Contrasting yet efficient manager appointments, Bournemouth and Reading compete for Championship supremacy

The seas at Bournemouth and Reading are already looking a lot calmer than last season’s turbulence.

Two new managers with one coming from a lot closer to home. The other, Veljko Paunović, may have arrived from further afar, but has settled in as efficiently, nevertheless.

Last season’s truncated calendar meant intrinsic turmoil and anarchy transpired in every club, but these two perhaps suffered more than most.

Bournemouth lost their Premier League status and the most iconic figure in their history. Eddie Howe would spearhead a long list of departures as Bournemouth attempted to reset and recover for life in the second flight. After a decade of ascension, the Cherries and Howe endured their first bout of regression. By the end, Howe and Bournemouth cut wearied figures. The habitual spark that had been a recurrent theme for so long had vanished.

Once Howe decided to take a sabatical after 12 years of continually being in a managerial hot-seat, it left his trusted lieutenant to step-up and become sergeant major. For years, Jason Tindall was Howe’s shadow, often seen as the good cop to Howe’s bad cop routine. He was entrusted with set-pieces, conjuring up alternative ideas and providing the bridge between the playing staff and coaching staff.

But now he was the man in charge. The skinny tracksuit long donned on Tindall had been replaced by an altogether smarter attire. While fresh impetus wouldn’t come from a revamped player overhaul, it came through a  tweak in system. Tindall switched from Howe’s favoured 4-4-2 variation to a much more pragmatic, less fanciful, 5-2-3.

So far it has worked. With just one defeat in 11 games, the Cherries sit fourth with as many wins as draws. Although not quite as eye-catching, they are proving proficient within football’s most hardened divisions.

Saturday’s counterparts may offer Tindall’s toughest test to date. After seasons of treading water, lurking around the precarious waters of the Championship basement, the Royals sit top with an average of two points being taken per game. But it has not all been smooth sailing.

Just before the season’s curtain-raiser, incumbent boss Mark Bowen was sacked and quickly replaced by the somewhat unknown Serbian, Veljko Paunović. His last job came via the US, where he was placed in charge of Chicago Fire.

While it was a step into the unknown, a contrasting U-turn to the ‘what you see is what you get’ Bowen, it energised a wilting squad. A rampant start to Championship life has been slightly skewed by successive 3-0 defeats at the beginning of November, their last two fixtures.

Reading will hope the most recent international break came at the right time for the squad. An opportunity to reset, take stock and supplant any elapsing doubts.

Bournemouth are the betting favorurites for promotion having had most of their squad prove their worth in the higher division. But Reading can be tricky customers for anyone, so will hope recent defeats are anomaly’s rather than habits.

Jacob Tanswell will be at the game on Saturday as Bournemouth welcome Reading to the Vitality stadium, follow his Twitter here:

@J_Tanswell

 

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