On the day when Dallas dismissed Steve Morrow just two months into the season, it was antidotal to read that Steve Coppell would be staying as manager of Reading, despite their relegation from the Premier League earlier this month. According to his agent Athole Still, "he wanted to show the real Steve -- and how much this club means to him."
The unreal Steve, presumably, was the manager who quit at Crystal Palace when it was relegated from the Premier League in 1993. He returned to the club as director of football three years later, left again to manage Manchester City, and then quit once more after just six games, citing the pressure of the job. Now, though, he doesn't want to be remembered as the man who took Reading down, and is reportedly taking a $1 million cut in his $2.4 million annual salary to prove how attached he is to the club.
"I want the chance to put it right," said Coppell, who counts U.S. national team players Marcus Hahnemann and Bobby Convey on his roster. "Players will tell you what you want to hear and the support of the fans was significant in my decision. When I do finish I want to finish on a better note."
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