Nigel Adkins to Reading – Blatant hypocrisy?

So, Nigel Adkins was appointed as the Reading manager this morning. Fair enough. He’s a good choice for a manager to take them back to the Premier League next season after they inevitably go down this season. He’s proven that he can get clubs promoted and can get players to perform above their talent level. So what’s the problem, you ask?

When Adkins was sacked by Southampton, it received a heated reaction in the press. ‘Disgusting, disgraceful, meddling foreign owner’, etc. Adkins was a good man who had taken the club from League One to the Premier League and was unceremoniously dumped for a young overseas manager in Pochettino, who was brought in to introduce a new style to the club. Harsh certainly, but at least the club had a reason for making the move.

Fast forward six weeks and Brian McDermott is sacked by Reading. It received a heated reaction in the press. ‘Disgusting, disgraceful, meddling foreign owner’, etc. McDermott was a good man who had taken the club from the bottom end of the Championship to the Premier League before being unceremoniously dumped when the club got into a tailspin which has seen them slide towards relegation. Harsh certainly, and to make it worse, the club didn’t seem to have a plan.

Deja vu? Both good club men, sacked harshly. The LMA had a mini-meltdown after McDermott was sacked, complaining about the spate of unfair sackings, all for one, one for all.

Oh, hang on. So Adkins is the new Reading manager? Huh? At least the chair in the manager’s office will still be warm in this cold snap. And yet, nothing is being said about it other than to praise Reading for the appointment and general delight that Adkins has gotten himself a Premier League job, albeit for just a few weeks more. I’ve written before about the hypocrisy of the LMA’s statement, given how their members are willing to jump around for pastures new, or in this case, into a freshly vacated position which has seen a fellow member out of work.

Yes, a lot of managers have been dubiously sacked once again this season. But with so much competition for jobs, the LMA can’t complain about them if their members are going to jump straight into new openings. Especially those who have been victims of the swinging axe themselves.