Ranking Reading FC's top 7 best managers based on PPG - Steve Coppell = 3rd | OneFootball

League One club Reading managed to survive under Ruben Selles last term.

On paper, that may not seem like a huge achievement considering the calibre of players they have at their disposal, but the off-field situation made life very difficult for the Royals during the 2023/24 campaign.

Selles has handled himself and the backdrop really impressively, and it would be a real boost for the Royals to retain him mid-term, given they performed well at times during the second half of the most recent campaign.

We're looking at the past in this piece, though, as we list the club's most successful managers, based on points-per-game. Managers have needed to take charge of at least 25 of the Royals' games to be eligible for this list.

7 Steve Clarke/Nigel Adkins - 1.34

Both Adkins and Clarke managed the club at a similar time, with the latter succeeding the former.

Adkins arrived in 2013, looking to make a short-term impact, but failed to guide the club to Premier League survival.

There were some bright moments under the ex-Southampton boss, but the Royals started conceding heavily during the latter stages of his time there.

Clarke, meanwhile, could have been a success at the SCL Stadium.

However, he never really recovered after going for an interview with then-Championship rivals Fulham, with fans losing trust in him during that saga.

6 Mark Bowen - 1.40

Bowen was appointed during the early stages of the 2019/20 campaign, following the departure of Jose Gomes.

At the time, many fans weren't happy about his appointment, considering he was viewed as the man who was set to appoint Gomes' successor.

He did well initially, but it felt as though the Welshman ran out of steam during the latter stages of his time in charge.

It initially looked as though he was going to guide the club into the 2020/21 season, but he was replaced shortly before the start of the term, with Veljko Paunovic succeeding him.

5 Ruben Selles - 1.40

Current boss Selles is on this list, with the Royals' form during the second half of the campaign allowing him to secure a higher average points-per-game figure.

In fairness to the 40-year-old, he has had to deal with some awful off-field issues and has conducted himself very well, so the Berkshire side's form during the early stages of 2023/24 can be forgiven.

His 4-2-2-2 setup may not have worked, but he realised this and changed to a 4-2-3-1 and a 4-1-4-1, with Selles enjoying success with the latter two systems.

He deserves the chance to take the Royals into the 2024/25 campaign if he's up for the challenge.

4 Jaap Stam - 1.47

Stam arrived in the summer of 2016 and it was unclear whether he was going to be a success, especially with the Dutchman changing the club's style of play, but he did very well during his first season in charge.

Only missing out on promotion because of a play-off final penalty shootout, he looked set to oversee a successful 2017/18 season, with a rich new owner at the helm.

But the players recruited didn't fit Stam's style and it was no surprise to see him depart in March 2018.

3 Steve Coppell - 1.58

Coppell is seen by many as the Royals' most successful manager of all time, guiding them to a record-breaking 106-point season during 2005/06.

He also guided the club to a top-half finish at the end of the 2006/07 campaign, before they were relegated on the final day of the following season.

The 68-year-old stayed in charge for the Berkshire side's first season back in the second tier, but left at the end of the 2008/09 term after failing to guide them back to the top flight at the first time of asking.

Many fans didn't want to see him leave, but he took the decision to leave the SCL Stadium.

2 Brian McDermott - 1.60

This 1.60 points-per-game figure is based on his first spell in charge.

Initially taking caretaker charge of the club following Brendan Rodgers' sacking, an FA Cup win away at Liverpool helped him to earn the job permanently, and the decision to appoint McDermott permanently proved to be crucial.

He managed to squeeze the best out of the players at his disposal and ended up winning promotion against the odds during the 2011/12 season, having made a poor start to that campaign.

McDermott was dismissed in March 2013 when it looked as though the Royals were going to go straight back down, but it's a decision that didn't pay off in the end.

1 Alan Pardew - 1.71

Pardew's decision to move from the Royals to West Ham and how that was handled has made him a villain at the SCL Stadium.

However, it was Pardew who helped to make the club a real force, guiding them to promotion to the second tier back in 2002 and putting them on the right path.

He oversaw the additions of Marcus Hahnemann, Graeme Murty, Nicky Shorey, Ivar Ingimarsson, Steve Sidwell, James Harper and Dave Kitson, all of whom played a huge part in the club's 106-point campaign.

This reinforces just how important Pardew was to the Royals and the success that they enjoyed after his departure.