Former Saints boss Nigel Adkins has been sacked as manager of Reading.

Adkins, who was sacked by Saints in January 2013 despite leading the club from League 1 to the Premier League, had been in charge at the Madejski Stadium for just 20 months but was on thin ice after the Royals were hammered 6-1 at Birmingham on Saturday.

The defeat left Reading in 16th place in the Championship table.