‘The worst to see.’ Reading Icon discusses Dai Yongge and the ‘hopeful’ takeover

Former Reading defender John O’Shea said that ‘it is dreadful to see’ what has transpired to the club since his departure.

O’Shea, 42, is most known for his 12-year connection with Manchester United and seven-year time with Sunderland, but he completed his illustrious playing career with an 11-game stint in Berkshire.

After finishing his playing career with the Royals, he began his coaching career at the SCL Stadium, where he worked for two years alongside Jose Gomes, Mark Bowen, and Veljko Paunovic.

The former centre-back, who has played for Stoke City and Birmingham City, will depart in 2021. He is now the interim manager of his country, Republic of Ireland.

Speaking to former England manager Sam Allardyce on his No Tippy Tappy podcast, O’Shea said: “I know Mark Bowen down there, what they’re having to do, and what’s happened. It’s been dreadful to see the stadium down there and the training ground that they’ve gone to–a really fantastic setup. They always produce good students from the Academy. Thankfully, they have made it through this season comfortably.

“When you consider the location, it appeals to a wide range of players. When you meet supporters outside the stadium, they are quite impassioned, and rightfully so, because it is such an important part of the community down there. Hopefully, they can get the new owner in sooner rather than later.

“They are frustrated because they expected they would be promoted to the Premier League without any problems. They continued investing money until they said, ‘No, we’re not going to do that anymore.’ It’s hard to imagine it happening. How can clubs overcome this? I’m not sure how you combat that.

“Hopefully, they’ll get the new owner settled. They have an excellent academy down there that produces good athletes.”

Reading and Ruben Selles clinched their League One status with two games to spare after losing 3-2 to Burton Albion on Saturday.