Steve Coppell

Steve Coppell - Quick Facts

Profile Overview of Steve Coppell

Stephen James Coppell (born 9 July 1955) is an English professional football manager and former player.

This profile of Steve Coppell covers Early days, Representing England, Injuries and Setbacks, Crystal Palace (first spell; 1984–1993) and Crystal Palace (second spell; 1995–1996).

As a player, Coppell was a highly regarded right winger known for his speed, technical ability and work rate. He won domestic honours with Manchester United and represented England at the World Cup. After a knee injury ended his playing career, he went into management.

Coppell has managed several English clubs, most notably Crystal Palace and Reading, both of which he took from the English second tier to achieve each club's greatest-ever successes in the top flight. He has also managed Manchester City, Bristol City, Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford. He is credited with discovering Ian Wright, a striker he signed from non-league football, and who became a household name and international footballer.

Early days of Steve Coppell

Coppell attended Quarry Bank High School in south Liverpool, where musician John Lennon, footballer Joe Royle, and writer and filmmaker Clive Barker had previously been pupils. Just one year ahead of Coppell were Les Dennis and Brian Barwick, the chief executive of the FA from January 2005 until the end of 2008.

Coppell was a nippy, incisive wide player in his youth but despite interest from some top clubs, he chose to join lower league Merseyside club Tranmere Rovers as he wanted to study for a degree in economic history at the University of Liverpool.

By 1974, Coppell was playing for Tranmere, studying for his degree and coaching the university team. But in 1975 his life changed when Manchester United made an offer of £60000 for him. His prospective new club instantly offered to double his wage and Coppell signed.

Coppell could complete his degree while playing on the right wing for Manchester United, making his debut as a substitute in a 4–0 win over Cardiff City on 1 March 1975, as his new club stormed back to the First Division after a season in the Second. Coppell ended that season with ten games and one goal.

The following season, Coppell played 39 times and scored ten goals, one of which was at the Kop end of his boyhood club Liverpool's Anfield ground. He also won honours for the England under-23 team.

The young Manchester United team put together by manager Tommy Docherty progressed in the First Division and reached the 1976 FA Cup Final, where they were favourites to beat Southampton, who were from the Second Division. But Southampton won the final 1–0.

Afterwards, Coppell said: "I didn't feel too bad, as I appreciated being in the FA Cup final at all. It was only afterwards I realised it might have been the only chance I'd ever get. But the next season gave me another go."

In 1977, Manchester United fell short in the League but reached the FA Cup Final again, where this time they played Liverpool, who were chasing a "treble" of First Division championship, FA Cup and European Cup. Liverpool had already won the title by the time the two sides met at Wembley, but it was Manchester United who performed on the day and won 2–1. Coppell was one of nine United players in the team who had lost in the final to Southampton the year before.

Representing England of Steve Coppell

Later in 1977, Coppell received a call-up to the England team for the country's final qualifying game for the 1978 FIFA World Cup against Italy at Wembley. Coppell played and England won 2–0 but the damage had been done earlier in the campaign and England did not qualify for the finals in Argentina. Coppell stayed in the plans of new England coach Ron Greenwood, playing in several friendly matches through 1978 and scoring the only goal of the game – his first for England – in a victory over Scotland at Hampden Park.

Coppell remained a constant for club and country over the next 12 months, scoring for his country against Czechoslovakia and Northern Ireland while also adding goals from the wing for Manchester United, who reached another FA Cup final in 1979 following a season during which Coppell did not miss a game. Arsenal beat Manchester United 3–2 in the final.

A week later, Coppell had a better experience at Wembley as he scored one and made another as England beat Scotland 3–1. He continued to impress for his country while also remaining an ever-present for Manchester United for the next two years. His habit of scoring against Scotland continued in 1980 with a goal in a 2–0 win at Hampden prior to the 1980 European Championships, during which he featured in the opening two group matches, though England failed to progress further.

Injuries and Setbacks

Tragedy struck Coppell while playing for England in a vital qualifier for the 1982 FIFA World Cup against Hungary. Coppell was the victim of a vicious high challenge from József Tóth which shattered his knee. Coppell said the effect was "like someone had put a firework in my knee and it had gone off" and underwent an operation which allowed him a temporary fix so he could carry on playing.

Coppell nursed the injury through the 1982 World Cup in Spain, playing in all three of England's group games and the goalless draw against West Germany in the second pool. England went out in the next game against Spain and Coppell underwent a second operation.

He continued to play for Manchester United as much as he could after suffering the injury, playing 36 times in the 1981–82 season and 29 times in the 1982–83 campaign. He made two more appearances for England after the World Cup ended, scoring in the former as England beat Luxembourg 9–0.

Coppell was fit enough to play in the League Cup final of 1983 which – in a reverse of events in 1977 – opponents Liverpool won 2–1. But as Manchester United progressed also to the FA Cup final in the same year, Coppell's knee had broken down again and he missed the final against Brighton & Hove Albion, which ended 2–2 and ultimately concluded in a 4–0 victory for Manchester United in the replay.

Another operation followed but to no avail, and Coppell announced his retirement from the game in October 1983, aged just 28. He had broken the record for the most consecutive appearances for an outfield Manchester United player – 207 from 1977 to 1981 – which still stands to this day. His Manchester United career ended with 373 appearances and 70 goals; his England career had concluded with 42 caps and seven goals. He also scored the quickest recorded goal at under 18 level in a cup final against Notts County. The goal time was 12 seconds.

He has since stated that he recently discovered, thanks to advances in technology, that his ACL had only been connected at one end since the tackle, something which had been missed in previous surgeries. He has now had his ACL removed.

Source: adapted from Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Coppell), text available under CC BY-SA 4.0.