Reading have sacked Jose Gomes as the club's manager following the Royals' poor start to the season which has left them third from bottom in the Championship table.

The Royals' latest match saw them suffer a 1-0 defeat away to Bristol City, and the club then released a statement four days later which confirmed Gomes' immediate departure from the club.

The Portuguese worked wonders to keep Reading in the Championship during the second half of last season, but he has been unable to carry this success into the new season with the Royals having won just two of their opening 11 games.

This makes it the third consecutive season where Reading have replaced their manager during the campaign, as Jaap Stam and Paul Clement have also been given their marching orders with the club languishing towards the bottom of the table in recent years.

In our latest FLW Six Pointer, we take a look at Reading's current managerial situation...

Firstly, why was Gomes sacked by Reading after keeping them up last season?

"The results simply haven't been good enough and Reading's hierarchy have now lost patience with Gomes.

"He may have delivered a strong run of results during the second half of last term, but there were expectations he would have Reading challenging towards the top of the table this time around.

"Reading's summer recruitment saw them bring in a number of high-profile signings including the likes of Rafael Cabral and Matt Miazga, while they also spent over £10million on a new strike force in Lucas Joao and George Puscas.

"However, Gomes has not been able to get the best out of these players and he has failed to deliver results with his attempts to deploy a brand of possession-based football.

"It could be argued that Gomes deserved more time to put things right at the club, but there were no signs to suggest he was close to achieving that."

What should Reading be looking for in their new boss?

"They need someone with a clear vision and who is capable of implementing his ideas at the club within a short time frame.

"Gomes was not permitted the time to continue bedding his new signings into the side which means his successor must hit the ground running in order to get results and win over the fan base.

"However, it is important Reading find the right balance between a short-term fix and a forward-thinking appointment. It would represent a complete change of direction if the Royals now appoint someone with a regressive style geared solely towards getting results.

"It should be remembered that the exciting playing style implemented by Gomes last season was responsible for injecting a new lease into the club, and Reading should consider this when making their next move."

When should Reading look to have an appointment in place?

"They must aim to have a new boss in place by the time Reading face Preston after the international break.

"The Royals will ideally make an appointment comfortably prior to this, but this match on October 19th should be a realistic aim for the club to have Gomes' successor at the helm.

"Reading cannot afford to waste any time in identifying the person to take the club forward. They are in a dangerous position at present, and the new boss will need a settling-in period to relay his ideas to the players."

Who might be among the early contenders for the job?

"There has not yet been any indication of who the front-runners for the role might be, but Sky Sports have reported that Reading have begun drawing up a list of candidates for the role.

"Early reports suggested former Southampton boss Mark Hughes was viewed by Reading as the prime candidate for the role, but it has since emerged that he is not in contention to replace Gomes.

"There has been a recent flurry of managerial departures in the Championship with Neil Harris departing Millwall and Daniel Stendel leaving Barnsley, so this duo could be in natural contention for the role given the success they have achieved previously.

"Meanwhile, Chris Hughton and Gary Rowett are two other out-of-work managers who could be of interest to Reading chiefs."

Should it be considered a positive that Hughes is out of the running?

"This should come as a huge relief to Reading fans, as the appointment of Hughes would have indicated a worrying change of direction from the club.

"Gomes was such a popular figure at Reading because of the exciting style of football he had his side playing last season, and it seems unlikely that Hughes would have continued this trend.

"It would have represented an uninspiring appointment by Reading, especially given the fact he was sacked from his two previous roles at Stoke and Southampton."

Finally, who do you think Reading should appoint as Gomes' replacement?

"I think Reading should take a leap and go for Daniel Stendel following his departure from Barnsley.

"He may have overseen a poor start to the season with the Tykes, but this was because they lost many of their key players over the summer and struggled to replace them adequately.

"Stendel did not deserve to lose his job so early in the season, and this means there is no reason why he cannot achieve success elsewhere given his achievements at Oakwell last term.

"This may be considered something of a risk given his lack of Championship experience, but he will look to deploy a clear style of play and it should be a popular appointment among the fan base."

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