Reading are in the market for a new manager after sacking Nigel Adkins just 48 hours after their 6-1 drubbing at St Andrew’s.
Adkins arrived at the Madejski Stadium in March 2013, two months after he was sacked by Southampton. Despite this dismissal he arrived at the Royals with a fine reputation, having led the Saints to two successive promotions between 201o and 2012 to lead them to the Premier League, yet the south coast club felt their chances of survival were better served under Mauricio Pochettino.
Reading were also in a relegation fight at the same time, and whilst Adkins’ former club survived the drop, he couldn’t prevent his new employers from falling into the Championship. Last season, his first full campaign in charge, he led the Royals to just a point adrift of the playoff positions, and they started the current term with three wins and a draw from their first seven games.
However, in recent weeks the Royals have struggled badly, with seven of the last 11 league matches ending in defeat. The most recent of these was the most embarrassing of all, as they went down to a 6-1 hammering at Birmingham City on Saturday afternoon. This can now be considered as the final straw for the club, who confirmed on Monday that they have reluctantly dismissed Adkins.
A statement on the club’s website said: “The board have this afternoon relieved manager Nigel Adkins of his duties. The club met with Nigel in person today and we would like to place on permanent record our thanks to him for his hard work and diligence since his appointment in March 2013. The board are committed to taking this club forward and will make a further announcement in due course.”
Reading’s recent poor run of form has seen them slide to 16th position in the second-tier standings, 10 points beyond sixth-place. Assistant manager Andy Crosby and first team coach Dean Wilkins have also lost their jobs, whilst odds comparison site oddschecker.com report former West Bromwich Albion boss Steve Clarke is the current frontrunner to succeed Adkins.
Was it the right decision to let Adkins go, or should Reading have shown more patience with him? Let us know what you think by joining in the discussion below.
