The Winners From Reading’s 2024

Alex picks out some of those who came out best from the Royals’ eclectic last 12 months.

Of all the years in Reading FC’s existence, 2024 has certainly been... one of them. It’s not all been bad news though! We have some heroes and villains, some of the good and the ugly, some of the memorable and forgettable, the downright delightful and the ludicrously insane.

I’m going to attempt to try and summarise these events, so when you – the good TTE reader – are sick of turkey sandwiches and family board games, you can have a moment to escape and reflect on the football.

Part one includes the ‘winners’ from Reading’s 2024. Look out for the second, less positive part, later on.

The academy

Our crown jewel. That was a bit of a pun there, being the Royals and whatnot. The number of players who we have seen promoted from the academy to becoming staples of the first team or first-team squad has been a great thing to see. Real success stories include, but are not certainly not limited to, the likes of Andre Garcia, Michael Craig, Jeriel Dorsett and Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan.

Even before them, the likes of Nelson Abbey, Caylan Vickers and Femi Azeez all broke out and saw their development rewarded with moves up the pyramid. It’s a joy to see that, despite the circumstances, the people we have running the first team are believers in the academy, rewarding youngsters who perform well.

After seeing talent overlooked for so many years while we frivolously wasted money, it’s great to see the academy taking centre stage and focusing on the work we’re doing. It’s part of our identity, after all.

The club identity

This has been the year that we have really begun to feel like “us” again. Yes, some of the restrictions imposed have forced us to re-evaluate and re-strategise, but the benefits have been clear for all to see.

A clear transfer market plan, albeit these days it more about clinging on with the assembled talent with our dear lives, a clear pathway from the academy to the first team, a clear playing style and philosophy and a squad that clearly all care about pushing the club forwards and value the team above their selves. There’s a reason we love this lot.

There’s a long way to go yet to return to the Sir John heyday of the club, being a pillar of the football community in terms of how it was run, and a longer way back still for the women’s teams. But the foundation has been laid and we can start to feel like it’s our team again. With the right piece of the puzzle in place, which we all know what I’m referring to (but won’t name), things will be ready to be built upwards again.

Ruben Selles

And to some extent, James Oliver-Pearce and Toby Loveland also. Many people have been part of this remodelling of the club ethos: some working tirelessly away in the background and others lurking, always seen and acknowledged.

Then you have some like Selles, who has pretty much been front and centre during the whole evolution of the team, whether for the good or the bad.

2024 was the year we fell in love with the man, and have sadly had to bid him farewell because, eventually, someone else was always going to notice the rabbits that he kept pulling out of hats.

I’ve spoken already about the academy pathway, the playing style, the team ethos. There are many managers who would be considered to be doing a good job to achieve two of these three clear deliverables, let alone all of them, and let alone all of them despite the chaos in the backdrop.

Add to this his absolute stoicism, his professionalism, his ability to make the players at his disposal more than the sum of the square parts, the fact he visibly improved everyone in the side through good coaching and patience, and the fact he had to be the face answering the questions because no one above him was present and accounted for.

Oh and he’s just a lovely bloke too. Want proof of that? He even went on the TTE podcast!

As for myself, I have two Selles stories. I met him while visiting Wrexham and got the chance to speak with him – he was polite, patient, seemed politely interested in speaking with a fan and only too happy to pose for a photo together and provide an autograph that I still cherish to this day. He didn’t have to do any of that, ahead of a tough away game, but nonetheless he did.

The second story – the first time I saw him in person was when I was arriving to watch Reading’s under-21s play Nottingham Forest’s under-21s in an academy cup game. I was running late for the match, so trying my best to drag the kids along so we didn’t miss too much of the first half. I saw him approaching the stadium from the car park with his family.

On his day off, after the season had finished, he actually took the time to go and watch the game. Who would voluntarily go into work for a day without getting paid? This guy. What a man. What a year he’s had, and he deserves the best of luck for 2025.

