Published: Thursday, 3rd July, 2008 09:00
"Show me you want it"
By Anthony Smith
Comments (0)
Print Article
Who's in, who's out? Steve Coppell needs his players to show him who is up for the battle ahead.
STEVE Coppell will look into his players’ eyes to find out who is up for the promotion battle when the Reading squad return for pre-season training today (Thursday).
The Royals boss accepts he is certain to lose some of his biggest stars to Premier League clubs over the coming weeks.
But right now Glen Little and Emerse Fae are the only players to have departed over the summer following relegation from the Premier League last season.
However, speculation is rife that Nicky Shorey, Kevin Doyle, Stephen Hunt, James Harper, Dave Kitson and Leroy Lita could all move on before the end of the month.
That in itself leaves Coppell with a headache as he attempts to knock his squad into shape while not knowing who will be around when the Championship season starts on August 10 away to Nottingham Forest.
“I’m looking for that determination in their eyes, that hunger to succeed this year and the endeavour to give everything to achieve our goal,” Coppell told the Chronicle.
“You need that after a season of disappointment like we had and there is a lot of speculation at this time.
“What I would love is to see the players come in and make a real statement about wanting to progress and get on with the job.
“But I accept there will be others whose heads have already been turned.”
Coppell now faces a battle to keep his squad together amid rumours that Hunt is poised to move to Sunderland, possibly along with Doyle.
Kitson has been linked with a £2.5 million move to Fulham, James Harper is on Middlebrough’s radar and Stoke City are thought to be interested in Lita.
And speculation intensified over the future of Nicky Shorey when Glen Little last week rejected a new deal with Reading to sign for Portsmouth.
The pair remain close friends and Pompey boss Harry Redknapp has already spoken publicly of his admiration for Shorey, who he stated, “would give us something different down the left.”
Shorey and Lita both turned down new deals with Reading last summer and have 12 months left on their old ones.
Coppell, however, would not be drawn on the rumours: “There’s only speculation about a few of our players,” he said. “It’s up to them to get their heads down and get on with it.
“Whatever happens, players need to be fit for the start of the season wherever they are, and whatever the future holds for them. It’s still part of a pre-season programme.
“At the moment my plan involves every player still being here at the start of the season.
“That’s all I can do, though there is certain to be some movement in terms of ins and outs. But right now you just cannot tell.”
However, he also insisted: “If players had been specific targets for a club they would probably have moved on already.
“But most Premier League clubs aren’t back until next week and we will see what happens then.”
Further Details
