Reading FC will hold very mixed Jose Gomes feelings: View | OneFootball

Gomes endured some bright moments at the Select Car Leasing Stadium, but his time there can't be seen as a roaring success.

Reading were in real danger when Jose Gomes arrived at the Select Car Leasing Stadium in December 2018.

After a huge summer of spending in 2017, the Royals would have hoped to secure promotion after narrowly missing out following their play-off final defeat against Huddersfield Town.

But Jaap Stam struggled for much of the 2017/18 campaign, and although his successor Paul Clement managed to keep them up, he also struggled during the following campaign.

The Berkshire side were clearly at risk of relegation and a fresh roll of the dice was needed, with many fans viewing Clement as one of the club's worst managers of the 21st century.

Under Clement, the team were largely uninspiring and often performed well below par.

He did help to keep the club in the Championship, having guided them to vital wins over the likes of Queens Park Rangers and Preston North End, but the ex-Chelsea coach was clearly replaceable.

The appointment of his successor was a surprise to many though.

Gomes hadn't managed in English football before and he had a very interesting CV to say the least.

He had plenty of managerial experience under his belt, but the fact he had so many jobs on his CV alarmed some supporters, many of whom reluctantly got behind him.

Jose Gomes' bright moments at Reading FC

The Royals went winless in their opening three games under Gomes and even suffered a heavy 4-1 home defeat against Swansea City on New Year's Day in 2019.

After that game against the Swans, they only went on to lose five league games during the remainder of the 2018/19 campaign.

They may not have won every game, but they picked up some useful draws in their quest to avoid the drop and their recruitment during the January window helped them.

The five loanees they signed all performed brilliantly when they were in action, with Ovie Ejaria being a real asset in midfield along with Lewis Baker, Matt Miazga helping to solidify the Royals' defence, Nelson Oliveira scoring some vital goals and Emiliano Martinez proving to be a real game-changer between the sticks.

Gomes' first win came against Nottingham Forest, but their following three wins proved to be much more memorable.

Oliveira's winner against Blackburn Rovers gave fans real hope, Mo Barrow's last-gap winner at Ipswich Town sparked huge celebrations in the away end at Portman Road and two late goals allowed the Royals to secure a much-needed 3-2 victory against Wigan Athletic.

In the end, the Berkshire club finished seven points clear of the drop zone and with the club already safe at the time, the final day of the season against Birmingham City was a memorable occasion.

Supporters took the opportunity to pay tribute to Gomes' work on the day and quite rightly, but the 2019/20 campaign wasn't as successful for him.

Jose Gomes' time at Reading FC can't be viewed as a success

It was another summer of big spending in 2019, even though the club were under a soft transfer embargo during the early stages of that summer window.

Lucas Joao and George Puscas both came in for big fees and with the likes of Michael Morrison, Rafael and Pele joining, as well as former loanees Ejaria and Miazga, it looked set to be an exciting 2019/20 campaign for the Royals.

Unfortunately, Gomes failed to get the best out of his team, although he can't be fully blamed for that.

Firstly, it was always going to take time for their numerous signings to settle in and secondly, the former manager went on to reveal that he was against much of their transfer business during the summer of 2019.

With these factors in mind, you have to feel for Gomes.

However, a squad of that calibre should have been nowhere near the relegation zone and having won just two of his opening 11 league games of the season, it was no surprise when he was sacked in the October.

Considering how bad this run was, Gomes' time can't be viewed as a major success, even if he endured some bright moments.

He will be appreciated by fans for the way he rallied the team during the second half of the 2018/19 season, but both fans and Gomes will have mixed feelings about his tenure.

The latter will be upset that he wasn't involved in making some of the club's transfer decisions during the summer of 2019 - but he will also regret the fact he made such a poor start to the 2019/20 campaign.