text: OPINION: It's no surprise that Nigel Adkins is starting to feel the strain at Reading FC - Charles Watts - Berkshire Live
  OPINION: It's no surprise that Adkins is starting to feel the strain
  Reading FC reporter Charles Watts says Royals' boss showed signs that the pressure was getting to him after Saturday's FA Cup defeat at Brighton
  09:43, 6 JAN 2014
  Updated 11:10, 6 JAN 2014
  Nigel Adkins is going through tough times at the moment at Reading FC.
  Nigel Adkins showed the first signs that he is beginning to feel the pressure at Reading following Saturday's FA Cup defeat at Brighton.
  Royals' boss snapped at reporters during his post match interviews and even insinuated that BBC Radio Berkshire's Tim Dellor was leading a campaign to get him sacked.
  It was a bizarre notion, bordering on paranoia and the way it came across felt like Adkins was a manager who was beginning to feel the strain.
  As did the tone of his voice during his interviews, he sounded very downbeat which is certainly something new.
  Adkins has said it himself all season, he is someone who doesn't get too high after a win or doesn't get too low after a defeat.
  But make no mistake about it, he was low after Saturday's loss at the Amex Stadium, very low. He sounded totally fed up.
  Now I'm not expecting him to be jumping through hoops having just seen his team lose for a fifth time in seven games, but as someone who sees him week in, week out, this was a different Nigel Adkins.
  ROYALS EXIT FA CUP AFTER DEFEAT AT BRIGHTON
  And to be honest, if he is beginning to feel the strain a bit, I'm really not surprised.
  Reading Football Club now is probably a very different beast to the club that was sold to Adkins when he was appointed back in March last year.
  For one, the man who appointed him is now nowhere to be seen thanks to Anton Zingarevich's disappearing act.
  That alone must be tough to take for Adkins. He was Zingarevich's man, yet now the Russian has scarpered.
  And the Russian's money, which Adkins will have been hoping to use build his side, has gone with him.
  He would have been made promises when he agreed to replace Brain McDermott but those promises have proved to be empty.
  It is clear that Adkins wanted to do significantly more business in the summer window than was actually done.
  He wanted the chance to build a team, bring in players who could play the way he wanted his Reading side to play.
  But as the window slammed shut, he was left with just three early summer purchases of Wayne Bridge, Royston Drenthe and Danny Williams.
  Anton Zingarevich's disappearing act has made things very difficult for Nigel Adkins.
  All three of those players arrived before the end of June and more were expected to follow.
  But, as each week of the summer ticked by, they remained the only new additions to a squad which was still very much McDermott's.
  Going into the final week of the transfer window Adkins was still publicly saying he was hoping to get two or three more players in through the door.
  It didn't happen, however. The window slammed shut and the only real bit of late interest was for central midfielder Momo Sissoko.
  That signing never happened but it was clear the Malian international was not even someone Adkins wanted in the first place.
  It was a frustrating end to the summer for Royals' boss who put a brave face on it afterwards when fielding questions as to what had gone wrong.
  It's become clear ever since, however, that the failures in the transfer market were all linked to the uncertainty surrounding Zingarevich.
  Reading's owner has not been seen at a league game since the window closed and is looking for a way out of the club.
  There are several parties interested in his majority 51 per cent share, with an American consortium having already tabled a bid.
  A group of investors from Oman have also been in talks and are expected to make an offer imminently.
  After the Brighton defeat, Adkins urged the Reading board to get things sorted at the top of the club as soon as possible.
  ADKINS HINTS AT ROYALS STABILITY BY THE END OF THE MONTH
  It's a plea he's made a few times in recent weeks because he knows just how important this month is to his side's hopes this season.
  He wants to be given the green light to go and strengthen. He wants to be able to put his stamp on this Reading side.
  At the moment, the current squad is not working. Adkins is trying to get them to play a way they are not used to and results are suffering.
  The results aren't even the most worrying aspect of this current run, it's the performances.
  There is no spark and chances are at a premium. There was just the one shot on target at Brighton and two during the 3-0 loss at Middlesbrough.
  Any fan who has travelled the 1,500 miles from Reading to the last four away games will have been rewarded by seeing just one goal from their side.
  Adkins is increasingly coming under flak as this run of form continues, although there is still considerable backing for the boss from the Reading support.
  He does split opinions, that is clear. But the manager is still in favour with the majority of fans who want to see him succeed.
  But to do that he must be backed by those above him. He must be given the tools to build his own team, only then can he really be judged on what he's done at Madejski Stadium.
  After Brighton he hinted that 'stability' may soon be on his way and that things could be resolved by the end of this month which would allow the club to move forward.
  I hope he's right. Not just for Reading but for Adkins as well because it will mean he may finally be able build a team with his own blueprint.
  Of course that would bring it's own pressure with it but I'm sure that's a pressure he will enjoy, unlike what he's feeling now.