IT IS hard to know which secret Jay Tabb is more determined to keep from his new Reading family.

The night he paid to see composer and pianist Ludovico Einaudi play at the Barbican recently? Or the numerous times he turned out for the local rugby team run by his father behind Brentford's back?

Tabb, a highly-promising scrum half from a rugby-mad family, was being eased into the Bees side at the time. But during away games when he wasn't selected, his love of the oval ball was too much to resist. Even now Royals coach Wally Downes has no idea of the double life Tabb was leading when he was boss at Griffin Park.

What is certain is that Tabb shatters the myth of your stereotypical professional footballer. Polite and intelligent, he is taking piano lessons, prefers listening to The Who or The Clash to hip-hop or R&B and spends his summers surfing on the Gower Pinninsular instead of trawling the bars of Puerto Banus.

And the 24-year-old has already decided he does not wish to play past the age of 30. "I am not driven by money and I want to experience other things in my life like becoming a PE teacher or sports journalist." he recently said.

"There is so much more I want to do that I cannot do at the moment. I come from a rugby family and I love the sport.

"I played at school and my dad used to run a team and when I was 17 or 18 at Brentford and the manager, Wally Downes was breaking me into the first team.

"He used to rest me some weekends and when they played away from home I used to play scrum-half for my dad's side. Obviously, Wally didn't know anything about it.

"I love football but there is so much more to life and that's why I intend to stop playing at the age of 30.

"I would much rather do other things than slip down the leagues into my mid to late 30s."

Yet for now at least, Tabb is looking up rather than down. He left mid-table Coventry City on Monday to sign for the Royals on a two-and-a-half year deal for an initial fee of £300,000 which will rise significantly should they secure promotion to the Premier League.

"I made some very good friend at Coventry, the manager Chris Coleman was great and so were his coaching staff," stated Tooting-born Tabb as he prepared for his first day of training with his new team-mates. "They were really nice people and everything was done in the right way.

"But that's football and I have no regrets. Sometimes it is good for players to move on after a few seasons, there's nothing better than a fresh challenge.

"Promotion brings a different pressure. This club is geared up for the Premiership and we expect to be there. But it isn't given to you on a plate, it takes a lot of hard work and determination."

As the Chronicle revealed, Reading have been keeping tabs on Tabb himself for several years. He rejected a new deal with Sky Blues recently prompting Steve Coppell to swoop for the youngster he once had at Crystal Palace and Brentford.

And it is the prospect of being reunited with Coppell that Tabb clearly finds irresistible. He also knows that if things turn out well, a call from Republic of Ireland boss Giovanni Trapatonni may not be out of the question either.

"Steve Coppell was definitely a big factor," he explained. "Look at players' careers when they come here - they take off.

"Look at the number of players in the Ireland squad as well. That's a great incentive for me too. He brings players on really well and I know he's going to improve my game in bundles.

"I've knows him since I was a young lad at Crystal Palace. He turned up at Brentford as well so I'm just following him around.

"I did play that much under him at Brentford but I was only a second year YTS. I got on the bench and came on a couple of times but the team were first or second in the table all season and doing so well.

"When Wally came in he gave me a good chance, a run in the side, and I did okay for him. They were different but every manager has different qualities.

"I've got on well with every manager I've worked with and that won't be any different here."

Tabb may be a mere 5ft 7ins tall - the same as Coppell - but he has a big heart. Jetissoned by Palace at 16 for being too small, he never lost belief and went on to become Brentford's Player of the Year in 2004, Coventry's last season and adored by fans of both.

He made 156 appearances for the Bees scoring 24 goals and 104 for Sky Blues, scoring 12 times. But where does Tabb fit in at Reading? Some see him as insurance policy on the left wing in case Stephen Hunt leaves in January, others as an attacking or central midfield in his own right.

"I can play anywhere really," he suggested. "Left, right or centre, that's one of my attributes. I even played up front with Kevin Doyle for the Republic of Ireland Under 21s quite a few times under Don Givens and also for Wally at Brentford. I can play anywhere in that attacking third really.

"I know it's a typical thing for a footballer to say, but if you are playing you are happy, it doesn't matter where it is.

"First and foremost, it's going to be really tough to get in the team. The squad is very strong squad and it's going to take a while to prove myself but I'm sure I can do that."

Tabb's debut may come sooner than he expects. Last weekend's limp 2-0 defeat at Swansea City gives Coppell freedom to make changes for Tuesday night's crunch home game with Wolves. The midfield was one area that looked particularly lathargic.

"You just think some players are good players and are a right fit for your club and your team," Coppell explained.

"I've known Jay since he was 12. That's not the reason for signing him but I know his personality and his capabilities.

"I've watched his progression and we had this opportunity with his contract coming up in the summer. I just thought it was appropriate to strengthen our squad going into the closing months of our season."

He added: "He's versatile, he's even played right-back. He's a "Reading type' signing. Yes, he's also Irish but that hasn't done us too badly so far.

"But there is that familiarity. He knows what to expect from me and the club and we know what we're likely to get from him.

"He will give 100% commitment on a day-to-day basis and in every match. You can't guarantee all signings will be a success but I hope he will quickly fit in and compliment what we have."