Noel Hunt

Also at that game: Noel Hunt. Perhaps one of Selles’ motivations was to spend time close with Hunt, to help support his development. Who knows?

However, Hunt has had a quietly impressive year managing the under-21s. European qualification is one hell of an achievement, particularly given the teams he faced in the Category 1 league, all of which had far bigger resources and support available to them. Beating Ajax this season was a wonderful moment too.

The development of so many players he has worked with to help them make the grade in the first team has been a tremendous achievement. Yes, we can talk about it being a necessity until the cows come home, but getting there is one thing: staying there and performing is a whole other different kettle of fish and, by and large, that’s what we’re seeing.

So how does it get any better than that? How about getting the big job?

In many ways, he comes in at a good time with the momentum and form. In many others a difficult time, what with January looming. However, he’s got the support of the fanbase and the belief of the players, and if he can continue the work he has done at academy level, continuing to build on Selles’ legacy, he’ll have a good 2025 as well. And the better a 2025 Hunt has, the better 2025 we as fans will have.

He’s one of our own, leading our own. Football is a romantic game, sometimes, isn’t it?

Disabled supporters group

Building on the work in the 2022/23 season when the Sensory Room was launched, with the support of Swings & Smiles, in February 2024 we saw STAR launch a supporters group tasked with collaborating with the club to improve the facilities and matchday experience for supporters who identify as having a type of disability.

On December 3, also coinciding with the International Day of Persons With Disabilities, the club announced an official group known as the Reading FC Disabled Supporters Association, whose action plan can be read here.

It aims to build on the aforementioned aims by representing this community, being able to take onboard feedback and be the voice for the community to those at the football club who have the ability to make the changes that will benefit those who need that change the most.

Football is for everyone and initiatives such as these, run by passionate supporters doing this in their spare time, are a great example of what fans can do when they work together to make football a safe and welcoming space for all. It’s a real win for disabled supporters and we should continue, as a whole fanbase, to support and encourage opportunities to help improve inclusion within the game and club we love.

Joel Pereira

It took a while but he got there in the end. An injury to David Button saw Pereira finally usurp him, despite the calls from fans from long before to see the change occur earlier last season. He is now a clear and undisputed number one, probably the best we’ve had since…Emi Martinez? The defence just seem so much more settled with him playing behind them and we as fans certainly seem a lot more calm with his involvement.

He’s another with his head screwed on right. He loves the club, he loves the fans and he is just such a relatable character. His speech at The Purple Turtle’s end-of-season party will go down in folklore.

Tyler Bindon and Amadou Mbengue

To any scouts reading this article – guys, these two are awful. Honestly, do yourselves a favour and don’t bother. Save the cash for something else. Maybe some new gym equipment? I just don’t want to see anyone else go through the suffering of burdening themselves with them, you know? Yeah, you get it. OK, cool, nice chatting. See you later. Closing the door on their way out…

Yeah, these two are basically irreplaceable for us, aren’t they? Especially Bindon, but the two are just so wedded together. Bindon will outgrow Mbengue even more and he will be a Premier League footballer one day.

But please do not let it be any time soon because he is so damn good, and genuinely lovely. It will break Amadou’s heart to see him leave, and who wants to do that? Our cult hero is perma-happy. Bringing tears to his eyes is like punching a child in the face. I’m not sure that’s the best available analogy, but you get it.

In all seriousness, these two have been absolutely stellar since being paired in the heart of defence. Their relationship and understanding of each other’s games are a joy to behold; they are just so dearly loved by the fans for not only being properly good at kicking a football around, but also because they are good people who care about their team and this club. A world without Mbengue’s crowd interactions would be a sad one indeed.

Harvey Knibbs

Maybe it’s just me, though I suspect not: I love this guy. He *gets* it. Knibbs always takes time to celebrate with the fans and, despite not being in the Twittersphere or whatever it is, that post referencing Michael Jordan is one for the ages.

