SQUADWATCH - Summer 2026

[stealthpapes]

Wouldn't it be a mixture of the two?

Huge list of players - get AI to filter the list based on your requirements

Shortlist - send a human to do old fashioned scouting on the players

Where AI would work really well is to suggest answers to “is there a player similar to Xxx that we’ve maybe missed”

The idea that clubs don’t use tech is low tier thinking. The idea that traditional scouts ever got a grasp on character or temperament is lower tier still.

That’s a different process but notice how there are far fewer ‘busts’ due to players failing to settle than there used to be.

[Hound]

Ritchie retiring then. Not a huge loss

[Brogue]

Ritchie retiring then. Not a huge loss

it's almost as if i knew... #InBrogueWeTrust

[WestYorksRoyal]

This is good news. I'd presume one of our highest earners and didn't get on the field much.

He did provide a handful of quality moments that pointed to his PL career, but not enough.

[skipper]

Richie has gone to Bournemouth as Technical Director.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/ar ... 8m12g4vv5o

[morganb]

Leam speaks

Richardson will 'be demanding' of Reading owners

Reading manager Leam Richardson says he will "be demanding" of the club's owners in the summer transfer window.

The 46-year-old arrived at the Select Car Leasing Stadium in October last year before going on to lead the Royals to a 12th-placed finish in League One.

Next season Richardson will have his first pre-season with the playing group, and is hoping to have some reinforcements to take into his first full campaign.

"We'll collectively come in together and we'll see what the summer holds," Richardson told BBC Radio Berkshire.

"I'll certainly be demanding as Rob (Couhig) knows the expectations are very high so I think we have to make sure that our squad can live up to that.

"Ultimately, you're judged by the level of player that you've got and I think that's my job to keep pushing the ownership, to keep pushing the club forward in every department."

Richardson, who previously managed Rotherham, Wigan and Accrington Stanley, has won 13 of his 33 matches with the Royals.

He was the first managerial appointment of Couhig's ownership, taking over from Noel Hunt who was given the job after Ruben Selles left in late 2024.

The transfer window opens on 15 June, and Richardson hopes that with some key signings, his side will be able to push for a return to the second tier.

"Before you come in you don't understand the challenges until you're actually parachuted in," he added.

"I think over the months so far we've been positive, optimistic and we've faced many challenges, if we can have that same progression next year we'll be in a really good place.

"This summer if we have a strong recruitment drive, a really good pre-season and if I stand on that touchline at the start of next season and we've ticked all of those boxes, I'd be very confident (Reading can be promoted)."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/ar ... 215y40gggo

[Marcel]

Leam speaks

Richardson will 'be demanding' of Reading owners

Reading manager Leam Richardson says he will "be demanding" of the club's owners in the summer transfer window.

The 46-year-old arrived at the Select Car Leasing Stadium in October last year before going on to lead the Royals to a 12th-placed finish in League One.

Next season Richardson will have his first pre-season with the playing group, and is hoping to have some reinforcements to take into his first full campaign.

"We'll collectively come in together and we'll see what the summer holds," Richardson told BBC Radio Berkshire.

"I'll certainly be demanding as Rob (Couhig) knows the expectations are very high so I think we have to make sure that our squad can live up to that.

"Ultimately, you're judged by the level of player that you've got and I think that's my job to keep pushing the ownership, to keep pushing the club forward in every department."

Richardson, who previously managed Rotherham, Wigan and Accrington Stanley, has won 13 of his 33 matches with the Royals.

He was the first managerial appointment of Couhig's ownership, taking over from Noel Hunt who was given the job after Ruben Selles left in late 2024.

The transfer window opens on 15 June, and Richardson hopes that with some key signings, his side will be able to push for a return to the second tier.

"Before you come in you don't understand the challenges until you're actually parachuted in," he added.

"I think over the months so far we've been positive, optimistic and we've faced many challenges, if we can have that same progression next year we'll be in a really good place.

"This summer if we have a strong recruitment drive, a really good pre-season and if I stand on that touchline at the start of next season and we've ticked all of those boxes, I'd be very confident (Reading can be promoted)."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/ar ... 215y40gggo

Then he woke up

[stealthpapes]

Glad they put that win stat in, 13 from 33 is a shade under 40%, his PPG corresponded to just missing out on 70 pt season, the baseline is a play off challenge.

And as he implies, no excuses next year.

[linkenholtroyal]

As discussed at length before hopefully they utilise the free transfer market well for most players.
The one area we can’t really as options are limited is centre forward competition and cover for Marriott. This is not an ITK. Just what I would be doing if the club I would be looking at Wootton.
He has one year left on his contract, manager has left, proven at this level, not on massive wages. Would likely get for 1-2 million. Strong, quick and an eye for goal. If we are to go for 1 player to give us a chance next season should be him.

