Leam Richardson facing big Reading FC problems as dressing room leak emerges | OneFootball

As the pressure continues to build on Reading manager Leam Richardson, one anonymous player has hit out at his tactics.

It has been a disappointing few weeks for Reading in League One as their play-off challenge continues to fade.

After a poor start to the season that saw them win just three of their opening 14 league games, Reading parted company with manager Noel Hunt in late October, with the Irishman departing with the club sitting just outside the relegation zone.

Former Wigan Athletic and Rotherham United boss Leam Richardson, who won the League One title with the Latics in the 2021-22 season, was appointed as Hunt's replacement, and the Royals quickly began to climb the table under the 46-year-old's guidance.

At the start of the month, Reading sat in the play-off places, but a disappointing Easter weekend saw them concede two consecutive 96th-minute goals in a draw at Huddersfield Town and a home defeat to Lincoln City, and their promotion hopes took a further blow as they were beaten 1-0 by relegation-threatened Doncaster Rovers at the Eco Power Stadium on Saturday.

After a damaging period, the Royals are now ninth in the table, five points behind sixth-placed Stevenage with just three games remaining, while Alex Revell's men also have a game in hand on the Berkshire outfit.

As another season in the third tier looms, many Reading supporters have called for Richardson to be sacked in recent weeks, with his style of play one of the main frustrations of the fanbase, and it seems those feelings may be shared by the dressing room.

Leam Richardson facing fresh Reading FC pressure amid dressing room leak

While Richardson's brand of football has long been criticised by Reading fans, the positive results for much of his tenure had suggested that the players were on board at least, but it appears that may not be the case.

The Reading Chronicle has been informed by a source from inside the Royals dressing room that there is "tension building" between Richardson and his players, with a lack of game time, players being played out of position, poor in-game management and the change in formation among the issues causing concern within the squad.

One anonymous Reading player revealed to the publication that he is "frustrated" by the current situation at the Select Car Leasing Stadium, while he also claimed that the team "should be able to close out games", with costly 96th-minute goals having also been conceded against Bolton Wanderers and Port Vale in February, as well as the recent matches against Huddersfield and Lincoln.

In his post-match interviews following the draw with the Terriers and the defeat to the Imps, Richardson blamed "individual errors" for his side dropping points in the closing stages, and those comments are said to have further added to the disconnect between him and the players.

Despite increasing demands from supporters for a managerial change, it is believed that Richardson retains the backing of the Royals hierarchy, but it remains to be seen whether the dressing room leak will force owner Rob Couhig to reconsider his stance.

The clock is ticking for Leam Richardson at Reading amid player and supporter unrest

Richardson has won 13 of his 30 games in charge of Reading, drawing eight and losing nine, and having taken them from just outside the relegation zone to the fringes of the play-off places, it would be fair to say he has done a solid job based on results alone.

However, many Royals supporters have been unimpressed with Richardson's football throughout much of his tenure, and while they were prepared to get behind the team when they were winning, the recent dip in form has seen many of the underlying grievances come to the surface.

It seems that Couhig was prepared to remain loyal to Richardson in the face of fan backlash, but with the dressing room leak making it clear that disharmony is growing among the squad, it looks increasingly likely that his time at the club is coming to an end.