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Reading are the talk of the Football League right now, for all the wrong reasons, and former player Steve Sidwell is gutted to see how things are going down at his old club.
The club are currently sitting in seventh place in the League One table and have a fantastic shot at making it into the play-offs come the end of the season.
However, Reading are facing financial ruin as things stand, with the club’s owner, Dai Yongge thought to owe £850m in winding up orders.
The situation is so severe, that Reading now face expulsion from the EFL due to Yongge failing to prove he is a suitable owner.
Steve Sidwell blasts ‘disgraceful’ Dai Yongge mess at Reading
If the club is not sold by April 4, Reading may well cease to exist. It’s a terrifying prospect for fans, and club legend Steve Sidwell has had his say on Sky Sports.
He said: “I’m really worried. Off the field it’s nothing short of horrendous. Dai Yongge went in there, he came in a day before the play-off game against Huddersfield and probably saw a quick way to the Premier League. He threw a lot of money around at the start, went around it in the wrong manner.
“He paid Ridiculous wages and it’s snowballed from there. There’s a lot of moving parts with legal action, and not a lot of noise in case people get themselves in trouble.”
However, it’s not all bad for Reading right now. The team itself are working miracles, and Sidwell was quick to recognise the incredible work the manager and the players are doing this season as they chase promotion.
He added: “But on the pitch, what Noel Hunt has done there, it’s nothing short of remarkable. He’s brought energy, made an environment for players to enjoy work and you can see that in the way they play. They’ve blocked all the noise out.
“They’re ploughing through, and they’re in a great position to create something that would be ureal for the club. It’s horrendous though. I think the deadline will get pushed, it should do… but it’s been disgraceful.”
With just days left to save the club, it remains to be seen whether Reading will exist beyond this week. There is hope that the deadline for a takeover could at least be pushed back until the end of the current season.
Reading promotion would be a miracle
Reading’s pursuit of Premier League football just a few years ago now seems like a very distant memory, with their Championship play-off final against Huddersfield ultimately proving to be the turning point for the club for all the wrong reasons.
Now, Noel Hunt and his players are giving fans hope that they can make it out of this dire mess and perhaps even thrive once more, by gaining promotion back to the second tier.
| Pos | Club | Pld | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Birmingham | 38 | 27 | 8 | 3 | 39 | 89 |
| 2 | Wrexham | 40 | 23 | 9 | 8 | 24 | 78 |
| 3 | Wycombe | 39 | 21 | 12 | 6 | 29 | 75 |
| 4 | Charlton | 40 | 21 | 9 | 10 | 19 | 72 |
| 5 | Stockport | 40 | 20 | 11 | 9 | 22 | 71 |
| 6 | Bolton | 39 | 19 | 6 | 14 | 4 | 63 |
| 7 | Reading | 39 | 17 | 11 | 11 | 5 | 62 |
The fight for the play-off places in League One is fierce, but with seven games to go, the Royals are just one point outside the top six.
To even finish in the play-offs would be a miracle given the current situation off the pitch. Sadly, Reading will need another miracle to save the club from ceasing to exist, and the next few days will be decisive in the club’s history, one way or another.