Coppell leaves future in doubt

Royals boss refuses to confirm if he will remain in charge

By Ben Collins   Last updated: 9th May 2008

Steve Coppell Reading Premier League Football Arsenal

Coppell: Uncertain future

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Steve Coppell has refused to confirm if he will remain as Reading manager if they are relegated from the Premier League on Sunday.

The Royals must get a positive result at doomed Derby on the final day to have any hope of avoiding the drop.

But a Fulham win at Portsmouth would condemn Reading to relegation regardless of the Royals' result at Pride Park.

Asked whether he would remain in charge whatever the outcome, Coppell replied: "I can't say that.

"Let's get Sunday out of the way and we will go from there. That's not giving myself an out but my whole concentration is on Sunday.

Focus

"This has got nothing to do with my personal situation, it is about Reading Football Club trying to win a football game on Sunday, nothing else.

"I'm not backing out of answering a question but I just want to concentrate on the football match."

Chairman John Madejski continues to support Coppell having seen him guide Reading into the top flight for the first time in 2006 before almost leading them into Europe last season.

But this term the Royals have been embroiled in a survival scrap following an eight-game losing streak after Christmas.

Despite hauling themselves out of the relegation zone, a run of six games without a goal coupled with Fulham's revival has seen them slip back into the bottom three, and Coppell insists he will take full responsibility should they fail to secure safety.

Accountable

"The manager is always accountable," he said. "I have never hidden from that.

"At this club I have made great issue of the fact that the chairman leaves me alone and there is no interference. He leaves me to look after the football club and if the football is not working it's my responsibility 100 per cent."

Reading's first-team coach Kevin Dillon angered Derby boss Paul Jewell by saying that the Royals deserved to go down if they could not beat the already-relegated Rams.

Jewell has vowed to pin those words on the dressing room wall but Coppell is adamant no disrespect was intended.

"There has been a bit of a misunderstanding," he said. "It wasn't a reference to Derby specifically, just that we are playing them in our last game.

"It didn't matter who we were playing in our last game, it was just that we have the best chance if we win.

"I have no problem with Jewelly and if Paul wants to use anything he thinks has been said then fine. It doesn't affect us one iota.

"We have no axe to grind with anybody there. We are hardly in a position of a superior vantage point where we can say we should beat anyone."