Coventry City

Coventry City are a professional club based in Coventry, West Midlands. The club currently competes in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. Coventry’s nickname of the Sky Blues derives from Jimmy Hill, legendary manager in the 1960s, after he introduced the colours onto their home shirt. The club currently sit 17^th in the league table, six points above the bottom three. They would have had aspirations of a Play-Off push at the beginning of the campaign, and are currently eleven points adrift of a place in the top six.

Coventry City Updates

Coventry came within penalties of the Premier League two campaigns ago, but last season finishing in the Play-Offs was a step too far. Mark Robins led the club to an FA Cup Semi-Final, with a memorable victory over Wolves in the Quarter-Final to set up a tie with Manchester United in the last four.

Despite taking their illustrious opponents to penalties, it wasn’t to be under the arch once again for the Sky Blues. Robins was recently sacked from his post at Coventry, and Frank Lampard replaced him at the end of November. They have won twice, drawn once and lost two games since he was appointed manager.

To keep up to date with news about Coventry City throughout the season check out The Real Efl page.

Coventry City Transfer News and Rumours

There will be great excitement ahead of the January window to see what players Frank Lampard can bring to the West Midlands. Having taken over at the end of November, his first window is quickly approaching, giving him the chance to mould his squad for the first time.

The Sky Blues had splashed the cash in the summer, attempting to break into the top-flight. Jack Rudoni and Brandon Thomas-Asante were the only arrivals from England sides, leaving Huddersfield and West Brom respectively. Luis Binks and Norman Bassette were acquired from Italy and France, while goalkeeper Oliver Dovin left Swedish side Hammarby.

Callum O’Hare was by far the greatest loss, departing for recently-relegated Sheffield United. Simon Moore and Kasey Palmer also remained in the second tier, moving to Sunderland and Hull respectively. Liam Kelly (Rotherham) and Matty Golden (Charlton) completed the permanent departures, while Jack Burroughs and Ryan Howley both joined Scottish sides on loan.

Coventry City Signings

Below is a list of all the signings Coventry City made in the summer, which included some big money being exchanged for the services of players. While only signing six players, they were all expected to strengthen the Sky Blues ahead of the season.

Player	Age	Nationality	Left	Fee	Contract Duration
Jack Rudoni	23	English	Huddersfield Town EFL League One	£5m	4 year
Luis Binks	22	English	Bologna Italian Serie A	£2m	4 year
Brandon Thomas-Asante	25	Ghanian	West Bromwich Albion EFL Championship	£2.25m	4 year
Norman Bassette	19	Belgian	SM Caen French Ligue 2	£2.5m	4 year
Oliver Dovin	22	Swedish	Hammarby Swedish Allsvenskan	£1m	4 year
Raphael Borges Rodrigues	20	Australian	Macarthur FC Australian A-League	Undisclosed	4 year

Coventry City Key Matches of the Season

With Coventry’s aspirations for the season differing with their current league position, it is much more difficult to pinpoint which matches are of greatest importance for the Sky Blues. The festive period will clearly be a crucial time of the season, as Coventry aim to pick up as many points as possible in such a short space of time.

Coventry have endured a mixed bag of results so far, leading to the dismissal of Mark Robins. Frank Lampard’s first game saw them draw against Cardiff, and they faced an important festive fixture against Wayne Rooney’s Plymouth Argyle. Here, they thrashed Plymouth Argyle in a 4-0 victory. A number of home games against top opposition, including Sheffield United, will be instrumental in how the second half of the campaign goes for the Sky Blues. Encounters against Middlesbrough have proved crucial in the past couple of seasons, and the sides meet at the CBS Arena on the final day.

To find out all of Coventry City’s fixtures visit Coventry City standings, fixtures and live stream.

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Coventry City Key Achievements

Coventry’s most memorable achievement was defeating Tottenham Hotspur 3-2 to win the FA Cup Final in 1987. That was during a run of 34 years as a top-flight side, ending in 2001 in the Premier League. The Sky Blues have also won divisional titles in each of the EFL divisions over the years, while also tasting domestic success in the last decade having fallen down the divisions.

Below we will guide you through Coventry City’s major achievements.

