Coppell has gone

[JYOUNG1300]

cheers steve!

[Eaststand Rich]

He did everything with complete dignity unlike some tossers out there. No ranting or raving. No histrionics. The problem lies with a number of players who, after a couple of years playing premiership football, suddenly decided they were of a similar caliber to Ronaldo or Rooney. Get rid of those gits and start building again. The promised land will come again.

[starbug]

Thank christ he made a quick (and right) decision, now we can crack on with the search.

[Shaka's Giant Hands]

Steve, thanks for the memories, truely a sad day in the history of our club. You were let down by the very players you helped make and I hope that some of them are today looking at themselves rather than their pay checks.

Please come back for Murty's testomonial (if/when it happens) so that you can get the send off you deserve rather than a sea of emoty blue seats with other teams fans celebrating.

[Dirk Gently]

Just woke up and heard the news. I'd been thinking that for some time he'd be off at the end of this season regardless, but last night on his post-match interview he was almost intimating that he would stay so long as John Madejski wasn't planning on selling up. He was going to chat to him and make a decision. Clearly nothing Sir John said made him want to stay.I wish him all the best and he'll always be remembered as a man of inegrity who took us to the top.

It's into the unknown now.

I don't think so - I think that since about October SC has been going to leave at the end of this season (I've said so many times, here). What he said yesterday was just to get the journalists off his back, so he could tell the Chairman first and not have it announced through the press first.

SC, acting with integrity since Sept 2003.

[Rex]

The real shame of this is that the chance to show true appreciation to Steves services to this club was not given. I know his discussions after the game panned out as they have but it's a shame to just let him go without some form of recognition.

[exileinleeds]

Terribly sad but utterly unsurprised. I suspected last night was his last game in charge whatever. He was going from the time he admitted he didn't know what was going wrong.

Adie Boothroyd was putting his application in on Sky last night- and please god SJM is smarter than to go down that
route!

We have had a fantastic ride under the legendary Coppell- but to imagine it cannot be replicated or bettered is a bit blinkered and short-sighted. We have a wonderful platform on which to build for the future, with some exciting young players.
Given a new manager brave enough to shake the clubs prima donnas who let all of us and themselves down, someone who can motivate and the youngsters, bring in the right players to push onward, then this is the start of a new era. If only we could tempt Stuart Pearce back to club football.

Good Luck Steve, it has been emotional...

[Deathy]

It is sad, but as said building up to this moment, he's been amazing for us but the club needs new ideas, fresh approach and new faces both on the field and off it.

I've said all the 'thanks for the memories' in the million other discussions about this, so wont repeat them.

Always will be fondly remembered though. Best manager in our history.

Thank you Steve.

[Deathy]

Adie Boothroyd was putting his application in on Sky last night- and please god SJM is smarter than to go down that
route!

I'd be happy with that! It's not as if we can go and attract an Alan Curbishley FFS.

[Percy's Rocket]

I think history will show just how well SC did for this club. JM has never thrown money at this squad and yet SC got the team up to the premiership and was relegated on goal difference. The team that pipped us are now 7th in the prem on a similar fan base. SC has hinted that the spending projections are low . JM will not throw his fortune at the club unlike AL FAyed or Whelan and so new managers will need to be as inspired as he was to get us back up. A truly fantastic 3 and a half seasons SC..thanks you for putting our club on the map. The real change we need is further up IF we are to get promoted again. We need an owner who has a fortune they are prepared to gamble...or we just enjoy the middle reaches.

[DrZoidberg]

I'd actually settle for lower league mediocrity with the romance of an FA Cup run every now and then. I suspect I'm in a pretty small minority in that though .

