Thai Ownership Approval Rating - July 2017

During the delirium of the play-off semi-final second leg against Fulham, it was quietly announced that Dai Yongge and Dai Xiu Li had completed their majority takeover of Reading Football Club, ending our 30 month journey with the Thai trio of Sasima Srivikorn, Sumrith Thanakarnjanasuth and Narin Niruttinanon at the top. So, with the new ownership group finally firmly in place, we thought we'd ask you to rate the reign of the Thai consortium.

As mentioned, that takeover happened during one of the best moments in the history of the Madejski Stadium... needless to say, we don't need to remind you of what happened at Wembley. But there's no denying it was a remarkable rise for Reading, one which seemed unimaginable at the start of the season - especially having endured two campaigns nearer the relegation zone than the promised land. Whilst most of the credit must go to the likes of Jaap Stam, Andries Ulderink and Brian Tevreden for recruiting and putting into practice their methods, the influence from above is what started it all, after potentially saving the club from administration.

Stam's appointment was made by the Thai group, as was Tevreden's, and crucially the funds were made available to purchase key players like Liam Moore, John Swift and Tyler Blackett. After 18 months treading water with no real direction of travel, finally Reading are on the right course again - in no small part down to the decisions made by those higher up at the club.

But there's always a negative, and again it seems to relate to money. The Thai group have retained a minority stake in the club, and with it, the potential development around the stadium - Royal Elm Park. Whilst we've speculated in the past that the long-term goal was to monetise Reading FC (and who'd blame them for wanting to profit on an investment?), it's difficult to look past the fact that they've bought prime land and stand to enjoy a big windfall if/when the project is finally complete.

And whilst there was money pumped into the club for player purchases, including the club record signing of Tiago Ilori, there was also the unsettling appearance of a £10m loan to the club in January (from the Chinese pair) presumably to finance the deal, as well as worryingly little news on the proposed renovation of the training ground and other infrastructure to support the long-term future of Reading.

On the pitch, there was little to complain about. Off the pitch, however, questions still remain about just what the end-game was.

So how do you feel about the Thai reign? Let us know your thoughts, and give them a rating from 1 to 5 (where 5 is best, and 1 is worst).

We'll run our first approval rating for Reading's new majority shareholders, Dai Yongge and Dai Xiu Li, in September after the closure of the transfer window.