Former Reading FC owner Sir John Madejski spoke out on the sad state of affairs at his beloved club in an interview with The Athletic.

The comments came after the Royals were handed a six point deduction from the EFL this week. The punishment leaves Reading four points above the relegation zone which may become a more serious situation as they continue to operate under financial constraints imposed by the EFL.

Madejski was relieved he is not the man responsible for the club's large amounts of debt.

He said: "I do believe that football clubs are not what they used to be in terms of being a real part of the community, with local people that own them and so on.

"And I don’t suppose local people these days could own it, because it’s far too expensive. God knows what the debt is at this club. Fortunately, I don’t know and I don’t want to know because it’s not my business."

On the pitch not too much changes, a possible points deduction had been rumbling away in the background for most of the season and Veljko Paunovic's remit will remain to keep Reading in the Championship. The Royals host Nottingham Forest on Saturday in hoping to put this week's bad news to the back of supporters' minds.

The Verdict

Reading will have been preparing themselves for the loss of points for the last few months which should make it less of a shock to the system for the players to contemplate ahead of the Forest test. The squad could get a lot weaker in January and so it is crucial for the Royals to give themselves a headstart on the relegation battle in the next stretch of fixtures.

Jahmari Clarke announced himself in the Championship with a brace in a 2-1 win at Birmingham City before the international interval and Royals supporters will be hoping he can be a breakout star this term to make up for the absent Lucas Joao.

If Forest win handsomely and teams around Reading pick up points the mood around the club could drop very quickly, Paunovic has to really prove his worth in the lead-up to the busy Christmas period.