Reading F.C.

About Reading F.C.

Reading FC was formed in 1871. In 1895 the club turned professional, and was registered as a limited liability company on August 11. The Royals became founder members of national Division Three in 1957/58, but were relegated 13 years later - in the club's centenary year. In 1983, following relegation to Division Four, the club had to stave off a threatened merger with Oxford United and the sale of Elm Park . Reading survived, however, and by the end of the decade things were on the up. John Madejski

arrived as chairman in 1990 and Mark McGhee followed as manager shortly afterwards. The club flourished under the duo, and became Division Two champions in 1993/94. The Royals narrowly missed out on a top-flight spot the following campaign, despite the departure of McGhee in December. After finishing second, they were beaten 4-3 after extra time in the play-off final by Bolton Wanderers. Returning to Division Two in 1998 was offset slightly by the prospect of moving to the Madejski Stadium - a purpose-built, 25,000 all-seater arena. Former reserves boss Alan Pardew took charge on a caretaker basis in 1999 which was later made permanent. In September 2003, Pardew left the Royals to become West Ham United boss, and the board turned to Steve Coppell. The former Crystal Palace manager guided the Royals to the verge of the play-offs in 2004/05. But it transpired Coppell was merely laying the foundations for a campaign that will long remain etched in local folklore in Berkshire . The following season the Royals won the Coca-Cola Championship with a record points total of 106 to secure top-flight football for the first time in their 135-year history.

Reading 's romp to the 2005/06 Championship title saw the Royals reach the top flight of English football for the first time in their 135-year history. The nearest they had previously come was in the 1994/95 season, when they finished second in what is now the Championship, but were denied automatic promotion as that was the year the Premier League reduced its numbers from 22 to 20 member clubs. Four teams went down and only two came up. The Royals were beaten 4-3 after extra time in the play-off final at Wembley by Bolton Wanderers. Their promotion to the Barclays Premiership crowns an exceptional rise for the club, who were plying their trade in the old Division Two when the Premier League era kicked off in August 1992. Their first win of the campaign did not arrive until mid-September, and they went on to finish eighth. The following term, however, was a different story. Mark McGhee's team clinched the title by a point from Port Vale and earned a place in the old Division One. Joint player-managers Mick Gooding and Jimmy Quinn took the reins following McGhee's departure in December 1994 - the campaign which ended in the heartbreak of missing out on a top-flight spot after the play-off defeat to the Trotters. Gooding and Quinn departed in May 1997 to be replaced by Terry Bullivant. The Royals struggled during the 1997/98 campaign and, after Bullivant resigned in March, finished bottom. Bullivant's successor Tommy Burns was dismissed in September 1999 before Alan Pardew led the club back into the Championship in May 2003. When he departed four months later to take over at West Ham United, however, the board turned to Steve Coppell. The former Crystal Palace boss guided the club to the verge of the play-offs in 2004/05, but a 3-1 defeat at Wigan Athletic on the final day of the campaign saw them miss out on a top-six finish. But Reading bounced back from that disappointment the following season by securing the Championship title in style to finally claim the place among England 's elite they so nearly had 11 years earlier.

Current first team squad

As of 9 July 2007 :