The Royals have acted quickly to appoint a successor to Noel Hunt, who was relieved of his position as first-team manager following Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Doncaster Rovers. Say hello to Leam Richardson,
who’s agreed a deal until 2027. Danny Schofield and James Beattie have been appointed to his coaching team.
A couple of media reports were published on Monday claiming Richardson was the Royals’ favoured candidate. Owner Rob Couhig spoke about this topic the same day on The Hard Truth podcast, saying the club were already at the stage of sorting out a contract for the (at that point unnamed) new manager. On Tuesday morning, Sky Sports News reported a verbal agreement was in place.
Richardson, 45, was most recently in the dugout at Rotherham United, where he took charge of 24 games in the Millers’ 2023/24 ultimately unsuccessful Championship season. He won just twice, after being appointed in December 2023, before being sacked in April 2024.
He had much more success though during a couple of years at Wigan Athletic (2020 to 2022), which included 116 matches, a League One title and a third-tier manager of the season award (both of those last two coming in 2021/22).
Earlier on in his managerial career, Richardson had a spell in charge of Accrington Stanley between 2012 and 2013. He also worked alongside Paul Cook at Portsmouth, as assistant manager, including during Pompey’s promotion-winning 2016/17 campaign.
So, the long and the short of it? Reading are getting a manager with a decent amount of managerial and coaching experience in the Football League, with a mixed record in the dugout, but including one big selling point: his League One title with Wigan.
That season was no fluke. To take some headline League One stats, in 2021/22, Wigan were also top-scorers (82 goals) and joint-second-lowest for goals conceded (44).
He’s also capable of a more immediate impact at the other end of the table though. In a 2020/21 season dominated by the kind of off-field chaos all too familiar to Reading fans, Richardson ultimately managed to steer Wigan to League One survival, following a takeover in March 2021.
Richardson wrote at length about his time at Wigan in a piece for Coaches’ Voice, which you can read in full here.
For a more in-depth view on Richardson’s time as Latics boss from a fan’s perspective, this piece from Los Three Amigos is well worth a read. The article’s focus up top makes it clear just how good a character Richardson has:
“Leam Richardson is among the most-loved in the long line of Wigan Athletic managers since the club’s origins in 1932. When so many others fled a sinking ship, he stayed on and not only kept things afloat but did so with admirable dignity and positivity.”
On his tactical approach, LTA noted that “the long ball had always been a feature of Richardson’s football”, saying:
“For all of Richardson’s incredible talents in man-management, his success in League One, and his inspirational character traits as a human being and leader, his tactical approach has never been sophisticated.
“Even in League One, where Latics could overpower most opposition, there were struggles against ball-playing sides who played with flair and the ball on the ground. Effort, physicality, strength from set pieces defined his team in League One, and define his team in the Championship.”
Concerns over tactical approach, as well as a perceived lack of ambition in the appointment, mean Richardson’s impending arrival got a decidedly mixed reaction on Twitter. However, the most important thing here is that the board are fully confident in Richardson ticking all their boxes, and the speed of his appointment strongly suggests that’s the case.
It’s now over to Richardson. First step: impose his style onto the squad. Second: push Reading higher up the table and make this season as much of a success as possible. That’s easier said than done, but we’re all behind him.
Welcome to Reading, Leam!