[Brogue]

Glad they put that win stat in, 13 from 33 is a shade under 40%, his PPG corresponded to just missing out on 70 pt season, the baseline is a play off challenge.

And as he implies, no excuses next year.

a very lucky run of results over the christmas period with a few smash and grab games over inflated his ppg.

12 points from his last 12 games since the beginning of March is relegation form.

and if we went back 15 games (half the number he's managed), we have 19 points, 1.27 ppg a 58-point season. Just above relegation.

So don't give me that shit about a 70 point season you're deluded. take out christmas and we would have been heads just above water

[6ft Kerplunk]

Glad they put that win stat in, 13 from 33 is a shade under 40%, his PPG corresponded to just missing out on 70 pt season, the baseline is a play off challenge.

And as he implies, no excuses next year.

It may just be how it appears written down but "Ultimately, you're judged by the level of player that you've got" looks like a very handy excuse to fall back on. Not his fault, its the players not being good enough. Doesn't a manager get judged on whether he manages to raise the level of the players and the team becomes more than the sum of its individual parts?

[6ft Kerplunk]

Would likely get for 1-2 million.

Can't see us paying anywhere near that for one player as we would have to sell one for that to have the funds available. Lets not kid ourselves, after the mess the club was in there's no way the owners will be chucking money around.

[stealthpapes]

Glad they put that win stat in, 13 from 33 is a shade under 40%, his PPG corresponded to just missing out on 70 pt season, the baseline is a play off challenge.

And as he implies, no excuses next year.

a very lucky run of results over the christmas period with a few smash and grab games over inflated his ppg.

12 points from his last 12 games since the beginning of March is relegation form.

and if we went back 15 games (half the number he's managed), we have 19 points, 1.27 ppg a 58-point season. Just above relegation.

So don't give me that shit about a 70 point season you're deluded. take out christmas and we would have been heads just above water

A lucky run of ... several months.

Brilliant;

70 point season TICK
40% win percentage TICK

[Brogue]

Glad they put that win stat in, 13 from 33 is a shade under 40%, his PPG corresponded to just missing out on 70 pt season, the baseline is a play off challenge.

And as he implies, no excuses next year.

It may just be how it appears written down but "Ultimately, you're judged by the level of player that you've got" looks like a very handy excuse to fall back on. Not his fault, its the players not being good enough. Doesn't a manager get judged on whether he manages to raise the level of the players and the team becomes more than the sum of its individual parts?

Yes, a good point, another LinkedIn Leam soundbite. Like blaming Noel for everything and how a disjointed pre-season meant we couldn't play 'front foot football' in March and April The bloke's a fraud.

[stealthpapes]

Glad they put that win stat in, 13 from 33 is a shade under 40%, his PPG corresponded to just missing out on 70 pt season, the baseline is a play off challenge.

And as he implies, no excuses next year.

It may just be how it appears written down but "Ultimately, you're judged by the level of player that you've got" looks like a very handy excuse to fall back on. Not his fault, its the players not being good enough. Doesn't a manager get judged on whether he manages to raise the level of the players and the team becomes more than the sum of its individual parts?

I read that with an almost opposite meaning, as in it wouldn't be an excuse. The next clause in the sentence talks about the relationship with the owner and how they need to work together to push things forwards.

[Brogue]

Glad they put that win stat in, 13 from 33 is a shade under 40%, his PPG corresponded to just missing out on 70 pt season, the baseline is a play off challenge.

And as he implies, no excuses next year.

a very lucky run of results over the christmas period with a few smash and grab games over inflated his ppg.

12 points from his last 12 games since the beginning of March is relegation form.

and if we went back 15 games (half the number he's managed), we have 19 points, 1.27 ppg a 58-point season. Just above relegation.

So don't give me that shit about a 70 point season you're deluded. take out christmas and we would have been heads just above water

A lucky run of ... several months.

Brilliant;

70 point season TICK
40% win percentage TICK

so we just ignore the last quater of the season? and yes it was a lucky run of several months! did you ever see us play? there wasnt a single game all season we deserved to win. we got lucky pretty much every game. Even the 4-1 win at plymouth they battered us for 90 minutes - most of which with 10 men!

And if we are doing ppg - Noel Hunt's ppg at Reading was 1.41 - a 65 point season. So we shouldn't have sacked him then? If you're happy with 70points, whats an extra five points? FTR the average number of points to get in the playoffs is 75. If neither manager's PPG is good enough to get into the play-offs, why sack Hunt for someone who is going to make you 5 points better off sitting in mid-table obscurity?

