BRENDAN Rodgers, having gone from Celtic to Leicester, is not the only former Reading FC player and manager to change clubs in recent weeks.

Out of work, Mark McGhee has taken over as manager of National League South side Eastbourne Borough for the rest of this season.

It's a real coup for the seasiders, given the 61-year-old Scot's very impressive career.

As a player, he was Sir Alex Ferguson’s first major signing for Aberdeen with whom he won the European Cup Winners' Cup and three Scottish League titles. During a career of 489 appearances and 175 goals, he played for a number of clubs including Newcastle United, Hamburg, Celtic and Reading.

He also won four Scotland caps.

The Glaswegian's management career kicked off with Reading in 1991 and he went on to fill the hot-seat at several clubs and was once No. 2 to Scotland manager Gordon Strachan.

McGhee, who lives in the Brighton area, has two visits to Berkshire to look forward to, with Eastbourne playing Hungerford on March 16 and Slough on April 22.

ANOTHER, but more local, figure in soccer circles has also been on the move,

Darrell 'Duds' Freeland, actively involved in the non-league scene for many years, has been transferred from Brompton Hospital in London, where he spent nearly five months, to the Royal Berks in Reading to continue his recovery from major heart surgery.

He has so much heart (excuse the pun), determination and courage there must be every chance of seeing him back watching games next season.

HOCKEY is one of those sports where age certainly doesn't count.

The Reading club holds training sessions for boys and girls under six and runs teams right up to the grand old age of – well until you are no more.

Last Saturday they club fielded four veterans teams, two over 35s, one 50+ and another 60+.

In all, Reading have a pool of 65 oldies (in the hockey sense) and the man in charge, Nick Barton, says: "I don't think any other club in the country can beat that."