Reading

Under new ownership and new management, Reading's summer transfer plans have probably changed once or twice in the last few weeks. Even more so now because of their relegation back down to the Championship. 

They will of, course, be receiving roughly £60 million in parachute payments; £23 million of it will be released to them in the close season and with a young, ambitious owner, they will probably have a large portion of that at their disposal. 

The Royals' main target, first and foremost, is to keep the body of players who are there at the moment and use some of the funds for new contracts. There is a decent nucleus of a side who enjoy playing football and, at Championship level, should prove to be difficult opponents for the sides already in that league.

Reading's underlying issue, though, is a lack of discipline in the middle of the park. Their most damning statistic that they will leave the Premier League with, is their goal difference, which currently stands at -26 with a couple of games to go, and that is something Nigel Adkins will need to rectify.

That too includes 67 goals shipped in the season, the joint worst in the league, so shoring up the back line will be one of the main priorities in the summer transfer window.

They can, at least, take the some positives moving into next season. Namely, Adam le Fondre, whose goals to games ratio this season has been something to admire when playing in a struggling side.

The attacking prowess, as a whole, has been encouraging for Reading, and if they can hold onto the likes of le Fondre, Jobi McAnuff, Jimmy Kebe and Pavel Pogrebnyak, then they have reason to be optimistic on the offensive front for next campaign. 

The biggest challenge for Adkins then, is to bolster the defensive contingency of the Reading squad. The club's new owner, Anton Zigarevich, seems to be an ambitious man who will support Adkins, but they need to be singing from the same hymn sheet. 

It is far trickier to entice players, of a certain level, to a club when they are in the Championship than it is when you can offer all the glitz and glamour of the Premier League.

Adkins will know this; it is probably why he was picked as Brian McDermott's successor as he earned his managerial stripes in the lower leagues and he knows what it takes to get out of them.

One thing you can be sure of is that Adkins will have targeted players already. He has an aging back four that needs a bit of rejuvenating and some pace. If Reading have designs on making a quick return to the top, then they will need pace in every department; something they have lacked in abundance this season.

A couple of young, hungry defenders and a central midfield talisman figure is what Reading are in need of. Adkins may well opt for the likes of the impressive Southampton left-back Luke Shaw and take him on loan for a season from his old club. His pace and power, that belies his years, would add that extra dimension.

Reading are a young and hungry club themselves. Former owner, now chairman, John Madjeski has passed over the baton to a new Royals era and they just need a couple of players to mirror their ambition.

The transfer window is a fervent time for most clubs but especially when you have to re-think about the caliber of player you are able to bring in, but if Reading can pick up a few loans or one or two reputable, established Championship players, they will strengthen their own cause and hinder an opponent's, thus making their pathway back to the promised land a whole lot easier.

New Reading boss Nigel Adkins is a great, young manager. He learned his trade on the football ladder with Scunthorpe United where he was the physiotherapist before succeeding Brian Laws.

From trainee goalkeeper with Tranmere Rovers in the early 1980s through to taking Southampton into the Premier League on the back of successive promotions from the third tier of English football, League One, the 48-year-old has learned his craft at football's real coalface.

Adkins' excessively harsh treatment at the hands of Southampton chairman Nicola Cortese when he was sacked in January despite guiding the club out of the relegation zone and into 12th place on the back of a run of two defeats in 12 league matches.

When new Southampton boss Mauricio Pochettino took charge for his first game, the 0-0 draw with Everton at St Mary's Stadium, Adkins' name reverberated around the walls of the ground from supporters who were stunned at his dismissal after just two-and-a-half years in the role.

Southampton were promoted from the Championship last season in second place behind Reading, who also possessed a fine, young manager in Brian McDermott.

The former Arsenal player had also learned his way around a football club from his playing days and through youth coaching.

In just over three years, almost the same length of time Adkins had at Southampton, McDermott took the Royals to a playoff final against Swansea and then earned promotion as Championship champions.

Two weeks ago, however, Reading owner Anton Zingarevich decided a run of four successive defeats leaving the club second bottom of the table was more than enough to warrant sacking the 51-year-old.

The Russian made the usual noises about his gratitude to McDermott (Sky Sports) in a statement to announce the manager's departure, and Paolo Di Canio was immediately installed as a favourite to take over.

Reading are currently seven points adrift of safety at the foot of the Premier League and, while Adkins is "excited" (via BBC Sport) about the challenge of keeping the club in the top flight, has he or, indeed, the Royals moved much further forward with this appointment?

