When Veljko Paunovic was appointed as manager of Reading back in August last year, the Serbian became the Royals' fourth permanent manager in just two-and-a-half years.

Under Paunovic however, the initial signs appear to suggest that Reading have a manager who can start to move forward at the Madejski Stadium in the years to come.

This season has seen the Royals somewhat unexpectedly transform from a mid-table side to one that look to be major contenders for promotion to the Premier League this season, following the appointment of the Serbian.

But just how does Paunovic compare to the managers that have come before him at the Madejski in terms of the success he has brought to the Royals?

Here, in order to find out, we've taken a look at the top ten Reading managers of recent times, based on their points per game record during their time in charge of the club, according to Transfermarkt.

We start this list with a manager who is now competing in the Premier League for a place in Europe's top football competition, the Champions League, next season, in the form of Brendan Rodgers.

The former defender, who spent a spell with Reading during his playing career, left Watford to take over as manager of the Royals in the summer of 2009, although it was not a spell that would go particularly well for the Northern Irishman.

During his time in charge of Reading, Rodgers would just six of his 23 games in the Royals' dugout, and left the Madejski Stadium just six months after his appointment, with a points per game average of 1.04, and Reading just outside the Championship relegation zone.

Next up on this list is one of Reading's most recent managers, in the shape of Jose Manuel Gomes.

The Portuguese manager had never managed in England prior to his appointment at The Madejski Stadium in December 2018 with the club battling relegation the Championship at the midway stage of the campaign.

Although Gomes was able to ensure the Royals did not drop into League One that season, he would leave the club in October 2019 with Reading just inside the relegation after just two wins from their first 11 league games of the season, with Gomes averaging a total of 1.11 points per game during his time at The Madejski.

Adkins was appointed Reading manager in March 2013, with the objective of keeping the club in the Premier League in the final few months of that particular season.

That was something Adkins was unable to do, but he would remain at the Madejski Stadium even so, and guided them to seventh in the Championship table in 2013/14, missing out on the play-offs by a single point.

However, Adkins was then sacked midway through the 2014/15 season, after with the club 16th in the Championship table and ten points off the top six, with having recorded an average of 1.34 points per game during his time in charge of the Royals.

Ironically, the person who succeeded Adkins at the Madejski Stadium, is also the man who comes immediately above him on this list, by the narrowest of margins.

Reading would appoint Clarke as Adkins' successor just a day after the 6-1 defeat to Birmingham that brought about the latter's dismissal by the Royals.

Clarke would go onto guide Reading to an underwhelming 19th place finish in the Championship during the 2014/15 season, and would then be sacked just less than a year after his appointment with Reading 11th in the standings, with Clarke also recording an average of 1.34 points per game, but with a slightly better win percentage than Adkins.

Given his role as sporting director meant it was his job to find a successor to Jose Gomes when the Portuguese was sacked by Reading in October 2019, there were more than a few eyebrows raised when Bowen himself took up the role.

Even so, Bowen, who took over with the club 22nd in the Championship table, was able to ensure the Royals comfortably avoided relegation during the 2019/20 season, eventually guiding them to a 14th placed in the standings.

Despite that, Bowen would still leave the club at the end of that campaign following the appointment of Paunovic as manager, with the 57-year-old leaving the club with an average of 1.4 points per game during his time as manager.

Having been appointed as Reading manager in the summer of 2016, Stam's first season at the Madejski Stadium ended in the most agonising of circumstances.

After taking the club to a third placed finish in the Championship table, Stam then saw his Reading side miss out on promotion to the Premier League in the play-off final at Wembley, with Huddersfield Town claiming a place in English football's top-flight with 4-3 win on penalties, following a goalless draw after extra time.

Stam was unable to reproduce that form the following season, and was sacked in March 2018 with Reading 20th in the Championship table, having averaged 1.47 points per game during his time at the Madejski Stadium.

Having worked behind the scenes at Reading for a number of years, McDermott was appointed Reading manager in December 2009, and would take them to the play-offs in his first full season in charge in 2010/11.

The 2011/12 campaign saw Reading charge claim promotion to the Premier League as Championship title winners, but despite a promising start to the campaign that even saw McDermott claim a Manager of the Month award, the former midfielder was sacked in March 2013 with the club locked in the Premier League relegation zone.

After a spell at Leeds, McDermott would return to Reading in December 2015, although his second spell in charge would last just six months, averaging 1.54 points per across those two spells in the Madejsk Stadium dugout combined.

There are unlikely to be as many managers who made as big an impact at Reading, as Steve Coppell.

Having taken charge of the club in October 2003, Coppell would guide the Royals to their first ever promotion to the top-flight of English football as Championship champions in 2005/06, with Reading's debut campaign in the Premier League seeing them finish a hugely impressive eighth under Coppell.

Although Coppell was unable to prevent the Royals from suffering relegation back to the Championship in 2008, he remained at the Madejski for the 2008/09 season, but would resign at the end of that season following a play-off semi final defeat to Burnley, with a points per game average of 1.57 during his time with Reading.

Next up on this list is the man who currently occupies the dugout at the Madejski Stasium, in the form of Veljko Paunovic.

Given his only previous jobs had been with the Serbian youth teams and Chicago Fire in Major League Soccer, there may have been some questions as to whether Paunovic would be capable of making the required impact for the Royals.

That however, is something the former Atletico Madrid striker has certainly done, with Reading currently fifth in the Championship table, eight points adrift of the automatic promotion places, having averaged 1.61 points per game since Paunovic's appointment at the Madejski Stadium last August.

Having joined Reading as his playing career came to an end, Pardew had a brief spells as the Royals' caretake manager in 1998 and 1999, before taking the role on a permanent basis at the start of the 1999/2000 season.

The former midfielder would guide the club to the third-tier play-offs during his first second in charge, but missed out on promotion, something they would put right the following year to win promotion as Division Two runners up in 2001/02.

Pardew would then take Reading to what is now the Championship play-offs in his first at that level with the club, missing out in the semi finals to Wolves, but then leave the Royals early in the 2003/04 season to join West Ham, with a points per game average of around 1.7 during his time with Reading, earning him top spot on this list.