Legendary Reading boss Steve Coppell admitted that he has 'distanced' himself from the set-up and that it is 'a totally different club' to the one he was at.

Taking charge from 2003 until 2009, he famously lead the Royals to a record-breaking Championship title win in 2006, leading the club to eighth in the Premier League.

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Returning over the summer for the legends match, Coppell was speaking on the 1871 Podcast about the current predicament.

"I don’t know much about it. I’m aware, obviously, and I read and hear. Do I know exactly what’s going on? No," the 67-year-old said. "In a way I’ve deliberately distanced myself a little bit because, for me, I have this wonderful feeling about Reading. There is still that connection, but I look at the club now and it’s not the club I was a part of. It’s totally different. When I’ve been back I’ve seen a lot of the old faces but in terms of direction and way out of this mess, I haven’t a clue. All I can do is wish that there could be a return to the values and the credibility that it once had.

"I think people look upon Reading as a bit of a misfit outfit, it doesn’t have the respect that it did have. At the same time, you realise how difficult it is for the people within the club to try and produce a successful team. I understand the difficulties but I don’t understand the whole situation and I don’t understand how it got to where it is. The implications going forward, I just keep my fingers crossed that everything turns out right in the end."