Reading boss lifts lid on chaos after fan protests - "That's why I'm still here"
Wages paid late, points deductions, transfer embargoes, tennis balls stopping play and match abandoned after a pitch invasion.
Ruben Selles may not have landed the impossible job as Reading manager, but he has worked in seven countries – Spain, Russia, Azerbaijan, Norway, Denmark, Greece and England – and none has presented him with as many hurdles as his Grand National course in Berkshire.
Despised Royals owner Dai Yongge has dealt Selles a lousy hand, and feelings are running high among the fans. Militancy is a wondrous feat at a club where Waitrose used to be the shirt sponsors, but the pitch invasion which forced last week's home game with Port Vale to be abandoned spoke volumes for Yongge's housekeeping.
“I did have some problems before, at one club in Spain and another one in Russia, mainly with getting our wages, so this situation is not new for me,” said Selles, who has somehow procured a six-match unbeaten run amid the chaos.
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“Some of the bits are new, but not the entire situation. I understand that all the things happening now over-pass events on the pitch, but the best part of this job is preparing the team and that's why I am still here. It is my biggest challenge as a coach because of the position where we are now.”
For Reading's young squad, staying in League One against a backdrop of chaos would be a stellar achievement in its own right. And for Selles, relegated from the Premier League with Southampton last May, keeping their spirits high has been a repeat prescription.
He said: “To keep the players going is simple – we are here for a reason, to play football and win matches. But when you get a victory followed by a three-point deduction, it is complicated when you earn something on the pitch and then you are losing it for different reasons.
“It is hard when that happens, but the players have been unbelievable, always ready to support the club and the people around them who work for it. I could not have asked for more from all of them.”
Ruben Selles has managed to guide Reading to a six-match unbeaten run despite the chaos at the club (Alan Walter/REX/Shutterstock)
Selles, 40, has to tread the line carefully between condemning the pitch invasion and condoning fans' protests against Yongge, who has previous for running football clubs into the ground. The EFL speak earnestly of Yongge selling up. Their resistance to his purchase of the club in 2017 was less conspicuous.
Selles said: “I believe I have a good relationship with the fans – as a manager, the situation normally depends a lot on whether you are winning, and during the hard periods you can find voices which are not fully supportive.
“But from the very beginning I have tried to be honest and explain what we are, why we are where we are, and I think people are finding more reasons to support us because of things going on away from the pitch.
“I understand that when you support a club for your entire life, and the club is not heading in the direction you think it must go, you are entitled to express your opinion.
“If you do it in the proper way, peacefully and in a pacifist way, you can show you don't agree with it. I try to win every game for them and I find other situations better for them to make their protest, but I am nobody to tell them what to do.”
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Has he been tempted to walk away from the perpetual disarray? “Not fully, but certainly there are times when you are not 100 per cent strong. You have doubts and wonder why things cannot be easier for us.
“But until now, I have not come to that point – I made a commitment at the beginning of the season to stay in the club, and that's what I'm going to do. The doubts, if they happen, is just a microsecond and they pass.”
If Selles has had one hand tied behind his back, so to speak, he insists the staccato cash flow from China has not influenced team selection.
Reading fans have been protesting against owner Dai Yongge (JASONPIX)Fans have been mystified by Wales midfielder Charlie Savage's exclusion from the starting XI since November. Selles confirmed there are clauses in some players' contracts with pay rises based on appearances but insists he picks the team on merit.
He said: “Nobody gave me the instruction that you can't pick any player because their salary will rise because of more appearances in that moment. That has not been the case. If it was in a different way, I would not be sitting here as manager now.”
Ahead of this weekend's points deduction 'derby' at Wigan, the priority for Selles is to preserve his squad for the remainder of the transfer window. Easier said than done. He admitted: “I would like to keep them, but I understand the position has changed for us and we may need to let them go.”
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