Six First Team Players Not Offered Contracts

16 May 2025
By Hob Nob Anyone?

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

14 May 2025
By Hob Nob Anyone?

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

01 May 2025
By Hob Nob Anyone?

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

18 April 2025
By Hob Nob Anyone?

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