NEW ERA BEGINS AS READING APPOINTS LEAM RICHARDSON TO TOP ROLE
Reading FC have appointed Leam Richardson as their new manager following Noel Hunt's departure. The former Wigan boss, who won promotion from League One, has signed a deal until the summer of 2027.
Reading Announce Richardson As New Head Coach - Credit: Bernard Platt @plattyphoto
After former manager Noel Hunt resigned last weekend, Reading has named Leam Richardson as its new manager.
The 45-year-old has committed to the Select Car Leasing Stadium for a period of one and a half years, ending in the summer of 2027.
After managing Wigan Athletic from 2020 to 2022, when they won the League One championship, Richardson most recently managed Rotherham United.
Following a dismal season debut that saw the Royals drop to 19th place in the League One standings, Reading announced on Sunday that Hunt's contract will be terminated.
Rob Couhig, the owner of the Royals, stated, "I have liked Leam for some time." outside
"He is a coach and leader who exemplifies the traits we value at Reading: organisation, hard work, diligence, and a steadfast dedication to player development.
"I know Royals supporters appreciate and respect him because he is modest, driven, and creates strong, honest cultures. He has also proven he can develop success after achieving promotion from League One under very challenging conditions.
"Leam is familiar with this division, understands the criteria needed to achieve it, and knows what a winning dressing room looks like. He is driven, aspirational, and committed to growing this football team. It gives us great pleasure to have him visit Reading.
James Beattie, a former Southampton striker, and Danny Schofield will also join Richardson.
Following a dismal start to the Championship season, Richardson was fired from his role at Wigan in 2022. More recently, the Millers fired him following their relegation from the Championship in April 2024.
The former defender made the switch from player to coach while serving as Paul Cook's assistant manager at Portsmouth, Chesterfield, and Accrington Stanley before joining the two teams.
Before making more than 100 appearances for Accrington and 84 for Blackpool, Richardson's playing career started at Blackburn Rovers.
In 2022, Richardson's greatest accomplishment was moving Wigan from League One to the Championship.
Fans of Reading will be hoping that he can accomplish the same feat with their squad during the following 18 months; he will require a little more time and luck than Noel Hunt was allotted to handle this.
This Saturday's FA Cup first-round matchup against Carlisle will be his first game in charge. Stevenage and Wigan, and Rotherham, two of his previous clubs, will follow.
A former England international superstar player, a Reading club legend, the club's internal football director, and smooth-talking, cultured Spaniards, Serbians, and Portuguese have all been chosen by Reading in the past.
They have tried a variety of managers over the past few years, but Richardson is not one of the above, which could be a good place to start.
To get the present team near to winning the championship this season, he will have to perform a miracle.
Expectations should be low because there are still 14 games left in the season, there are no healthy, recognised strikers, there are injury-prone central defenders, there is an injured first-choice goalkeeper, and the majority of the new hires are having difficulty contributing.
RED BULL STAY CALM, COOL, AND CONFIDENT DESPITE MCLAREN MOMENTUM
Red Bull's Laurent Mekies denies their 2025 car focus is due to 2026 PU concerns, calling it a strategic choice to improve development tools. As Lando Norris retakes the title lead, the F1 championship battle intensifies.
Red Bull Unfazed by McLaren Rise - COURTESY/PHOTO
In Mexico, McLaren CEO Andrea Stella implied that Red Bull's choice to continue working on its 2025 vehicle was a reflection of a lack of clarity surrounding the upcoming Red Bull-Ford power unit.
However, that notion has been rejected by team manager Laurent Mekies and Dr. Helmut Marko.
Mekies stated it has nothing to do with 2026.
"We would have too many unanswered questions going into 2026 if we did not get the most out of this car by the end of the season. We made the decision to spend more money on this vehicle in order to fix its shortcomings and increase its speed.
It greatly increases our confidence in our 2026 tools, strategies, and techniques. Yes, the new project will require less time and effort, but it was a deliberate choice. Performance has nothing to do with it.
According to the Frenchman, the team's strategy is centered on comprehension rather than risk. "We think there will be a net benefit, so we are doing this. We can apply our methods to 2026 and are now verifying them. If it led to difficulties, we would not do it.
Yes, there is a cost, but we think it is worthwhile.
Red Bull's momentum was halted by Mexico as Norris resumed his winning ways, despite Verstappen's recent race surge. Despite replacing an unproductive Oscar Piastri as the championship leader, Verstappen actually cut his overall lead to 36 points.
Norris' resounding win was a welcome change for Stella. Verstappen is still a competitor, but we have the advantage in the next races, he stated.
