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Leam Richardson was most recently boss of Rotherham United Reading have appointed Leam Richardson as their new manager following the departure of former boss Noel Hunt last weekend. The 45-year-old has signed a one-and-a-half-year deal at the Select Car Leasing Stadium through until the summer of 2027. Richardson was most recently at Rotherham United, having previously managed Wigan Athletic between 2020 and 2022, during which time they won the League One title. Hunt's contract was terminated by Reading on Sunday after a poor start to the season which had left the Royals 19th in the League One table. "I have admired Leam for some time, " Royals owner Rob Couhig said. , external "He is a coach and leader who embodies exactly the qualities we want at Reading - hard work, diligence, organisation and an absolute commitment to improving players. "He achieved promotion from League One in extremely difficult circumstances and proved he can build success, he is humble, driven, and he builds strong, honest cultures - something I know Royals fans value and respect. "Leam knows this division, he knows what a winning dressing room looks like and he understands the standards required to get there. He is hungry, ambitious and determined to move this football club forward. We are delighted to welcome him to Reading. " Also joining Richardson will be Danny Schofield and former Southampton striker James Beattie. Richardson was removed from his position at Wigan in 2022 following a poor start to the Championship season and was more recently sacked by the Millers in the wake of their relegation from the Championship in April 2024. Prior to his time at the two clubs, the former defender was assistant boss to Paul Cook at Portsmouth, Chesterfield and Accrington Stanley where he transitioned from a player to a coach. Richardson's playing career began at Blackburn Rovers before he made more than 100 appearances for Accrington and played for Blackpool 84 times. BBC Radio Berkshire's Reading commentator Tim Dellor Richardson's best achievement was getting Wigan out of League One and up to the Championship back in 2022. Reading fans will hope he can do the same with their team in the next 18 months - he will need a bit more luck and time than Noel Hunt was given if he is to manage this. His first game in charge will be the FA Cup first round against Carlisle this Saturday, then it's Stevenage followed by Wigan and Rotherham, two of his former clubs. Previously Reading have gone for the Spaniard, Serbian and Portuguese smooth-talking cultured options, an ex-England international superstar player, a Reading club legend and the director of football from within the club. Over the last few years they have tried all sorts of managers, but Richardson is none of the things above which might be a good start. He will need to be a miracle worker to get the current squad close to the Championship this season. With only 14 games of the season gone anything could still happen but with no fit recognised strikers, central defenders who are injury prone, an injured first-choice goalkeeper, and most of the new recruits struggling to make a positive impact, expectations ought to be modest. Manager Hunt sacked by Reading Couhig 'frustrated' with Reading's poor start Rotherham reappoint Evans after Richardson exit Comments can not be loaded To load Comments you need to enable Java Script in your browser Build-up as Hampton returns and Beever-Jones starts for England in Australia friendly Rodgers v Desmond: Analysing the Celtic fallout England pick Ford at fly-half & Freeman at centre Revisit Patricia Routledge's classic 1990s sitcom Did a biscuit really break up The Beatles? Your first look at an epic race across Central America Celebrate the sensationally strong women who conquered rock How irretrievable breakdown led to savage separation for Rodgers & Celtic X-factor stars who might make England world-beaters 'Without 2002-03 there was no chance of 2005' - Vaughan's road to Ashes glory In Pictures: Sporting photos of the week Does Piastri think Mc Laren may be favouring Norris over him? F1 Q&A Sunderland fans in 'dreamworld' led by 'nice guy' Le Bris Norris has been through the mill - but this was a statement win How to beat the unbeatable - can anybody stop Australia? Jets' game winner headlines NFL plays of the week. Video Jets' game winner headlines NFL plays of the week Can Hearts make impossible possible by winning Premiership? Real Madrid impress but Vinicius tension grows - Clasico talking points What next for heavyweight division after Wardley win? 914 miles, 185 fans - doing English football's longest away day Vote for your BBC Women's Footballer of the Year Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.