PROVE A POINT
Energised Adkins is intent on scaling Sunshine Mountain
THE new Reading manager Nigel Adkins has crammed plenty into his 10-week spell away from football. The 48-year-old was yesterday confirmed as the Royals’ new boss, signing a three-year contract with the relegationthreatened outfit.
The news marks a swift return to football management for Adkins, who was sacked by Southampton on January 18. But that is not to say he has had the chance to put his feet up. Far from it.
‘ You’re always looking to learn. I’ve been on a goalkeeping course at Warwick University, which was hosted by Edwin van der Sar and Eric Steele,’ said Adkins.
‘I went on a course at St George’s Park where they had guys over from Belgium talking about how their academy system has worked so well given they’ve got many players in the Premier League.
‘I also spent a good time in Germany at Hamburg. They were very hospitable. You’ve got [former Chelsea coaches] Frank Arnesen and Lee Congleton there. That was fantastic, I got full access, saw all the training a nd how t hey operate.
‘It was just great to see the whole set-up there. A lot of people are talking about what is going on in Germany so it was great for me to spend a whole week there to see what’s going on.
‘I also met [former England rugby coach] Andy Robinson and had dinner with Jonny Wilkinson. I just wanted to see the mindset of the top people in their sports. It was great to speak to Andy about the concept of building a team. And, of course, I’ve watched plenty of Premier League games too.’
Adkins’ penchant for learning will stand him in good stead for the rest of his management career. But he must hit the ground running if he is to keep Reading in the top flight, as he prepares for eight of the biggest games in his managerial career.
His first match is against Arsenal on Saturday, but all the games will be vital in Read- ing’s mission to preserve their top flight- status, and none more so than next week’s clash against Southampton, the club that ruthlessly axed Adkins two months ago.
But there are no thoughts of revenge in Adkins’ mind ahead of that game at the Madejski Stadium. He still has a strong affiliation with Southampton; he remains a South Coast resident and partakes in regular mind- cleansing treks up St Catherine’s Hill in Winchester.
And speaking about his brutal sacking from St Mary’s for the first time, Adkins said: ‘As you’ve seen in football, people keep moving all the time. You’ve got to keep looking to the future.
‘I can’t speak highly enough of the supporters. The biggest thank you I can ever give is there for all of them. I’ve not made any comments since my dismissal — so I need to take this opportunity to thank everybody at Southampton for our fantastic j ourney. But we’ve got to move on.’
He added: ‘I love my walks up St Catherine’s Hill, it’s beautiful up there — I call it Sunshine Mountain. I’d think about all sorts when I’m up there.
‘There are 330 steps to climb up the hill and you can see the whole of Winchester.’
Forget about Sunshine Mountain, Adkins will be on top of the world if he can keep Reading up.