Mick McCarthy shows respect

Sep 30 2008

MICK McCarthy will pit his wits against a man and manager he greatly respects when Wolves face Steve Coppell’s Reading at Molineux tonight.

The fixture brings together the teams top and third in the Championship and also two of the most repected English managers around at a time when chairmen are increasingly tempted to look abroad.

And McCarthy has only admiration for Coppell who, two years ago, brought Reading top-flight status for the first time in the club’s 135-year history.

“Steve has been brilliant,” said McCarthy, “If, when I have finished my career, I have had the same success for this club as he has had at Reading, that would be a nice comparison.

“They had one great year in the Premiership and then did okay for most of last season.

“They have got quite a few players left from the Premiership squad and are doing well again. They have goalscorers and a good front four but are a solid unit and work hard.”

If McCarthy is aware of Reading’s threat, though, Coppell’s scouts will have filled their notebooks about a Wolves side proudly sitting top of the Championship having scored 23 goals and conceded only seven in eight games.

“We have had Reading watched and been impressed,” McCarthy said. “But anybody who has been watching us will no doubt have been impressed with the way we have played.

“That’s what they have to deal with. I always try to plan how we deal with the opposition but, in the main, I work on the theory that they have got to deal with us.”