History of Reading F.C.

[1] They were originally nicknamed The Biscuitmen after one of the main trades in the town, Huntley & Palmers biscuits, but changed to the Royals in the 1970s, when the company closed their factory.

The switch to professionalism in 1895 resulted in the need for a bigger ground and, to this end, the club moved again, to the purpose-built Elm Park on 5 September 1896.

Reading's best performance in the FA Cup came in 1926–27 when they lost to eventual winners Cardiff City at Molineux in Wolverhampton in the semi-final.

Smee disputed the legitimacy of the controlling interest in Reading held by the three board members that supported the merger plan.

The appointment of Mark McGhee as player-manager, shortly after the takeover by John Madejski, in June 1991 saw Reading move forward.

Pardew guided Reading to a third-place finish in the 2000–01 season, where the club were beaten in the play-off final by Walsall 3–2 after extra time.

Pardew acrimoniously moved to West Ham United the following October and being replaced by Brighton & Hove Albion manager Steve Coppell.

Striker Dave Kitson became the first player to score for Reading in the top flight, as the Royals came from 2–0 to beat Middlesbrough 3–2 in their first game in the Premiership.

In the run up to their second season in the Premier League, Reading were invited to take part in the 2007 Peace Cup in South Korea, playing Argentine giants River Plate, French champions Lyon and Japanese side Shimizu S-Pulse.

Despite winning 4–0 away at fellow strugglers Derby County on the last day of the season, Fulham's 1–0 at Portsmouth was enough to see the club fall out of the top flight.

In the second half of the season, they struggled to regain the form and slipped down the table before recovering to finish fourth and qualify for the play-offs,[12] where they lost to Burnley in the semi-final.

[14] Rodgers left the club by mutual consent on 16 December 2009, following a poor start to the season which saw the Royals in a relegation battle.

[25] However, a streak of good form in the second half of the season, combined with the signings of Adam Le Fondre, Kaspars Gorkšs and Jason Roberts, ensured promotion to the Premier League on 17 April 2012 with 1–0 home win against Nottingham Forest.

[26] In their next match on 21 April 2012, Reading secured the Championship title with a game to spare after 2–2 draw with Crystal Palace when second-placed Southampton failed to beat Middlesbrough, losing 2–1.

[27] On 21 January 2012, it was announced that John Madejski planned to sell 51% of the club to Thames Sport Investments led by Russian-born Anton Zingarevich[28] which was eventually completed on 29 May 2012.

Following a 0–0 draw at Wembley on 29 May 2017, Huddersfield Town defeated Reading 4–3 on penalties to deny the club a return to the Premier League.

[37] Two days later, on 23 March 2018, Paul Clement was appointed as Reading's new manager; the club finished the season in 20th place, avoiding relegation by three points.

[41] Sporting director Mark Bowen was promoted to the role as his replacement a week later and led the team to finish 14th before departing the club in August 2020.

[50] A week later, on 11 April, Ince left after a run of eight games without a win, leaving the club in 22nd place, one point from safety.

[57] On 27 June, Reading were served a winding-up petition by HMRC over the unpaid tax bills,[58] with a hearing set for 9 August[59] (on 12 July, football finance expert Kieran Maguire described the club's ownership as "a car crash").

[67] Meanwhile, on 26 June 2023, Reading announced the provisional appointment of Rubén Sellés as their new manager,[68] confirmed on 14 July, after his visa application was successful.

Failure to comply, or not paying wages on time up to 30 June 2024, would activate the suspended penalty;[70] the three-point deduction was applied on 13 September,[71] and Dai Yongge faced a misconduct charge.

[72] On 29 September 2023, Dai Yongge said he was open to "credible offers of interest" to buy the club after another transfer embargo was imposed in respect to an outstanding tax bill.

[73] A 3–2 home defeat by Portsmouth on 28 October 2023 dropped the club to the bottom of League One on six points, eight from safety;[74] the match was preceded by a fans protest against Dai Yongge's ownership.

[75] On 19 December 2023, Dai Yongge was fined £20,000 for Reading's wages failures; the EFL had recommended a 12-month ban from all football activities, but an independent disciplinary commission opted not to enforce it.

A further £50,000 fine was suspended until 12 January 2024, but will be triggered if Dai Yongge again fails to make the required full wage deposits.

[76] On 13 January 2024, Reading's match against Port Vale was abandoned after home fans invaded the pitch to protest about Yongge's ownership of the club.

[77][78] After imposing a £50,000 fine for failing to meet wages deadlines, the EFL said Dai Yongge must "fund the club adequately" or "make immediate arrangements to sell".

[79] Reading CEO Dayong Pang said that, after two unsuccessful offers, Dai Yongge was "100% willing to sell the club" and the selling process was "ongoing";[80] On 26 January 2024, former CEO Nigel Howe (asked by Dai Yongge to oversee the club's sale) said eight parties were interested in buying Reading but any sale would take at least two months to complete.

[87] Four days later, Reading were reported to be in "exclusive negotiations" with a buyer to agree final terms for Dai's shareholding, the stadium and the training ground, which could take up to two months.