We have demonstrated that we have a car that can win races and, in some situations, dominate, which has boosted confidence in the championship.
This is the most crucial element that permits Lando and Oscar to compete for the Drivers' Championship, the Italian engineer continued. It has to do with competitiveness, not mathematics. Although the previous races in Austin, Baku, Singapore, and Monza were challenging, we have now once again proven our strength.
In Mexico, Piastri's decline worsened, but Stella stayed positive. Oscar claimed that despite losing some points to Verstappen, he gained a lot of knowledge this past weekend. To make sure you are competitive in every situation during the last stretch, you make that kind of investment. We are stronger and more hopeful when we leave Mexico.
Marko of Red Bull concurred that the battle is still open. "It is no longer assured that one team dominates at a circuit, and there are still 116 points available," he remarked.
We still have a shot. Since Max is the center of attention, I hope the two McLarens stick to their fair play policy.
Verstappen's pace in Mexico, according to Marko, was more powerful than it seemed. In race trim, we knew we would perform better. Max compared himself to a hunting hound, saying that once he scents anything, all else vanishes and he attacks.
But at McLaren, the focus is already shifting from gearboxes to mentalities. Now at the top of the rankings, Norris is under increased scrutiny after the Mexican fans jeered him.
"The question now is whether Norris can take use of his second chance as title leader - or if things will turn unstable again," former Formula One driver Timo Glock told Sky Deutschland. Has he comprehended why the pressure was too severe for him earlier, why he couldn't drive freely back then?
The odds are on his side if he has and has figured out how to deal with it, Glock continued. It is easier said than done, though. It is a completely different picture once the helmet is on and the pressure increases.
JANNIK SINNER BREAKS SILENCE ON POSSIBLE DAVIS CUP REVERSAL
Jannik Sinner is standing firm on his decision to skip the 2025 Davis Cup, showing frustration at repeated questions. The Italian star prioritises his off-season and 2026 Australian Open preparation over defending the title.
Jannik Sinner Addresses Buzz Around His Davis Cup Future - PHOTO: EPA
When Jannik Sinner's decision to skip the 2025 Davis Cup Finals next month was brought up again, he appeared a little miffed.
Top players commit to competing in the finals because of its scheduling, which runs from November 18 to November 23. They would only have a little more than a month off until 2026 starts if they played until late November.
During Team Italy's championship runs in 2023 and 2024, Sinner was their lucky charm. The nation's remarkable recent supremacy in the sport was established by the women's victories in the Billie Jean King Cup in 2024 and 2025.
Even if the 2025 finals will be placed in Bologna, Italy's chances of winning the Davis Cup for a third time in a row appear to be slim after Sinner declared he would not participate.
The four-time Grand Slam champion said he had previously won two Davis Cups with his Italian colleagues and that he planned to use the additional week to get ready for the Australian Open in 2026.
Nicola Pietrangeli, a fellow Italian legend and two-time French Open champion, was not pleased with Sinner's choice or his justification for it. He believes that modern players are more concerned with money than with patriotism and that it was disrespectful to their nation.
Sinner stated that while people have the right to their opinions, he did not wish to contribute anything further in reaction to the criticism. It is possible that the ATP world No. 2 assumed the topic would be abandoned at that point.
Rather, a reporter at the 2025 Paris Masters questioned Sinner about the possibility of changing his mind. It is still mathematically conceivable to finish as the year-end No. 1 because Sinner had stated that it would be impossible before Alcaraz's surprise defeat by Cameron Norrie in Paris.
Compared to his response to Pietrangeli's and others' criticism, Sinner's response was even more succinct and direct. The 24-year-old reiterated that he had nothing else to say and indicated the choice had been made.
"No, the choice has been made. However, I covered everything a few days ago.
Sinner's frustration with the inquiries surrounding his Davis Cup selection was evident. Even though it makes some sense, missing a home team event is an unavoidable consequence of being a top player.
Recently, Sinner criticised the four Grand Slams.
Sinner was irritated with the four Grand Slams in a different interview for not doing more to address concerns about prize money and other advantages, including healthcare and pensions, that were brought up by elite players earlier this year.
The Wimbledon champion this year expressed frustration that the major events wanted to address some other concerns before fully interacting with players and said that initially, encouraging conversations had not resulted in any follow-up steps.
Twenty elite athletes, 10 from the ATP and 10 from the WTA, wrote to the Grand Slams earlier this season to request a larger share of the money made to be distributed as prize money and other benefits.
It will be interesting to watch if the Grand Slams address those issues and make adjustments in 2026.