retired_trainer21

SBA Talks Exclusively To CM Stories

Friday 9 January 2004

So we've seen a somewhat mixed first week of 2004 - we certainly intend to have steadied the rocking ship somewhat by the time we get to week 52 of 2004!!

I don't really want to mull over our shattering FA Cup exit. This club has a long history of faltering at the hands of lower league opposition and it seems that, no matter who the manager, it is a curse that is as tough as ever to break away from.

Suffice to say I learned some valuable lessons from it. In hindsight it was not a great idea to have used up all three substitutions with over twenty minutes of the game to go. Circumstances can sometimes dictate that such a move is necessary - i.e. if you're chasing a game. However in this instance that was not the case and to lose a 1-0 lead within the space of 15 minutes was not acceptable but the fact we were left exposed with just ten fit players means I have to shoulder a large part of the blame.

On a far more uplifting note it is great to see us out of the bottom three thanks to an encouraging December. It was important to try and bounce back from the Cup defeat to ensure our much-improved league form was not affected and the response we did see was fantastic.

Cardiff would have been very warm favourites to have beaten us on Wednesday night but we were full value for the point we came away with.

Mark Goodman will not be a familiar name amongst the media or the rest of the footballing world but he has led the Under 19 side's attack with a highly aggressive and energetic approach which has had all of the coaching staff here sit up and take notice. For him to grab our equaliser, and some equaliser it was too, has had him recalling the move and excellent finish to all who have been willing to listen!!

He's certainly full of confidence and looks to be full of goals - needless to say we will be monitoring his progress closely in the weeks ahead to assess whether he is ready for a permanent step up to first team level.

We must be careful in the way we nurture the youngsters. Isaac Osbourne made an excellent impression on the first team during his first few games with us but I felt he needed a break at Ninian Park and I will be consulting him before tomorrow's game before naming my team.

Tomorrow's game against Crystal Palace sees us go into it as favourites with Palace a few points below us in the table.

We'll be looking to get the win, with another home game against Millwall to follow in midweek.

By the time I write the column next week I would expect us to be in a position from which we can realistically build towards attaining the mid-table finish which we've now made our aim.

SBA

retired_trainer21

Friday 9 January 2004

We welcome back Graham Abraham to talk to us for a Sky Blue Fans' Perspective ...

CET: Graham, a very warm welcome back - you must be relatively pleased with the way things have gone since you last talked to us.

Graham: Yes, thanks. We've picked up now with only one league defeat in the last seven games. I'm trying to focus on that rather than our shocking FA Cup exit.

It was another embarrassing one wasn't it.

Just a bit. I reckon if we were top of the Premiership we'd still manage to get knocked out of a Cup competition by some lower division club.

After the brief flirtation with the relegation zone do you now think we're back on track.

We're heading in the right direction at the moment but that could all change tomorrow - if we get beaten by Palace we'll be back in the thick of it again. I'm confident but you can never be over-confident as a City fan.

You must have been delighted with the Mark Goodman equaliser the other night.

Yes. There weren't many of us who'd made the trip and in fact quite a few fans had already left the ground before we got the equaliser but it was a quality goal - the kid has left himself with plenty to live up to now!!

Some of the younger City players have come in and done a job which a lot of the more established professionals at the club would have been pleased with haven't they.

That's the way I see it, yes. But hopefully a bit of competition will do them good - the last thing we want is players who think they've got an automatic right to be on the teamsheet every week. I think only Calum Davenport and Andrew Whing have been consistently in the side this season - but even they aren't ever-presents.

How do you feel about Matthew Kilgallon coming to the end of his loan spell and going back to Leeds?

I'd love him to stay but he's just signed a new deal with Leeds. He's done OK alongside Davenport - hopefully if Mo Konjic is brought back into the side he can raise his game to a level where we won't miss Kilgallon. I do think we need some more cover in the central defensive area though. There's plenty of competition in the midfield and up front but if we get hit with injuries at the back we could be left a bit short.

Thanks for joining us again Graham.

