Cautious Coppell insists Royals are still learning the ropes

STEVE COPPELL continues to insist Reading are the L-plate brigade. Much more of this and the only instructor his players require will be the one who ushers them into Europe for the first time.

In registering their fourth straight win in all competitions, the Royals not only reached the widely accepted 40-point safety mark but, more importantly, jumped above Portsmouth into sixth spot.

Indeed, few would bet against Coppell’s men still being in the top half dozen when the season reaches its climax in May and thereby booking a spot in next season’s UEFA Cup.

Not that Coppell shows any sign of getting carried away by the success.

“We are what we are – a team very much with the L-plates on,” he said.

“Sometimes, in situations such as these, you can find you are not afraid purely because you do not know who you are playing against. That has been good for us this season.’’

On this evidence, it would be safe to assume that wherever Reading do eventually finish, they will be above City.

In accepting the England Under-21 job, Blues boss Stuart Pearce cited one of the advantages as the relationship he would be able to build with the country’s top young talent.

City fans will be hoping the spin-off is that some of them arrive at Eastlands.

For a man who spent over £5million on Georgios Samaras, whom ‘flatters to deceive’ would be about the most positive assessment of his four-goal contribution in the league this term, Pearce’s admission he had major misgivings over Leroy Lita’s ability to cut it at the top level was pretty startling.

Lita’s double against City took the former Bristol City man’s tally to nine in as many games, two more than City’s entire strikeforce have managed between them in the Barclays Premiership this term.

In fact it was the seventh time in 13 home games City have not scored and depending on how you look at it, the problem is either contributing to the Blues’ underachievement or will pitch them into a relegation fight they might not be capable of winning.

“I said over Christmas that we are in for a scrap right the way until the end of the season,” said Pearce. “That still applies now.”

Ironically, Lita will be part of the squad Pearce takes charge of for Tuesday’s friendly against Spain in Derby. The City manager playfully suggested he would drop the forward but, with his club hat on, Pearce must wish he had someone in his own squad equally as effective.

“If you give Lita an inch, he will score, whereas our strikers are lacking confidence,” said Pearce.

“If you are not hitting the back of the net you will struggle confidence wise. But it will come. We have four or five decent strikers here. They have to deliver the goals for us between now and the end of the season.”