The Weekly Bobbins: Where’s The Composure?

So, that’s 2025 wrapped up and sealed with a bow. Not quite perfect with a 1-1 draw against Peterborough United, but seven points from nine over Christmas is, by our standards, practically a festive miracle.

Since the last load of Bobbins – pre‑Luton Town – we’ve faced three sides who, supposedly, are among the better footballing teams in the division.

Luton certainly looked it at times, slipping into the channels like they’d been given a map and a head start. Plymouth Argyle, despite their league position, still have a few players who remember what the Championship looks like. And Peterborough, under Luke Williams, appear to be in the early stages of becoming something functional.

We scored eight goals across those three games, which is lovely. It’s also the sort of thing that makes you suspicious, because nothing at Reading ever arrives without a catch.

Leam Richardson deserves credit for improving our scoring output. Goals from open play, even a set‑piece routine that looked like it had been rehearsed rather than improvised: a rare treat. But, as ever, there’s a “but”.

Basic ball control and ball-retention remain optional. Against Luton, the number of 50/50s we lost because the ball behaved like a startled animal was almost impressive in a bleak way. Luton didn’t even have to work that hard – they just waited for us to miscontrol something and then politely helped themselves to the counter-attack.

This isn’t new. It’s been a problem since the Paul Ince era and probably long before that. Maybe it’s the quality of the players. Maybe it’s the level we’re at. Maybe I simply notice our flaws more because I see them every week. Whatever the reason, I’d quite like to see less of it before I reach retirement age.

A bit of composure wouldn’t go amiss. Just one player taking half a second to think before launching the ball into a postcode only they can see. I’m not asking for tiki‑taka. Just… sanity.

January

Now, as 2026 looms, so does the January transfer window. Richardson has been clear since day one: he wants reinforcements. Not just more players – better ones. A bold ambition in League One, where “better” usually means “someone who can trap a ball without it bouncing into orbit”.

Of course, this won’t be straightforward. A few minor obstacles stand in the way, such as:

• Clubs not wanting to sell their good players in January, because, why would you? Unless you’re trying to get out of a war-torn country
• Our already full squad, which raises the question of who leaves, where they go and why they’d volunteer for that
• The small matter of how much money Mr Couhig is actually willing to spend, beyond the vague promise of funds for “the right player”, whoever that mythical creature may be
• The eternal debate about January spending, countered by the fact that this division is so chaotic that three wins could send us into the playoffs and three losses could send us into oblivion

It will be a test of the owners’ ambition, though ambition in football is always subject to the whims of agents, budgets, significant others and whether the player’s dog fancies the ‘Ding.

With 2025 behind us – a year of upheaval, drama and the occasional glimmer of hope – we now wait for the next evolution of the club.

It should be quieter than 2025. Then again, it’s Reading, we never do anything quietly.