Reading Football Club are delighted to announce the appointment of Leam Richardson as the club’s new First Team Manager on a contract until the summer of 2027.
The 44-year-old brings extensive coaching and managerial experience and arrives at the Select Car Leasing Stadium with a proven record of success in League One, including winning promotion as champions with Wigan Athletic in 2021–22, an achievement which saw him named EFL League One Manager of the Season.
Richardson began his coaching journey at Accrington Stanley, where he twice stepped up as caretaker manager before being appointed permanently in 2012. He later formed a strong coaching partnership with Paul Cook, serving as assistant manager at Chesterfield, Portsmouth and Wigan Athletic, achieving promotion with both Portsmouth and Wigan in that period.
He was appointed Wigan Athletic manager in April 2021 during a period of financial crisis and administration at the club. Richardson stabilised the squad, prevented relegation, and went on to lead the Latics to the League One title the following season.
Richardson most recently managed Rotherham United in the Championship and now begins a new chapter with the Royals as the club continues its long-term rebuild.
Chairman Rob Couhig said:
“I have admired Leam for some time. He is a coach and leader who embodies exactly the qualities we want at Reading Football Club – hard work, diligence, organisation and an absolute commitment to improving players.
He achieved promotion from League One in extremely difficult circumstances and proved he can build success. He is humble, he is driven, and he builds strong, honest cultures – something I know Royals fans value and respect.
Leam knows this division, he knows what a winning dressing room looks like and he understands the standards required to get there. He is hungry, ambitious and determined to move this football club forward. We are delighted to welcome him to Reading.”
Richardson will officially begin work immediately and has appointed Danny Schofield and James Beattie to his backroom team at Bearwood Park.
CONFIRMED: Leam Richardson
https://www.readingfc.co.uk/news/2025/o ... c-manager/
Danny Schofield has previously been manager of Huddersfield and Doncaster; was an assistant coach at Central Coast Mariners most recently.
James Beattie was the assistant manager of Richardson at Wigan, but also with Gary Monk at Swansea; Leeds; Birmingham and Sheffield Wednesday.
James Beattie was the assistant manager of Richardson at Wigan, but also with Gary Monk at Swansea; Leeds; Birmingham and Sheffield Wednesday.
After the initial suprise of his name being mentioned, happy with this. Tons of experience - both him and his assistants. Knows the division.
It’s seems a pretty sound choice for where we currently are and I expect us to improve quickly
It’s seems a pretty sound choice for where we currently are and I expect us to improve quickly
At least they acted quickly, time will tell if its the correct decision.
Guessing this means Scott Marshall and Mikele Leigertwood have been shown the door too.
Rather have Steve Richardson.
Wiki quote:
Wiki quote:
On 2 December 2023, Schofield was announced as the assistant coach at Central Coast. This was announced after he turned down multiple jobs in England, opting to instead join his former colleague at Leeds United, Mark Jackson. He went viral on social media after pulling the middle finger in front of a camera after being sent off for receiving 2 yellow cards in 10 seconds.
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Linden Jones' Tash
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Welcome and good luck.
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Lower West
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Hob Nob Subscriber
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Sure he's a decent guy. The right person to turn around and transform though. Two wins in 24 matches whilst at Rotheham doesn't inspire confidence. Something cleverly edited out in the press release. This isn't an easy job. There's little time to change the current playing style with limited training sessions between matches. A desperate roll of the dice by impatient investors rather than any long term strategic plan.
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Gunny Fishcake
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Another hoping for the new messiah , and yet another Reading FC manager
Always amazes me with football that most appointments are made of managers that have previously been sacked and the obvious reason they've been sacked is because they were shit at their previous job.
All we can do is get behind him and hope for the the best, though it's an appointment that certainly doesn't seem welcomed with great excitement and expectation , more just hope.
Always amazes me with football that most appointments are made of managers that have previously been sacked and the obvious reason they've been sacked is because they were shit at their previous job.
All we can do is get behind him and hope for the the best, though it's an appointment that certainly doesn't seem welcomed with great excitement and expectation , more just hope.
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MR. CYNICAL
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Gunny Fishcake Another hoping for the new messiah , and yet another Reading FC manager
Always amazes me with football that most appointments are made of managers that have previously been sacked and the obvious reason they've been sacked is because they were shit at their previous job.
All we can do is get behind him and hope for the the best, though it's an appointment that certainly doesn't seem welcomed with great excitement and expectation , more just hope.
It's called the managerial merry go round.
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Getthebeerens
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First of all good luck to Leam and his coaching team really hope it works out.
Very disappointed with this one and would have preferred to give Hunt another 10 games. All well and good wanting a manager out but when you are looking into what is realistically available for us I feel we would have been better placed to stick with Noel.
But as long as the new manager has a clear style of play even if we are losing, most fans will consider that success ?