• FA Cup Champions in 1987
• FA Charity Shield Runners-up in 1987
• Second Division Champions in 1966/67
• Third Division Winners Twice – 1935/36 & 1963/64
• League One Winners in 2019/20
• EFL Trophy Champions in 2017
• Fourth Division Winners in 1958/59
• League Two Play-Off Winners in 2018

Coventry City Current Squad

Frank Lampard has inherited a squad that Mark Robins had built over the years but will get a chance to sign players in the upcoming transfer window. The Sky Blues spent plenty in the summer, and below, we look at how stacked Coventry are in each pitch.

Coventry City Attackers

The Sky Blues acquired three forwards in the summer window, with Norman Bassette and Brandon Thomas-Asante the two big-money arrivals. Ephron Mason-Clark was signed in February, but spent the final half of last season at Peterborough and his evident quality is beginning to show through.

Coventry City Midfielders

Jack Rudoni was signed for the highest fee that Coventry paid in the summer but was the only arrival in the midfield department. The 23-year-old arrived from Huddersfield Town and has contributing eight goals thus far, proving to be an astute buy at this level.

Coventry City Defenders

Likewise, only Luis Binks strengthened the defence of the West Midlands outfit in the summer. He was signed for a multi-million pound fee from Italian outfit Bologna, joining an already established backline that includes Milan van Ewijk and Bobby Thomas.

Coventry City Goalkeepers

Ben Wilson is currently out with a knee injury after he had appeared to force his way back into contention. Oliver Dovin began the campaign in goal following his summer transfer from Sweden. In recent weeks though, Brad Collins has taken the gloves, and is currently Lampard’s first-choice keeper, despite making numerous mistakes.

Coventry City Managing and Coaching Staff

The current head coach of Coventry City is Frank Lampard. He replaced legendary manager Mark Robins in November, after he was controversially dismissed following a disappointing start to the campaign. The Sky Blues appear to be moving on an upward trajectory in recent weeks, as they aim to win promotion back to the top-flight for the first time in over two decades.

Lampard was one of the greatest midfielders that this country has ever produced, enjoying almost all his playing career with Chelsea. He returned to Stamford Bridge following a season at Derby County as manager, leading the Rams to the Play-Off Final where they were beaten by Aston Villa.

He built the foundations in West London for the club to win the Champions League, qualifying for the top four despite a transfer ban on the Blues. Lampard brings coaches Chris Jones and Joe Edwards to the West Midlands, having worked with him at all his previous clubs so far.

Coventry City Former Managers & Key Coaches

Some sensational managers have been in charge of Coventry over the years, having success at varying levels of the English pyramid. Having won each division in the Football League, it is no surprise that some top coaches has worked in the West Midlands.

Mark Robins recently departed the Sky Blues following a legendary spell in charge, turning around a club at their lowest ebb. Gordon Milne managed over 400 games in the seventies, while Gordon Strachan also led City two decades later. In recent times, Steven Pressley, Tony Mowbray and Russell Slade have taken charge of the Sky Blues.

Harry Storer 1931 – 1945, 1948 – 1953

• Managed the most games in Coventry’s history with 584 across two spells.
• Took the club to the Third Division (South) title before WW2.
• Influence the great Brian Clough and delved into cricket, playing 302 games along with football.

John Sillett 1986 – 1990

• Former Coventry player led the side for four years after five years in the coaching staff.
• First-team coach in charge of the 1987 FA Cup-winning side.
• Helped the club to a seventh-place finish in the top-flight, taking charge of over 200 matches.

Jimmy Hill 1961 – 1967

• Won two divisional titles, leading the club to the First Division for the first time in 1967.
• Rebranded the club into their current colours and worked with chairman Derrick Robins in redeveloping the stadium.
• Won 129 of his 290 games in charge over six years.

Mark Robins 2012 – 2013, 2017 – 2024

• Won over half his 33 games in charge during his first spell.
• Also won promotion twice from League Two, falling agonisingly close to taking the Sky Blues back to the Premier League.
• Managed over 400 games, also winning the EFL Trophy after less than a month in charge.

Coventry City Legends

There have been some legendary players to have played for Coventry in some fine moments. Below, we look at some true Coventry City legends:

George Curtis 1955 – 1969

Second on the all-time appearance list with 543 appearances, the record for an outfield player at the club. Helped the club win promotion twice from the Third Division to the First Division, winning two divisional titles. Worked with the Sky Blues for years in coaching, winning the FA Cup as joint-manager alongside John Sillett.

Gary McSheffrey 1998 – 2006, 2010 – 2013

Scored 72 times after debuting in 1999 from the club's academy. Played on 281 occasions over two spells. Rejoined four years after leaving, playing over a century of times over a three-year spell.

