Nigel Adkins Is Reading's New Manager

BBC. Adkins replaces sacked manager Brian McDermott at the Madejski Stadium and was set to be officially confirmed in the job at a conference at 9:15 GMT, at the time of writing. The Royals are currently seven points adrift of safety in the Premier League and are sitting second from bottom with only eight games left to play. Adkins's first home game in charge of his new club will come against his former employers Southampton, who controversially dismissed him in January and replaced him with former Espanyol coach Mauricio Pochettino. Adkins had guided the club to back-to-back promotions and his side were sitting three points clear of the relegation zone at the time of his sacking, while his predecessor Brian McDermott guided Reading into the Premier League last season, but four successive defeats left him on the brink and he lost his job on March 11th. Brighton boss Gus Poyet had been linked with the vacancy but it will be Adkins who takes over the role after the former Chelsea star opted to remain with the play-off hopefuls in the Championship. Adkins' first game in charge of the club is an away tie with Arsenal.