Reading
Royals boss Steve Coppell
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Tuesday, 01, Aug 2006 04:35
So impressive last season, the Royals could well find the going tough in the Premiership this season.
One thing that's for sure is that Reading will be subjected to all manner of the usual cliches in the forthcoming season - "great day out for the supporters", "they'll give it a right go" and all the rest.
But over-eager wordsmiths should beware, repeat the word "Wigan" to themselves and realise that Sir John Madejski has his sights set on emulating his millionaire colleague Dave Whelan at the very least.
This may not prove impossible.
Under the cerebral, astute tutelage of Steve Coppell the Royals spent several years in the Championship building incrementally for what, last season, was a quite astoundingly consistent and efficient push for the title.
Coppell's side was metronomic; tough, and reliable but also genuinely exciting and free-flowing - providing the finishing touches to a project which effectively began when the club moved to its M4-skirting Madejski Stadium in 1998.
In what have been generally bleak times for Thames Valley football since Oxford United's rapid and messy decline, the Royals' success has been a welcome boon and, to the naked eye, slightly surprising after a failed play-off attempt and staid mid-table finish in the preceding Championship seasons.
Peaking exactly at the right time, Coppell's tightly-knit squad rode the crest of a wave which may not fizzle out for some time yet.
Facts
Formed: 1871
Home: Madejski Stadium, capacity 24,045
Nickname: The Royals
Adult 2006/07 season ticket prices: £545 - £595
Pedigree
Football League Championship winners: 1 - 2006
People
Chairman: John Madejski
Director of Football: Nicky Hammond
Manager: Steve Coppell
Assistant coach: Kevin Dillon
Team captain: Graeme Murty
Last season
Championship: 1st - P 46 W 31 D 13 L 2 GF 99 GA 32 GD +67 PTS - 106
FA Cup: fourth round - lose 2-1 to Birmingham after a replay
League Cup: fourth round - lost 3-0 to Arsenal
Major summer ins
Seol Ki-Hyeon - in from Wolves - £1.5 million
Sam Sodje - in from Brentford - £350,000
Major summer outs
none
Unheralded stars
Nicky Shorey and Ivar Ingimarsson
Reading's left-back is rarely the first player to trip off the tongue of a roll call which includes some sparkling midfield talent, but within the game the former Leyton Orient player has been regarded as one of the best English players in his position over the past few campaigns.
A snip at £25,000, he is tidy, mobile and possesses excellent technique - frequently joining right-back Graeme Murty in supporting his side's excellent wingers and posing a threat with his ability to drop swinging, dipping set-pieces into the box.
The 25-year-old has long been underrated but should take to the Premiership with relative ease.
Ingimarsson partners the giant Ibrahima Sonko at the heart of Reading's miserly defence, whose fine work last season was often overlooked while the likes of Bobby Convey, Glen Little and Kevin Doyle caught the eye.
Like Sonko, the Icelander first caught the eye at Coppell's former club Brentford and, after a move to Wolves failed to bear fruit, he linked up again with his old manager and has proved to be a model of form and consistency - not missing a single minute of his side's 2005/6 league campaign.
Starlet
Bobby Convey
The 23-year-old American well and truly announced himself to English football fans last season after an indifferent first year, but his emergence was always going to be a case of "when" and not "if".
Convey was touted for big things at an early age, and enjoyed trial spells at Ipswich and Newcastle, before Coppell showed his hand in the summer of 2004 and paid DC United around £750,000 for his services while others hesitated.
A left winger with twinkling feet and a rare eye for the killer ball, Convey has turned out for his national team since the age of 17 and became the first Reading player to appear in a World Cup when he appeared against the Czech Republic this summer.
Thrives on space and the opportunity to take on - and beat - his man, but is also a skilled lock-picker and can prise an opening from the tightest of defences.
If he continues the undoubted progress that he has made after what was effectively a year of acclimatisation then expect him to take to the Premiership like a duck to water - and for bigger clubs to subsequently come knocking.
Predictions
League position: 17th.
Coppell may need to sign a couple of experienced heads, but Reading have enough freshness, vigour and creativity to secure another year at the top, even if Wigan-esque exploits may be beyond them.
Chances of managerial change: Slim.
The quiet, thoughtful Coppell has Madejski's backing to the hilt and this will continue. But the former Palace boss is not one for highs or lows and sometimes gives the impression that he is not wholly dependent on football. A walkout would still be a surprise, though.
Top scorer: England Under-21 striker Leroy Lita.
Providing he stays fit. And do Reading have the man to partner him?
Player most likely to rock the boat: Steve Sidwell.
His contract situation is yet to be resolved and it may be that Reading bow to the attentions of suitors such as Manchester City to cash in on their star asset. But in reality there are few egos here. A rush of signings in August or January might leave one or two fringe players weighing up offers of regular football back in the Championship, though.
Nick Ames.