Hob Nob Anyone? News and Views

Six First Team Players Not Offered Contracts

graham@royals.org (Graham Loader) — Fri, 16 May 2025 16:25:25 +0100

With a new owner in place, Reading have offered new contracts to players who are out of contract this summer - with the exception of six players from the first team who will now be allowed to leave the club. The list of players who will now need to find new clubs is probably not surprising but includes players who have played a number of games for the first team.

Heading the released players list is defender Harlee Dean who was with the Royals for two years after signing from Birmingham on a free transfer. Dean made 30 league appearances for the Royals with half of those from the bench. David Button made 49 appearances for the club and wore the number one shirt this season but the 36 year old will also be on the hunt for a new club. He was first choice keeper last season but last his place this season with the fantastic form of Joel Pereira keeping him out of the side. Coniah Boyce-Clarke was further down the order for goalkeepers and will leave after making just 7 appearances in over 4 years as a professional with the club, but spent a lot of his time out on loan.

Forward Adrian Akande failed to make much of an impression on the first team after arriving from West Ham's youth set-up. He was limited to coming off the bench and made just 4 league starts this season. Tom Carroll and Louie Holzman have been also released. The departures will leave room in Noel Hunt's squad for new arrivals as Reading may finally get the chance to strenghten the squad ahead of a new season.

Reading Have New Owners - Takeover Finally Completes

graham@royals.org (Graham Loader) — Wed, 14 May 2025 15:39:29 +0100

Reading's long running ownership saga is finally at an end with the official announcement today that the club have new owners. The sale has finally completed and Dai Yongge, who took the club on a steady downward spiral after taking ownership in 2017, will no longer be involved in the club. Reading's new owner is effectively former Wycombe Wanderers owner Rob Couhig whose previous attempt to purchase the club last year fell through. This time the sale has successfully completed:

The Club are pleased to announce that Redwood Holdings Limited – a subsidiary company of Dogwood LLC, owned by Rob Couhig and Todd Trosclair of New Orleans, Louisiana – has completed the acquisition of 100% of the shareholding in Reading Football Club.

The new owners will take on the complete package of the football club, the Select Car Leasing Stadium and Reading FC's Bearwood training ground. All these assets pass from Dai Yongge to the new owners.

Rob Couhig has been confirmed as Reading's new Chairman.

The takeover has EFL clearance and approval.

Hopefully the club can now move on without the shadow of transfer embagos and points deductions that have hung over the club during recent seasons. After an impressive season under Noel Hunt, that included an unexpected seventh place finish, we should be well placed to build on this next season with the aim of returning to the Championship.

Near Sell Out As Reading Aim For Sixth

graham@royals.org (Graham Loader) — Thu, 01 May 2025 12:53:35 +0100

Reading are expecting a near sell out crowd for the final league game of the season as Barnsley visit the Select Car Leasing Stadium this Saturday (3pm kick-off). All eyes will be on Leyton Orient who travel to Huddersfield Town at the same time with Orient holding the final play-off place and above Reading on goal difference. Only Reading or Orient can now claim sixth spot in the final league table and progress into the play-offs. With an eight goal superior goal difference over the Royals, Orient will claim the final play-off place if they match Reading's result. Assuming Reading don't win by eight goals or more than Orient, the Royals must either win and hope Orient fail to win, or draw and home Orient lose at Huddersfield. If both Reading and Orient draw or lose then it will be Orient that retain their sixth place finish and Reading's season will be over.

Given Reading's ownership issues, transfer embargos and lack of funds, it is an incredible achievement to be going into the final game of the season with promotion to the Championship still a possibility - even if the odds are stacked against us. Noel Hunt has done an amazing job in picking up as manager midway through the season and guiding his side to a guaranteed top seven finish. Reading held off a lot of first half pressure from Bristol Rovers last Saturday before stepping up in the second half with Wing and Campbell scoring the goals to pick up a vital 2-0 away win. For a brief moment a play-off finish was back in Reading's hands as they moved into sixth place in the live table before news filtered through that Orient had also taken the lead at home against Wycombe Wanderers.

Orient went on to pick up the full three points, remain in control of their play-off finish, and also confirm Wrexham's second spot and prevent Wycombe from claiming automatic promotion. Reading's form is good but Orient's is better, and they travel to Huddersfield on the back of five straight wins. Both Huddersfield and Reading's opposition Barnsley have nothing left to play for and are all set for mid-table finishes. Reading will have to win the game and hope Huddersfield can finally do us a favour.

Reading Lose Control Of Play-Off Finish

graham@royals.org (Graham Loader) — Tue, 22 Apr 2025 11:41:06 +0100

Reading slipped out of the top six with a disappointing home defeat in front of a good Easter Bank Holiday crowd. Lincoln City had a game plan which worked perfectly, preventing the Royals from establishing control of the game, or mounting any significant pressure on their well-organised and determined defence. From start to finish Reading could not cope with the physicality or intensity of City's play all over the pitch.

