Reading faithful all saying same thing about Matt Ritchie after former Newcastle United man’s league bow following Portsmouth arrival
The Gosport lead and Pompey favourite moved to League One outfit Reading last month - and Matt Ritchie has quickly made an impact with the Royals.
It’s taken one Championship sub appearance for Matt Ritchie to make his mark at Reading.
But it’s what’s coming out of the Gosport boy’s mouth as much as what he’s doing with his feet, which is resonating with the fans of his new employers.
Ritchie’s leadership and post-match comments make mark
Ritchie’s league season in finally up and running, following his 73rd-minute introduction in the 2-1 win over Leyton Orient on Saturday for Noel Hunt’s side. That comes after just a Vertu Trophy appearance off the bench earlier this month for Reading, after his move to Berkshire was confirmed a few days before the transfer window’s close.
Ritchie had a telling impact as he supplied the cross ahead of Liam Fraser grabbing the game’s decisive goal 11 minutes from time. But it’s the 36-year-old’s trademark communication on the pitch which has quickly been noted by Reading fans, who like what they see from the winger in terms of his leadership qualities.
In fact, Ritchie taking a prominent role in orchestrating his team on the pitch in tandem with his measured and insightful post-match analysis in his interview with the club, has got Reading fans thinking they have a future manager on their hands.
Speaking to Reading YouTube channel, Ritchie said: ‘They started really well, they are a good team and you can see they are well coached. They played some nice combinations in and around the wide areas and caused us some problems early in the game.
‘I thought the lads did well to get to grips with that and then I would probably say it was fair to come in as we were, otherwise they would have probably felt a little bit hard done by.
‘As I say, I thought we were fantastic to work out those issues, deal with them and then went into the second half, conceded early but then showed some great character and really good moments from the boys. We created some nice moments at times and the more confidence we get we can do that more often.
‘We must take confidence from it. To really earn the three points, you have to do that at any level, but the manner that we won was fantastic and it will give us confidence to understand that in moments where we’re one up, without the ball we are secure and confident in our shape and structure.
‘We swing across the pitch, we shuffle, are narrow, compact and hard to break down. That will give us confidence,I thought the boys were fantastic today. I was really pleased personally, but the boys were great.
‘That’s our role, as attacking substitutes at home, to come off the bench and try to make an impact. Thankfully we did that. It was a real team performance and everyone in there played their part.
‘The moments we looked dangerous was due to the defensive line looking more aggressive and we played on the front foot and with real intent. It was team performance where everyone played their part.
‘We all need leadership and direction. I’m lucky that I’ve seen some good players and they taught me. I can now, hopefully, try and add value to the team. If I can empower others around me then why not. Hopefully it can be a positive.’
Pompey favourite earns Reading praise after exit
The Reading response to Ritchie’s contribution is one which will not surprise Pompey fans.
‘Matt Ritchie does better post-match interviews than our own manager,’ said @dingarchive on X, formerly Twitter.
‘Matt Ritchie has to start every game. Not only that, get him to sit down with Noel and teach the players how to press. What a fantastic leader to have on the pitch!’ added Ccallum51201553.
‘Matt Ritchie is going to be a game changer,’ asserted @ohbobbins with @Lee_Richards1 suggesting: ‘Matt Ritchie is a manager in the making, maybe with us?’