Premier League manager cursing his luck as his team get ready for the drop

The managerial merry-go-round has this season been, as usual, stuck on overdrive with no seatbelts.

One of the most unwarranted casualties – ignoring the undoubtedly handsome Premier League pay-offs – was Nigel Adkins. The current Reading manager had Southampton on a five-match unbeaten run, including a fightback to draw 2-2 at Stamford Bridge.

Now he is facing a relegation on his CV, albeit one that can be easily glossed over. He must have been looking on enviously as the team he assembled brushed aside his inheritance with ease at the weekend.

Reading’s 2-0 home loss to Southampton will surely prove the final nail in the Royal coffin, as Mauricio Pochettino basks in the South coast security of mid-table. Six points is not yet a cushion to snooze on, but 11^th position is a position Adkins would have bitten your hand off for at the start of the season.

Who knows, the Saints may have progressed in a similar manner under the ex-Scunthorpe physio. We will never find out, but Adkins will feel undoubtedly aggrieved that he didn’t get the deserved opportunity.

Instead, he will be plotting to add to his impressive tally of four promotions as he plans for life in the Championship. The 48-year-old could be forgiven for wondering why he should bother, given how he and the man he replaced, Brian McDermott, have been treated this season.

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