Royals boss braced for Gunners challenge

Reading manager Steve Coppell insists he will still be proud of his players tonight even if they are given another footballing lesson by Arsenal.

The Gunners won 4-0 at the Madejski Stadium last season after a breathtaking display of passing and movement – and finishing.

Arsene Wenger’s side are arguably even more pleasing to the eye now even though Thierry Henry has moved on and will arrive in Berkshire unbeaten in all competitions.

Reading, who did so well last term, have been erratic in comparison and have already been beaten by Portsmouth, Blackburn, West Ham and Bolton by significant margins in the Barclays Premier League.

However, Coppell insisted he was always able to put a defeat into perspective given that Reading are still newcomers to top-flight football.

He said: “You have to try to appreciate the bigger picture, where you are at and what you are achieving. I am fortunate here in that it is our second season in the top division in 138 years. We are making history every week so from that point of view I am proud of the general achievement.

“But if you lose it is painful. From what I am told, Arsene Wenger when he loses is not much fun to be around. As for Alex (Ferguson), I can only imagine what it is like when he does.”

Coppell admitted the fixture’s timing had also been playing on his mind a little.

He said: “It’s always funny playing on a Monday as your body clock tells you Saturday is the day to aim for and you have to push everything back.

“But we have an international break afterwards so it doesn’t jam our week up for the next game so there is no real problem – although we also have longer to contemplate the opposition.”

Skipper Graeme Murty reassured the fans that the players still relished the task of trying to get the better of the top sides on a regular basis.

He said: “It has been hard work but we knew that playing in this league at the top level was always going to be. We have 11, or even 16, people who are prepared to put a full shift in and help everyone out.

“We know we won’t have a lot of possession so we have got to be patient and not get frustrated – and that goes for the fans as well.

“Arsenal keep the ball, it’s the way they play so we have got to make sure when we have it we treat it as gold dust and not give it away. If we do that we will be chasing for a lot of the game.”