Former Reading FC star on Dai Yongge and 'chaotic' exit...

Former Reading midfielder Dave Edwards explained that ‘something wasn’t right at the top’ even during his time at

the club.

Between 2017 and 2019, Edwards, a legend of Shrewsbury Town and Wolverhampton Wanderers, made 35

appearances for the Royals.

The Wales international, who joined at the beginning of the club’s decline that continues to this day, was the sixth

acquisition of the Dai Yongge era. The businessman took over at the end of 2016–17.

The combative midfielder clarified that even in the early going, prior to points deductions, fan protests, and pitch

invasions, “something wasn’t right,” even though sanctions, late wages, and general crises didn’t start until after

Edwards had left.

“Even in the back end of my time, it was starting to feel that something wasn’t right at the top,” Edwards told BBC

Radio Berkshire. “The way I left and the desperation to get people off the wage bill, it was remarkable. It hasn’t got

better since then I feel sorry for everyone because it’s a club which deserves to have some solidity at the top end to

make sure it’s being run the right way. They’re paying the price for some bad decisions.”

“When I left Reading, I was 33 and I had signed a two-year contract, but in my second year I got injured on the last

day of pre-season, which was really frustrating, and I just got fit around November,” Edwards said when asked to

elaborate by fellow Welshman and former Royal Ady Williams.

It was evident that things were beginning to shift. We had Jaap Stam first when I came in and then Paul Clement

came in. As I was leaving, Jose Gomes entered, although this was the first time in my career that I had encountered

this situation.

“Out of nowhere, there were lads being ostracised out of the dressing room. I always consider myself a good egg in

terms of being professional and giving my all in every session. I was one that was said ‘you need to change in a

separate dressing room to everyone else, we want you gone as quickly as possible.’

They had ear-marked me as someone they weren’t going to renew with and wanted me off the wage bill as quickly as

possible. That is always quite alarming and was the start of it. There was chaos at the top in terms of the players they

wanted to keep and wanted to get rid of. There was no real structure, and it seemed desperate.

“I was missing home and missing my family in Shrewsbury and was ready to go home and I was able to leave, but I

know there would have been players who wouldn’t have been able to leave in that situation.”

2019 saw the midfielder return to his hometown team, Shrewsbury, where he now frequently serves as a Sky Sports

pundit. After 18 months of fruitless takeover attempts, he believes the club may be freed from Dai Yongge’s control.

Former Reading FC star on Dai Yongge and ‘chaotic’ exit