18 April 2025 - Match Report: Reading 0 Lincoln City 1

Back In Top Six As Unbeaten Run Continues

graham@royals.org (Graham Loader) — Mon, 31 Mar 2025 09:29:46 +0100

A goal of remarkable quality gave Reading an early lead, setting the tone for what turned out to be a highly entertaining match. A move involving literally half the team in and around the box in a series four exquisitely timed and weighted passes, ended with a slightly fortunate, but thoroughly deserved, own goal touch by Hughes before Campbell could apply the tap-in finish. Wing, Savage, Rushesha, Camara and Ehibhatiomhan combined to mesmerise the visitors defence with a move worthy of a much higher level than League One.
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Match Report: Reading 3 Peterborough 1

Points Dropped But Undefeated Run Continues

graham@royals.org (Graham Loader) — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 10:45:27 +0000

Reading extended their unbeaten run to ten games with a draw in a scrappy, and at times chaotic, match. Reading dominated possession over the ninety minutes but created few chances. Both sides squandered good chances in the first half. Borough skipper Carl Piergianni scored a goal at either end in the space of eleven minutes early in the second half before the quality of the football, which was not that good at any stage, rapidly declined further.
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Match Report: Reading 1 Stevenage 1

Now Nine Game Undefeated After Win Against Wrexham

graham@royals.org (Graham Loader) — Thu, 13 Mar 2025 10:54:47 +0000

Apart from a stunning second half goal scored by Lewis Wing, two significant moments stood out for me on a night of some excellent individual performances by this young Reading side. Finding himself the wrong side of his winger, Andre Garcia raced back, dispossessed the Wrexham forward and dribbled up field to initiate a counter-attack. Late in the game, after running unselfishly all evening, Jayden Wareham accelerated past a Wrexham defender to reach a loose ball to comfortably beat his opponent to the ball as it rolled back towards his own half. Those two moments epitomises the commitment and spirit of this squad that has gradually grown in confidence and maturity as the season has progressed.
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Match Report: Reading 2 Wrexham 0

Another Goalless Draw

graham@royals.org (Graham Loader) — Thu, 06 Mar 2025 10:09:21 +0000

At the final whistle a scuffle broke out on the halfway line which pretty much summed the evening up. It was a scrappy ill-tempered affair in which either side could have come away with three points, but probably neither deserved. With a foul committed at rate of approximately one every three minutes the referee must take some responsibility for the lack of discipline by failing, in spite of showing City five yellow cards, to take control of the game. Players were allowed steal a few yards at most throw-ins, a blatant dive went unpunished, and an injured City player took over a minute to meander off the pitch instead of leaving at the nearest point.

Expectations were high for Reading fans with their team fresh from an impressive away win at Wigan and City struggling at the wrong end of the table. Reading dominated possession, and City pressed in midfield and sat deep, frustrating their attempts to create chances. Wing and Knibbs had shots blocked in the opening minutes and Garcia was brought down outside the box. From the free kick Savage teed up Wing who was way off target. Garcia was frequently involved going forward but was either unceremoniously stopped or gave the ball away with a poor choice of passing option.
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Match Report: Reading 0 Exeter City 0

Knibbs Double As Reading Get Late Win

graham@royals.org (Graham Loader) — Mon, 17 Feb 2025 16:02:44 +0000

A dramatic climax to a match, which Reading should have wrapped up by half time, was provided by a stoppage time penalty converted by the ever-reliable Harvey Knibbs, giving Reading the three points they deserved in a lively and entertaining match, slightly marred by some abysmal refereeing. Playing with greater urgency and commitment Reading had their opponents on the back foot from the kick off. Wareham set the tone for the afternoon in the first minute, holding off a couple of strong challenges to release Wing on the right who was immediately fouled. The free kick produced a chance for Ehibhatiomhan who fired wide. A minute later Wing squared a pass outside the box to Savage strike first time. Phillips reacted well to push his attempt over the bar at full stretch.
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MATCH REPORT: Reading 2 Rotherham 1

Points Shared In Scrappy Draw With Shrewsbury

graham@royals.org (Graham Loader) — Mon, 17 Feb 2025 16:01:11 +0000

Shrewsbury Town came to town scrapping for points to climb out of the bottom four, so this fixture was never likely to provide great entertainment. Statistics rarely tell the whole story, but on this occasion the passing accuracy of both sides reflected the nature of the game. With Town playing a long ball game, only just over a half their passes (56% compared to 73% by Reading) reached the intended destination. It was hardly surprising their second half equalising goal came from a speculative 'route one' punt which Reading were unable to clear.
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Match Report: Reading 1 Shrewsbury Town 1

Late Penalty Gives Reading Win After Run Of Defeats

graham@royals.org (Graham Loader) — Mon, 03 Feb 2025 17:38:51 +0000

A last-minute penalty, the first awarded at home for Reading in over a year, gave Reading a much needed, and thoroughly deserved three points in this highly entertaining game. It ended a run of four defeats for Reading and denied visitors Bolton Wanderers a third successive league victory.
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MATCH REPORT: Reading 1 Bolton Wanderers 0

Reading Drop Out Of Top Six

graham@royals.org (Graham Loader) — Mon, 20 Jan 2025 11:45:53 +0000

The outcome of a football matches is, to a greater or lesser extent, determined by overall team performances or, more often than not, by specific lapses in concentration and basic errors. This result was a perfect example of all those elements coming together to produce a resounding defeat for a buoyant Reading team against a team in the middle of a poor run of results. Reading dominated possession, mainly due to playing football in their own half, while County dictated the play recording eight shots on target to Reading's one. Too often Reading resorted to the long ball, playing into the hands of County with their significant height advantage at the back. READ MORE...

MATCH REPORT: Reading 1 Stockport 3