See you next time.

*To Appear Here - Match Report On City's Game Against The Eagles*

retired_trainer21

MATCH REPORT from the CET

Saturday 10 January 2004

CITY 0

Crystal Palace 1
Freedman 74

Eagles Claw City Back To Square One

The Sky Blues find themselves back in the bottom three of Division One as resolute Crystal Palace took all three points away from Highfield Road on Saturday.

After making encouraging strides forward in recent times City took a huge step backwards again as they turned in a disappointing display. To be fair to Palace they were the better side in most departments and will argue that they fully merited the precious victory.

SBA was keen to make his attacking intentions known from the outset as the Sky Blues lined up in a 4-4-2 formation with Avun Jephcott and, Wednesday night's hero, Mark Goodman, leading the line. Youssef Safri and Graham Barrett were given the responsibility of feeding the front pairing with Craig Pead and Isaac Osbourne inside them.

It will be interesting to now see whether SBA will revert back to his preferred 4-5-1 system for the home game in midweek, having previously been questioned for using such a formula for games at Highfield Road.

Dangerman Wayne Routledge looked to be the jewel in the Palace pack and was kept in check for most of the game but he was to provide the pinpoint cross which enabled Dougie Freedman to hook home the only goal of the game with a quarter of an hour to go.

Scott Shearer was rarely called upon throughout the afternoon but Palace were guilty of spurning several good chances to have gone ahead a lot earlier than they eventually did.

After a bright start by the visitors City enjoyed their best spell of the game approaching half time. Calum Davenport saw a header cleared off the line while Craig Pead was left holding his head in his hands after his 20-yard effort was turned away for a corner.

Mark Goodman came close to scoring goals in consecutive matches but his nimble shot on the turn just grazed the crossbar with the 'keeper beaten.

With Palace in front it was backs to the wall defending for them in the final moments but City's attacks, although frenzied, were rather without direction by that stage.

Having set up the possibility of moving five points clear of the relegation zone City now find themselves back in it in 22nd place with Palace having replaced them in 21st.

City must take something from Wednesday night's game against Millwall or they risk facing a battle to stay up for the remaining four months of the season. Defeat could mean that SBA is not here to see out those four months.

MATCH STATS

Goal Attempts

Coventry City 6
Crystal Palace 8

Corners

Coventry City 11
Crystal Palace 9

retired_trainer21

MATCH REPORT from the CET

Wednesday 14 January 2004

CITY 2
Goodman 1, 38

Millwall 0

Goodman On The Mark Twice As City Tame Lions

Mark Goodman is fast becoming a Highfield Road hero. He notched his second and third Sky Blue goals to give SBA the tonic he was looking for following Saturday's setback as City enjoyed the rare luxury of cruising to a comfortable victory over Millwall.

Goodman is packing the killer punch the Sky Blues have lacked all season. Tonight he was on hand right from the off to ensure City would have the perfect platform from which to secure their fifth league win of the campaign.

SBA continued with the 4-4-2 formation which had failed him against Crystal Palace. The injury-prone Patrick Suffo was recalled from the wilderness and he partnered Goodman up front, laying on both goals for the youngster.

Calum Davenport was suffering from a slight knock forcing SBA into an interesting switch at the back. Andrew Whing was moved from his accustomed right back slot to partner Matthew Kilgallon inside full backs Pead (right) and Staunton (left). Stephen Warnock came into midfield alongside Osbourne and they were flanked by Safri and Barrett.

City were boosted by a goal inside 35 seconds.

Warnock made a telling 50-yard pass from inside his own half which Suffo ran on to before unselfishly squaring for that man GOODMAN who patiently drew the 'keeper before side-footing the ball neatly inside his near post.

Following the goal the game was played in fifth gear for the next ten minutes. Osbourne and Staunton were both booked for some over-enthuastic tackling.

City were content to hit the visitors on the break and SBA will be delighted to have witnessed such telepathic understanding between his two front men. Suffo had clearly been itching to get back in the first team frame and he provided the perfect foil for Goodman who was constantly darting about looking for space from where he could hurt Millwall.

