is a fantasticcoach.HeandRobinsappearto
complementeachotherbrilliantly.”
In2018-19,thenewly-promotedSkyBlues
finishedeighthinLeagueOne.However,an
oldproblemwastorearitsuglyheadagain.2012
They’dhadenough.Following
a disagreementwithACLover
matchdayrevenue,SISUcalled
a rentstrike.ACLrespondedwithplansto
putCoventryintoadministration,butSISU
gottherefirst.
“Administrationis viewedasa protective
bubblefromyourcreditors,”explainsMaguire.
“Ifyouchooseanadministrator,they’refar
morelikelytobesympathetictoyouthan
oneappointedbya thirdparty.”Somehow,
theresulting10-pointdeductionandtransfer
embargowerejusttheamuse-bouchetoan
unamusingmaincourse.
Lockedina stadiumstalemate,Cityplayed
their2013-14homegamesatNorthampton’s
Sixfields, 35 milesaway.Shot:a fanprotest.
Chaser:another10-pointdeduction.Steven
Pressley’syoungSpecialssavedCovfromthe
drop,butit wasa hollowvictory.“I LIKEnED MOVInG GROUnD TO
MOVInG HOUSE – IT’S ODD, BUT
AS HUMAnS WE ADAPT QUICKLY”
Below Wilson,
Christie & Co.
pose for a very
Specials shootseven players aged 18-22 and turned them
into The Specials, after Coventry’s two-tone
legends. Among them were future England
and Republic of Ireland internationals Callum
Wilson and Cyrus Christie; six months later,
James Maddison made his debut.
“The academy’s been a shining light, even
while the club was in decline,” says Turner.
“Wilson, Maddison and Christie are Coventry
lads, while Tom Bayliss was sold to Preston.
“Robins makes no bones about it: they’re
a development club. If they don’t produce
their own – which they do, in abundance –
they pick up starlets from elsewhere. Sam
McCallum was at Herne Bay two years ago –
they plucked him from the Jamie Vardy V9
academy, fast-tracked him into the first team
and sold him to Norwich for £3m. He’s since
returned on loan. It’s a huge selling point for
the club: if you’re a bright young player, you
will play, because Robins has faith in you.”
Robins admits, “We’ve brought some players
through and sold them to fill funding gaps,
but that’s the model.”
Eyles, who tips 17-year-old Will Bapaga as
one to watch, credits assistant manager Adi
Viveash for his work alongside Robins. “He’d
been part of Chelsea’s setup, and we brought
in players who’d come through their system
or impressed him at other clubs’ under-23s,”
he explains. “We signed Zain Westbrooke and
sold him for a tidy profit, and Fankaty Dabo
was one of our best players in League One.
We’ve dipped into the European market, too,
since hiring Chris Badlan as head of scouting.”
“They’re boxing clever with Badlan on board
and a terrific recruitment department,” says
Turner. “And every player is adamant that Adi12 matches of the 2012 Olympics, including
the women’s quarter-final tie between Great
Britain and Canada. The irony tasted bitter.2018
The 2017-18 season brought
the lowest finish in Coventry’s
history – and their first top-six
placing in any division since 1969-70. Most
importantly, they won the play-offs, gaining
immediate promotion back to League One
with a second Wembley victory in two years.
“We had an open-top bus parade, and we
milked it,” admits Boddy, smiling. “We went
from our training base, five miles from the
city centre, through as many suburbs as we
could. It must have taken two hours. Every
road we went down, people were hanging
out of windows, up trees, three or four deep
on the pavement – it was phenomenal. That
was the highlight of my time here.
“I’ll never forget when we battered Notts
County 4-1 in the semi-final second leg. The
pressures on that game were huge. I laugh
with the chairman, Tim Fisher, because we
experienced the same emotions, but for the
entire match, he was sat bolt upright while
I was slumped over a railing!”
“It was an unbelievable night,” says Turner.
“They just blew them away at Meadow Lane.
People talk more about that game than the
final.” For the record, though, Coventry beat
Exeter 3-1 at Wembley.
Robins had revitalised the club. Turner and
Eyles hail his man-management, which goes
hand-in-hand with City’s strength in recent
years: player recruitment and development.
They have made a habit of producing young
talents. During the 2013-14 season, FFT tookCOVEn TRY
CITY