Wally with a Brolly

KD, a regular on the Round Table, is also a Reading fan. It might have slightly unnoticed because McDermott isn't the most charismatic manager, and because reading are not the most followed club, but owner Anton Zingarevich sacked Brian McDermott over a week ago. We asked KD how he felt, thinking that with time he might have been a bit calmer. Judge for yourselves.

Brian McDermott was sacked as the manager of Reading FC on 11th March 2013, 3 years and 3 months after replacing Brendan Rodgers, 11 months after achieving promotion to the Premier League, 10 months after being voted LMA manager of the year and 1 month after being awarded Premier League manager of the month. A sad, but all too common, consequence of the intolerance and haste present in the modern game that, in my opinion, is a direct result of the increasing monetary rewards (or punishments, in Reading’s case).

New owner, Anton Zingarevich, who purchased a 51% share in Reading from previous outright owner (and legend) John Madejski in May 2012, himself hinted in an interview shortly after the dismissal that his major concern lay with the potential financial losses associated with relegation to the Championship.

Madejski: the man, the myth, the stadium.

Unfortunately, no-one heard him utter a word about the fans, or why he didn’t have faith in Brain to be the man to keep us up this year or, indeed, promoted again next season. Funny really, considering in November when questioned about the usual rumours circulated amongst the press involving a club in a relegation battle, he said of McDermott ‘I have total faith in him and he has a long-term contract so I don't see any problem’. Well, the faith didn’t last long, and nor did the contract.

Brian McDermott is now unemployed, despite taking Reading from near relegation from the Championship to the Premier League in three seasons. And all this despite spending the preceding 9 seasons as Reading’s scout! What an exceptional career rise from a clearly talented manager. But with such a rise, has come a dramatic fall; a fall that, in my opinion, is wholly unjustified. When Brian was hired as manager we had just sacked Brendan Rodgers. Brendan is now orchestrating a revival in fortunes at Liverpool.

If he's made it to Liverpool after being awful at Reading, what does that say about McDermott?

Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me – I’m not fooled this time Reading, I’m pissed. My biggest fear, and an ironic one if you recently read my article on what it is to be a Reading FC fan, is that the dignity and grace with which Reading, and in particular John Madesjki, have performed their business over the last decade, is now in jeopardy. Suddenly, Reading are on websites, in the newspapers and clogging up the well oiled rumour mill, for all the wrong reasons. Not too many neutrals now care whether Reading stay in the Premier League or not, but are more interested whether the next manager will be Gus Poyet, Roberto Di Matteo, Nigel Adkins or Sven-Goran Eriksson (who is nowadays synonymous with farcical manager-merry-go-rounds). If you want my opinion, I’d take McDermott back tomorrow. I think he is the best man to keep us in the league – partly because I do not think we have the players to stay, so what is the point in changing manager? – and would also be the best man to get us back next season; if not Brian, then Nigel Adkins. Or Jose Mourinho.

                                                                   "Fool me once..."

It has been said many times over this season, and is generally widely agreed, that Reading’s problem has been a lack of on-field quality. Even Jimmy Kebe, the legend himself, said in December ‘We are a good Championship team trying to compete in the Premier League – that's it.’ It is almost indisputable, in fact, when you read Reading’s season statistics: 3 clean sheets, 55% loss percentage, 39% average possession. There is not much a manager can do if your players don’t have the necessary quality to keep the ball.

At first, I was actually quite impressed with Zingarevich; he appeared astute, collected and wise. He didn’t splash the cash, like his Russian counterpart, and he seemed to be maintaining the clear, long-term vision that Madejski had installed. Unfortunately, though, the wise owl soon became the panicked rabbit in the headlights and his trigger finger became a tad too twitchy for my liking.

Anton tries to up the ante with Madejski in the Wag department. I still prefer Cilla.

Since, I have found other incriminating evidence that suggests Anton is not the sort of fella I fancy running our football club. Sure, I am probably now more inclined to feel aggrieved by any bad press I read, but this one really got me riled: Anton Zingarevich, standing proud, with an ear-to-ear grin in the Reading hospitality suite, with his model wife and her designer handbag. Firstly, Anton, if you are going to run our football club, don’t treat it like a Vanity Fair photo shoot. And, secondly, if you are going to bring your wife into the stadium, at least find one without the cellulite and bingo wings.

Signed, disgruntled and frustrated Reading fan x