City could have gone two up as Craig Pead supplied an inviting low cross for Barrett who swept the ball towards the far post before a full stretch save from Warner saved the visitors' blushes.

Just when it was beginning to look as though City would be glad to get into half time in front they had the added bonus of a second goal.

They will not score a more simplistic goal this season as Suffo flicked on a long Shearer clearance. GOODMAN raced onto it and found himself with only the 'keeper to beat in the second instalment of their own individual battle. The outcome was the same as the youngster coolly slid the ball beneath the stopper before racing towards the disbelieving City support.

The Sky Blues got through the crucial opening twenty minutes of the second half - Whing and Kilgallon proving to be as solid as anything previously seen from a City defence this season.

Shearer was only called upon to make routine stops while City could have increased their advantage at the other end.

Suffo was replaced to a standing ovation. His replacement, Adebola, was put clean through in the final stages but fired wide of the target.

SBA's relief was obvious at the final whistle, and he made a bee-line for Goodman, the man it seems who is most likely to keep SBA at the club for any considerable amount of time. It will be interesting to see whether the striker can go on to carry such a huge burden on his young shoulders. It looks as though he has no choice in the matter though. Three goals in three games dictate that he will continue to take his place in the City side this weekend.

The Sky Blues travel to The Brittania Stadium, Stoke, on Saturday. Stoke are the success story of the Division this season. They are currently second in the table and drew 0-0 at Highfield Road when the sides met first time around.

City move back out of the bottom three with this result, into 21st place in Division One. Crystal Palace did not play and so have a game in hand on the Sky Blues.

MATCH STATS

Goal Attempts

Coventry City 10
Millwall 10

Corners

Coventry City 3
Millwall 3

retired_trainer21

SKY BLUE NEWS

Thursday 15 January 2004

Ferguson To Join The Sky Blues In The Summer

No, not that Ferguson ...

The Sky Blues have agreed terms to bring Wrexham's Darren Ferguson to the club in the summer. It is understood that he will be joining City's coaching team - it is unclear as yet whether the 31-year old will come into SBA's on-field plans.

retired_trainer21

SBA Talks Exclusively To CM Stories ...

Friday 16 January 2004

Yet another week of mixed emotions draws to a close.

The players were absolutely shattered with the result against Crystal Palace last weekend. We plugged and plugged away but lacked the cutting edge necessary to break them down. Having not won away from home all season, and with us being in a similar position to Palace, we would do well to look at their Highfield Road performance and take things which we could learn from on our travels.

Those involved were absolutely bursting to get out there against Millwall and put things right - it was good for us to have a game so quickly following the defeat.

The response was immediate. Much of the pre-game talk and preparation for a game is often obliterated if there is such an early goal in a game - thankfully for us it went in at the right end and we never looked back.

I've intentionally gone this far into the column without mentioning man of the moment Mark Goodman. I haven't got anything else to add to the plaudits he has already received following three goals in three games. He is providing something we haven't really had all season - an end product to help turn pressure into goals. He is proving a real bonus for us right now but I don't want it to be left unsaid that Patrick Suffo had an excellent game against Millwall and worked tirelessly to make an impact after such a long spell on the sidelines.

We will be giving it everything at second-placed Stoke to try and secure our long awaited first away victory of the season - and given our unpredictable run of results lately, even the shrewdest of pundits surely wouldn't rule it out completely.

SBA

retired_trainer21

MATCH REPORT from the CET

Saturday 17 January 2004

Stoke City 4
Marinelli 34
Noel-Williams 45
O'Connor 60
Asaba 62

CITY 0

Stunning Stoke Heap The Pain On The Sky Blues

City suffered their worst defeat of the season at The Brittania Stadium this afternoon, going down by four goals to their high flying, John Eustace-inspired, hosts.

