Reading City announce Director of Football

Andy Findlay. Photo: Neil Graham.
Andy Findlay. Photo: Neil Graham.

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It’s been a turbulent few weeks for Uhlsport Hellenic Premier Division side Reading City with notable departures including Rob Gerrard and striker Mitchell Parker to Basingstoke Town.

Things seem to be settling now and the side under Rob Creech had a morale boosting 4-3 win over Royal Wootton Bassett Town on Monday night.

On Saturday, City host Berks County in the Reading Senior Cup at Scours Lane and the club are offering free entry to members of the armed forces and emergency services on production of valid ID.

Now the Scours Lane club have confirmed former co-manager Andy Findlay will return in a Director of Football role. He originally joined as joint manager with Creech in the summer, but resigned from his post in October.

A statement from the club said: “Reading City are pleased to announce Andy Findlay as Director of Football for the club, this role will help relieve pressure from Rob Creech, Simon Johnson and Deano Jones and allow them to concentrate on the tasks which lead to results on the pitch. Andy and the Board will focus on implementing a long term recruitment, sponsorship, infrastructure and development strategy for the club. This will have a large focus on community representation for Reading City.

“To ensure that we are continuing to move forward as a club Andy will also keep his hand in at a playing level by finishing his UEFA B Licence.

“The implementation of the future strategy will help to position the club with an identity that the local Community will be proud of.”

‘I will be here to support Rob but also will lead the development of things off the pitch’

Football in Bracknell spoke to Findlay who said he was excited by the project.

He said: “I’m going back in this role for the remainder of the season. I will still be involved with the senior playing squad with coaching as I aim to finish my UEFA B Licence this season.

“With my personal and business commitments this enables me to work football around them rather than the other way around. I will be here to support Rob but also will lead the development of things off the pitch, the previous investor tried to run before he could walk, we aim to build a structure to aid development of the playing side, a sustainable one that is built around more than one person.

“It’s an exciting project that will keep me involved in the project that Rob and I took on at the beginning of the season before everything changed with an investor coming in.

“The difference here is that Rob and I will control all of the player recruitment and budgets, something that was taken away from us by the previous setup which ultimately led to me taking a stand and stepping down. The manager has to have these controls not the board, I will be the link between the senior playing side and the Board.”

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