JUST a few short months since Reading came within a goal post of the Premier League, chairman Sir John Madejski finds himself in the firing line.

Wembley hangover or not, Royals have had a sluggish start to the season to say the least. One win from their opening five matches leaves them 20th in the Championship table and they have lost their last four in all competitions, including a Carling Cup exit at the hands of Charlton Athletic.

Indeed, these are tough times, as manager Brian McDermott pointed out after Saturday's defeat by a struggling Hull City side. But does Sir John deserve the sort of flack from supporters that has been heading in his direction over the past couple of weeks?

Admittedly, when you sell your best players for huge profits you are treading a fine line.

Supporters do not want to see their club flog the family silver to the highest bidder, as Reading have with Shane Long, Matt Mills, Gylfi Sigurdsson, Kevin Doyle and Dave Kitson to name but a few. And if it happens, they want to see that cash reinvested in the squad.

But if multi-million pound deals are to become the norm, as they have been for the past few summers, then what does that say about Reading's ambition? Not a lot, according to a substantial number of impatient fans. Madejski, though, refuses to gamble with the long-term future of the Royals. And not every football club chairman or owner can say that.

After two decades at the helm, he is not about to lead Reading into the kind of debt that would put our bankers to shame. That path always ends up in disaster - or the Conference as it is otherwise known. And if that means the occasional season of mediocrity, then so be it.

Reading might be going through one of those season's now, though the signing of Adam Le Fondre, Kaspars Gorkss and Joseph Mills last week suggests better times lie ahead. Supporters may not like Madejski's prudent approach, but what's the alternative? There isn't one. Unless anyone out there has a spare £100m to buy out Sir John and take over the club. Erm, thought not.

IT WAS an honour to be at Lord's to see Berkshire beat Hertfordshire to win the Minor Counties Knockout Cup on Thursday.

There is plenty of hard graft but little money in Minor Counties cricket so the odd moment of glory like Berkshire tasted last week makes it all worthwhile. Congratulations lads, you deserve it.