Sympathy was in abundance for both Adkins and McDermott when they were sacked. They had had little time to find their feet in the top flight, which is considered to be several leagues above the Championship in terms of quality, and were at the whim of their club owners.

Both Cortese and Zingarevich are, understandably, desperate to remain in the Premier League for next season when a new television deal worth a staggering £3 billion (via The Guardian).

The riches on offer far exceed those previously on offer with revenue generated by the new broadcasting deal rising by 71 percent, according to The Guardian report.

While Birkenhead-born Adkins is a welcome return to the top flight, there is a sense of the Premier League eating itself among the bottom clubs.

Queens Park Rangers' appointment of Harry Redknapp in November was an understandable switch with the Loftus Road side so far adrift at the foot of the table, but Adkins for McDermott just seems a little too like-for-like.

Both managers extol the virtues of entertaining football, but both clubs were always going to be in an adjustment period in the top flight. Consequently, their playing staff would need time to be adapted and strengthened for the challenge of staying in the Premier League.

That hasn't happened with club owners trying to outdo each other in a bid to remain in place for the financial windfall which is about to open up next season.

Of course, Reading may have timed the appointment of Adkins exactly right. The new boss has eight games in which to claw back the current seven-point deficit and new-manager syndrome has often produced a rediscovery of form for teams and players.

Adkins will open his Reading career at Arsenal on Saturday, but his first home match will be the following weekend against Southampton.

The Premier League might be eating itself, but the fixture list knows how to feast on irony.

Manchester United was presented with an opportunity to extend its lead atop the English Premier League table, and it did exactly that with a 1-0 victory over Reading. 

Second-place Manchester City lost 2-0 to Everton earlier in the day, and United did not waste its chance to go 15 points up, putting the club even closer to its 20th league title. 

Although this matchup featured the leaders against a side seemingly bound for relegation, the Red Devils did not dominate the match. Reading looked to be the better side at the beginning of both halves but failed to capitalize on its opportunities. 

Fortune certainly favored United in this match, as evidenced by Wayne Rooney's goal in the 21st minute. The Red Devils' star fired a shot off a volley, and it took a deflection of Reading defender Alex Pearce before ending up in the back of the net. 

United was able to sustain periods of quality from the Royals due to fine defending from Nemanja Vidic, and although the team had just a one-goal lead for most of the match, it did not show much concern. 

Ultimately, this was just another day at the office for the remarkably consistent Red Devils. 

Grades

Wayne Rooney, Manchester United: A-

Shots on goal lead to good things. Rooney understands this as well as any player in the world, and although he is fortunate to have his name on the scoresheet, he still deserves credit for the goal. 

He took the volley extremely well and let luck take care of the rest. Aside from his goal, Rooney did a fine job of putting pressure on the Royals back line throughout the match. 

Jobi McAnuff, Reading: B-

With a new manager, Reading opted to use a slightly different lineup that put McAnuff in the center of the pitch instead of his usual spot on the left wing. He eventually did slide over to the flank but did not have much success at either position. 

The Jamaican did a decent job distributing and winning balls, but he failed to make a significant impact on this match. 

Nemanja Vidic, Manchester United: A

Injuries have kept the United centre-back from playing at a world-class level in recent seasons, but he reminded fans how dominant he can be in this match. 

Every ball played into the Red Devils' penalty area was promptly played out and back towards the Reading goal. Vidic deserves the most credit for United's clean sheet. 

Adam le Fondre, Reading: B-

Normally, it would be harsh to knock a player for failing to score after coming on with just 20 minutes left in the match, but this has been Le Fondre's specialty this season. 

He has had a fantastic amount of success as a substitute during this campaign, and he came onto the pitch facing high expectations. He was not able to produce a moment of magic or any quality opportunities to the disappointment of Royals supporters. 

Robin van Persie, Manchester United: C+

With the Premiership's most potent attack facing the league's worst defense, spectators were looking to van Persie to put his name on the scoresheet at least once in this match.

He generated a few chances and put an excellent free kick on frame, but he did not live up to expectations. 

This fixture offered him a favorable matchup, and he failed to take advantage of it. 

What's Next

With a seemingly insurmountable lead atop the Premier League title, United will continue its campaign on March 30 against Sunderland. 

Reading will be trying to survive relegation as the end of the season draws nearer, and the team will have another difficult match against Arsenal on March 30. 