All four goals were scored in a terminal 28 minute spell either side of half time and sent the Sky Blues slipping back into the bottom three. They were well beaten, with not even Mark Goodman able to raise hopes amongst the City faithful.

SBA kept faith in the Goodman-Suffo partnership which had served him so well against Millwall but they were never given anything to feed off with John Eustace turning in a fine performance against his old club.

Calum Davenport returned to the heart of the City defence with Andrew Whing reverting back to his preferred right back role.

Graham Barrett was given the job of marking perceived dangerman Marinelli but could do nothing as the Stoke man took the chance to put the home side a goal up direct from a free kick. The ball edged just inside Shearer's right hand post and with it went any hope the Sky Blues had of taking anything from the game.

On the stroke of half time Gifton Noel-Williams, though looking suspiciously offside, ghosted into space before firing past the hapless Shearer to double Stoke's lead.

City skipper Steve Staunton had to leave the fray at half time through injury. He was replaced by Stuart Giddings as SBA encouraged his midfield to get forward to support the front men but in truth Stoke were winning the majority of the tackles and 50-50 balls and it was no surprise when they went on to round off the afternoon's scoring with two goals in three minutes.

City must have been fearing a far heavier defeat than the one they ended up with but Stoke appeared to go down a couple of gears as the half wore on.

SBA needs to go back to the drawing board after this defeat. It would not have been a game he would have been expected to take something from but with the sides around them picking up form the dark clouds are once again hovering above Highfield Road.

City are back into 22nd place in Division One and now have an 11-day break before facing West Ham at Highfield Road. The Hammers find themselves only a couple of places better off than City.

MATCH STATS

Goal Attempts

Stoke City 6
Coventry City 1

Corners

Stoke City 1
Coventry City 3

retired_trainer21

SKY BLUE NEWS

Monday 19 January 2004

Morrell transfer-listed

City striker Andy Morrell is the latest Sky Blues player to be made available for transfer by his manager SBA. City will not necessarily be looking to attract a fee for the striker who, last season, scored more goals than any other player across the four divisions of English football.

Morrell's chances have been limited this season and he has found the net on only a couple of occasions. He currently seems to be way down the pecking order of strikers at the club.

Financial Frustrations Continue

SBA will be looking to use the 11-day break from fixtures to comprehensively search for players to improve his squad. Funds are very limited - especially as the club are having difficulty in attracting interest for several players currently on the transfer list.

Richard Shaw, Dean Gordon, Gary McAllister, Barry Quinn & now Morrell have all been available and offered to clubs but as yet City are still faced with a wage bill which is proving a massive hindrance to SBA's hopes of strengthening the City squad.

retired_steffani

good story kutgw

retired_trainer21

SBA Talks Exclusively To CM Stories

Wednesday 21 January 2004

So it just proved to be one of those days where nothing went right for us on Saturday.

The free kick which put us behind was brilliantly executed - it was a bitter blow because up until that point I thought we had looked fairly untroubled considering we were playing at the home ground of a side challenging for promotion.

It was no surprise to me to see John Eustace have such an influential effect on the game. He's not the most technically gifted player in the game but then again if he was he would probably be worth millions. He works tirelessly for the cause no matter which shirt he is wearing and Stoke have been the beneficiaries of his industry this season. It was just a shame that his Sky Blue career was disrupted so much by injury - sometimes a setback like that can hamper a young player's confidence but that has not been the case with Eustace.

It was with regret that I had to place another player on the transfer list this week. Andy Morrell is well aware of the financial situation we face ourselves in at this club but also recognises the current fierce competition for places up front in the first team.

Had he made such an impact for us as he did at Wrexham last year then I doubt he would be in such a position now but that was always asking a lot when the previous manager brought him here. Unfortunately time is not on our side and cutbacks have to be made sooner rather than later.

We have a blank weekend this time around with several key players in our squad away on international duty which lingers on into next week also and will affect their involvement in next Wednesday's crunch game with West Ham.

The Hammers will no doubt be affected by the same problems so I'm not going to be banging myself against a brick wall about the international situation.

SBA