Reading chairman Sir John Madejski heaps praise on manager Brian McDermott

Chairman Sir John Madejski (left) and manager Brian McDermott (centre) celebrate promotion (GETTY IMAGES)

Reading would not be playing Barclays Premier League football this season if it were not for the efforts of manager Brian McDermott, according to the club's chairman Sir John Madejski.

The Royals are back in the top flight for the first time since 2008 and Madejski praised the influence of McDermott, who has been at the club since 2000 and took over as manager in 2009.

Madejski said of the Reading boss: "Without him this would be impossible.

"He is the conduit, he knows all the players and has been magnificent, as has everyone else associated with the club has been, let's not forget. We are all very excited."

The club as a whole has changed very little since a two-season stint in the Premier League ended with relegation four years ago and Madejski feels the lessons learnt from that brief foray will benefit Reading's survival chances this time around.

He explained: "We've experienced going to the Premiership before but I think this time we are more prepared for it and I think now, having had those experiences, we can draw on them.

"Don't forget there are an awful lot of people who are still here that were here the last time so we have all that energy, goodwill and determination to stay there - so I feel far more positive about going up this time than I did last time."

McDermott himself has vowed to not look too far ahead as he looks for a successful Premier League campaign.

"I have my own personal goals, the players will too," he told the club's official website.

"But our approach has always been one game at a time. We start with Stoke, we want to put on a performance, full house at Madejski, then we move on to the next game at Chelsea, it's as simple as that."

The 51-year-old would not be drawn on an end-of-season target as his full concentration remains on Tony Pulis' Potters ahead of the start of the new season.

"People ask me about survival but we don't even think about that word, or where we might be in May," he said.

"We just think about Stoke and giving everything, making sure we're prepared and right."

PA