Coppell's position was in doubt after the Royals went down on the final day of the season on goal difference, but on Tuesday he confirmed he will remain at the club for the second year of his current contract.

"If you had asked me six months ago, I would have said I would quit under the circumstances we found ourselves in at the end of the season," Coppell said from his holiday hotel in the Far East.

"Now it is the last thing on my mind. I want to be remembered for something else.

"Whether to stay or go was not just a decision for me to make. The contract situation was such that both sides could discontinue the relationship if the worst happened.

"I have been at Reading for almost five years and I was conscious of doing what is best for the club. But I am overwhelmed by the support I received at the end of the Derby game."

Reading won 4-0 at Pride Park but Fulham's win at Portsmouth meant they were still relegated.

"It's not very often that a manager who has taken a team down is given the reception and the response I got at the end of that match," Coppell added.

"I didn't want to be remembered for relegation and I want the chance to put it right.

"I am very privileged to be manager of Reading and the support of the fans was very significant in my decision. Players will tell you what you want to hear but the important thing was the reaction of the supporters and people who work at the club.

"I feel comfortable at Reading and I want to continue. When I do finish I want to finish on a better note.

"At other clubs there could have been a knee-jerk reaction to sack me. After we went eight games without a win I had a conversation with director of football Nick Hammond.

"He said the club had confidence in me, which was lovely to hear, although that may have been misplaced. At any other club I would have been sacked.

"The difference in the end was just one point and there were so many times we could have nicked that point.

"I look back on the games at home to Bolton and Fulham. It wasn't just that we failed to get a single point, it was the fact that we played really poorly. The bottom line is that after 38 games we just weren't good enough.

"There will be a number of players who will be moved on or turned over, whatever the expression is for leaving. But we have to make sure we keep the core of the players who are what we are all about."

Reading chairman John Madejski said: "I have to take responsibility as chairman and owner. Things happen when you least expect it. Now we have to cut our coat according to our cloth. There will be changes.

"Never before have I heard so much universal praise of a manager. He is a man of great transparency and honesty. Now he has a job to complete and that's getting us back into the Premiership. I do expect to win promotion straight back into the Premier League."

Coppell was appointed Reading manager in October 2003 after the acrimonious departure of Alan Pardew to West Ham and took Reading into the Premier League in his third season at the club.