Coppell Teamtalk.com interview re: staying on

[readingbedding]

Steve Coppell will stay on as Reading boss because he does not want to be remembered as the man who got them relegated from the Premier League.

Coppell's position was in doubt after the Royals went down on the final day of the season on goal difference, but on Tuesday he confirmed he will remain at the club for the second year of his current contract.

"If you had asked me six months ago, I would have said I would quit under the circumstances we found ourselves in at the end of the season," Coppell said from his holiday hotel in the Far East.

"Now it is the last thing on my mind. I want to be remembered for something else.

"Whether to stay or go was not just a decision for me to make. The contract situation was such that both sides could discontinue the relationship if the worst happened.

"I have been at Reading for almost five years and I was conscious of doing what is best for the club. But I am overwhelmed by the support I received at the end of the Derby game."

Reading won 4-0 at Pride Park but Fulham's win at Portsmouth meant they were still relegated.

"It's not very often that a manager who has taken a team down is given the reception and the response I got at the end of that match," Coppell added.

"I didn't want to be remembered for relegation and I want the chance to put it right.

"I am very privileged to be manager of Reading and the support of the fans was very significant in my decision. Players will tell you what you want to hear but the important thing was the reaction of the supporters and people who work at the club.

"I feel comfortable at Reading and I want to continue. When I do finish I want to finish on a better note. "

"At other clubs there could have been a knee-jerk reaction to sack me. After we went eight games without a win I had a conversation with director of football Nick Hammond.

"He said the club had confidence in me, which was lovely to hear, although that may have been misplaced. At any other club I would have been sacked.

"The difference in the end was just one point and there were so many times we could have nicked that point.

"I look back on the games at home to Bolton and Fulham. It wasn't just that we failed to get a single point, it was the fact that we played really poorly. The bottom line is that after 38 games we just weren't good enough.

"There will be a number of players who will be moved on or turned over, whatever the expression is for leaving. But we have to make sure we keep the core of the players who are what we are all about."

Reading chairman John Madejski said: "I have to take responsibility as chairman and owner. Things happen when you least expect it. Now we have to cut our coat according to our cloth. There will be changes.

"Never before have I heard so much universal praise of a manager. He is a man of great transparency and honesty. Now he has a job to complete and that's getting us back into the Premiership. I do expect to win promotion straight back into the Premier League."

Coppell was appointed Reading manager in October 2003 after the acrimonious departure of Alan Pardew to West Ham and took Reading into the Premier League in his third season at the club.

[Platypuss]

"I do expect to win promotion straight back into the Premier League."

Stick to wittering on about ankle specialists, John.

[readingbedding]

Got as good chance as any in getting Promotion.
I'm not expecting it though.

There is a lot of pressure on this season to go straight back up.
If he keeps who he wants to keep and recycle the squad, why not.

[gazzer, loyal royal]

its now pretty apparent what Coppell will do next season

don't go up-leave
go up-he'll want to give it one more stab at the big time

[Mr Controversial]

Coppell said: Now it is the last thing on my mind. I want to be remembered for something else.

Are you listening Mr Chairman - Coppell has shown that now is the time to show everyone what you are about - dont waste your opportunity.

The fans need to "see" instead of just "hear" your commitment and unless you show a "real" desire to get us back to the Premiership instead of waffling on about cutting cloth bollox, then you might as well feck off now.

Mr C

[Rev Algenon Stickleback H]

The fans need to "see" instead of just "hear" your commitment and unless you show a "real" desire to get us back to the Premiership instead of waffling on about cutting cloth bollox, then you might as well feck off now.

Mr C

Is it the Summer of 2006 again? Strange sense of deja vu.

[howser]

Now the decisions have been made, like it or lump it Steve Coppell is our manager and he is the one we need to show our upmost support to, the club can now move forward and start preparing for next season, we have our list of players who are leaving and of course some will be sold off along the way, but I for one hope that we can do some good business and do it quicker than we normally do and dont sit around waiting for the end of August transfer window........so we now have to accept 1. We ARE a Championship side 2. We HAVE a top Manager.......and......3.We are READING !!!!!!!!!!!!

[Stevie G]

Coppell said: Now it is the last thing on my mind. I want to be remembered for something else.

Are you listening Mr Chairman - Coppell has shown that now is the time to show everyone what you are about - dont waste your opportunity.

The fans need to "see" instead of just "hear" your commitment and unless you show a "real" desire to get us back to the Premiership instead of waffling on about cutting cloth bollox, then you might as well feck off now.

Mr C

Oh dear, it is his club!

For me he's just shown enough commitment and faith to 'his cause' by securing another term with Sir Steve, best signing of the season so far!

[Armadillo Roadkill]

I'm now looking foreward to next season. I was dreading some journeyman manager coming in and us sinking into mediocrity.

Two things got Reading from Elm Park through the leagues to the Premiere League.

Madejski and Coppell. And as Madejski has managed to build this kind of relationship with Coppell, he gets credit for that too.

We're agreat club, but what has made us special is still in place - without them , we might well sink like a stone.

The fans are pretty good too.

It's been a great day for Reading football Club.

[CholseyRoyal]

I'm now looking foreward to next season. I was dreading some journeyman manager coming in and us sinking into mediocrity.

Two things got Reading from Elm Park through the leagues to the Premiere League.

Madejski and Coppell. And as Madejski has managed to build this kind of relationship with Coppell, he gets credit for that too.

We're agreat club, but what has made us special is still in place - without them , we might well sink like a stone.