Reading showed manager Brian McDermott the door on Monday after a run of four successive Premier League defeats.

The former Arsenal midfielder had guided the Royals into the Premier League as Championship title winners just a year after missing out on the top flight to Swansea City in the playoff final at Wembley.

McDermott had succeeded Brendan Rodgers at the Madejski Stadium in 2009 in an interim role before being appointed as the full-time manager of the club.

However, the demands of remaining in the Premier League and reaping the associated riches have been too much for owner Anton Zingarevich and the Russian has joined another more famous oligarch in sacking a manager who has brought success to the club.

What the new Russian owner may not fully realise, like his counterpart at Southampton Nicola Cortese, who dismissed Nigel Adkins in January, is that these are still halcyon days at the club.

The Royals might have spent two seasons in the top flight between 2006 and 2008 when Steve Coppell was in charge, but matches against the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea were previously confined to irregular cup ties.

With McDermott gone, the name of Paolo Di Canio has surfaced as the favourite to take over at the Madejski, but is he the right man for the job?

The former Celtic and Sheffield Wednesday midfielder left Swindon last month after falling out with the new owners at the County Ground.

Di Canio has a notoriously short fuse, as he proved in the infamous push on referee Paul Alcock during a Premier League match against Arsenal at Hillsborough in 1998.

And former Swindon chief executive Nick Watkins outlined the Di Canio style of management in an interview with BBC Radio Wiltshire last week:

Often I refer to it as management by hand grenade. Paolo would chuck a hand grenade and I would do the repair work at the end, like the Red Cross.

The sight of Di Canio, who was in sight of a second successive promotion with the Wiltshire club, in the Reading dugout may amuse some Madejski supporters, whose rivalry with Swindon remains a fierce one.

However, the ex-Lazio man is still too much of a risk if the Royals have axed McDermott in order to secure their top-flight status.

The Italian was immediately touted as a potential West Ham manager when Sam Allardyce leaves Upton Park, although some mischievous supporters would have been asking for Di Canio to take over straight away.

West Ham co-owners David Gold and David Sullivan have more than enough business sense to recognise a popular choice, but Allardyce has provided a solid grounding for the club in the Premier League and the Upton Park hierarchy also realise stability is required to maintain the Hammers' presence in the top flight.

Without doubt, Di Canio would ignite the Madejski, but he remains untried at the top level and Zingarevich can only be focused on survival with the dismissal of McDermott nine games before the end of the season.

If the Royals are to remain in the Premier League, they need experience. Former Charlton and West Ham manager Alan Curbishley is a possibility, but he has not worked since leaving Upton Park in September 2008.

Former Chelsea boss Roberto Di Matteo and ex-Southampton manager Nigel Adkins would also fit a template for long-term roles, while Steve McClaren has returned to England after leaving FC Twente.

However, by sacking McDermott in the midst of a relegation battle, Zingarevich has taken the biggest gamble of all.

Wolves sacked Mick McCarthy ahead of crucial matches at the foot of the table and were then promptly relegated. They are currently battling for Championship survival after replacing McCarthy with inexperienced Terry Connor for the remainder of the campaign last season.

An experiment with Stale Solbakken failed this year for Wolves, who now have Dean Saunders in charge of the team.

Newcastle, of course, drafted in club legend Alan Shearer (BBC Sport) after Joe Kinnear fell ill towards the end of the 2008-09 season. The Tyneside club slid into the Championship and Shearer exited, leaving Chris Hughton to drag them out of the second tier at the first time of asking.

Reading and Zingarevich must be wary that a similar fate does not become them. Di Canio is still too much of a maverick for Reading to take the gamble.

Zingarevich may well miss out on the lucrative television contract available next season by failing to hire the right man to keep Reading in the top flight: Brian McDermott.

Reading versus Aston Villa was a must-not-lose game for both sides.

With both teams in lowly English Premier League positions, a three-point haul for either faction would severely boost survival hopes and confidence. As it happens, Villa won the game 2-1.

The Midlands outfit moved clear of the relegation zone, stand three points off 14th-placed Sunderland and lay 12th in the form table.

The Royals, however, are level with bottom-boys Queens Park Rangers and sit 19th only on goals scored.

Brian McDermott and Paul Lambert, the two managers tasked with saving their respective sides from relegation, have taken two very different approaches to proceedings this week.

