Reading legend Steve Sidwell has been speaking about the crisis at the football club ahead of his return to Berkshire for a sold-out Q&A session.

The former Arsenal youngster made his name with the Royals, playing nearly 200 times and a key part of Steve Coppell's record-breaking Championship winning team.

A combative midfielder, he went on to enjoy a Premier League career with Chelsea, Fulham and Aston Villa.

Now a pundit and host of the award-winning Peter Crouch Podcast, the England youth international was asked about the state of his former club.

"They’re in dire straights at the moment. Dai Yongge, the owner, looking at previous history has taken two clubs into administration. It needs a change of ownership. There is a lot there that is not great. The team is quite young and they’ve had to sell some of their better players. I’m sure it’ll come good.

"History speaks for itself, but he has put a lot of money into the club: infrastructure, and the training ground. He has been ill-advised on some stuff, players they’ve brought and money they’ve overspent with far too much on wages for the division. It’s a mixture of a number of things."

Sidwell is in Tilehurst this evening for an event put on by the Reading Former Players' Association at the British Legion. 

Tickets sold out within 24 hours for the session.