Opinion | Reading manager Brian McDermott victim of his own success
McDermott was a victim of his own success, but clubs at risk of relegation who change managers from March have gone down
Success for some managers in the top tier of English football can be an ethereal commodity. For others it is a poisoned chalice. Just ask Reading manager Brian McDermott, the latest and one of the four managers ruthlessly fired this season.
You can win promotion from the Championship, be named EPL manager of the month and struggle admirably each week on a laughably low budget in your battle for survival in the world's toughest league. Yet eventually you become a victim of your own success and are rewarded with the boot.
McDermott was suddenly axed this week with just nine games left and 39 days after he was given a pat on the back for picking up the January best manager award.
The ruthless manner in which he was dispatched was underscored by the round-robin text messages sent from the club owner's office to the players informing them of McDermott's departure.
Little wonder a core group of senior players said they were baffled, shocked and angered by the treatment of their 51-year-old manager who led them into the EPL just 10 months ago.
The Royals were in a tailspin during November and December with seven consecutive defeats. Somehow McDermott, who is revered for his deep-thinking and ability as a motivator, pulled his side out of the nosedive and gained 14 vital points from seven matches in January.