Lambert has repeatedly stated his side face a succession of cup finals, underlining the importance of each and every game and suggesting a target number of points.

McDermott, meanwhile, spent the week preceding this game vehemently denying it was a "six-pointer" and suggesting phrases such as "must-win" don't mean anything.

Considering the aforementioned respective positions of the two clubs—and the now-four-point gap—McDermott seems very much in the wrong.

But whether that was the correct philosophy to take before the biggest match of the Royals' season is irrelevant, because it was the manager's tactics and team selection that doomed his side at the Madejski Stadium.

Despite the 4-4-2 plainly not working at the start of the season, and the subsequent switch to 4-5-1 significantly improving results, McDermott bowed to home pressure and went for it.

Pavel Pogrebnyak's red card in the home defeat against Wigan Athletic left the Reading boss with no target man. Not feeling comfortable using Adam Le Fondre, Nick Blackman or Noel Hunt up front on their own, he went for a two-man partnership.

Deploying two strikers meant sacrificing a man in midfield, and Lambert's 4-3-3 allowed Villa to dominate the middle of the pitch and enjoy a three versus two overload.

Yacouba Sylla, Ashley Westwood and Barry Bannan enjoyed time on the ball and played a patient game in an attempt to draw Reading out and leave holes.

Critically, this meant that whenever Reading built some momentum, Westwood and co. would simply pass it around for a few minutes and take the sting out of the Royals' attack.

Villa's second goal was picture-perfect, making fans reminisce about that goal by Argentina in the 2006 FIFA World Cup. It was a product of time and space on the ball, as neither Hope Akpan or Mikele Leigertwood were able to break rank and chase down the man in possession.

It looked easy, and that's because Reading made it easy.

The Royals carried a threat in the wide areas, and Matthew Lowton had a rare bad game. Both full-backs were slow to meet their markers and allowed dangerous crosses in—had Brad Guzan not had yet another excellent game it could have been very different.

But the home side were never able to sustain periods of pressure on Villa, and that's a product of the tactical mismatch in midfield. Neither side dominated the end-to-end encounter, but Villa held onto the ball when it mattered the most.

Westwood completed 64 passes, Sylla completed 42. Were any of them penetrative? not particularly, and the charts show the passes were made to control rather than to carve open.

Perfect game from Lambert, the polar opposite from McDermott.

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Every manager dreams of having a capable starting XI and a bench full of players who can change a game. The problem occurs when a substitute becomes so proficient he starts pressuring the manager to start him rather than bench him.

As a footballing community, we don't help. The label "super sub" is something no player wants attached to them, yet that's the exact label we attach as soon as a hero emerges from the stands.

We've seen it with Edin Dzeko, we've seen it with Marlon Harewood.

Now Adam Le Fondre has faced this problem all season, as he has become the undisputed No. 1 substitute in the English Premier League.

He has already expressed his dislike for the term (via Goal.com), telling reporters ahead of the FA Cup clash against Manchester United: "I know Solskjaer made his name as a sub, but I do not want to do that—I want to start."

That's all any player worth his salt wants to do, but the Stockport-born striker is fighting a losing battle.

He's been used rather sporadically all season long, making just nine starts as opposed to 17 appearances off the bench in the English Premier League.

Reading hit a nice run of form during January which boosted their survival hopes, and that was largely down to the 26-year-old's performances off the bench.

To put it in perspective, Adam Le Fondre won the Barclay's Player of the Month Award without starting a single game for his club.

And yet he was so effective.

He was part of an inspired late comeback win against West Bromwich Albion, scoring the second goal in the 88th minute against Steve Clarke's side.

With his side 1-0 down at St. James' Park the following week, he scored within a minute of coming on, then bagged a second, match-winning goal six minutes later.

But still, Brian McDermott didn't start the former Rotherham player, and at 2-0 down at home to Chelsea, Le Fondre inspired his greatest comeback yet—two goals in three minutes to draw level with the reigning European champions at the death.

Reading fans started questioning why they bother watching the first 70 minutes of any game, as their side obviously only start playing in the final quarter.

After scoring five goals in 68 minutes, McDermott had no choice but to start his "super sub."

He did, against Manchester United, and in a strange way it couldn't have gone any better for the gaffer.

The FA Cup tie was free pass. The Red Devils were widely expected to win, so Reading could travel north, match Sir Alex Ferguson's 4-4-2 with their own and give Le Fondre the shot he's been waiting for.

