Former Reading FC player Shane Long says that he will be rooting for the Royals this weekend as they look to break into the League One play-offs.
Long became a fans favourite during his time at Reading, where he had two spells.
Speaking exclusively to Ladbrokes, Long said: “My old mate Noel has done an incredible job with Reading – let’s hope they get a playoff place because their fans deserve it
“When you look at Reading now, it’s crazy they’re even in the conversation for the play-offs. They lost their manager, Ruben Selles, to Hull in December. And then one of my good friends, Noel Hunt, got the job. I think he just went in with the intention of just keeping them in the league, not because of the position of the team on the pitch, but just because of things going on in the background.
“They couldn’t add to the squad, or spend any money anywhere… there were so many things hanging over their heads, but they’re now level with Leyton Orient and pushing for the play-offs with one game to go. It’d be an unbelievable season if they were to make the play-offs. It’s a huge credit to Noel for how he’s got that team playing, but there’s always that dark cloud over things, and you’re just hopeful that a new owner comes in.
“When I first arrived, it was a proper family club; everyone put the hard work in to push the club forward. But when I went back there at the end of my career, it was just totally different’ there was just a totally different feel to the place. “They were getting points deducted for late payments – stuff that’s totally out of the control of the people who are there day-to-day. It’s frustrating for the fans as well, because they’re seeing good football on the pitch, they’ve got a good stadium, good training facilities, but they’re just hampered at the moment. Hopefully it gets resolved very soon and they can start looking forward.
“Fans thought we’d be relegated when only Kevin Doyle and I joined, but we won the Championship with ease!
“I was 18 when I moved to England and signed for Reading with Kevin Doyle – they came to watch him in a pre-season game which I played in, and they brought me over to the academy in the same move. For the first three months I was living with Brian McDermott who was head scout at the time, and then my mum moved over from Ireland and we rented a house out and settled there. It was just one of those opportunities that came along for me. “At the time I was an avid hurdler, and it was a big decision for me to give that up, but it was such a great opportunity, I had to give it my all.
“It’s funny because when [Kevin Doyle and I] signed, I don’t think the Reading fans were too happy, because Kevin cost about £75,000 and I was about five grand – other than that I don’t think there was much else going on in terms of arrivals, so I think a lot of fans were already thinking about relegation, but we just put together this unbelievable run. It was a strange start to life in England because everything just felt so easy that season, as we went on to set a record in the Championship for total points won.
“That first season was amazing, and then we went and finished eighth in the Premier League, a point off the European places, before we ended up getting relegated in the following season – so the first three years really were a whirlwind. It was a brilliant time to play for the club, you know, the dressing room was great.”
