Former Professional Footballers Association (PFA) chairman, Ben Purkiss, labelled Reading 'shambolic' ahead of their meeting with his former club Oxford United.

Purkiss played 23 times for the U's and another 41 for Swindon Town in a 15-year career which ended with a spell as chairman of the PFA.

Reading and Oxford meet in the league for the first time in 22 years this evening, with the visitors targeting promotion into the Championship while the Royals aim to stave off a second successive relegation.

Speaking on the Dub, a BBC Radio Oxford podcast, Purkiss was asked about the off-field state of Reading.

"It’s clearly reflected in their lack of success in recent seasons and where they find themselves in the league. It seems shambolic from the outside looking in," he said. "It’s not conducive to getting the best out of the players you’ve brought into the building.

"With the transfer embargo maybe, you get that but a real scattergun approach to the strategy of the football club with some really experienced players, David Button in goal and example of someone who’s played in the Premier League before, and then a centre-half partnership of [Tyler] Bindon and [Nelson] Abbey who are 18 and 20. It’s a strange football club, but I always remember it with the Dave Kitson era of going to the Premier League."

Reading sit five points adrift from safety and joint bottom of League One.