Reading boss Steve Coppell insists
Jose Mourinho is far more than a chequebook manager.
The former England winger has yet to meet the Chelsea boss, who has
spent heavily on famous names to win and then retain the Barclays
Premiership title.
But Coppell insists that knowing how to get the best out of such
rich resources was more important than merely securing them in the
first place.
He said of Mourinho: "He has obviously
got more or less an open chequebook but he still has to hire,
motivate and make players perform - and he has certainly done
that.
"It's different for me as I have a team of players who haven't
played at this level before and are desperate to judge themselves
against the best.
"When you have a squad of established players then the problems are
totally different. And that's why you have to respect what Mourinho
has done.
"Whether it has been through rotation or whatever, he has managed
to keep a squad of players happy. You hear of a little bit of
unrest occasionally but by and large they are all committed to the
cause.
"Most other managers are looking at trying to get value for money.
That must be part of his criteria but not the first part. He has
world stars who are used to playing and scoring on a regular
basis.
"It must be difficult for him to choose
subs all the time."
Chelsea will not be treating Saturday evening's trip to the
Madejski Stadium lightly, given that Manchester United only came
away with a 1-1 draw last month.
That was followed by Reading winning at West Ham which propelled
the newly-promoted Royals into a lofty position few had predicted
before a ball was kicked.
But Coppell insisted points already on the board counted for little
when faced with the reigning champions.
He said: "People have been saying, 'You must be confident after the
last couple of games', but it doesn't help you. This is a game in
isolation that poses different problems to solve.
"Realistically, most teams in this division haven't solved them so
we are treading a familiar path. Hopefully we can get a different
sort of result."
That remains a distinct possibility as Reading have not lost at
home, in any competition, since the first game of last
season.
But Coppell insisted the proud record would eventually end and when
it does everything would carry on as normal.
He said: "It's not something we talk about. We just look at the
next team and think 'Can we win?'.
"It's not a sacred thing and when and if it does happen I don't
think it will affect us at all."
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