Jobi McAnuff takes aim at Rob Couhig after Noel Hunt, Reading FC exit and issues Matt Bloomfield claim | OneFootball

Jobi McAnuff has given his reaction to Reading's decision to sack manager Noel Hunt and appoint Leam Richardson as his replacement.

Former Reading captain and pundit Jobi McAnuff believes recently sacked Royals manager Noel Hunt was not given enough backing by owner Rob Couhig in the summer, while he also admits he is surprised the club have not appointed Matt Bloomfield as his replacement.

Hunt took over as Reading manager in December following Ruben Selles' departure to Hull City, and despite working in incredibly challenging conditions under former owner Dai Yongge, he led the club to a seventh-placed finish in League One last season.

After Rob Couhig completed his takeover of the Royals in May, Hunt was allowed to bring in 12 new signings this summer, but many of those did not arrive until the latter part of the transfer window when the season was already underway, while he also had to contend with the exit of last season's star man Harvey Knibbs to Charlton Athletic.

With more stable ownership now in place, Reading would have been hoping to mount another promotion push this season, but it has not worked out that way so far, and Hunt was sacked on Sunday after a run of just three wins from the first 14 league games left the club sitting 19th in the table, only two points above the relegation zone.

After former Luton Town manager Bloomfield was ruled out of the running to replace Hunt, as exclusively revealed by FLW on Monday, the Royals instead turned to ex-Wigan Athletic and Rotherham United boss Leam Richardson, who will take charge for the first time against National League side Carlisle United in the FA Cup first round at the Select Car Leasing Stadium on Saturday.

Jobi McAnuff slams Rob Couhig after Noel Hunt, Reading exit

McAnuff and Hunt were part of the Reading side that won the Championship title in the 2011-12 season, and the ex-Royals captain revealed his disappointment at his former team-mate's sacking, while he also claimed that Couhig did not back up his bold pre-season ambitions with the necessary investment in the transfer market this summer.

"I'm really disappointed for Noel," McAnuff said on the BBC's Football Daily podcast.

"I think people overlook how well they did last season, when Ruben Selles left, it would have been easy for that to go kaput, but he very nearly got them into the play-offs.

"That was obviously a big factor in why Rob Couhig did keep him on I'm sure, and unfortunately they weren't able to replicate the results that they would have wanted this season.

"But if you come out in pre-season and say you're going to get the club back to where you want it to be and then don't necessarily back the manager to that level, in my opinion, it's obviously going to put you in a situation where the expectation of the fans is higher than what Rob Couhig is willing to do from an investment point of view."

When co-host Aaron Paul suggested that this was always going to be a season of consolidation for Reading after Couhig's takeover, McAnuff replied: "That's not what the messaging was at the start of the season, I'm telling you.

"If owners came out and were transparent and said exactly that, I have got no problem, and I don't think Reading fans would have a problem."

"They said we're going to return the club back to it's former glory and have a budget that is going to be top end of the league, but that wasn't the reality.

"Automatically, as a fan, you're going to be thinking that we should be at the top end of this table.

"Listen, they have still underperformed results wise, that isn't an issue, but I just think those expectation levels were raised right at the start of the season, and, in my opinion, he hasn't delivered to match those expectations."

Jobi McAnuff reveals Matt Bloomfield, Reading surprise after Leam Richardson appointment

Bloomfield had previously worked under Couhig at Wycombe Wanderers as a player and manager, so McAnuff admitted he was surprised that Reading did not make a move for the ex-Luton boss, but he backed Richardson to be a success at the Select Car Leasing Stadium, even if some sections of the Royals fanbase are underwhelmed by his appointment.

"I'm a little bit surprised because I thought Matt Bloomfield would be the obvious candidate, but in terms of where he's been operating, is that a budget that Reading can get to now?" McAnuff said.

"Is this a job that he wants to walk straight into?

"Those would probably be the two questions as to why it's not him, obviously he knows Rob Couhig really well and knows Joe Jacobson extremely well.

"Leam Richardson was out of work, he has a good pedigree at this level in difficult circumstances at Wigan last time around.

"I think, for me, that's why it makes sense because he has been prudent before.

"He clearly has been able to get a team together that wasn't with the biggest budget in the league to go and be incredible successful in League One.

"I get it, but will it appease lots of Reading fans at this moment in time? Probably not.

"But I absolutely back him to go in there and get that football club moving in the right direction because that's where it deserves to go."

Rob Couhig facing first big Reading test after bold Noel Hunt, Leam Richardson call

After Couhig saved Reading from Yongge's nightmare ownership, there has naturally been plenty of goodwill towards the American businessman in recent months, but that will not last forever if results do not improve on the pitch.

It is difficult to disagree with McAnuff that the signings Couhig delivered in the summer are not quite good enough for a club with promotion ambitions, but the Royals should still be significantly higher than their current position with the squad they have.

While Richardson has previously won the League One title with Wigan, he has been out of work now for over 18 months, and his last job at Rotherham did not go to plan, so Couhig has certainly made a bold call by giving him an opportunity at the Select Car Leasing Stadium.