"We've had a terrific journey over the past couple of years," says Steve Coppell - ever the master of the understatement. We're talking on the pitch at the Madejski Stadium moments after it's been announced that he will stay at the club until the summer of 2009 at the earliest. With a proud chairman giving interviews in the distance, Coppell reflects on the reasons he's chosen to break with his normal pattern of one-year contract extensions, and double it to a two-year deal this time around.
 | | Coppell with Wally Downes: 'I like the people' |
"I enjoy working with the people I work with on a daily basis," he says. "People like Kevin Dillon, Wally Downes, Nicky Hammond. And I enjoy working with the people I work for. "The board let me do things the way I want to and that's very important for me. I just want to be left alone to take care of the football and John Madejski has the confidence in me to do that. "Just being objective, it would be difficult to get a situation as good as I have here. I'm grateful the board have given me the chance to work here for another two years and I hope I can repay that faith." 'No fear' over deal Coppell insists he never looks more than one game ahead despite this deal - but chairman John Madejski has a bright future for the club in mind when I talk to him.
 | | Coppell with John Madejski |
"Now we can get on with the business of good football and making the stadium bigger knowing we've got the manager signed for the next two years. That's great for the players, the fans, or the backroom staff." The chairman says getting his manager to put pen to paper has been a goal for some time, but as with many things, Coppell applies a relaxed attitude to negotiations. "Steve's never been one to push the contract. We probably would have preferred him to sign earlier on in the season but I had no fear about him not signing. "He thought he might as well sign for two years rather than have to go through all this again next year." 'I don't like the fuss' The boss himself agrees that the contract has only been sorted because, in a month lacking much club football, he's not been as distracted by the day-to-day running of the club. "The contract's been in discussion for a week or so. I suppose that's quite a short period of time but I'd have quite happily gone to the end of the season.
 | | Steve Coppell celebrates promotion |
"People might think there's a devious motive there but there certainly wasn't, I just don't like all the fuss. There were no massive issues - we've got one game in 28 days and it was an opportune time to get it out of the way and get on with doing our jobs." So what of the future? I ask Steve for his ambitions in the next two years, but he shakes his head and says he simply doesn't have any. "It might sound strange but I don't dream of managing anywhere else or lifting trophies. I just concentrate on one day at a time. "It's a wonderful gift if you can live life now rather than in the future. I haven't mastered it yet but I'm working on it." | 