Richard Shaw 1995 – 2006

Two-time Player of the Year and inductee into the clubs Hall of Fame across an eleven year stretch. Played over 300 times for the club after signing for a seven-figure fee from Crystal Palace. Worked as assistant and caretaker manager, six years after leaving the West Midlands.

Peter Ndlovu 1991 – 1997

The Zimbabwean international left his home country to sign for Coventry in 1991. Made 176 top-flight appearances across six years in the West Midlands. Found the net 39 times in the league.

Cyrille Regis 1984 – 1991

Enjoyed a very successful career where he was loved dearly at West Brom, but winning the 1987 FA Cup was his only major trophy. Found the net 61 times during his time at Coventry. Hit sixteen league goals in the cup-winning campaign, playing 282 times during his spell at the West Midlands club.

Dion Dublin 1994 – 1998

Multi-million-pound signing from Manchester United in 1994. His signing proved a great punt, scoring 63 times including eighteen in 97/98 when he was joint top scorer in the Premier League. Sold that year for almost three times the fee that the Sky Blues paid after playing 151 times.

Tommy Hutchinson 1972 – 1981

Three-time Player of the Year winner in nine years. Nicknamed ‘Mr Magic’ for his performances in the middle of the park. Played 314 times for Coventry, leaving him sixth on the all-time appearance list.

Steve Ogrizovic 1984 – 2000

Top of the tree in terms of appearances for Coventry with 601. Managed to score once in a draw with Sheffield Wednesday in 1986. Was caretaker manager twice for the club, along with being the reserve team manager.

Coventry City Team Metrics and Performance

This is the fifth season in a row that Coventry have been an EFL Championship side, after winning League One in 2019/20. Last term, Coventry finished in 9^th spot with 64 points. The Sky Blues' Play-Off push ended due to their congested schedule towards the end of the season. The club had a memorable FA Cup run, scoring twice to turn around their cup tie at Wolves, before bowing out in the Semi-Finals to Manchester United on penalties after an exhilarating 3-3 draw AET.

In 2022/23, there was more heartbreak at Wembley. After finishing in fifth spot, and overcoming Middlesbrough in the Play-Off Semi-Finals, Coventry lost to Luton on penalties in the Final. It marked a remarkable turnaround, going from League Two to within penalties of the Premier League within five years.

After a season in lockdown, their first back in the second tier, Coventry finished in 12^th spot, continuing their upward progression. Viktor Gyökeres topped the scoring charts for the second campaign in a row, netting 21 league goals after 17 the year before.

Until finishing in ninth spot last season, Coventry had experienced six years of upward progression, which began by winning the League Two Play-Offs in 2017/18.

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Coventry City Pitch and Amenities

Coventry play their home games at the Coventry Building Society Arena, also known as the CBS Arena. The Sky Blues moved to their current home in 2005, after leaving Highfield Road following 106 years at their old home.

Disputes over rent meant that the club played away from Coventry on numerous occasions. This started by playing at Northampton Town’s Sixfields Stadium and then home of Birmingham City, St Andrew’s.

The CBS Arena has four stands, named:

• North Stand
• West Stand
• East Stand
• South Stand

The first three stands house home supporters, while the South Stand is split between home and away fans. The grounds capacity is set at 32,609 but segregation means the selling capacity is slightly slower. Many concerts have also happened at the ground, which increases the capacity to beyond 40,000.

Coventry City Fan Base and Support

Coventry’s support is right back at its best currently, following a tricky decade off the pitch. The Sky Blues fans who stuck by the club during spells in Birmingham and Northampton cannot have their loyalty questioned, and are enjoying the good times at the CBS Arena once again.

Some of the figures dipped below five figures in the 2010’s, but attendances have risen year on years since lockdown. Back in the days when Coventry were a First Division side, they averaged over 30k in some years.

Performances on the pitch will have helped in rising numbers in the stands, but a new generation of Sky Blues fans will hopefully have been born with a side playing in their home city. It should be hoped that the days played away from the CBS Arena are long gone now, and the ground can be close to be sold out most weeks.

Coventry City Rivalries and Notable Matches

Coventry’s fiercest rivals are Leicester City, and the two sides compete in the M69 derby. The two sides had endured years apart during the past decade, with Leicester’s rise to the top coinciding with Coventry dropping into the fourth tier. First meeting over 100 years ago, the sides have clashed on 88 occasions, with Leicester having the upper hand.

