Reading's Danny Guthrie is looking forward to a fresh start under new manager Nigel Adkins following the sacking of Brian McDermott.
Reading suffered a 4-1 defeat at the hands of Arsenal in Adkins' first game in charge of the club on Saturday, but midfielder Guthrie has nevertheless hailed the arrival of the former Southampton manager.
Guthrie was involved in a bitter training ground bust-up with McDermott earlier this season which resulted in the midfielder refusing to travel to an away game.
But the ex-Liverpool and Newcastle player believes he can regain his first-team place under Adkins.
"I don't want to talk about anything in the past, I want to look forward now. We've got a new manager now and everything is looking a little bit better," he told the Daily Mirror.
"I think some of the lads who were guaranteed a place in the past have to be a little bit sharper and for players like me it's a new chance under a new manager. It has a big impact on everyone.
"There's always a buzz around the place when a new manager comes in. There was this week even though Arsenal is a difficult place to come. There will be again this week and we've got an important home game (against Southampton) next week.
"I don't know if there were favourites under Brian McDernott, but there were players who played every week. When a new manager comes in, it's a fresh start for everyone.
"It's been a while for me. It was a difficult 90 minutes for me but just happy to be playing again. I've not really spoken to the new manager, he just named the team and I was in it. I was just happy to be in the starting XI.
"I want to get some games under my belt, start helping the team get some results because we're running out of games. We need some back to back wins. That would make all the difference."
Reading's chances of survival were dealt a blow in the loss to Arsenal, but Guthrie is adamant the team can still survive the drop.
"We knew it was going to be difficult but it ended up being damage limitation a bit as the third and fourth went in," he said.
"We still believe we can do it. You have to believe, you've got no choice while it's still possible. We owe that to ourselves, the club and the supporters."
