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Date:Monday March 19 2007
Time: 12:51PM
UK time is: 22:31:21
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Boss Warns Royals Away From Europe
Reading boss Steve Coppell has warned that achieving a European qualification spot this year could have a detrimental affect on his club after watching his side settle for a 0-0 draw with Portsmouth.
Saturday`s goalless draw between Pompey and the Royals had been dubbed a battle of two teams competing for European football. But mediocre performances from both sides meant the Media`s depiction of the fixture turned out to be a bit of a letdown.
Speaking after the match, Steve Coppell bluntly explained why he does not think Reading should be going for a European spot after their first season in the Premiership:
"We are not equipped for Europe and it is really not on our radar at the moment at all," said a very frank Coppell, 'The only way we exist is by trying to win the next game, that is our mentality.
"We do not set targets about where we want to be and what we want to do. All we are about is winning the next game.'
The Reading boss is also very much aware of how UEFA Cup campaigns have proven to be damaging to other clubs in the past; Ipswich and West Ham this season have been victims of this:
'Certainly at the moment, it would not be good for us - as [former Ipswich manager] George Burley told me last week.
'Europe is too heavy a load for us at this stage in our development. Whether we do develop, only time will tell."
But is this something Coppell truly believes? The Reading boss has always been keen on playing down his club to take any added pressure off of his team or maybe he is using reverse psychology to motivate his players into proving him wrong - certainly after Saturday`s lacklustre performance something has to motivate this team…
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Your Comments
fair enough i suppose. better then a good season then straight back down!
link201
"WE'RE ALL GOING ON A EUROPEAN TOUR!"
Reading till i die
Maybe, RTID, and maybe not - our recent performances suggest we are looking at a midtable finish!
link201
and dont get me wrong... midtable isnt bad BUT it would be ashame not to fulfil our potential. however the main thing is PRemeir football next season - look at Watford, European football is a possibility (slim i know) but they would be playing it with Championship games - can you imagine how many matches they would be playing?!!
link201
Shorey is now warning against a European finish. Everyone is worried of a jinxing!!
the royalist
Its a tricky one, with more cup competiton it would mean that more of our fringe players could play (if you think of Coppell's cup policy) but then again the players who got us there (the ones in the league games) may have their nose put out of joint if they cant play in the competition they worked so hard to get to! Its a tricky situation the last thing anyone wants is to get relegated, so sacrificing Europe isnt so bad?
kingsley the lion
some good points, lion boy (or girl!). i wonder if Coppell would play a second string in Europe? He would want his strongest side out in the League for certain but games almost very midweek could severly damage our league standings...
link201
LVSK Soviskia, ADJ Labrinsy, i dont know why everyone wants to get to Europe so much anyway, we'll end up with a bunch of cr*p eastern European teams and some of the sides we face in our pre-season tour of Sweden anyway! Lets think about Europe when we are better equipped!
stevie_royal
would you really like to be in the situation that leeds are in now plummeting back through the divisions on the edge of bankruptcy, personally have a good season and then build next year, west ham didnt do that and look where they are along with wigan
MOYES IS GOD
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