Selles Speaks After Latest Reading Points Deduction

01 March 2024
By Hob Nob Anyone?

As Reading FC fans will know, a few days ago we were again punished with a two point deduction over Dai Yongge's failure to fund the club appropriately so that we could pay the outstanding HMRC bill that we faced.

This is not the first time we have been punished for the actions of our want away and open to a sale owner, and the two point sanction was our third deduction of the season - but in some ways we did get slightly lucky as a further two point deduction was suspended even though the English Football League had given us 80 days to settle the debt.

KickForm Predictions would have likely informed people that this deadline would again not be met, based on absolutely nothing more than educated odds based on a pattern of prior behaviour.

Our third deduction of the year means that we are now only three points clear of the drop zone, with eleven matches left to play in the campaign and sadly for us both Cheltenham Town and Port Vale each have three games in hand on us.

Speaking to the media recently, manager Ruben Selles obviously faced quite a few questions about our current, and ongoing predicament, and in fairness to the 40 year old Spaniard, few would argue that he should even be attempting to sugar coat the place we find ourselves in right now. So credit to him, whilst he undoubtedly chose his words carefully he had no concerns at again stating that the current situation at the club 'cannot continue' as these points deductions are making an absolute mockery of any and all efforts that we are making on the pitch.

More importantly he knows they simply serve to punish the players, the wider club as a whole and the paying fans themselves, and whilst the personal fines our owner faces from the EFL for his failings are one thing, a total of 18 points under one man's ownership has a far greater cost, for far more important people.

They are my words, he was not actually that critical but in my humble opinion he said exactly the same thing, just with the use of different words as he described the 'problem' and now being 'the norm' at the club, and the club are not the ones directly in a position to do anything about the main and real 'problem'.

"You start to get tired of those things when people say ‘it’s us against the world’. I don’t see anything epic from that. I just see that we are doing a job and it’s getting more difficult and more difficult and more difficult. There is going to be one day when it is enough because the situation cannot continue."

Selles went on to add that it is simply the case now that each new month is now bringing 'some bad news' that is totally out of their control, but 100% effects the playing group and the authorities have to act at some point to not make this continue to be the 'norm'.

Whether that is, or is not, a reference to the fact that the Independent Disciplinary Commission took the decision to reject the EFL's request for our owner to be immediately disqualified as a director, to further encourage a sale to take place, is open for debate.

Many will understandably think it was maybe a bit of a pointed reference though, especially as there is absolutely not a single guarantee that we will not be again docked points before the end of the year, that despite whatever efforts we make on the pitch, could and probably would, result in relegation.

It was a point picked up on previously when the news was announced by Caroline Parker, spokesperson for Reading fans' group Sell Before We Dai who referenced the ongoing sale's talk and called the timing of the punishment decision 'spectacular'.

"Imposing a points penalty which increases our chances of relegation and therefore decreases the prospect of our club being sold is completely misguided. The EFL claims to be on the side of the fans, instead - yet again - they disproportionately punish those who care the most over those who care the least."

Hopefully we will have a busy and productive March that means we can all draw a line under the pathetic period of ownership.

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