Did Somebody Say Protest?

Given last week’s events; fans are understandably discussing when protests should start again. Here’s Blue & White Jester’s view.

What a week last week was, eh? Only Reading FC would leave it 20 hours before kickoff at table-topping Wycombe Wanderers to announce Ruben Selles’ departure for Hull City. In a time of 24-hour news, how can it take so long to handle a subject that has been in the works for days elsewhere?

However, that was hardly the only story from last week. Has anyone forgotten when former Reading owner Roger Smee came out and said he’d been “rejected” in his attempts to re-purchase the club?

To say the fandom is on edge right now is an understatement, thus “protests” are on everyone’s mind rather than “play-offs”.

I completely understand, and I’m going to stick my neck out here and say, “Enough with the threats of retribution from the EFL, etc.” Their current stance is similar to that of rubberneckers at a vehicle crash. Nothing is done, nothing is said, and it appears that no one cares how it turns out.

It’s astonishing that this has been repeated so many times in recent months without hyperbole, but the next few weeks will be critical for Reading FC’s future. As a result, I believe it is only appropriate that we, as supporters, act.

But when is the appropriate moment?

Obviously, we’re all rooting for Noel Hunt to do us proud, and the concept of protesting vanished when he was named Selles’ replacement. But I would claim that the club took advantage of us here. I made a similar remark over 18 months ago, claiming that Graeme Murty becoming Reading manager would be the owner’s attempt to sell us a poo wrapped in nostalgia.

In my opinion, there’s a good chance our devotion to Hunt will be tested against our frustration at losing players in a few weeks, so perhaps we can already declare the earliest any demonstrations should take place is in January?

Hunt informed the press that Brian Carey offered him the job, but he assumed Dai Yongge or Dayong Pang had authorized it. That brings me to a broader question: have Dai and Pang already checked out of the SCL?

This question will be addressed in January. We are all aware that players may be sold swiftly if certain people within the club want it to happen. My advise to Hunt or Carey here is to recall last year and not allow yourself to be used or made to appear ridiculous, as Mark Bowen was.

In terms of prospective fan action, rather than protest, consider Yuan Yang, the newly elected MP for Earley and Woodley, who directly criticized the club on Twitter early this week.

In my opinion, she nailed it when she asked where the communication was on the takeover and rumors surrounding Selles. When a member of Parliament calls you out, regardless of political affiliation, you should answer. Clearly, the club is pretending nothing happened, which is exceptional.

It could have been just one tweet in which an MP attempted to interact with a local issue to demonstrate their presence. In any case, she was correct about the bigger picture. When will we get another update on the takeover?

We are very aware of how the club communicates, or fails to communicate. But Yang, Olivia Bailey, Clive Jones, and, of course, Matt Rodda should not simply address this issue when it is expedient.

Given their prominence as MPs, they should be able to command an audience of Reading Board members and reassure them that sensitivity will not be compromised or shared with the media.

The club’s takeover story is poised to reach its second Christmas! I can’t think of any firm that has reportedly been on the open market for so long. We are all aware of its potential, and I believe it is time for our elected MPs to request that the club speak with them about where they are in the process and why this is still happening.

If they can’t get this, it’ll be on us, and I expect them to say so.

I’d like to believe that the fear of a pending football regulator and an EFL that has already attempted to ban Dai will encourage the club to participate, especially since the EFL may feel empowered to ask for a ban again knowing that MPs will support them.

Before we know it, January will arrive, as will the transfer window. If we are still looking like play-off contenders, it is apparent that we will continue to do what we are so good at: waiting, hoping, and putting pressure on the board wherever we can while supporting the team.

At this point, projecting what will happen at Reading FC in a month seems like a massive risk. If last week was any indication, I fully expect further revelations in the Reading soap opera to emerge, and the weight of them should determine how quickly protests resume.

History has demonstrated that Dai and Pang dislike the threat of fan action and hence serve up crumbs of info to deter us. If members of the UK Parliament can’t even wake them up, I’d say they’re giving us free rein in how we deal with them.

They have had more than 400 days to sell Reading FC. Consider how much attention two large marches about the same problem may garner a year later.

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