A lot of eyebrows were raised when Paul Ince was given the Reading job on an interim in February of last year.
The former England midfielder had not managed for over eight years by that point, with his last managerial spell coming to an end at Blackpool in January of 2014. He had expressed his interest in quite a few jobs during the intervening years, although no club saw him as a good option during this period.
Despite this, he would do the job that was asked of him. Ince would lead Reading to safety with two games to spare, eventually being given the job on a permanent basis at the end of the season.
Reading started out this season quite well, although they have struggled over the last couple of months. The club have failed to win in any of their last six league games, with the 1-0 loss at Sunderland on Saturday the latest poor result.
Paul Ince snaps at journalist over Reading criticism
The game at the Stadium of Light wasn't exactly easy on the eye, with not a huge amount on offer in terms of attacking play prior to the 84th minute winner from Patrick Roberts. Reading certainly seemed happy enough to aim for a point in the fixture, with many accusing them of wasting time throughout the game.
Local BBC journalist Jeff Brown quizzed Paul Ince about the negative approach from his side in the fixture and it went down about as well as you would have expected.
Never one to shy away from confrontation, the 55-year old was very unhappy with the questions that were being asked.
That Paul Ince chat, in full…@BBCLN #SAFC #notimewasters #sunderlandpressconference pic.twitter.com/2Llrj82GEZ
— Jeff Brown (@JeffAB61) February 13, 2023
Brown: It was a pretty grim game to watch.
Ince: You shouldn't be here to watch then if it's that grim. What are you doing here?
Brown: Because it's my job...
Ince: If you actually done your research, you'd know there's a lot of games like this in the Championship. That's the way it is, that's the bottom line.
Brown: Not so many like that. You get it in League One, but this is probably the worst game we have seen here this season.
Ince: Here? What do you want me to answer to that then? What are you saying?..
Brown: It was pretty grim.
Ince: How would it be time wasting if we were getting beat?
Brown: Well you weren't then, you speeded up after that. I'm just saying from a neutral's point of view.
Ince: No you're not. You're saying it from your point of view, it's not neutral. It's your point of view, nobody else has said it apart from you.
This win moved Sunderland to seventh in the Championship table and within touching distance of the play-offs. As for Reading, they currently sit in 18th, although they do possess a nine-point buffer over the those in the relegation zone.
Paul Ince will be hoping that his team can arrest their recent slide, otherwise that gap could lessen significantly in the weeks ahead.
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