Here we are again, the end of another season that will ultimately end in League One consolidation rather than celebration, and we are all left pondering what might have been.
It was only four weeks ago that Reading sat firmly in the playoff picture, looking to extend a 46-game season to 48 or even 49 matches, but now the players are on the beach (which is ironic given Saturday’s opponents) and we look set to finish anywhere between ninth and 12th.
That’s respectable in many people’s eyes, until you
look at the teams which will/could finish above us and you suddenly realise that respectable becomes disappointing. So who is responsible?
The manager
Let’s start with the obvious in Leam Richardson, a man who finds it impossible to admit his own shortcomings and is seemingly unable to take accountability for anything that goes wrong. I’m convinced that, if Richardson broke wind in an empty lift, he would look round to see who did it.
When Richardson arrived, we were promised (yes, he did promise) open, expansive, front-foot football, so there was every reason to feel somewhat excited about his arrival, and let’s not forget that he was apparently top of everyone’s most wanted list.
Apart from Blackpool away (again ironic, given Saturday’s opponents) early in Richardson’s tenure, I cannot think of one other game that has seen us play open, expansive, front-foot football.
Over the last few weeks I have taken the opportunity to look at some of Wigan Athletic’s match reports and supporter comments from their title-winning season in 2021/22, and bizarrely I am unable to find any that refer to Wigan playing open, expansive, front-foot football. In fact, most of the comments are quite the opposite.
As an example, we have “well we won but it wasn’t pretty”, “I guess that’s what they mean by winning ugly” and my personal favourite, “Wigan’s long-ball approach became a battle with the conditions rather than the opposition”. All of which begs the question: where did the idea of playing of playing open, expansive, front-foot football even come from?
As well as having a problem with Richardson’s boring and lifeless style of play, I cannot find anything that backs up his football philosophy and how the game should be played.
I will be brutally honest and say that I think Saturday should be Richardson’s last in charge of this club, due to his style of play, his lack of accountability, his apathy towards the supporters and this club in general, and his inability to get the best out of players who have clearly shown something at this and other clubs – and that’s without our final league placing and points total, both of which will be lower than last season under Noel Hunt.
While the comparison with last season may seem somewhat unfair given Richardson’s arrival in October and no summer transfer window to operate in, he has however had a January window that saw him bring in two old mates and a winger from Aston Villa who doesn’t fit into a long-ball system, so my sympathy levels are on a par with Richardson’s approval rating: very low.
That’s without even mentioning the rumoured dressing-room chaos and players’ apparent lack of respect for someone whose tactics seem limited to ‘pass the ball around in our own half before lumping it forward aimlessly’. Even if Richardson is given time to assemble a squad of his own players, I wouldn’t trust him to recruit anyone other than players who previously played for Wigan or Rotherham United.
The owners
While Richardson takes most of the blame, the owners need to shoulder some responsibility for a manager-recruitment process that apparently involved comparing lists of names to see who came out on top.
I am sure (or at least I hope) that the process was a lot more extensive and researched than just a list of names, but the way it has been portrayed seems amateurish to say the least, and certainly not what would be expected of successful and experienced business owners.
There is certainly a lot to be thankful for as far as the owners are concerned, and I do honestly think they have the best interest of supporters at heart. Upgrades to the stadium and its facilities are very welcome, as is the apparent improvement in catering facilities to enhance the matchday experience, together with pre-match entertainment, including the famous firework displays.
However, I can’t help but feeling the owners are seriously missing the point of owning a football club and keeping supporters engaged. Everything mentioned is welcome but not essential – what is essential is providing a product on the pitch that people enjoy watching and therefore want to return to week after week.
Without the main source of entertainment for many supporters, you are seriously risking everything else in your business model, as bums on seats pay bills and receipts!
The squad
Finally, the players, who are certainly not without blame for our end-of-season positioning, although (maybe controversially) I do have some sympathy with them.
Part of me wants to remind myself that they get paid handsomely for doing a job many of us can only dream of doing, yet another part of me can see many of them are totally disengaged with what the manager is trying to achieve and his methods for doing so.
I simply refuse to believe that players who have previously shown their ability to deliver at this level can suddenly become bad players overnight. Players are triggered by clear instruction and positive direction, yet this seems to be sadly lacking and needs to be addressed immediately, as quickly as possible after Saturday’s game as far as I’m concerned.
On Saturday our final game of the season sees us take on Ian Evatt’s Blackpool at the SCL. Blackpool themselves will be disappointed with a mid-table finish and will hope to build on some impressive recent results that have seem them move away from the lower end of the table.
As with most ‘nothing to play for’ games I expect this to be open (although not open, expansive and front-footed) and can see a few goals.
Reading 3-2 Blackpool
(Wing, O’Connor, Kyerewaa / Taylor, Bloxham)
Until next time. Much love and c’mon URZZZ!
Dixey