West Midlands derbies against Aston Villa and Wolves were particularly strong in between 1960 and 1990, whilst Birmingham were also considered local rivalries until the Blues allowed Coventry to ground share in the last few years.

Some notable matches between these two teams include:

• December 1^st, 1964 – League Cup: Coventry City 1-8 Leicester City
• December 23^rd, 1985 – First Division: Leicester City 5-1 Coventry City
• April 7^th, 2001 – Premier League: Leicester City 1-3 Coventry City
• January 13^th, 2024 – Championship: Coventry City 3-1 Leicester City

Coventry City Facts

Coventry City History

Founded in 1883 under their old name, Coventry City joined the Southern League in 1908 before they were a Football League outfit eleven years later after the end of WW1. The Sky Blues flipped between the divisions in the first few decades, dropped as low as the Fourth Division in the 50’s before reaching the top-flight eight years later.

They had a spell in the top tier of English football that lasted until the turn of the millennium, a spell of 34 years where they enjoyed European Inter-Cities Fairs Cup action in 1970. In 1987, Coventry City defeated Tottenham Hotspur 3-2 to win their only major trophy, the FA Cup.

This century has been a massive struggle though. After dropping out of the top-flight, ownership and stadium issues clouded a side that were relegated in 2012 and 2017 to end up in League Two. They immediately won promotion back to the third tier, then won the title two seasons later to play Championship football once more. A return to the top-flight though has so far eluded the club, with an agonising defeat on penalties to Luton in 2023 in the Play-Off Final.

Coventry City Social Media Links

To see any regular updates on Coventry City, the clubs social media pages, particularly X, is the best possible way. The club have just under 200k followers on that particular platform, where you can find all the latest news, including the recent managerial changes.

Below are the links for the clubs' Twitter, and the website:

Coventry City (@Coventry_City) on X
https://www.ccfc.co.uk/

Coventry City Outlook and Forecast

Coventry will have had hopes of the Play-Offs at the beginning of the campaign after last years near miss. But their inconsistent start saw Mark Robins dismissed, with Chelsea and England manager Frank Lampard tasked with turning the Sky Blues campaign around.

That requires a monumental second-half of the season to get anywhere near the top six, with Coventry eleven points adrift. At current, the gap is only six points to the bottom three, so they need to put some daylight between the sides fighting relegation first. Expect a mid-table finish for the club, depending on the January business and how the squad begins to click in the final 24 games of the campaign.

Frequently Asked Questions on Coventry City

How much would it cost to buy Coventry City Football Club?

Dough King acquired the Sky Blues last year to end the controversial and often disastrous SISU era. He has an 85% stake in the club, but his deal to seal the stadium as part of a £25m was rejected. Mike Ashley owns the ground with his Fraser Group company buying the CBS Arena for £17m. On the basis of the above, you can expect the club to be worth around the £25m figure, although that would rise significantly with promotion to the Premier League. For example, Sheffield United were recently sold for a £105m fee due to their recent top-flight spell and the accompanying parachute payments.

Who are Coventry’s biggest rivals?

Leicester City are considered to be Coventry’s biggest rivals, and the two sides compete in the M69 derby between the East and West Midlands sides. Both sides won one game a piece last season, the first time the sides had met in eleven years. In terms of other rivalries, the Sky Blues shared fierce games against Aston Villa and Wolves decades ago, while also competing against other West Midlands outfits.

What was the old name of Coventry City FC?

The old name of Coventry City was Singers F.C. The club was originally formed in 1883, named after the Singer Sewing Machine Company, which had a factory in the city. But in 1898 they adopted their current name and then joined the Southern League.

In which league is Coventry City?

Coventry City compete in the EFL Championship. The Sky Blues have ambitions of being a Premier League club though, and have narrowly missed out on promotion in the past two seasons.

Is Coventry City a big club?

Coventry City can be considered a relatively big club, after their 34-year spell in the top flight at the end of the 20^th century. However, they have only won one major trophy during their existence, the famous 1987 FA Cup win over Tottenham Hotspur. Having fallen on hard times twice that resulted in the club dropping into the fourth tier, the Sky Blues are on their way back to making a second return to the top-flight.

Where to watch Coventry City?

To watch the club live, you would have to attend a home game at the Coventry Building Society Arena. Alternatively, you could watch one of their 23 league games away from home. As part of the new Sky Sports deal for the EFL, at least 24 Coventry City games will be available to watch on TV too.