Title-winning coach returns for third Reading spell as assistant to Noel Hunt

Reading have confirmed Noel Hunt’s coaching staff, with Championship winner Nigel Gibbs returning to the club.

Hunt signed a two-and-a-half-year contract following Ruben Selles’ resignation and is ready for his first home game as manager tomorrow when Blackpool visit Berkshire.

Due to the short turnaround and the fact that Selles brought instructors James Oliver-Pearce and Tobias Loveland to Hull City with him, the former striker was able to bring in new faces.

Mikele Leigertwood, a former teammate and Under-18s manager who notably scored the goal that sent the club to the Premier League in 2012, has permanently joined Hunt’s first-team coaching staff.

Alongside him is Gibbs, Brian McDermott’s number two from 2009 to 2013, having joined in 2006 under Steve Coppell and playing a significant role in the title-winning team that included Hunt and Leigertwood.

The Watford legend followed McDermott to Leeds United in 2013, but returned to Berkshire for a period under Paul Clement from 2018 to 2019.
Gibbs, who previously worked at Tottenham Hotspur alongside Head of Recruitment Brian Carey, will return to the dugout as assistant manager for the encounter against the Tangerines.

The manager responsibilities for the Under-18s and Under-21s are uncertain, however former assistant Peter Scott will not be on Hunt’s staff, as he was for his first two matches in charge.

“I’m delighted with the additions of Nigel and Mikele to our coaching setup in the First Team, with both of them having such close links to the club in the past,” Hunt said in a press release.

Nigel’s credentials are impressive, having worked as a First Team Coach at some of the country’s largest clubs. I’ve played under Nigel and understand what he brings to the table in terms of nurturing and developing the club’s talented young group.

Mikele is a promising young coach who has been working relentlessly with the Under 18s to help them progress to the Under 21s and beyond. As a teammate, he possessed a tough work ethic, which you can see in his coaching and managerial style.