Former Reading favourite Ian Harte labelled the current situation at the club as 'sad' and has publicly spoken out against the previous recruitment policy.

Republic of Ireland and Leeds United legend Harte arrived in Berkshire back in 2010 from League One Carlisle United and was a key member of the 2011/12 Championship-winning side.

Leaving in 2013 in his mid-thirties, he continued to play with Bournemouth until retiring in 2015.

Speaking on the No Tippy Tappy podcast, Harte was asked about the current situation at his former club.

"It’s very sad," he said. "They’ve had to sell a lot of players in the January window, and they’ve let players go like Tom McIntyre and another defender to Luton. The results have picked up and it’s important that they stay up. Obviously, they’re trying to get a new owner to come in and look after the club. I loved my time there, they’ve got a great stadium and a great training facility so it’s important that they stay in League One this year, get a new owner and kick on from there. 

"It was mismanaged. There were lots of people getting brought in- I think Kia Joorabchian was bringing a lot of players in for the owner. I don’t think they were the right type of player, but they were on a hell of a lot of money. Are they going to go out and wear the shirt with pride and put their bodies on the line? It didn’t look like it. They’re best getting rid of them and moving forward."

Harte is now a football agent, with the likes of Sunderland duo Jack Clarke and Niall Huggins on his books.