Oh yeah – and he’s so damn effective on the pitch too. The team just looks so much better with him in midfield. His engine is outrageous: the tenacity, the ball-winning, the pressing. Then there’s the eye for goal, the leadership he displays to support younger players (despite not exactly being that old himself), his versatility and his general willingness to run through brick walls.

I would have gone as far to say he’s the best number seven we’ve ever had, but then I remember Michael Olise happened. Still, not bad company to keep, is it? Speaking of which…

Michael Olise and Jamie Bynoe-Gittens

They haven’t kicked a ball in anger for us in forever. They have probably forgotten all about us. But seeing these two tear it up in both the Bundesliga and Champions League gives me warm, fuzzy feelings. We did that. Let’s be proud of what we’ve given the football world.

There’s more to come from both of our alumni and others coming along the academy conveyor belt. Perhaps even this next guy...

Andre Garcia

An unknown a mere few months ago, he has been plucked from academy obscurity and is a now a regular first-teamer. While not integral to the team yet, he has a bright future, and the sooner he is given the chance to move further up the pitch (one day, one glorious day, we’ll have a proper left-back in the squad), the sooner he’ll level up in quality.

And that’s really saying something because he’s rather good already. I’m sick of saying it, you’re sick of hearing it, but it’s genuinely incredible to consider that he started the season aged only 16. He’s had one hell of a second half of the year and, all things being right, will have a great 2025. It’s a leap at this stage to say he’ll emulate the two names that preceded his section, but the pathway is there for him to walk down.

Lewis Wing

Well, obviously. Captain elect and reigning player of the season, fuelled by spag bol, who bangs in worldies for fun. Not really much else to say, is there? We do probably need to lock him away in a darkened room with Bindon during the probable January fire sale, but for now, let’s just celebrate having such a quality player within our ranks.

The Purple Turtle

The home of some great moments in recent times, that night after the Blackpool game at the end of the season really seemed to establish it as the “home” of Reading’s parties.

We’ve since seen another Q&A with Andy Yiadom there, when we learned we’ve all been pronouncing his name incorrectly and erm… someone American who used to support Wycombe Wanderers hanging around there. But, as a position of strength for The Purple Turtle, he knew this was the place to go.

It’s crucial that the club and the fans have a defined and designated place to collaborate, talk and share. The Purple Turtle is that place.

The Memorial Stadium

The home of Bristol Rovers. That magical moment on April 9 when we secured a big away win and knew we were virtually safe from relegation, despite all the struggles and external factors.

What a moment at the end of the match when the players and coaches came to celebrate with the fans and we saw Selles let it all out. The normally stoic man had been shouldering so much pressure and stress. To see him release it with the fans – even reluctant to take the praise as he was keen to give the recognition to the players – will be a moment that lives on in history.

James Earnshaw and Andy Preston

Just two excellent journalists given the unenviable task of keeping up to date with the constant stream of nonsense that comes from our club, then having to try and make sense of it and report it to the fans in a factual, measured way.

Reading’s 2023/24 lap of honour

Can you remember the last time Reading had such a feel-good factor for a match? Maybe the closest in recent times was the first game after Paul Ince had departed, but this was on a whole other level.

It had the theme of “Dia del Jefe”, plenty of fan participation, post-season celebrations and, of course, the win itself: 3-2 against Blackpool. The celebrations at the Turtle afterwards too. What a day for those there to experience it.

In this moment, it really felt like we had turned a corner. We were keeping the training ground, we looked set to get a new owner in the summer and the ability to build on the foundations laid by the team in the season. And that new home kit being released for the day – what a beauty it was. An established side, with players invested in the club and adored by the fans. The sense of potential. Something good was brewing.

It may yet still happen. But for now, we will have those memories and they are important because they remind us how special this club is, none more so than to us. We needed a day like that, after everything.