Coppell resigns as Reading boss

Steve Coppell has resigned as manager of Reading after the club he has coached for the last five and a half years failed to secure a chance of returning to the Premier League.

Reading were beaten 2-0 defeat at home to Burnley in the second leg of a Championship play-off semi-final on Tuesday, losing the tie 3-0 on aggregate.

The Royals had been on track to clinch automatic promotion to the top flight following relegation last season but they wilted in the last three months of the campaign, largely due to wretched home form.

“Following our exit from the play-offs, I feel it’s the best thing, for both the club and myself, for me to leave,” Coppell said in a statement released by the club on Wednesday.

The former Manchester United and England winger took charge of Reading in 2003 and guided them to promotion to the Premier League three years later.

The 2006-07 season saw Coppell win plaudits for Reading’s passing style as they finished 8th in their first season among the elite, but he could not sustain that success and the Royals dropped back down to the Championship last season.