Former Reading boss Mark McGhee admitted 'there were wrongs on both sides' in his controversial departure from the club in 1994.

Taking his first leap into management in Berkshire in 1991, the Scot took Reading up to the second tier as third tier champions in 1993/94 before making a fine start to life in the-then First Division, earning Premier League admirers.

Wanted by Midlands outfit Leicester City, McGhee quit Reading in December 1994- tarnishing his reputation among a fanbase who once idolised him.

While the Foxes were relegated from the Premier League, Mick Gooding and Jimmy Quinn took the Royals to Wembley, finishing second and losing 4-3 to Bolton Wanderers under the Twin Towers of the national stadium.

Returning to much fanfare with sides like Wolves and Brighton in the years following, he is still a marmite figure among supporters.

Speaking to former captain Ady Williams on BBC Berkshire, the former Scotland international admitted mistakes were made 28 years ago.

"There’s a lot that’s been written and said about what happened to me and Reading and how it all ended. I feel justified in what I did," he started. "I was given permission to speak to Leicester by John Madejski and he said at the time you’re going to speak to a Premier League club, you can’t come back here and make demands that we can’t afford. I accepted that and went off to speak to Leicester.

"When I came back and said I wanted to go to Leicester, the club tried to persuade me to stay by throwing stuff they had said they weren’t going to. I got into a bit of a situation where I said yes, and no, and yes, and it all got a bit blurred. In the end I left.

"What should’ve happened was that when John Madejski was contacted by Leicester City, he shouldn’t have given them permission to speak to me, and that would’ve probably been the end of it. He should’ve made me an offer which would’ve kept me at Reading, which he didn’t until I’d been to Leicester. There were wrongs on both sides."

After more than three decades in the hotseat, the Motherwell and Millwall boss announced his retirement earlier this month.