Reading manager Leam Richardson has ruled himself out of the running to become the next Blackburn Rovers manager.
The Championship strugglers are looking for a new boss after sacking Valérien Ismaël on transfer deadline day earlier this week.
And the East Lancashire outfit were believed to be interested in the Royals’ gaffer, after he has earned plaudits for his work in Berkshire.
But those rumours have been quickly quashed by Reading’s manager this afternoon.
Reading Manager Gives Defiant Statement
It would be a difficult job for any manager to take at the moment, with few clubs in as much disarray off the pitch as Blackburn. Sacking a manager on deadline day is enough of an indication of the current issues at Ewood Park. And the scene was a dire one on Tuesday evening, as fans stayed away when Rovers faced basement-club Sheffield Wednesday.
The mood hardly improved following a 1-0 win against the side 39 points below the Riversiders in the Championship table, in a match that was billed as ‘the saddest fixture in the EFL’. So, it was perhaps no surprise for Richardson to distance himself from the Rovers vacancy earlier today.
“You can never stop speculation. I was on the doorstep for many years up there, a few promotions and sold a lot of players, etc. So I can understand the speculation, but my full focus is on the job at hand.
“I’ve got a massive game on Saturday. I’ve had a really good week with the players. Again, I don’t really do social media, so you’ll probably know a lot more than I. But my full focus is on Reading Football Club.”
He isn’t the only manager to distance himself from Blackburn, after Forest Green Rovers boss Robbie Savage called rumours linking him with a move away from the National League outfit as ‘pure speculation’.
Royals Attractive Proposition
Reading came out of the transfer window in great shape following an excellent month. Richardson has strengthened his squad by signing full-backs Haydon Roberts and Ryan Nyambe, who have gone straight into their starting line-up. They have replaced injured Hull City loanee Matty Jacob, who returned to East Yorkshire at the start of January, and 18-year-old Andre Garcia, after he completed a permanent transfer to Club Brugge.
Highly sought-after centre-half Benn Ward joins from Accrington Stanley, while Kadan Young and Will Keane are promising loan arrivals from Aston Villa and Preston North End, respectively. But keeping hold of Charlie Savage and Lewis Wing were perhaps the best bits of business that the Royals did, following interest in their star men.
After all that, jumping ship just days after the transfer window would have made no sense. And to Blackburn, in their current state, would have been completely illogical. Reading have hopes of a late push towards the League One Play-Off places, with the gap six points to sixth-placed Huddersfield Town. Even if they don’t go on to win promotion, there is a fair chance these two sides could be facing each other in the third tier next season.
