I didn’t put myself in the Royals hot seat’
BOWEN’S THE No.1 BUT HE’S NO BACKSTABBER
READING’S new boss Mark Bowen is feeling bruised... and that’s understandable.
After a lifetime spent in the game as a player and first-team coach – almost exclusively at Premier League level – his professional credentials and integrity are under the microscope.
“I spent 20 years as a player, 20 years as a coach and it’s all gone out of the window inside two minutes because people assumed I stabbed someone in the back,” he said. “It was chucked out there, wasn’t it?
“They said, ‘He sacked the manager, he employed himself’. It did hurt.
“I totally understand the Reading fans looking from outside thinking, ‘That doesn’t look great’. But I can assure everyone I played no part in the decision to get rid of the manager. That came from above. I didn’t appoint myself.”
Twitchy
The Royals’ new chief is talking about the events that led him – the club’s sporting director – taking over as head coach from Jose Gomez.
The 55-year-old doesn’t have to air his CV in public but somehow feels that he needs to justify it.
He said: “The previous manager won two in 11 games. I know people get twitchy when that happens.
“I was asked if there were any problems. There wasn’t any friction in the dressing room, the players were behind Jose, but – and it’s a very real but – people were beginning to get nervous about what was happening.
“I put together a shortlist of six or seven names and I was in the process of speaking to three. One said he wasn’t willing to do it yet. I told another to do some homework on the squad. I thought we’d get down to three names that I could hand over to the owner.
“I put that list to them. After that, I had a phone call asking me, ‘Do you want the job?’ It took me by surprise. They offered it to me again. The answer was, ‘Yes, I did’ – if they were offering it to me.
“They didn’t want much disruption. The manager and his assistant left.
“But we have worked with those that were left behind. I felt we were in a false position. I knew we had too much talent to stay where we were. They weren’t bad building blocks.”
Bowen had worked for Premier
League veteran Steve Bruce before becoming better known as Mark Hughes’s No.2 at both international level with Wales and then with Manchester City, Blackburn Rovers, Fulham, Stoke and Southampton – to name a few. The friendship between
Hughes and Bowen predates their teenage years.
He said: “My professional relationship with Mark wasn’t your usual one because we have known each other for so long – since we were 12.
“We were a team, very much so, but we would have stand-up rows over team selection or coaching policy. I know other assistant managers could never have that with their bosses.
“Because I had such an input and responsibility, I never thought to myself, ‘I want to be a No.1’. Ultimately, he was the boss. I never undermined that. But I’ve talked to other assistants in the past 20 years and I know Mark and I shared a special relationship. When I was offered the position, he said, ‘Great! Go for it, mate, crack on’.”
And Bowen has – successfully until narrow defeats to Brentford and Leeds provided a reality check.
Experience
“In terms of games, I’ve prepared teams to play in over 540 in the Premier League,” he added. “Yet I still heard people asking, ‘Is he ready?’
“Yes, I’ve never had my name above the door. But I do have experience.
“This is a good opportunity for someone – and I feel privileged that someone is me.”