have been way less than the sum of the parts. However, that’s football. Indeed, that’s sport.
I watched Arsenal on Saturday evening, expecting them to destroy Wolverhampton Wanderers 5-0 or similar. In the end it took two Wolves own-goals to win the match for Arsenal, and I ended up feeling: a) relieved and b) very sorry for Wolves. It’s called football: it often doesn’t go as you expect or want. If it did, it would be boring.
The other thing that ‘the end of the world is nigh’ crowd tell us on X is: “What a (fill in word here) Rob Couhig is.” My fill-in word would be “gent”, I think.
This American who knows naff all about anything (apparently) is a multi-millionaire, hugely successful at most of the things he has done. We had five years of hell with the bloke from China that shall not be named, but many on X are saying this current owner is the worst ever.
I assume then they are 13 or under? I have no doubt that Couhig himself would not deny he has made mistakes since becoming chairman (I have found his interviews to be open and frank).
Yes, he over-sold us on the transfers he thought he was going to get, and probably either overstated the improvements to the SCL (or certainly the timeframe they would be done in), but on reflection (and reflection that took milliseconds), I would much rather have him in charge than the previous (insert another word here – which won’t be “gent”).
Who knows, we may go down (I don’t believe we will, but we might!), we might go up (ditto – do I put an exclamation mark here too?), or we may be also-rans (!?), but whatever, I am – and always will be – thankful that the team I have supported for 40 years is there to support, and that is down to Couhig and his merry men. So from me at least Rob, thank you, and can we get another striker please as Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan is definitely not one?
Whatever your feeling, I will also take this chance to wish all Royals a happy Christmas and a blessed 2026.
