London: Former Southampton boss Nigel Adkins has been appointed manager of relegation-threatened Reading, replacing Brian McDermott who was axed by the Premier League club two weeks ago. Adkins, sacked by Southampton in January, has signed a three-year deal, the club said in a statement on its website (www.readingfc.co.uk) on Tuesday.
He faces the task of keeping Reading in the Premier League. They are second-bottom in the table and seven points adrift of safety with eight games remaining.
"Adkins is the right man for Reading. He comes to Madejski Stadium with great experience, a winning mentality, the ability to develop and improve players - especially youngsters - four promotions on his CV and excellent knowledge of the ... Premier League," the club statement said.
Adkins's dismissal by Southampton was a shock because they had lost just twice in their last 12 Premier League games. He joined the south-coast club in 2010 and oversaw back-to-back promotions from League One (third division) and the Championship (second division) to take them back to the top flight for the first time since 2005.
A string of Premier League managers rallied behind Adkins to condemn the decision with Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson saying it was a "crazy world". Reading were in the market for a new manager since they parted company with McDermott on March 11 following four consecutive Premier League defeats.
They have since lost to Manchester United and face a difficult trip to Arsenal in their next Premier League game on March 30 followed by a match at home to Adkins's former club Southampton a week later.
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