Reading FC Match Report: 2025/2026 Season - League One
BARNSLEY 3 READING 2
Reading: J Marriott (35), D Kyerewaa (66)
Barnsley: J Earl (9), D Keillor-Dunn (55), A Phillips (pen 59)
Post Match Fans' Opinion
Brogue
» 13 Sep 2025 18:41
+ 1
The Board are repeatedly stating that the objective this season is the playoffs...
Why are people pretending that anything less is OK...
Because what are our options? They own the club and will leave when they choose. What do you expect to do? Protest against this lot because they set expectations too high?
Or acknowledge that promotion takes a few years to build and they inherited a club with broken finances and 5 contracted players. I have no idea why they are talking about the top 6 when it was never realistic, but when you look at the substance of what they're doing on and off the pitch you can see the plan to turn us around. And the time to judge would be after 3 years, not 3 months.
Look, the so called ‘less dramatic’ on here (or the naive and foolish as I like to call them) have repeatedly said, don’t believe what the owners said, it was all just hype to sell the tickets blah blah blah. Fine. Sneaky fcukers but fine. Well it isn’t, but whatever. Business is business.
But don’t then get a new investor in, put him in front of the cameras to broadcast to an already unhappy and on edge fan base saying we are going for the playoffs as a MINIMUM this season. :roll:
What happens? we lose the next game, 1 win in 7.
5 points from a possible 21
Sit in the relegation zone.
And then when fans have the audacity to say this is fcuking shit, hunt out, the owners are Charlatans!! they get called bedwetters and dramatic. :roll:
No,it doesn’t work like that.
The new investor who came in had the perfect opportunity to dampen expectations when asked what are your expectations for the season. He didn’t, he jumped on the hype train again, he doubled down. The club really doesn’t help itself. And the fans have every right to be pissed off because it’s just lie after lie after lie. You’d think they would have read the fcuking room when they took over, last thing we needed was more deceit.
andrew1957
» 13 Sep 2025 19:11
For me if Hunt is sacked any time soon, I actually hope it backfires and the club are relegated. Would serve the owners and the faithless fans right.
Brogue
» 13 Sep 2025 19:27
No, we are saying hunt should be sacked because he’s shit.
Do you genuinely believe our squad is stronger this year than last year?
It’s stronger than 5 points from 21, 1 win in 7 and 21st in the league. I don’t give a shit about the playoffs. I never thought we’d be close to em. But we are genuinely in a relegation battle with a top half team. That’s on the manager. It also doesn’t help that we’ve been dog shit in every game we’ve played. Not only are we not getting the results, the performances are not there either.
morganb
» 13 Sep 2025 19:29
No, we are saying hunt should be sacked because he’s shit.
Do you genuinely believe our squad is stronger this year than last year?
Comparison to last year isn't really that important.
The question should be:
Do you think our squad is stronger than the 7 teams we've already played in the League and if so why have our results been so poor - that's when you can legitimately start to blame the manager
Ascotexgunner
» 13 Sep 2025 19:37
No, we are saying hunt should be sacked because he’s shit.
Do you genuinely believe our squad is stronger this year than last year?
This squad certainly isn't a 1 win in 7 squad. its not just about results either. The football is dire....tippy happy....break...charge towards goal....get to the 18 yard box......then work the ball back 80 yards to the keeper.
The players confidence seems drained going forward. If we were losing and playing well I wouldn't mind.
WestYorksRoyal
» 13 Sep 2025 19:51
Even if they have faith in Hunt, they would need to address the topic otherwise they're making a mockery of their promise on "transparency".
PieEater
» 13 Sep 2025 20:21
I think that is the crux, we have a good team, a good squad but the results and football is generally dire. You have to lay that at the managers door. I'm of the view that he's following El Jeffe's plan and slugging out games with the same team and the same formation until eventually it comes good. As nice a guy as he is, I really don't rate Hunt. Ask yourself if he was sacked - who else would employ him as their manager?
Ascotexgunner
» 13 Sep 2025 20:29
I think that is the crux, we have a good team, a good squad but the results and football is generally dire. You have to lay that at the managers door. I'm of the view that he's following El Jeffe's plan and slugging out games with the same team and the same formation until eventually it comes good. As nice a guy as he is, I really don't rate Hunt. Ask yourself if he was sacked - who else would employ him as their manager?
I sincerely hope he isn't following Selles plan......Judging by Friday night Selles managerial career is over, finished, Kaput! Just 9 months and 2 jobs having left us.
donh99
» 13 Sep 2025 20:32
+ 1
The Board are repeatedly stating that the objective this season is the playoffs...
Why are people pretending that anything less is OK...
Because what are our options? They own the club and will leave when they choose. What do you expect to do? Protest against this lot because they set expectations too high?
Or acknowledge that promotion takes a few years to build and they inherited a club with broken finances and 5 contracted players. I have no idea why they are talking about the top 6 when it was never realistic, but when you look at the substance of what they're doing on and off the pitch you can see the plan to turn us around. And the time to judge would be after 3 years, not 3 months.