Unfortunately for Le Fondre he didn't score, nor have any truly telling impact on the game.

And the reason, of course, is simple.

There's a good explanation for the unbelievable amount of goals "Alfie" scored in the lower leagues, and it's due to his style of play.

He's an old-school, fox-in-the-box striker who knows how to stick in the back of the net. Think Michael Owen, think Ruud van Nistelrooy.

But Le Fondre has a lot of catching up to do after being stuck in League Two for too long. He hasn't developed abilities in other areas, and that's why McDermott would so frequently look elsewhere.

Can Le Fondre take advantage of a tired defence, and, with an extra spring in his step, beat his man to ball and find the corner? Yes. But can he run the channels, hold the ball up and provide incisive runs for a full 90 minutes against a fresh defence? Not yet.

Le Fondre has a lot of untapped potential and he shows signs of being able to do all these things, he just needs to work very hard in the offseason to brush up those skills.

Until he is able to provide a full complement of services, he can't be seen as a viable starter. Reading don't have the midfield ability to play a 4-4-2 formation and they can't rely on him as a lone striker.

The conundrum is a horrible one for McDermott, but as long as he can manage Alfie's expectations he knows he's got a game-changer he can throw on at any time.

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Reading had a fight on their hands the moment they were promoted to the Premiership. 

A 1-1 draw against Stoke in the opening game of the season gave a firm belief that the Royals could mount a challenge to stay in the Premier League. 

But as the festive period approached, the fans high expectations had not been answered. The team from Berkshire had picked up only one win against Everton after two goals from Adam Le Fondre helped them fight back from 1-0 down. 

After picking up points through draws at home to Newcastle United and Fulham and with near misses against league leaders Manchester United (3-4) and a 1-0 away defeat to current champions Manchester City, something clearly had to change at the Madejski.

With the old year drawing to a close, a new Reading bounced into 2013.  January was the time for a super sub, and he came with the name Adam Le Fondre. 

After losing their first league game to Spurs, it was crucial to pick up three points when West Bromwich Albion visited the Madejski. However, after 69 minutes and two goals from Romelu Lukaku, it seemed like it was the same old days for Reading fans. 

But with the last ten minutes of the game approaching, Reading got the spark they needed to pull off a great escape, as goals from Jimmy Kebe, Adam Le Fondre and a last-minute strike from Pavel Pogrebnyak saw the Royals pick up a vital three points.

This kick-started Reading's attack out of the relegation zone, and when they faced Newcastle at St James' Park, fans had not only three points to celebrate but their first away victory in the league since 2008 as well. It was down to super-sub Le Fondre to finish the job, as McDermott called him from the bench. With his first kick of the game, he levelled the score and quickly finished off a lacklustre Magpies side. 

When Chelsea came calling, it was again down to the man who starts on the bench to help salvage a point for the Royals. After the Blues took a commanding 2-0 lead, they looked to have the points in the bag until Le Fondre struck, clawing one goal back and levelling up the scoreline with the last kick of the game.

It was Sunderland who were next on Reading's hit list, and Jimmy Kebe's in particular, as the midfielder grabbed both goals in the win. 

Stoke away was next for the Royals, and after equalising, they suffered an agonising loss when Cameron Jerome scored for the Potters. 

Reading's cup form, however, was not always representative of their league form. The Royals beat Peterborough and QPR in the Capital One Cup before succumbing to a 5-7 defeat against Arsenal after the Gunners came back from a 4-0 deficit to move to the next round. 

It was a similar story in the FA Cup with convincing wins against Crawley Town and Sheffield United before Reading was again knocked out by Premiership opposition. 

So after a fantastic run in January, which saw Le Fondre named player of the month and Brian McDermott named manager of the month, can Reading survive?

Fans are predicting that the Royals can pick up wins against Wigan, Aston Villa, Southampton and QPR, and then suffer loses against Man U, Arsenal, Liverpool and Man City, with the other results being draws.

With Reading sitting 18th in the Premier League, just one point behind Aston Villa, a win against Wigan could see them jump out of the relegation zone and be just one point behind Newcastle and Southampton.

With Le Fondre averaging a goal every 100 minutes and drawing comparisons to RVP and Wayne Rooney, Jobi McAnuff finding his scoring boots against Reading and Jimmy Kebe finding the back of the net, Reading could stay in the Premiership next season.

But they will have a fight on their hands, as QPR and Wigan will not let them pull away from the relegation zone easily.