James Earnshaw

Reading have hit back at the Football Association in a scathing statement following news of the club being charged for breaching intermediary regulations.  The club have been hit with a £200,000 fine and former CEO Nigel Howe will be suspended from the game for 12 months, as well as receiving a £5,000 fine, for issues with Michael Olise's agent in 2019. Intermediary Glen Tweneboah denies all charges, however they were found proven and he has been fined £15,000 and suspended for six months from all football and football-related activity.

Reading have been hit with a £200,000 fine for breaching Rule E1.2 relating to intermediaries in 2019. It was alleged that Reading and former CEO Nigel Howe, Sue Hewett and Michael Gilkes – acting on behalf of the Club – as well as Intermediary Glen Tweneboah agreed for the latter to have an interest in relation to a registration right or an economic right, namely to receive payments contingent on the future transfer of a player, which was a breach of The FA’s Intermediary Regulations.  Reading FC, Nigel Howe, Sue Hewett and Michael Gilkes denied breaching Intermediary Regulation E5, but admitted a charge of improper conduct.

Reading East MP, Matt Rodda, has been left 'encouraged' after attending a football governance bill committee. A key politician in assisting with the current ownership saga at Reading Football Club, the Football Governance Bill is pushing to create an Independent Regulator in the game. Having had the first and second readings in the House of Commons, a committee is currently underway involving heads of the EFL, Premier League and Football Supporters Association. Rodda was among the politicians asking questions about whether the Bill would prevent what happened at Reading from happening again.

Almost a fortnight has progressed since the 2023/24 League One season came to an end, barring the play-off final between Bolton Wanderers and Oxford United on Saturday. The Reading Chronicle have been at every first-team match this season, 55 in league and cup, with JasonPIX taking excellent snaps of the action for yet another rollercoaster season in the club's history- perhaps THE most turbulent in 153 years.

Former Prime Minister, Theresa May, was part of the festivities in Sonning as Padelstars opened it's first Padel court in the town. A popular high-octane activity dating back to the 1960s in Mexico, more than 25 million people play padel around the world, making it one of the fastest-growing sports around the globe. Similar to tennis, the main difference is that the court has walls and the balls can be played off them in a similar way as in squash.

Riding high after two straight victories, off-field issues returned to dominate the headlines as payroll was late.  Opting to pay the playing staff on time and not the general staff in order to offset another points deduction, manager Ruben Selles and Director of Football Mark Bowen refused to take their salaries until the entire workforce received their pay packets. The first weekend of the month saw the club make the trip to Eastleigh in the FA Cup, with ITV televising the clash live on terrestrial television. It proved a landmark moment as Royals supporters protested on opposition soil for the first time, apologising to the Spitfires for any inconvenience, but receiving widespread support after it was covered impeccably by ITV and the likes of Ian Wright and Sam Matterface.

Details have been finalised for Reading's PL2 play-off semi-final against Sunderland. Finishing sixth in the PL2 system, featuring all Category One academies, the Royals beat Middlesbrough and Nottingham Forest on route to the semi-final stage. Sunderland, bossed by Royals legend Graeme Murty, finished just one place further back in the full PL2 standings, beating Wolves and West Ham United in their two knockout matches to date.

As has been common for Reading in recent years, first entering an embargo in 2020, this summer will be another window for free agents and loan players. Ruben Selles', still unsure of a salary budget due to question marks remaining over takeover prospects, had a strong debut campaign with predominantly Academy graduates, finishing 17th in League One. Take a look below at four players released by fellow third-tier outfits that may do a job in Berkshire next season.

Huddersfield Town have appointed Michael Duff as manager on a three-year deal following relegation to League One. The Terriers finished second from bottom in the Championship, six points adrift of safety, and had three permanent managers during the 2023/24 campaign. Starting with veteran Neil Warnock, current Port Vale boss Darren Moore lasted just four months before German André Breitenreiter had a 13-game spell, winning just twice. Duff, a former Premier League defender with Burnley, led Cheltenham Town to the League Two title in 2021- winning Manager of the Season. He spent the 2022/23 campaign in charge of Yorkshire rivals Barnsley, leading the Tykes to the play-off final before losing to Sheffield Wednesday at Wembley Stadium.

Reading City, the town's second-largest football club, have teamed up with Caversham-based RG4 FC to set-up a community partnership scheme. The Cityzens, playing in Combined Counties Premier Division North, play out of Rivermoor on Scours Lane and have over 20 youth teams from the age of seven to Under 18 when players can then join our senior pathway. RG4 FC is a community football team set up to make football accessible to all children in the area.