Steve Coppell, touted by many observers as an ideal replacement for Steve McClaren, the England head coach, effectively ruled himself out of contention yesterday by signing a two-year contract to remain at Reading.

In the past, Coppell, 51, has agreed only 12-month deals with the Berkshire club and working on a longer-term contract — his present deal was scheduled to expire this summer — can be seen as an indication of Reading’s desire to keep him, rather than an attempt to steer him away from the clutches of the FA.

However, the clamour for Coppell to take what is widely viewed as the impossible job of returning England to their glory days of 1966, will persist. He is one of the few leading English managers with the credentials to succeed McClaren and has been lauded for guiding Reading into the top flight — for the first time in their history — and keeping them in the Barclays Premiership.

Coppell’s thoughtful and modest manner, however, might not suit the circus that the England camp and its media entourage has become.

It should not be forgotten that he lasted only 33 days and six matches when accepting the high-profile appointment at Manchester City in 1996, though it was undisclosed personal reasons that forced him to resign.

Yet the tactical prowess of the former England winger, who won 42 caps and scored seven international goals, is widely recognised. During five spells with Crystal Palace, two as director of football, his notable achievements included leading them to the 1990 FA Cup Final, in which they lost to Manchester United after a replay.

With McClaren apparently besieged in Barcelona, where England play Andorra in their European championship qualifying match tomorrow night, Coppell humorously dead-batted questions about his international ambitions. “Duncan Fletcher [the England cricket coach] is doing a fine job,” he said. “I wish him well in the World Cup.”

Pushed further, Coppell played another solid forward defensive. “My concentration is with Reading,” he said. “When I work, I have got my blinkers on. I have no interest in anything else or going elsewhere.”

Highlighting his love of the quiet life, he said: “I was hoping that this [his signing a new deal] would be swept under the carpet but obviously there has been a bit more fuss now. I’m pleased that the club have committed to it and that we can now get on with it.

“I have a good relationship with the chairman [John Madejski] and the board. He lets me get on with the job and there is little interference. That was very important. I’m not going to better that in many other places so it was the ideal time to make a bit more of a commitment.”

While it is unlikely that Coppell would be subject to “interference” from the FA were he to take over the England head coach’s role, the goldfish bowl nature of the job would not appeal to him.

Madejski, a multimillionaire businessman, allows Coppell to run the show at Reading — with Kevin Dillon and Wally Downes, his assistants, and Nicky Hammond, the director of football — and restricts his role to signing the cheques for new players. In an era of meddling chairmen/owners, it has proved the perfect combination.

“Steve could be the England manager, he has that potential, because he is one of the top English managers around,” Madejski said yesterday.

“He’s a cracking manager. But I’ve spoken to him and he is very happy here. Many big clubs were probably looking for Steve’s signature but now that he has signed for two years, I think that will show them that his commitment is here and nowhere else. We have two years of uninterrupted management at Reading now. It’s so good for the players, the coaching staff and the fans.”

Life and times

2 Clubs Coppell played for. Tranmere Rovers (1973-75) and Manchester United (1975-83)

360 Appearances for Tranmere and United

42 Caps for England (1977-83), scoring seven goals

5 Clubs managed — Crystal Palace, Man City, Brentford, Brighton, Reading