Who was Coppell’s best signing?

Former Reading manager Steve Coppell recently named Ivar Ingimarsson as his greatest signing for the Royals, a sizeable honour given the opposition. The Icelandic defender was the first new face of Coppell’s reign after joining for £175,000 from Wolverhampton Wanderers and has been a key player ever since, even captaining the side on numerous occasions. The difficulties faced during his absence last season cemented his position as number one for Coppell who told the Evening Post “I knew him and knew he would never let us down and he proved that. Towards the end of last season our home form suffered and I think we badly missed him.”

However, the Icelandic stopper must have faced stiff competition from several other key Coppell signings, notably Kevin Doyle, who joined the Royals for around £78,000 after being scouted under the influence of several pints of Guiness by his soon-to-be new manager. Doyle, of course, went on to become a full Irish international and integral part of Reading’s team. He also showed good loyalty to the club by signing a new contract before the January transfer window, where he was widely rumoured to be subject of several clubs attention.

Joining Doyle in Coppell’s Irish contingent were two other great signings, Stephen Hunt and Shane Long. The former joined on a free from Brentford in 2005 and went on to cement his place in the side with energetic play on the left-wing. He was named the fourth best player outside the Premier League by FourFourTwo and is rumoured to want a return to the top division. His performances after replacing the injured Bobby Convey in Reading’s inaugral season in the top flight and beyond prove what an important signing he was.

Shane Long also took longer to settle in the side than Doyle, being 3 years younger, but has gradually forced his way into the side with good performances up front and has joined his teammates in representing the Republic of Ireland at full international level. Although he has not had enough impact during Coppell’s career to be regarded as a best ever signing, at 22 he still has the time and potential to become an extremely important Reading player.

Also in the running must have been Cameroonian centre-back Andre Bikey who, despite disciplinary problems, has been an excellent player for the Royals over the last two seasons. Signed for £1,000,000 from Locomotiv Moscow, he must surely be worth much more than that now, although his recent antics in the play-off semi-final have led some fans to argue for his departure.

Personall, I have to agree with Coppell and vote for Ingimarsson. He is such a calming presence in the defence and the team is certainly worse off without him in it. Kevin Doyle runs him close, but is not consistent enough to warrant such an accolade, whereas Ivar never seems to have a bad game. His reading of the play is superb and he has taken over from Graeme Murty in organising the defence. A superb signing and a true Reading legend.

Who will be the next Reading manager?

Believe it or not, it has now been over two weeks since Steve Coppell departed the Madejski Stadium in search of, well whatever it is he is in search of, and the Reading board continue to play their cards very close to their collective chests. The bookies favourite, for some time now, has been the current Watford manager, Brendan Rodgers, who has close ties to the Royals through his former position as youth team coach. However, with time passing rapidly and Director of Football Nick Hammond still foreseeing another two weeks before an appointment is made, we run through the contenders.

Brendan Rodgers

The Watford manager comes highly recommended by no less than Jose Mourinho and has been cagey when it comes to dicussing his chances for the Reading job. Poached by Mourinho for Chelsea’s youth team, he rose through the ranks to take charge of the reserves before being snapped up by Watford, where he has taken the relegation candidates to mid-table security.

Pros: Has the desired hunger and enthusiasm for the job, as well as wanting to prove himself as a manager. Good links in football and could potentially attract useful loan signings from Chelsea’s second string.

Cons: Yet to prove himself as a stand-alone manager and doesn’t possess the experience that a boss like Coppell had when he took over.

Alan Curbishley

Out of work since resigning from West Ham last September, Curbishley has a wealth of experience of management at the top level and was even linked with the England job before the eventual appointment of everybody’s favourite fake flying Dutchman, Schteve McLaren. Well documented to have watched Reading’s final few home games of the season from the stands, it is reasonable to expect that he would have been unveiled by now, were he to be the chairman’s choice.

Pros: Has a proven track record of taking teams to the promised land and transforming them into solid top level teams. Look at what happened to Charlton after he left. Also did a decent job at the Hammers before resigning last year.

Cons: Would surely be looking to take over at a Premier League club after his recent managerial experience so would he drop down a division? His demands with regards to wages and transfer budgets may give Mr. Madejski vertigo as a man who doesn’t enjoy reaching into those deep pockets.

Darren Ferguson

Son of Sir Alex and current manager of Peterborough United, Darren has tasted success in each of his two seasons in charge, with a promotion each time. At a club that is surely not well-enough equipped to challenge again, he may see the opportunity to manage the Royals to the Premier League as the perfect opportunity to make it three out of three.

Pros: Young, determined and with a fantastic set of genes, Ferguson seems to share the same magic touch as his father when it comes to football management. Two promotions in two full seasons suggests that he could be the man to take Reading back up a division.

Cons: As a man who last year admitted to attacking his wife, Ferguson may not fit in with the family image of the club. A lack of top-level experience may also count against the Scot.

Paul Tisdale

Another up-and-coming young manager, Tisdale has also won back-to-back promotions, taking Exeter City back into the Football League from the wilderness of the Conference and then up another level to League One the following season. He has already cemented his place as one of Exeter’s greatest managers ever, but would the Reading job be too soon for the 36-year-old?

Pros: Sky Sports reported that his teams tend to play short, tidy football that would suit the ‘Reading way’ that Coppell had implemented at the club. His back-to-back promotions also show a hunger and desire for success, of a kind that Reading need.

Cons: His lack of experience means that the Reading role probably comes too soon for Tisdale. If Coppell struggled to control big egos, then could Tisdale be reasonably expected to do much better?

Alan Pardew

Out of work since leaving Charlton last year, Pardew has experience at both Premier League and Championship level. A former Reading manager, he also knows the club inside-out, having managed them for four years and getting the team promoted to the Championship. The circumstances in which he left though, may prevent a return for the man who left the Royals for West Ham United back in 2003.

Pros: Not being connected to a club, he would be cheap to appoint, which would please Sir John’s pockets. He went close to promotion to the top league with Reading before and would relish the challenge of a return.

Cons: The board could well have a mutiny on it’s hands should they pick Pardew. The fans despise him after he left in dubious circumstances and this bad blood could well sully the chances of a return.

Other Candidates

Also linked are Glenn Hoddle, Paul Ince, Steve Cotterill and more. The club have confirmed that they have recieved an unprecedented level of applications.

Personally, I think that Brendan Rodgers will be the eventual choice and would be quite pleased with that appointment, although I would be more excited by the appointment of Darren Ferguson due to his impressive achievements with Peterborough.

Who do you want? Vote below: