PAUL CLEMENT has been confirmed as the new manager of Championship strugglers Reading.
Clement has been out of worked since he was axed by Swansea in December with the club deep in relegation trouble in the Premier League.
But the Royals have decided he is the man to try to steer themselves to safety after they sacked Jaap Stam earlier this week.
Reading are currently languishing fifth from bottom of the Championship, just three points clear of the relegation zone.
The club decided to ditch Stam after losing confidence that he was the man who could keep them from dropping down into League One.
And they have now turned to Clement, 46, to ensure they collect enough points over the remaining eight games of the season to keep them in the second tier of English football. Reading chief executive Ron Gourlay said, “I am delighted to have secured the services of a hugely experienced forward-thinking manager like Paul, who I have personally worked alongside during our time spent at Chelsea.
“Not only has he coached at some of the greatest clubs in Europe, winning trophies, league titles and European honours and working with some of the greatest players in the world. "Fundamentally he also has a rich understanding of English football having managed in both the Championship and the Premier League in recent years.
“Now, everyone at Reading Football Club is fully behind Paul and his squad of players as, together, we initially set our sights on an eight-game battle and continue to strive to the take this club forward.” Reading have tumbled down the Championship table after a shocking run of form which has seen them go nine league matches without a win.
The have collected just four points since the start of February and now suddenly find themselves deep in relegation trouble. They have turned to Clement in the hope he can repeat the impact he had when he first joined Swansea to help keep the club in the Premier League.
After succeeding Bob Bradley in charge with the Swans rock bottom, Clement led them to win 26 points from their last 18 games to ensure survival.
But he was unable to build on that success this season, and was sacked in December with the Welsh club again rooted to the foot of the table.
No comments:
Post a Comment