Reading boss Brian McDermott admits the wife of a player at former club Slough set him on his way in management.

McDermott has guided Reading back into the Premier League this week.

"I was a young manager, 30-odd. I didn't have much experience and I wasn't dealing with this particular player well, in fact really poorly. His wife rang me out of the blue to say how unhappy he was. It struck a chord with me. I realised I was dealing with him really poorly, I was confrontational, I was affecting his performance. But I changed," he recalled to the Daily Mail.

"I changed. I was nowhere near what I should have been. But I was young. I have to forgive myself that. I'm 51 now - people say I've no experience but I've 34 years of football in me, I've seen a lot. I just feel natural now, a lot of this confrontation is pointless, nonsense.

"It doesn't make anyone feel better. So that changed me, but so does time. You have to be fair to yourself. I always think a manager has to pay his dues. Some get the job too early, then fall away. I've paid my dues."