[Woking Royal]

I think history will show just how well SC did for this club. JM has never thrown money at this squad and yet SC got the team up to the premiership and was relegated on goal difference. The team that pipped us are now 7th in the prem on a similar fan base. SC has hinted that the spending projections are low . JM will not throw his fortune at the club unlike AL FAyed or Whelan and so new managers will need to be as inspired as he was to get us back up. A truly fantastic 3 and a half seasons SC..thanks you for putting our club on the map. The real change we need is further up IF we are to get promoted again. We need an owner who has a fortune they are prepared to gamble...or we just enjoy the middle reaches.

And therein lies the key (or the stumbling block) to any new Manager. Why would anyone decent want to take this job on given the way that JM has stuffed the Premiership windfall in his own bin, and failed to even invest modestly in the success that has brought him such recognition, and honours.

I suspect we wil get an enthusiastic wannabe Manager rasther than a true quality man, drift around mid table for a while, and then disappear back to lower league medicrity. I hope I am wrong.

That said if I were Mr Mad I may have looked at the woeful 19,000 attendance last night (Norwich have sold 18,000 ST's already for 3rd tier football!), and concluded that Reading does not deserve my money.

But it was fun while it lasted .....................

[Royal1983]

LETS ALL HAVE A DISCO,
LETS ALL HAVE A DISCO,
NAH NAAH NAH NAA!
HEY!
NAH NAAH NAH NAA!
HEY!

You are a twat, he was the best manager we have had for a while. He just couldn't do anything with the team. You can not put the whole blame on him it's the players as well he can not motivate them when they are on the pitch unless you think he has magic f**king powers.

Good luck to him in whatever he does, I for one will miss him.

[The Cap]

Thanks for the memories Steve. My abiding one will be the moment you threw your coat into the crowd at Leicester. Priceless!

[fridays child]

Cheers Steve, always be grateful to you

[Royal1983]

[

ghey

No your ghey mother hucker! <<<< Sense make that not

Most Valuable Penis. <<<<< Thanks for the complement

Pcunt

You're a pCunt.

MVP you are just an utter twat who needs to get a life and f**k off. You may not of liked Coppell, but the people who are posting on here obviously did. Therefore take you opinions and shove them up your oxford arse!!!!!!!!!!!

[RoyalBlue]

I was staggered to wake up this morning and see the news on teletext. There was little indication in the post match interview with BBCRB that this was certain to happen, let alone so quickly.

Coppell was talking positively about the rebuild for the future and even about spending some decent amounts of the parachute money to enable that to happen (citing how it had worked with Sheff Utd). Maybe he discussed this in his meeting with JM and got reminded that this wasn't JM's way of doing things.

I'm really not sure whether this is a good or bad thing (it certainly won't be good if JM keeps on about wanting to sell the club and refuses to give the new manager realistic funding to enable him to mount a serious campaign for PL football).

One thing I am certain about. Steve Coppell is a great man and was a great manager for us. What a shame it had to end this way.

[SteveRoyal]

I want to cry.
Where do we go from here?

[Deathy]

Coppell was always playing down his leaving so as not to unsettle already unsettled players (Hunt, Doyle... "I'm a PremieROFLship pLOLayer, get me out of here")

He was always going, right from last summer. Madejski has had a long time to prepare for his replacement, and he has to ge it right!

[Dick Habbin's hairdo]

I texted my mate at the ground half way through the second half last night saying: "Simply not good enough.... Keep Steve C and cut the dead wood." His reply: "You're not wrong."

Thinking about it overnight, I'm not surprised Steve has gone and actually think it is all for the best now. Let's hope the giraffe on crack goes pretty soon, too.

Thanks for everything, Steve. A man of integrity, eloquence and humour - and quite simply, the best manager we ever had.

Pedant point: Has he officially resigned or simply not renewing his contract?

Who next? Who knows. Rogers, Curbishley, Dolan are my favourites.

It will take someone with nuts to turn away Murts, Shunt, Harps, cash in on Doyler, cut some of the real under-performers, blood the youff and keep the Nobber Massive happy.

Still, the future's bright with the Midfield Midget and if we can keep the Bouncing Cheque.

Looking forward to the summer now.