+1
WestYorksRoyal
» 13 Sep 2025 20:33
I think that is the crux, we have a good team, a good squad but the results and football is generally dire. You have to lay that at the managers door. I'm of the view that he's following El Jeffe's plan and slugging out games with the same team and the same formation until eventually it comes good. As nice a guy as he is, I really don't rate Hunt. Ask yourself if he was sacked - who else would employ him as their manager?
The difference from the Selles situation should be options. We were such a basket case then, nobody would join us. Add in the cost of sacking and Selles was always going to stay.
The owners can sack Hunt if they want, it's just a matter of cost. And I've no doubt we could poach a high potential coach from lower L1 or L2. I think Orient are progressing enough that Wellens is out of reach, but Darren Moore has done a decent job at Vale, or maybe Grant McCann who led Doncaster to the L2 title and has had a fine start this season.
Esteban
» 13 Sep 2025 20:56
We aren't creating great chances, nearly all of our goals have been from outside the box, we aren't keeping clean sheets and we don't look like a side that’s going to on the front foot throughout games, as Hunt keeps saying. The stats don't lie and results are poor. We can't rely on scoring 3 or 4 every game to win.
The squad is better than 21st in the league. Everyone has their own opinion on the squad, but I think there's only 3 players from last season, who are better than their replacements.
I'm a massive Noel Hunt fan and I really want him to succeed, but he's under huge pressure now. If nothing improves by the next international break, then he can have no complaints if the board make a change. I really hope he can turn it round.
Royal_jimmy
» 13 Sep 2025 21:49
Our problem really isn't quality. Last season proves that, ok we don't have the same calibre of centre backs but we're arguably stronger in other areas of the pitch and there's no way we're a relegation threatened side. We're miles better quality wise, it's clear management and coaching is the problem.
WestYorksRoyal
» 13 Sep 2025 21:54
I often think Real Madrid are not a particularly good team and somehow find a way to win the Champions League through Courtois saves and moments going their way. We were basically a L1 Real Madrid, except now the moments aren't going our way.
WestYorksRoyal
» 13 Sep 2025 22:07
You're describing what people say about good teams and finding a way to win despite not playing particularly well.
And I guess now you're seeing what it looks like when they stop finding a way.
Another analogy is England at Euro 24 who were a moments team. In the final we faced a team with a similar calibre of player (very little between the two) and lost out to a better coached team with a clear plan. But carrying on the analogy, I do think we have better players than 12 or so teams in the division which means we should have time to give Hunt a chance.
West F
» 13 Sep 2025 22:47
I think that is the crux, we have a good team, a good squad but the results and football is generally dire. You have to lay that at the managers door. I'm of the view that he's following El Jeffe's plan and slugging out games with the same team and the same formation until eventually it comes good. As nice a guy as he is, I really don't rate Hunt. Ask yourself if he was sacked - who else would employ him as their manager?
I sincerely hope he isn't following Selles plan......Judging by Friday night Selles managerial career is over, finished, Kaput! Just 9 months and 2 jobs having left us.
It was a ridiculous job to take. Replacing a manager who got 90 points over the season. A ridiculous knee jerk sacking by Sheffield Utd, and one they are paying for. This is what happens when you sack a manager who still has the dressing room onside.
Esteban
» 13 Sep 2025 22:54
Anybody can play fantasy football based on data. Real life is very different. Everybody else was able to do their transfer business earlier. Building a team from what's left. Was always going to require a degree of luck. No preseason to gel either.
Excuses, I'm afraid. He's had plenty of time to work with the players and there's very little improvement in key areas. Better managers would have won more points by now. Hunt should get more time, but he hasn't got long.
Crowbar6753
» 13 Sep 2025 23:32
If we become stranded i really cannot see the owner's not pulling the trigger, which is a shame as Noel's a good bloke, however, football's a cut throat business.
Maybe a cheaper option is to revert Ledge back to the youth set up and get an experienced tactical coach in to work alongside Noel? Maybe even Brian McDermott for a short period of time.
Mr Angry
» 14 Sep 2025 10:12
I think there are clear signs things are turning round and whilst I don't see us being a play off team, I really think we have it within us to be a top half team.
That having been said it is - as the cliche goes - a results industry and I agree that, rightly or wrongly, Noel is under pressure now.
Match Stats
Teams
Reading:
J Pereira, D Williams, A Ahmed (J Dorsett, 65), F Burns, M Jacob, C Savage (M Camara, 80), B Elliott (K Doyle, 71), L Wing, P Lane (K Ehibhatiomhan, 65), D Kyerewaayellow card, J Marriott (L Fraser, 80).
Barnsley:
Bookings / Red Cards
Reading: A Ahmed, F Burns, M Jacob, C Savage
Barnsley: --
League One on 13 September 2025
This League One game took place 187 days ago in the 2025/2026 season.

