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Reading
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Steve Coppell on Reading's current financial state: 'We've made money this year,' he said. 'We might have gambled more but this club works within its budget. There is no credit crunch here'
Reading, the football club known to older supporters as the Biscuitmen rather than the more modish Royals, were looking for crumbs of comfort yesterday after defeat in the Championship play-off semi-final by Burnley prompted the resignation of Steve Coppell as manager.
Coppell offered one reason for optimism in pointing to the club's solid financial position, which will be improved by a second and final Premier League parachute payment of £11.2m this summer. "We've made money this year," he said. "We might have gambled more but this club works within its budget. There is no credit crunch here."
Now, however, Reading face the problem familiar to all clubs relegated from the Premier League who do not make an immediate return: whether to spend the parachute money on new players or keep it for the rainy days that will surely follow if they fail again next season. The club will also have to decide whether to cash in on some of their key players such as Kevin Doyle, Stephen Hunt and Noel Hunt or try to retain their services for another push at the Premier League.
Sir John Madejski has proved a supportive owner, and although he wishes to sell the club to an even richer entrepreneur who can invest serious money, he knows that the chances of obtaining the right price are much lower as a Championship club.
For once a chairman's tribute to a departing manager sounded genuine when Madejski said yesterday: "I'd like to thank Steve sincerely for everything he has done for Reading over the last five and a half years, which has been the most successful period in the club's history." Coppell added: "I feel it's the best thing for both the club and myself for me to leave. I've thoroughly enjoyed my time as Reading manager."
The frustration for everyone at Reading has been the number of automatic promotion chances they have wasted. Always among the favourites to go up, they were second at the end of January after completing a double over eventual champions Wolves at the Madejski Stadium. That proved to be the last home win of the season, however, nine further games passing without one. Even then, victory in the final league match over Birmingham would have sufficed but Birmingham won 2-1 to return to the Premier League at the first attempt instead.
Coppell is expected to take a break rather than retire. He may have more than 1,000 games as a manager under his belt, but is still only 53, having started when Ron Noades appointed him at Crystal Palace in 1984 aged only 28 for the first of his four spells at the club. He subsequently managed Manchester City, for only 33 days, and later Brentford and Brighton, before joining Reading in October 2003 when Alan Pardew left for West Ham.
They were promoted as champions in 2006 with 106 points and then finished eighth in the Premier League, missing a place in Europe by a point. But last year they were relegated as "second season syndrome" set in.
Bookmakers have made Watford's Brendan Rodgers, a former Reading player and academy director, favourite to take over as manager, although a local newspaper poll did not mention him and had Alan Curbishley and Glenn Hoddle far ahead of the field.
One difficulty concerning the appointment is that Coppell was one of few managers to work successfully with a director of football, in Reading's case their former goalkeeper Nicky Hammond. Much will depend on whether candidates are prepared to accept him, or want to make a change.
Whoever takes over will find that the Cameroonian centre-half Andre Bikey will be unavailable for the first three games of next season and possibly more. He was yesterday charged by the Football Association with improper conduct after a wild display of dissent when sent off in the final minute of the semi-final first leg on Saturday.
Steve Coppell's men had to settle for a draw away at Selhurst Park this afternoon.
Reading looked the more composed side during the first half but it was Palace who had three shots on target while their own keeper was untroubled.
The Royals started the second half brightly but failed to make the most of their chances.
Liam Rosenior was send off 27 minutes into the half for a second bookable offence leaving Reading with their backs against the wall for the last 15 minutes.
Palace threw everything into a frantic last five minutes but Reading held on and will have been glad in the end to pick up the point.
Wolves extended their lead at the top of the Championship beating Nottingham Forest 1 - 0 while Birmingham City could only manage a draw at home to Norwich.
Liam Rosenior sent off and now will be suspended for a game
7 Mar
10 Mar Charlton H 2-2
14 Mar
17 Mar
21 Mar
Away form good, home form causing us to blow it!
Luckily Birmingham also making a mess of things
Good to see Andy D'Urso is keeping up his standard of refereeing!
List of shocking decisions
All in a days work for Mr D!
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | W | D | L | F | A | GD | PTS | |
| 1 | Wolverhampton | 36 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 37 | 20 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 30 | 26 | 21 | 67 |
| 2 | Reading | 34 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 37 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 23 | 19 | 30 | 62 |
| 3 | Birmingham | 35 | 11 | 3 | 3 | 23 | 13 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 18 | 18 | 10 | 61 |
| 4 | Cardiff | 33 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 26 | 12 | 4 | 10 | 3 | 20 | 18 | 16 | 56 |
| 5 | Preston | 36 | 13 | 2 | 3 | 28 | 16 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 21 | 30 | 3 | 56 |
| 6 | Sheff Utd | 34 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 24 | 17 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 23 | 15 | 15 | 55 |
| 7 | Burnley | 36 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 27 | 21 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 23 | 29 | 0 | 55 |
| 8 | Bristol City | 35 | 6 | 9 | 3 | 24 | 19 | 8 | 3 | 6 | 20 | 18 | 7 | 54 |
Kevin Doyle and Shane Long finally ended Reading’s depressing goal drought as Steve Coppell’s men returned to winning ways last night.
Up until Doyle popped up with his 18th goal of the season on 56 minutes, no Royals player had managed to find the net in nearly 10 hours of action.
Then with nine minutes to go, fellow Irishman Long added a second to seal victory.
Steve Coppell made three changes to Reading’s starting line-up but his side continue to falter in their push for promotion.
Apart from the first 20 mins, this was a truly awful performance.
The promotion dream is slipping, luckily all the rest of the contenders are also choking!
Wally Downes said: “There are still 13 games to go. It is a matter for us to turn things around.
“There has been no damage in the league as the other sides haven’t won, so the Forest game is just another one chalked off.
“It is a 13-game league now and if we win that league then we will be fine.”
"If the bank called in our overdraft we would be in severe difficulties."
Sir John Madejski
Reading again failed to find the net as they were held to a goalless draw at home to play-off hopefuls Preston.
After a great first half of the season, where they averaged two goals a game, the Royals have now gone 269 minutes without scoring.
Despite dominating they could not score and were denied a penalty when Youl Mawene appeared to clear Jimmy Kebe's cross-shot off the line with his hand.
John Parkin had a chance to win it for Preston he blasted his shot wide.
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