A Question Of Dignity

I was saddened to learn of Steve Coppell's departure from Reading.

From what I have seen of him he seems a decent manager and indeed a decent man with considerable dignity.

It does go to show though that the right fit between manager and club includes the whole dynamic, and not simply a question of having good management skills.

I can't help thinking there will be a few clubs queuing up to offer him a new position.

Oh and today's other piece of important news for any of you who watched the Champion's League Semi-Final second leg between the ManUre and the Arse and listened to Jens Lehmann at half time explaining away Almunia's goalkeeping error, is that it is highly improbable that a football speeds up in the air as suggested.

Talk about making yourself look silly.

Somehow I can't imagine Mr Coppell making such a claim. Can you?

He has far too much dignity.

No Way Out?

Big day for my lover's Royals tomorrow.

Hopefully, Kevin Dillon won't live to rue his undignified words about Derby.

If the worst happens and they are relegated, I think we'll have to put a red cross on our front door with a sign saying "Unclean". I mean two in one household. How shameful would that be?

Interesting too that Mr Coppell is being so coy about his future should Reading go down.

Lets hope they can follow in these footsteps.

Stevie does not have a track record of escapology though.

Maybe I should drop him a last minute email with details of this website.

I'm off now to practise on my lover and see just how good those Royals are at getting out of a fix.

No One Hit Wonder

My lover is a Reading fan. Fortunately I am a kind girl and I love him despite this.

Funny club in lots of ways Reading. They have not really featured in the news particularly since I established my interest in football (which admittedly was only in March this year). Compared to many of the other Premier League clubs they are minnows. Their promotion in 2006 was the first time the club had ever been in the top division since they were established in 1871.

What is more, they did it is style. They secured promotion earlier in the season than any other post-war team and had the highest tally attained in any of the 4 top divisions - ever! Ironically it was a win against Leicester that earned them that distinction.

Steve Coppell, their manager, the man who led them to these dizzy heights of success, appears to be a gentle, modest man. An article in The Observer earlier in the year suggested that in the same way that dogs resemble their owners, football teams resemble their managers. It goes on to describe The Royals as presenting an image of fair-minded, unpretentious decency.

Any media coverage I have heard relating to them seems to mirror this. For example, teams get described as "playing against" Reading rather than commentators talking about X versus Reading.

They had a cracking first season in the Premiership last season but have had a number of defeats this year. Some suggest this is evidence of a phenomenon referred to as "second season syndrome". This refers to a pattern whereby clubs who get promoted and do well in their first season in the Premiership, struggle in the second.

Steve Coppell has previously been scathing about there being such a thing, but now accepts that Reading are suffering the effects.

In an interview on Talk Sport today with Hawksbee and Jacobs, the Reading goalkeeper, Marcus Hahnemann, said that last season they had the advantage of being an unknown quantity to most of the other Premiership sides and therefore they had the element of surprise. Other teams are much more prepared this year and The Royals are paying the price.

Despite this dip in form, however, they are currently 12th in the table and well clear of the relegation zone. I suspect we might not see the impressive 8th place finish of last year (narrowly missing out on a place in Europe) , but my guess is they will probably achieve a respectable overall performance.

I hope my lover is able to deliver to a similar standard.