To finish on a positive note I am pleased with the backroom staff appointments and hopefully that can be the difference compared to Noel’s less experienced team.
Hopefully they get a new sports science team in too.
Very disappointed with this one and would have preferred to give Hunt another 10 games. All well and good wanting a manager out but when you are looking into what is realistically available for us I feel we would have been better placed to stick with Noel.
But as long as the new manager has a clear style of play even if we are losing, most fans will consider that success ?
To finish on a positive note I am pleased with the backroom staff appointments and hopefully that can be the difference compared to Noel’s less experienced team.
Hopefully they get a new sports science team in too.
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Ascotexgunner
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Not leaping for joy as I would have preferred Bloomfield or Wellins.......however I'm not disappointed either because every appointment for the last umpteen years has been one massive letdown. I'm behind him and he maybe just what we need. No doubt he is the closest we have had to what we need to progress for sometime and hopefully an injection of confidence to this squad......I don't think I could have stood another Saturday of watching Huntball.....it was becoming horrible.
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AthleticoSpizz
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Welcome to Reading Leam
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Winston Biscuit
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Everytime I am typing 'Leam' i am rhyming it with' team', just so you all know.
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Snowflake Royal
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Welcome to the club.
Experience of management in English football - tick (better than most recent appointments)
Experience of management in our division - tick (better than most recent appointments
Experience of winning promotion from our league - tick (better than most of our recent appointments)
Win rate in our league - >40% - tick (better than most our recent appointments)
Experience dealing with extremely challenging club circumstances and succeeding - tick (better than most our recent appointments
Brings a wealth of relevant experience in his back room team - tick
Poor record in the Championship, - x (but with perenial strugglers Rotherham and behind the scenes problem Wigan.)
Been out of work for 18 months - x (possibly knew he was on our shortlist, may have just been waiting for a call he knew was inevitable the last 6 months)
Got the gig through being JJ's mate? - x
One of his back room team has worked a lot with the useless Garry Monk - x
Decent squad here to work with, just struggling to gel and maybe lacking a little coherency in attacking play. We're nearly there in a lot of ways... lots of draws, score regularly, haven't lost by 2 since game 2.
Shame he has to deal with an increasingly vocal toxic element in our fanbase
Not much to change, just boost confidence, tweak a few things, tighten up at the back, ease off physicality of training and get that forward understanding going and we could shoot up the table.
Let's face it, there's no one very inspiring you can appoint in L1, has beens, serial failures and the inexperienced with relatively few exceptions.
Good luck.
Experience of management in English football - tick (better than most recent appointments)
Experience of management in our division - tick (better than most recent appointments
Experience of winning promotion from our league - tick (better than most of our recent appointments)
Win rate in our league - >40% - tick (better than most our recent appointments)
Experience dealing with extremely challenging club circumstances and succeeding - tick (better than most our recent appointments
Brings a wealth of relevant experience in his back room team - tick
Poor record in the Championship, - x (but with perenial strugglers Rotherham and behind the scenes problem Wigan.)
Been out of work for 18 months - x (possibly knew he was on our shortlist, may have just been waiting for a call he knew was inevitable the last 6 months)
Got the gig through being JJ's mate? - x
One of his back room team has worked a lot with the useless Garry Monk - x
Decent squad here to work with, just struggling to gel and maybe lacking a little coherency in attacking play. We're nearly there in a lot of ways... lots of draws, score regularly, haven't lost by 2 since game 2.
Shame he has to deal with an increasingly vocal toxic element in our fanbase
Not much to change, just boost confidence, tweak a few things, tighten up at the back, ease off physicality of training and get that forward understanding going and we could shoot up the table.
Let's face it, there's no one very inspiring you can appoint in L1, has beens, serial failures and the inexperienced with relatively few exceptions.
Good luck.
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Linden Jones' Tash
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Snowflake Royal
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Linden Jones' Tash At least Dellor isn't bitter....
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/ar ... gk49gnxv2o
Anyone know Dellor able to do a welfare check on him?
That last paragraph...
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Brogue
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Weirdly he posted this in July…
Was he lined up back in July to take over but something changed?
Was he lined up back in July to take over but something changed?
Refuse to believe this until it’s been confrimed or at least confimred 
Admit to knowing nothing about him util this week.
Wigan stints looks good, Rotherham stint and time out raises some red flags on the surface of it.
Backroom staff seem solid and a definite upgrade on the wishy washy back up behind Hunt since Gibbs went.
Please can we just see some semblance of entertainment?
Welcome and Good Luck
Wigan stints looks good, Rotherham stint and time out raises some red flags on the surface of it.
Backroom staff seem solid and a definite upgrade on the wishy washy back up behind Hunt since Gibbs went.
Please can we just see some semblance of entertainment?
Welcome and Good Luck
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