And let’s not forget Noel had a much shitter squad to start with this season. I posted the starting lineup of the opening day game -away at Lincoln in another thread. We had Strickland and Burns at the back ffs, and MoM upfront . He didn’t have PoC for most of his time here, and Marriott got injured and missed a lot of games under him too. And not to mention, Marriott only arrived on the last day of the window; we had already played 6 games before arriving. He had MoM leading the line

Leam had all these players, plus the ones he brought in, in Jan- plus Randall Williams, plus Rino. and he still could only muster a paltry 12 points from his last 12 games.

Replacing hunt for Richardson is like replacing Keir Starmer with Andy Burnham, or Wes Streeting, or Ed Miliband. You're just replacing one useless prick for another.

And that isn’t me advocating for Hunt to have been kept on, he probably was rightly sacked. But don’t replace him with someone equally shit/worse.

[6ft Kerplunk]

Glad they put that win stat in, 13 from 33 is a shade under 40%, his PPG corresponded to just missing out on 70 pt season, the baseline is a play off challenge.

And as he implies, no excuses next year.

It may just be how it appears written down but "Ultimately, you're judged by the level of player that you've got" looks like a very handy excuse to fall back on. Not his fault, its the players not being good enough. Doesn't a manager get judged on whether he manages to raise the level of the players and the team becomes more than the sum of its individual parts?

I read that with an almost opposite meaning, as in it wouldn't be an excuse. The next clause in the sentence talks about the relationship with the owner and how they need to work together to push things forwards.

That to me read more like if the owner's don't get the player's in its not my fault. But as I said it might just be how it appears written down and also some bias from me, I wasn't impressed with the way he was saying to the press that the players he had weren't good enough to play anything other than the turgid stuff we were getting dished up.

[West F]

Glad they put that win stat in, 13 from 33 is a shade under 40%, his PPG corresponded to just missing out on 70 pt season, the baseline is a play off challenge.

And as he implies, no excuses next year.

a very lucky run of results over the christmas period with a few smash and grab games over inflated his ppg.

12 points from his last 12 games since the beginning of March is relegation form.

and if we went back 15 games (half the number he's managed), we have 19 points, 1.27 ppg a 58-point season. Just above relegation.

So don't give me that shit about a 70 point season you're deluded. take out christmas and we would have been heads just above water

A lucky run of ... several months.

Brilliant;

70 point season TICK
40% win percentage TICK

The judgement of PPG comes down to:

With Marriot

Without Marriot

Richardson’s future is not reliant on his abilities as a manager. It is tied to the durability of Marriot’s hamstrings. With the current squad, there is no plan B. This is where his priorities will lie going into next season. Find someone who can fill the void that will inevitably come from Jack clutching the back of his thigh.

[stealthpapes]

It may just be how it appears written down but "Ultimately, you're judged by the level of player that you've got" looks like a very handy excuse to fall back on. Not his fault, its the players not being good enough. Doesn't a manager get judged on whether he manages to raise the level of the players and the team becomes more than the sum of its individual parts?

I read that with an almost opposite meaning, as in it wouldn't be an excuse. The next clause in the sentence talks about the relationship with the owner and how they need to work together to push things forwards.

That to me read more like if the owner's don't get the player's in its not my fault. But as I said it might just be how it appears written down and also some bias from me, I wasn't impressed with the way he was saying to the press that the players he had weren't good enough to play anything other than the turgid stuff we were getting dished up.

I understood. I just thought it was mildly interesting how the same words could be read differently.

On the related topic of people getting itchy because we've done no transfer deals yet.
I don't think the PL have announced their released lists - so that's a whole crop of young players that aren't yet on the market. 1st July is basically the date it all rolls over.

In previous seasons, our first transfers have been made
17th June for 1st July completion - O'Connor
30th August - Campbell
13th July - Knibbs
19th June - Lumley (with Ince, Bouzanis and two youngsters also confirmed for 1st July that week)
12th August - Dele-Bashiru, on loan
28th July - Laurent

Sometimes early, sometimes late, it would be nice for a few out of contract players announced now but they're not going to do owt for a good three weeks.
If we're still here on the League Cup first round, then there's problems.

[rabidbee]

Glad they put that win stat in, 13 from 33 is a shade under 40%, his PPG corresponded to just missing out on 70 pt season, the baseline is a play off challenge.

And as he implies, no excuses next year.

a very lucky run of results over the christmas period with a few smash and grab games over inflated his ppg.

12 points from his last 12 games since the beginning of March is relegation form.

and if we went back 15 games (half the number he's managed), we have 19 points, 1.27 ppg a 58-point season. Just above relegation.

So don't give me that shit about a 70 point season you're deluded. take out christmas and we would have been heads just above water

If you discount all of the wins, then we would have had a winless season. Outrageous!