As Steve Coppell attempts to settle into Premiership life after their wonderful first season, there are two issues that will no doubt have been featuring repeatedly in post-season press interviews and media speculation.

The first concerns the second-season curse that a number of clubs have suffered following their surprise standing the season before. Many clubs have this yo-yo effect. Just ask West Ham fans who, after a season of respectability and an FA Cup final, were treated to a woeful display last season (albeit with a fine run at the close). Try telling Ipswich fans that the yo-yo effect is pure myth. They managed to get into the top five in 2000-01 only to be relegated the following term.

The likelihood of such a thing happening to Reading is worryingly high, especially if they lose talent in the close season. They have managed to secure the services of Ivar Ingimarsson, James Harper, Shane Long and Simon Cox, who have all signed long-term deals. But having already lost Steve Sidwell to Chelsea - a double insult as they got no financial return on their hard-work - it now appears that getting full-back Nicky Shorey and striker Leroy Lita to commit to the club is proving problematic.

'It would be refreshing to see players pledge their future to the club which has put them in the limelight and brings the question of loyalty in football back into focus'

England international Shorey has been at Reading since 2001 and had as good a season as any left-back in the Premiership, so it is little surprise to see clubs such as West Ham sniffing around. Likewise Lita’s performances for club, and indeed country at the European Under-21 Championships, raised eyebrows,  leading to Newcastle United and Manchester United expressing an interest.

It would be refreshing to see players pledge their future to the club which has put them in the limelight and brings the question of loyalty in football back into focus. If Reading find themselves keeping hold of Lita and Shorey, it will be testament to the admiration that they and many others hold for Coppell, a man who hasn’t won as much as Arsene Wenger or Jose Mourinho but who has achieved arguably even more in his long managerial career.

The flipside of this, off course, is that player sales could generate much-needed cash to the smaller clubs such as Reading, although I am sure Coppell would much prefer them to be on his team-sheet come the August 11 kick-off at Old Trafford. Coppell is an old hand in the managerial game and has valuable experience at Crystal Palace to draw on in his quest to keep Reading on the right side of the perforated line.