[attach id=244018 size="medium"]Nigel Adkins... new boss at Madejski Stadium.[/attach]

Reading chose to put a steady hand on the tiller and look to the future rather than try their luck with a relegation quick-fix by unveiling former Southampton boss Nigel Adkins as their manager yesterday.

In contrast to Adkins’s former club, who replaced him with Argentine Mauricio Pochettino, Reading have opted for a man with Premier League experience who also knows his way around the lower divisions should they fail to beat the drop.

Adkins, whose sacking by the promoted south-coast outfit two months ago came as a shock since his team had lost just twice in 12 league games, has eight matches to rescue his new club.

On paper, it looks an almost impossible task with Reading second bottom in the table and seven points adrift of safety but Adkins is ready for the challenge.

“We’ve got to believe we can do it, I’ve joined Reading FC and I want to be in the Premier League,” the 48-year-old, who has signed a three-year deal, said.

Reading were looking for a new manager after parting company with Brian McDermott on March 11 following four consecutive league defeats.

They have since lost to league leaders Manchester United and face a difficult trip to Arsenal in their next Premier League outing on Saturday followed by a match at home to Adkins’s former club Southampton a week later.

“This is an appointment we have made both with the short and long term in mind and Nigel can take our club forward,” Reading owner Anton Zingarevich said.

“His CV speaks for itself and he has many attributes as a manager, his teams play attacking, passing football but most of all he knows how to win at all levels.”