Hello From Your New Editor, Simeon Pickup

You may have missed that there are a few changes going behind-the-scenes at TTE Towers. Editor Dan Wimbush, who basically built this site up from scratch over the last seven years, is stepping down, and I, who you probably know as BucksRoyal, am thrilled to announce that I will be taking over as his replacement.

I’d like to start by thanking Dan for his fantastic work over the years in making The Tilehurst End the excellent source of Reading FC content that it is. He’s put in an awful lot of effort into establishing this site, and the Royals-related media landscape would be an awful lot poorer if it weren’t for him. Our nomination for Best Established Blog at the Football Blogging Awards 2015 was a small acknowledgement of the love and dedication he’s put in.

He’s not gone completely - he’ll be honoured with a Life President role Sir John Madejski-style, and we’ll wheel him out of the cupboard for a few written pieces and podcast appearances.

I’d also like to echo Dan’s thanks to our army of volunteer writers over the years who have been the lifeblood of this site. An awful lot of people have given up their time either on a regular, semi-regular or occasional basis to contribute to The Tilehurst End, and the site wouldn’t be what it is without them. From Dave McCormack’s Alternative View and George Williamson’s Loan Report to so many more, we love you all.

That list is very, very far from being an exhaustive one.

Most of you will know me, BucksRoyal, already - I’ve been an assistant editor here for about three and a half years, and have made the odd podcast appearance. Despite not coming from Reading myself, I’m proud to come from a long line of Loyal Royals.

Don’t expect too many drastic changes to the site that we all know and love - Dan’s done a fantastic job here, and my job is to make sure that it carries on. I’m lucky to be helped in that not only by the previously-mentioned volunteers, but also our excellent editorial team: Jonny Williams, Marc Mayo, Steve Curtis (aka Royal Hoops), Olly Allen and last but by no means least, Will Jones.

Of course, there’s someone else I need to thank: you.

Whether you’re a regular reader of the site or listener of the podcast, or you just drop in occasionally, we really do appreciate you. There’d be no point running a Reading blog if no-one read it, so thanks for putting up with us over the years.

We also value your feedback so, if there are any new features or topics you’d like to see introduced, send us a tweet @TheTilehurstEnd or drop us an email thetilehurstend@gmail.com.

Here’s to the future, may it forever be blue and white.