Reading FC reaction given to Leam Richardson, Blackburn Rovers development - "There's always concern" | OneFootball

FLW's Reading Fan Pundit has weighed in on Blackburn Rovers' reported interest in Leam Richardson.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Blackburn Rovers are searching for a new head coach following Valerien Ismael's departure earlier this week, and their attention has turned to another EFL side.

According to the Daily Mail, Reading's Leam Richardson is being targeted by the Lancashire outfit, and is now the front-runner for the vacancy at Ewood Park as Rovers look for their third permanent manager in the space of a year.

The Royals appointed the 46-year-old in October following the dismissal of Noel Hunt, and he has pushed the club towards the play-off battle in League One, with his side currently eight points off the top six with two games in hand.

Robbie Savage has also been named as a potential target for Blackburn, as per Pete O'Rourke, but with the ex-Rovers midfielder playing down the speculation, one Reading fan has done the same about Richardson's link to the club.

Reading supporters backs Leam Richardson to reject Blackburn Rovers

With Richardson helping to turn the Royals' season around, supporters will be keen to see him remain in Berkshire and help the club move forward in the coming months and years.

However, the threat of Blackburn will be felt. Nevertheless, according to Football League World's Reading Fan Pundit, Johnny Hunt, these rumours should not be believed: "I think there's always concern when you see his name linked, but I'm not sure if it's just lazy journalism because it’s where he started, that they're kind of just linking with the job.

"As I'm sure they do with all these different managers, they get mentioned for different things. So, I'm not overly bothered. I think, jumping into the fire going to Rovers with the state of the club and the owners and all the things going on there when he's at a club that's settled now, we've gone past that stage in our development and all the stuff that went on under Dai Yongee."

Johnny continued: "We're a settled club. We had a good transfer window; he's got the players that he wants. I think he's on to a good thing with us. People may not love the style of football, but it's the results that matter and I'd certainly want him to stay to finish the job and see what he can do for the rest of the season.

"So, I think it's just paper talk and I can't see him leaving us to go to Rovers."

Leam Richardson should not rush to return to the Championship

Richardson has limited experience of managing in the Championship, but his history in the division does not make for great reading, and therefore it is vital that he rejects any potential approach from Blackburn.

While with Wigan Athletic, the 46-year-old won just five of his 20 league games, drawing another five of those matches and losing the other 10. He was sacked in November 2022, with the Latics in the relegation zone, with his former club eventually dropping into League One.

Just a year later, he was given another chance in the second tier. However, once again, he was in charge of a club at the bottom end of the division in the form of Rotherham United. He won just twice in 23 matches, losing on 17 occasions as the Millers were unsurprisingly relegated, with Richardson's position becoming untenable before the campaign ended.

With Blackburn in a similar position, there is no reason for him to leave Reading right now and, instead, he should stick around and fight for promotion in League One, and pursue his own return to the Championship that way.