‘It was a sad ending’: Paul Ince reflects on time in charge of the Royals
FORMER Reading FC manager Paul Ince has reflected on his stint at the club and recalled how he was asked to take the position.
Speaking on Simon Jordan’s ‘Up Front’ podcast, Ince reflected on his spell with the Royals where he helped them stay up in the Championship during his interim stint before he was sacked late on in the 2022/23 campaign with the club in the relegation zone.
“I was sitting indoors on
Friday and got a call from Kia (Joorabchian),” said Ince.
“He said listen, I think the manager is going to leave after the Preston game, you live up that way, do you fancy taking the job if he goes?
“We played Birmingham on the Tuesday, won 2-1 and then you get that kind of thing in your stomach, you’re back on the training ground, back coaching and my mindset was always ‘find a manager, but I’ll come and do it’.
“What turned me is that my son was playing.
“When your son is away you don’t see them all the time and then all of a sudden I’m seeing my son
everyday so maybe it was a selfish thing to do.
“It was a sad ending, I loved our time at Reading. I loved being there, but the way it ended.”
Ince described his sacking from the club as ‘madness’ after he was tasked to keep the club in the Championship, but wasn’t able to fulfil the season.
He continued: “The remit was to stay in the league. All the talk from the top was as long as we stay in the league, you’ll be here.
“The same old twaddle they gave me the year before.
“Even if we go down into League One at least we can build again and be able to trade in the market, but the remit was to stay in the league and we were doing that.
“We knew the six points (deduction) was hanging over us and the players knew it. It was in the press.
“We would win a game and they wouldn’t be happy because they’d know that was coming off in a month’s time.
“To lose the job with four games to go, I don’t get it. I honestly don’t get it.
“Sack a manager with four games to go because the team is in the relegation zone because the club has had sanctions.
“To see where they are now is a sad sight. I feel for the fans.”