Steve Coppell insisted today Mark McGhee should keep his job if Albion are relegated.

But Coppell is confident it won't come to that. He has backed his Seagulls successor to steer them to Championship safety.

Coppell delivered his strong message of support as his table-topping Reading side prepare to put another dent in Albion's survival bid at the Madejski Stadium tomorrow.

A seventh straight victory for the Royals, who are unbeaten in the League since the opening day of the season, could send the Seagulls to the foot of the table.

Coppell knows from bitter personal experience the difficulties involved in managing Albion. He almost kept them up from an impossible situation three seasons ago before they were relegated on the final day.

He remained in charge the following season before leaving two months in to join Reading and he does not even regard McGhee's future as an issue if Albion go down.

"It's not on the agenda, absolutely not," he said. "I'm not saying that to patronise. It's a three or four-year preparation process, however long the stadium takes.

"They will scrap like anything to stay in the division and I would still put my money on them, because of that huge intangible quality of never-say-die."

Away specialists Albion are rather insulting 7-1 no-hopers with bookmakers to end Reading's unbeaten Championship run of 21 matches.

They drew at fourth-placed Watford last Saturday, have held third-placed Leeds, sixth-placed Preston, seventh-placed Burnley and, of course, won at Crystal Palace who are eighth.

Coppell appreciates the Seagulls can be at their most dangerous when their backs are firmly against the wall.

With him in charge in April 2003 Albion were next-to-bottom, Reading fourth, when they pulled off a shock 2-1 away win at the Madejski Stadium.

"The scouting info is that they did very well at Watford, were unfortunate not to get three points and are probably playing better away than at home, so I am fully expecting a team I know are well capable of beating us," Coppell said.

"I watched their home game against Palace on TV and they were massively unlucky.

"To come away from that with nothing was heartbreaking but I know the mentality there and I knew that wouldn't break their hearts for long.

"The force within the team is that against-the-odds mentality. I enjoyed that when I was there.

"The odds are so heavily stacked against them with ground size. If the Falmer stadium was up and running now they would be at the top end of the table. The League is a translation of money available to a certain extent."

Coppell spent £1 million on Leroy Lita from Bristol City and £200,000 on Kevin Doyle from Cork in the summer to expand the firepower he already possessed in Dave Kitson.

The luxury of perming two from any three quality strikers has been the main difference from last season, when Reading were there or thereabouts in the first half of the campaign before fading away.

"At the end of the season we had a rigorous post mortem of where we went wrong and it hit you in the face," Coppell said. "We just did not score enough goals.

"During our notorious spell of 11 games without a win Kitson was missing for eight of those games.

"The feeling was if he wasn't playing we were not the same force, or if you stopped him you stopped Reading.

"I had to supplement the goalscoring department with Leroy Lita and Kevin Doyle, who has done tremendously well.

"Leroy has been playing with an injury more or less from the first game so he is nowhere near his potential yet but at any time I have been lucky enough to have two out of the three.

"We made a concerted effort as well to improve our defensive work and that has happened.

"Also last year our two wide players did not score a goal between them all season. Glen Little and Bobby Convey have got about eight between them so far this time, which obviously helps."

Coppell, a worrier by nature, is privately petrified of another post-Christmas collapse.

Reading were third on Boxing Day last season after a 3-0 home victory against Watford. Then came that 11-match winless run and they eventually missed out on the play-offs by losing their last three matches.

Coincidentally, they entertain Albion on the back of a 3-0 home win, against Luton.

Reading have more quality and resolve this season, so history is unlikely to repeat itself in a long-term sense, but Coppell is as aware as anyone of the Seagulls' capacity to create another away surprise.