The fans are pretty good too.

It's been a great day for Reading football Club.

Well said AR, I agree with you 100%

[zac naloen]

Don't forget Pardew who steadied us as a mid table championship team on the brink of greatness.

I sometimes think his contribution is underrated due to the manner in which he left us.

[RoyalBlue]

Coppell said: Now it is the last thing on my mind. I want to be remembered for something else.

Are you listening Mr Chairman - Coppell has shown that now is the time to show everyone what you are about - dont waste your opportunity.

The fans need to "see" instead of just "hear" your commitment and unless you show a "real" desire to get us back to the Premiership instead of waffling on about cutting cloth bollox, then you might as well feck off now.

Mr C

Oh dear, it is his club!

For me he's just shown enough commitment and faith to 'his cause' by securing another term with Sir Steve, best signing of the season so far!

He may own the business but it will never be his club! When it comes to 'the spirit' that is the club he is just one of thousands of supporters.

Getting Steve Coppell to stay is a good result but it certainly can't be regarded as 'enough' commitment. Steve Coppell now needs the very real backing that JM talks of so frequently and money plays a very big part in what is required.

[Ian Royal]

Coppell said: Now it is the last thing on my mind. I want to be remembered for something else.

Are you listening Mr Chairman - Coppell has shown that now is the time to show everyone what you are about - dont waste your opportunity.

The fans need to "see" instead of just "hear" your commitment and unless you show a "real" desire to get us back to the Premiership instead of waffling on about cutting cloth bollox, then you might as well feck off now.

Mr C

YEah! feck off now and leave us without a pot to piss in and no chairman.

what a silly idea.

[Mr Controversial]

YEah! feck off now and leave us without a pot to piss in and no chairman.

what a silly idea.

I agree that todays news of Coppell staying is fantastic - to me relgation was a huge dissapointment, but to lose Coppell would have been a tradegy.

Mr Madejski may, or may not have played a big part in keeping Coppell to his contract. If he did then he is to be applauded. Mr Madejski has however, on numerous occassions, made it quite clear that RFC is up for sale and all I am saying is he cant have his cake and eat it.

We need to keep the momentum going, granted the last season has been a dissapointment, but in terms of where we are as a club now, a loss of momentum could see us doing a Leeds, Notts Forest etc etc. We need to focus "REBUILD" and make sure we are competing for promotion. A lack of ambition from Mr Madejki now would be a disaster. Granted, there is an argument to say that spending cash doesnt equal success and there are countless examples of where this is the case but its also true to say that our squad needs strenghening and we wont do that with a shoestring budget. We got away with it once (and broke the Championship record I know) but I dont think the same would ever be done again.

All I am saying is that Mr Madejski seems to do a lot of talking about "if we stay up we will spend £20million", "we will expand the stadium" etc etc...but to me it seems a coincidence that he makes these comments at a time when he can be fairly sure that his promises are unlikely to have to come to fruition - like relegation. If I win the lottery I will buy everyone on HNA web site a ferrari.....................get my drift? I wonder if he would have made those comments if we had been safe by that point?

Just lots of talk from the Chairman and I would love to assume that if circumstances had been different he would have been a man of his word....but sadly, I have seen very little to prove that he actually would. If Madejskis motivation is to sell the club then I want him to do it sooner rather than later.

Using a used car analagy (Mr Mad was founder of Autotrader after all). If Mr Madejski had placed his Bentley in Autotrader, with a genuine love for the car that he has nurtered over the past 15 years, then I hope he would ensure that the car was clean, the engine greased, the service book and MOT all brought up to date for a decent clean sale. What I hope he wouldnt do is polyfilla the dents, clock the mileage back a few thousand and fill the petrol tank with wood shavings!

Mr C

[Row V]

If I win the lottery I will buy everyone on HNA web site a ferrari
Mr C

I'll have a red one please.

[The 17 Bus]

why would you put wood shaving in the petrol? I always do that with the oil.

[CMRoyal]

Don't forget Pardew who steadied us as a mid table championship team on the brink of greatness.

I sometimes think his contribution is underrated due to the manner in which he left us.

Agreed, I thought he was doing a excellent job, although I was never that confident hat he'd take us up. I think Charlton's position is about where we would have peaked (ie roughly where we were when he left, I guess?).

[CMRoyal]

"If you had asked me six months ago, I would have said I would quit under the circumstances we found ourselves in at the end of the season," Coppell said from his holiday hotel in the Far East.

I know managers get paid a lot of money and all that, but what a pisser having to still be doing interviews on your holidays.


(unless that's just journalistic licence, of course)

[SpaceCruiser]

Don't forget Pardew who steadied us as a mid table championship team on the brink of greatness.

No, he didn't. What he did was:

1. Stopped us from going down to the basement division
2. And then turned us upward.
3. Got us to the play-off final in Cardiff and lost
4. Got us promoted to the second tier
5. Got us into the second tier playoffs
6. Then pissed off as soon as Wet Sham showed their faces.
7. Reading were in danger of disappearing without a trace. Lucky we managed to get a decent manager in the shape of Coppell who took us to the next level.

[Great Knolly]

We were in a hopeless state when Pardew took over.
Pardew started the push to the top division and Coppell finished it off. We were playing very very well when Pardew left. It took us well over a season to get back to square one.
If Coppell is/was the Saviour, then Pardew was John the Baptist.

What Pardew did wasn't nice, but there is a lot of revisionist histrionics whenever his name is mentioned.