Returning To Reading After A (Much Needed) Sabbatical

Harry took the opportunity over the summer to unplug from Reading Football Club almost entirely, and it’s left him feeling revitalised ahead of the upcoming season.

Following a football club is mentally draining. I’m probably being biased here but, in terms of emotional investment and the grip following a club has on the lives of its supporters, there’s nothing else really like it in sport. In few others do you get so many people spending so much money travelling up and down the country to watch the team they support play another one.

We feel every single high and every single low to our very core. Unfortunately, there haven’t been many of the former for us fans of little old Reading to experience over the last few years. Instead we’ve had to endure low after low after low after low. Rock bottom has had a new definition every few months in the world of Reading Football Club since Dai Yongge entered the fray.

Last season, for a lot of us, was breaking point. No football fan should have to go through a season like we did. No football club should ever get to the state that ours did.

That’s why, pretty much as soon as the season finished and I walked out of the SCL after the 3-2 win against Blackpool, I deleted Twitter and shut myself off from all things Reading FC until about three weeks ago. Barring the odd Google to see if there was any update on the ownership saga, I didn’t look at a single thing. Like many of you I’m sure, I’d kind of reached an emotional tether - last season had chewed me up and spat me out. It was exhausting.

I wasn’t even that interested during the Euros - the only games I watched were the England ones. But when they finished, that said to me the season was just around the corner, and I should probably immerse myself back into things.

Photo by INA FASSBENDER/AFP via Getty Images

Predictably, nothing had changed. No new owners, no new players. But I felt refreshed - and still do. There were times last year when I’m sure we all were dragging ourselves out of our home to go to games - or not going at all, which is completely understandable.

But now, even though Dai is still our owner, and we’re yet to sign any new players, I feel excited and was logged on at 10am on the dot to get my Birmingham City ticket last Wednesday.

It’s hard to explain really. Nothing has changed (yet), but there seems to be an air of positivity and optimism among around the club that, honestly, we have absolutely no right to feel. Our club nearly died last season and that dark cloud is still very much hovering above us. But there’s no doubting the sun is starting to break through now.

First and foremost, we’ve actually won some friendlies. And we’ve played against some so-called better opposition, with a squad teeming with youngsters who few of us had probably ever seen play before. But the kids look alright, and there’s more than a few who look like they could play a big part in the coming season.

Secondly, Ruben Selles is still here. I mean, I’m sure I would’ve heard if Selles had walked out during my Reading FC sabbatical, but the fact that he was still here when I returned was massive for me. At the end of last season he’d made it abundantly clear that he wouldn’t stay if he was going to have to go through another season like he did - which, again, is completely understandable. But he’s still here. God, I love that bloke.

And then there’s what, for me, was the most exciting thing from the back end of last season. You could see a clear identity and way of playing being implemented and getting more and more obvious with every game. And it’s continued into pre-season. Every single player knows how Selles wants them to play, and they’re doing it. The days of Inceball are long, long gone.

Photo by Bradley Collyer/PA Images via Getty Images

Finally, and most importantly, it finally looks like the Dai reign is about to come to an end. Although I know we’ve said it before.

All of this has been amplified by time away. In a strange way I feel kind of like a new fan, learning things about the club again. We were all probably a little too involved last season - I’ve said it before that no fanbase should ever have to take the streets, and get a game postponed, in order to try and save their club. Being a fan should be about turning up on a Saturday, enjoying 90 minutes of football how you want to enjoy it, and going home.

But it’s been so much more than that for us in recent times. For some, it’s literally been a second job.

But I feel refreshed, like I’m looking at everything with a fresh pair of eyes. Like I’ve kind of got rid of all the pain of the last seven years, dealt with it and moved on. I feel like I’ve just come out of a toxic relationship and am now ready to start looking for love again.

But that love has always been, and will always be, Reading Football Club. And I’m ready to get hurt all over again.