Steve Coppell has backed the 'unflappable' John Oster to ignore the boos he has been the subject of from certain quarters of the Reading support in recent weeks.

Oster has been taken off in four of the last five games since he returned from an ankle injury and his replacement on Saturday was greeted by cheers from some of The Royals' fans.

"Has John had the impact he could have done recently?" he said in the Evening Post. "No, possibly not, but it was his awareness on Saturday that created the goal for Marek [Matejovsky].

"It wasn't off the training ground. We have used a similar free kick on one occasion, but it was all about intuition as he saw the opportunity. It was a wonderful finish, but had it not been for John's thinking it wouldn't have happened.

"John does take risks and if it doesn't work he has a tendency to look bad, but he's a good player and I have a lot of time for him. He has to start producing, he knows that, but everyone has to produce."

Coppell has no intention of being swayed by the boo-boys and remains convinced Oster will find light at the end of the tunnel.

"I am aware of it," he added. "I don't know if he is. I'm sure he is, but I haven't spoken to him about it.

"He is usually unflappable, but however the crowd react it won't affect my decisions. I have a lot of confidence in John. He is a terrific footballer."