AFC Wimbledon Fans Verdict: Stalemate In South London

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Leam Richardson had a good pre-season and, on the whole, managed to restore some faith from the fans. However, he needed to start with victories and good performances, but we’re yet to see Reading win a competitive game in 90 minutes since March.

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There are nuances to that, of course, and this essentially was what split the fans in their reaction to Saturday’s 0-0 draw. Is this a continuation of the dross we saw last season? Or is that conclusion unfair?

For some fans, their answer to that question is emphatic. To others, it’s a bit more complex. Here’s how they reacted to the game…

For some, patience is needed

I think how you’re feeling about Richardson and our direction now correlates pretty evidently with whether you were willing to give Richardson a clean slate going into the new season.

For some fans, it is a case of us being just two games into the season and, although it is clear that we need to improve, there have been enough signs from pre-season and the opening four games that we’re moving in the right direction.

For this camp, Saturday’s game was one we should’ve won, and would’ve been worthy winners if we’d found that goal…

For others, it’s same old Reading

I think it’s fair to say that, although reaction was split, there were a good number more fans in this camp than the former. 

It’s very tricky, and I’ll try to give my two cents in the conclusion, but Richardson’s performance last season was always going to have the fans on a short fuse this season.

The stats are objectively better reading than we saw previously, and if we’d scored I’m pretty confident we all come away with a vastly different opinion. But that’s a big if, too big for some… 

Lewis Wing

There was another subplot to this game too, and that was the performance of Lewis Wing. As captain of the club, and someone who is as naturally gifted as he is, he’s always going to come under heavier scrutiny. 

We all know he’s a player who can win a game in an instant, who can provide a moment of magic from nowhere. But would sacrificing those moments for perhaps a more coherent tactical fit be worth it? It seems some Loyal Royals are starting to think so, while others were quick to back the skipper…

Conclusion

I wish football were simpler sometimes, but I do feel this is a very complex situation we find ourselves in. 

For me, Richardson had (nearly) a clean slate going into this season. But there was always going to be a hangover from the absolute dross we had to endure for the second half of last season. I mentioned it in the TTE roundtable (subtle plug), but a return to toxicity and impatience was only ever going to be a few bad results away. 

There is a murky grey area where all of our various opinions lie, but then there is the black-and-white matter that Rob Couhig has very publicly stated promotion is the only criteria for success this season. But then, it can also be argued that he hasn’t given the manager the right platform to hit that criteria with the lack of activity in the transfer window.

All in all, it’s a bit of a mess. And I’m not really sure where I stand on it all as of now. 

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