Adkins appointment hints at Reading preparing for next season

Following the sacking of Brian McDermott earlier this month, football fans were both shocked and appalled. For a team like Reading to have worked as hard as they had to earn a place in the Premier League in the first place was a testament to his managerial capabilities, with the Royals board handing the former scout a shoestring budget of which to work with.

Relegation back to the Championship is effectively a forgone conclusion. With just eight games left to play between now and May, and the upturn in form of their rivals in the race to beat the drop, it's becoming increasingly likely that Reading will be playing second tier football next season.

However, while supporters were critical of the rashness of the Royals board to relieve McDermott of his duties, in Nigel Adkins they now have a manager who has the capabilities to ensure to the top flight next season, should they of course succumb to relegation.

Adkins was somewhat perplexingly sacked by Southampton back in January, despite coming off the back of two losses in 12 game, including four points garnered away at Aston Villa and Chelsea. Now back in football, football's mr nice guy is now charged with securing Reading's Premier League safety, or at least ensuring a swift return to the top division in 12 months time.

Either way, it points towards the Reading board considering the future of the club and preparing themselves for the inevitable drop in divisions and with Adkins record of back-to-back promotions, his appointment could be exactly what the club need in the long term.  

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