Jose Gomes has stated that he's now a Reading fan despite being relieved of his duties on Wednesday afternoon.

The Portuguese manager had been in charge of the Royals since December of last year, and after a slow start, he transformed their season and kept the Berkshire club in the Championship.

Gomes had lost five of his last six games in the division, and the Reading supporters will be hoping that the next boss can begin to install some more confidence into the side and then go on and push on up the league table.

Gomes spoke about his pride on last season, and that he felt the Royals had the squad to turn around the season once more this campaign.

Speaking to the League Managers Association, Gomes said: "I will always be grateful for the support of the club, its fans and our players, all of who showed commitment towards our ideas from the very start.

"Last year we managed to overcome the very tough challenge of turning results around to ultimately secure safety and enjoyed some amazing end of season celebrations at the Madejski Stadium.

"We had a difficult start to the campaign, but I really believe that this squad is ready for big things and I am convinced that we were on the right track. I am sure that with time there would once again have been a positive end to our journey this season.

"I sincerely wish Reading FC and the new manager all the very best of success in the future and I can tell you that, as of today, the club has itself another fan."

The Verdict

It's a really upsetting departure, purely because of the fact that he was so loved at the club, especially after last season. The manager will be missed, and Reading now have to make sure that they get the right man in next to replace him.

Mark Hughes has been linked, but it's still up in the air as to who will take over and if the Royals want to push up the division then they have to make sure that they can get someone in who can motivate them for every fixture - a key problem in this season.

Gomes will now go on and manage somewhere else, but it'll be really interesting to see if he wants to stay in England.

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