For the third season in a row big-spending Coventry have belied summer predictions of a promotion push by getting off to a sluggish start - Dominic Jerams (@SideSammy) tries to make sense of it for us.
Such optimism around Cov's chances this season but yet again a sluggish start - why does this keep happening? Why has it happened this time?
If there was one clear reason why we keep on starting slowly, then it probably wouldn’t have happened several times in a row. Two years ago there was the fiasco with the pitch at the CBS Arena being unsafe to play on as a result of the Commonwealth Games. Last year, we had signed almost a completely new team. This year, there is no obvious excuse for the poor start.
The combination of this team seeming to lack a clear sense of how they’re trying to play – other than, pass it around a bit – and what seems to be a lack of fitness seem the big issues this season. We’re capable of good spells, but there is an inability to sustain them, which probably stems from the changes in the coaching team over the summer. We’ve possibly also been a touch unlucky not to have at least a couple more wins on the board, given some of the chances our strikers have missed at key moments this season.
Coventry in the league so far…
Stoke 1-0 Coventry Baker 78
Coventry 3-2 Oxford Wright 15, 90, van Ewijk 31 – Brown 22, Harris 55
Bristol City 1-1 Coventry Tanner 45 – Palmer 76
Coventry 0-1 Norwich Sainz 47
Watford 1-1 Coventry Dele-Bashiru 67 – Simms 4
Coventry 1-2 Swansea Ronald og 34 – Cullen 8, Cooper 32
Leeds 3-0 Coventry Gnonto 16, Bogle 49, Piroe 79
Coventry 3-0 Blackburn Bidwell 11, Wright 48, Thomas-Asante 84
Coventry 1-2 Sheff Wed Rudoni 26 – Gassama 45, Charles 90
Preston 1-0 Coventry Riis 72
Particular struggles away, where you're yet to win in the league, any reason?
It is probably still a touch too early to attribute our lack of an away win to being particularly poor on the road, just that we’ve probably had easier home fixtures thus far. The lack of away wins is probably part of our overall slow start. Going back to an earlier point, this team seems to lack intensity to the way it plays. On the road, that can allow opponents to get on top and given that we’re hardly the most resolute team defensively, spells of pressure lead to goals conceded.
Any criticism going Robins' way or is he untouchable?
The level of spending on this team – it is approximately the 4th/5th most expensive in the division – has heightened expectations and that has brought some pressure on Mark Robins. It is still some distance away from calls being made for him to leave, but if the team remains around the lower end of the division over the next two or three months, that could quickly change. It is Mark Robins’ ability to utilise a more expensively assembled squad that is the key question at the moment. There is a sense that he’s struggling to figure out what works, the starting line-up isn’t particularly settled, and substitutions seem to be made regardless of what is happening within games. Maybe it’s just early in the season, but it goes back to the lack of a clear sense of what this team is trying to achieve.
That summer decision to dispense with assistant manager Adi Viveash and break up the coaching team looks a bit weird with hindsight no?
It was a move that looked weird even without the benefit of hindsight. That Adi Viveash’s statement upon leaving the club was released via legal representation would suggest that it was a decision that wasn’t necessarily made purely on his skills as a coach.
How do you rate your transfer window with hindsight?
In terms of incomings, few can argue with the level spent or the quality of the players signed, however, the balance of the squad looks to be the issue right now. The failure to add any kind of leadership or organisational qualities to the defence remains a concern as it’s hard to foresee any combination of our current defenders and goalkeepers being reliably able to keep clean sheets. This was something that most thought was the number one priority heading into the summer. Losing Callum O’Hare was a blow too and while he has theoretically been replaced with the impressive Jack Rudoni, letting Kasey Palmer leave in the same summer looks to have left the team short of creativity in the final third. While there are lot of good strikers in this team, we seem to lack the supply line to get the best out of them. Furthermore, that the team is still so reliant on Ben Sheaf’s fitness levels for any kind of authority or quality in midfield is another big issue with the balance of this squad. At least we have three senior goalkeepers to pick from.
Ins >>> Jack Rudoni, 23, CM, Huddersfield, £5m >>> Brandon Thomas-Asante, 25, CF, West Brom, £3m >>> Norman Bassette, 19, CF, Caen, £2.5m >>> Luis Binks, 22, CB, Bologna, £2m >>> Oliver Dovin, 22, GK, Hammarby, £2m >>> Raphael Borges Rodrigues, 20, LW, Macarthur (Oz), Undisclosed
Outs >>> Callum O’Hare, 26, AM, Sheff Utd, Free >>> Liam Kelly, 34, DM, Rotherham, Free >>> Simon Moore, 34, GK, Sunderland, Free >>> Matty Godden, 32, CF, Charlton, Undisclosed >>> Kasey Palmer, 27, AM, Hull, Undisclosed >>> Jack Burroughs, 23, RM, Kilmarnock, Loan >>> Ryan Howley, 20, CM, Ayr United, Loan
Stand out players and weak links in the side?
The formula for this Coventry City side should be as simple as ensuring we get the ball into Ellis Simms and Haji Wright as quickly as possible. Both demonstrated last season that they are capable of scoring 20 goals apiece at Championship level but are slow, often stale, brand of passing football this season has choked them of the ability to explode past defenders in the final third that they are capable of at their best. In addition, Ben Sheaf, when fully fit, makes the team tick in midfield with his ability to win the ball and keep it moving. Milan van Ewijk at right-back is a force both defensively and going forward, especially when he can link up with Tatsuhiro Sakamoto, who has missed large chunks of the season from having lumps kicked out of him. As for weak links, well, we are brittle at the back, have goalkeepers that are allergic to making saves and don’t take our chances going forward. Teams can either press us and force us into mistakes or they can wait back and watch us beat ourselves. If you can ride out the good 20-30 minutes that we tend to have in games, you will get chances to win.
Revised expectations for the season?
For all the negativity that I’ve supplied in my responses, I still think there is a combination of this set of players – plus a couple of decent January signings, especially, if we treat ourselves to using the loan market again – that can make the top six. We have two of the best attacking goalscorers in the division, the best right-back and probably the best central midfielder. If we can settle down and cut out mistakes, we will fly up the division.
Links >>> Coventry City — Official Website >>> Coventry Telegraph — Local Press >>> Sky Blues Talk — Forum >>> Sky Blues Blog — Blog >>> Sideways Sammy — Blog >>> The Lonely Season — Blog >>> Sky Blues TV - Classic Match Highlights >>> Access All Areas — Podcast
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