Published: Thursday, 14th May, 2009 8:00am

Leader - Coppell's final whistle

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UNTIL half-time at the Madejski Stadium on Tuesday the more optimistic followers of Reading Football Club were still hoping for a successful conclusion to their season"s limbo in the Championship.

The realists, however, were prepared for the worst, following a string of lack lustre performances which demonstrated that the sparkle behind the most successful era in the club"s history was barely flickering.

During the closing stages of the season Steve Coppell, never the most effervescent of personalities even in moments of ultimate triumph, had the air of a man struggling to understand where and why that sparkle had gone. Renowned throughout the game for his honesty and integrity, he was dissuaded from walking away last year after relegation. This time there were no second thoughts.

That leaves the club at a crossroads. Does the ambition remain not only to return to the top flight but to make the club a permanent fixture there?

If not, then the prospect of a period in the wilderness now being inhabited by Norwich City, Southampton and Charlton Athletic is almost too horrid to contemplate.

In contrast, and putting the football disappointment in context, is the news that a team at the Royal Berkshire Hospital has been performing Premiership-style and stands on the verge of finding a cure for rheumatoid arthritis.

Trials among Berkshire patients have proved remarkably effective in fighting the excruciating pain and suffering caused by this debilitating condition, and we wish those involved every success. We also hope the ambition exists to ensure there is no quibbling over who pays for the treatment.