Talking to Sky Blue World, the defender who made 396 appearances for Reading and was lined up for a move to Highfield Road during the reign of Phil Neal said: "At Reading we prided ourselves on defensive records – the goals against column before Saturday’s game was excellent. I’m a leader, I’m very vocal and I’ve got plenty to say – I could talk for hours about football. Every manager I’ve ever worked for has said the same thing about my organisation of the back four – I feel it’s a big part of my game and I hope to do my job and do it well.
"It was a strange situation really because obviously I was contracted to Reading until the summer and I was skipper there. But I asked the manager if there would be a contract offer for myself and there was no guarantee at this moment in time that there would be and that we’d speak towards the tail end of the season, which wasn’t ideal for myself. 'There is a mutual respect between myself and Reading because I had been there for a while and played nigh on 400 games for them. They allowed me to speak to people and that’s pretty much it.
"Reading is my home club and I’ve been proud to play for them. I’m disappointed in that they couldn’t offer me a contract but in the same breath I’m excited and looking forward to a new challenge – people need challenges in life. You can accept things a little bit too easily when you’re in a comfort zone and this is the challenge I’ve been looking for. 'Working with Peter Reid is a big plus – I’ll enjoy his sense of humour, his views on the game and what he’s got to say. You see him on television and he wears his heart on his sleeve and what he and Adrian Heath along with the Chairman and the Chief Executive said to me was very appealing. I’m looking forward to working with Peter Reid without a doubt.'I’ve seen the boys train and there are some quality players here. I’m sure they’ll be confident after Saturday and if we can get a result tomorrow then hopefully there’ll be no stopping us.
"I trained the back end of last week and this morning and if I’m selected I’m raring to go. Home debuts are always good but even if I have to wait a week, I’ll still enjoy it – every debut is good. 'We beat Preston 3-1 at Reading. They’ve just lost Healy which is a plus for us – he’s a decent player, Cresswell is still a handful but Fuller was the main man for me last year. They’ve had to sell but they are still a decent side and they’re very good on set plays. Lucketti and Davis are big lads – they’ve got three or four six-foot plus boys and they’re very strong."