Right Royals mess costs Reading six league points
ANOTHER question mark, which largely depends on what happens with Jordan Rhodes’ return from a back injury and Mipo Odubeko’s first-team status between now and January.
As it is, Town’s current options are something of a muchness when it comes to playing style, and they could therefore do worse than look for an aerial target man, even if they were only deployed from the bench or against specific opponents – basically, what Steve Mounie was in 2019/20.
Whoever came in would need to be ready to go more or less straight away, though. A half-season loan offers little room for a bedding-in period.
IF Town don’t start using 4-3-3, then they could ideally do with bringing in another centre-back. Which, yes, means this is another potential need that largely depends on Pipa’s fitness and form.
As is stands they have four options for making up the back three, and while that’s not been a major issue so far, it would only take one injury for this to seem like an urgent requirement.
On top of that, Naby Sarr is out of contract at the end of the season and on-loan Levi Colwill will presumably not be back at the club for a second campaign.
Rarmani Edmonds-Green and Romoney Crichlow - who are both out on loan – may well prove capable of stepping up to fill those gaps after the summer, but there’s no harm in seeing if there are any other viable options around who can offer competent back-up in both the short and long term.
HUDDERSFIELD Town’s Championship rivals Reading have been hit with a six-point deduction for breaking the English Football League’s financial regulations.
The Royals have also had a further six-point deduction suspended after admitting to breaching the EFL’s profitability and sustainability rules.
An EFL statement read: “Reading Football Club has been deducted six points from this season’s (2021/22) points tally, with a further six points suspended until the end of the 2022/23 Season, after admitting to breaches of the EFL’s Profitability and Sustainability rules.
“It follows a review of the financial submission from the club for the fouryear period 2017/18 to 2020/21 where it was determined the club had recorded a loss of £57.8m, £18.8m in excess of the £39.0m Upper Loss Threshold.”
Reading said they had accepted the points deduction and that owner Dai Yongge remained ‘wholeheartedly committed to the club’.
A club statement read: “The breach of regulations was calculated across a period of four years, two of which were unavoidably yet significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“While there are undeniably extenuating and unforeseeable circumstances that have contributed to this breach, we accept this to be a fair and reasonable punishment and will learn the lessons from our recent past which have resulted in this deduction.
“We would like to take this opportunity to thank the EFL for their co-operation, professionalism and positive, open dialogue throughout this process.”
Reading have now dropped from 16th to 19th in the table, four points above the relegation zone. The Royals must now stick to a strict EFL-imposed business plan.