Paul Ince speaks out on challenges he has faced at Reading FC

Paul Ince has managed to steer the sinking ship at Reading to safety in the Championship over the last couple of months with survival confirmed last weekend.

The former England international came in with a lot to prove having been out of management for such a long time, but has gone back to basics and got more out of some members of the squad than Veljko Paunovic did at times this season.

With his future in the job still up in the air as his contract expires at the end of the season, Ince explained how demanding it has been when he appeared on The Official EFL Podcast.

He said: “People just think it’s about going on the training pitch, coaching and then picking a team to try and win on a Saturday.

“There’s so much work involved from the top down to the bottom.

“So many people want a lot of your time, to do this, to do that, functions here, it’s so, so demanding, it’s actually a 24/7 job.

“People say that they get paid well in the Championship, for me it’s not even about the money, it’s the stress that you put on yourself everyday, you don’t sleep well at night, things happen on the pitch, you get injuries and and then you’ve got to… all those things, especially with Reading, it’s been tough for us.

“We’ve had about four, five players that’ve been out for most of the season.

“Scott Dann’s been out for most of the season, John Swift out for the season, Andy Rinomhota out for the season, so we’re down to the barebones, which makes the achievement even more special in my eyes.

“It is demanding, I’m down at Reading, I don’t see my wife, I don’t see my children, probably once or twice a month.

“We are human beings, and I’m a family man, to not see my family everyday like I used to, is a big decision to make, so yeah it is