retired_vikkylj

This is excellent stuff SBA.Good to see a super sky blues story on the go even though your performance as manager so far have left the fans frustrated at your appointment

retired_trainer21

MATCH REPORT from the CET

Sunday 7 December 2003

CITY 1
Adebola 12

Sunderland 1
Proctor 35

City Are Left Battered, Bruised, But Not Beaten

The Physio's Room was a hive of activity following this, the latest of the traditional Highfield Road Sunderland scuffles as the Sky Blues saw no less than 4 of their players have their impact on the game affected due to injury.

Michael Doyle had to be withdrawn from the fray even before Dele Adebola had given City the rare luxury of an early lead. Adebola then suffered the same fate early in the second period before further knocks to Gary McAllister and even Scott Shearer in injury time at the end of the game, and that at a time when City had used all 3 available substitutes. On reflection SBA will surely be satisfied with the point, City's 10th draw in their opening 19 games.

Julian Joachim's loan move to Hull City will go through early next week and he was clearly not at the races although to be fair SBA had been forced to deploy him on the left hand side of midfield after Doyle's injury. This paved the way for young Avun Jephcott to make his first team debut alongside Adebola and he has every reason to be pleased with his display.

Jephcott was deployed as a lone striker for much of the second half, owing to Adebola's injury and a lack of options on the City bench. Lee Fowler replaced Adebola as SBA was forced to revert to his 5-man midfield formula, not ideal in a home game he would have been looking to win.

After the Mackems had spurned a couple of early openings it was City, starting the game at the bottom of Division One after Bradford's win yesterday, who cheered the home fans with a goal from their first attack.

There looked to be no danger as the recalled Shearer punted a long ball into the visitors' half, but Youssef Safri simply stood and watched as two Sunderland defenders jumped for the same ball before both combining to miss leaving Safri with the ball at his feet and plenty of space ahead of him. He timed his pass superbly for ADEBOLA who calmly slotted the ball beneath the 'keeper to go joint top at the head of City's scoring charts.

There quickly followed a booking for the visitors' eventual goalscorer Proctor, who was involved in a further incident shortly afterwards whereby TV replays confirmed that he displayed clear dissent towards the referee who in turn displayed incredible leniency in not giving the striker his second yellow card.

Proctor then completed the frustrating episode as far as City were concerned as he escaped the attentions of Konjic on the right edge of the area to fire brilliantly across Shearer and into the net on 35 minutes.

Gary McAllister, making a rare start for the Sky Blues, had orchestrated play well in the first half but spent the majority of the second hampered by a knock just when it appeared as though Sunderland could be there for the taking as the game wore on.

Shearer was forced into a great reaction save seven minutes from time and the draw was undoubtedly the fair result but SBA will surely be left feeling that a fully fit City side in the second half could well have taken a much-needed win from this scrappy encounter.

City go up one place to 23rd in the Division One table. The next action is against Nottingham Forest (19th) at Highfield Road next Saturday.

MATCH STATS

Goal Attempts

Coventry City 2
Sunderland 4

Corners

Coventry City 1
Sunderland 0

retired_kpr

I shall be reading this from now on. Play up Sky Blues!

retired_trainer21

SBA talks exclusively to CM Stories

Wednesday 10 December 2003

"From small acorns grow large oak trees", so the saying goes, and let's hope that come the end of the season we find there to be a semblance of truth in that for this week I am writing the column on the back of two draws - the very fact that this equates to an improvement tells us all we need to know about how disappointing the season has been to date.

Just a shame we couldn't have kept 11 fit players on the pitch on Saturday. We were certainly hampered by circumstances beyond our control and when even Scott Shearer was rolling around in agony in injury time I couldn't help but afford myself a wry smile!!

Julian Joachim's loan move to Hull City now paves the way for other strikers in the squad to stake a claim for the places available. Avun Jephcott's debut performance on Saturday certainly does his chances no harm. His first ever appearance on the substitutes bench only lasted five minutes before he replaced the unfortunate Michael Doyle who is keen to attract interest from elsewhere now that he has been transfer listed.

As far as new arrivals are concerned I hope to be able to bring you news on that front within the next week.

So we meet old rivals Nottingham Forest at Highfield Road on Saturday who, like ourselves, have had a difficult time of it this season and we currently exist as examples to Premiership sides of the harsh new world that can lie ahead should the nightmare scenario of relegation from the top flight ever materialise for real.

There will be no place for sentiment on Saturday though. Our third win of the season is long overdue.

SBA

retired_curlleigh

Just read the whole thing

Great work, sir, and best of luck avoiding both the drop and the boot

retired_trainer21

SKY BLUE NEWS

Thursday 11 December 2003

Fixture Switch

Coventry City have been contacted by the FA and been informed that they will face Sheffield United this Saturday at Highfield Road, and not Nottingham Forest as previously thought.

The Forest fixture will now take place next Wednesday, on the 17th, which was when the Blades match was originally scheduled for.

This has obviously led to huge inconvenience for the clubs involved, especially for those at Bramall Lane & The City Ground.

FA Cup 3rd Round Draw

City are faced with a trip to Meadow Lane to face Notts County. The match will take place on Saturday 3 January 2004.

More Injury Woe

Following on from the Sunderland 'scrap' SBA has been struck with yet more injury blows to key members of his first team squad.

Patrick Suffo and David Pipe were both crocked in training this week. Suffo is expected to be sidelined for 2 weeks with a damaged shoulder while Pipe could be out for up to 8 weeks having torn a calf muscle.

To Appear Here ... Match Report from the game against the promotion-chasing Blades from Highfield Road ...

retired_trainer21

MATCH REPORT from the CET

Saturday 13 December 2003

CITY 0

Sheffield United 0

City Draw Another Blank Against 10-man Blades

SBA must be wondering when his luck is going to change after seeing his side give up a seemingly heaven-sent opportunity to take all three points as they chalked up draw number 11 at Highfield Road on Saturday.

The Sky Blues had outplayed their in-form visitors for long periods during the first half before Ashley Ward was given a straight red card just before half time for leading with the elbow in an aerial challenge with Calum Davenport. But the Blades were resolute in the second half and were visibly delighted at the final whistle to have taken a point from the game.

Avun Jephcott was rewarded for his display last weekend as he lined up alongside Dele Adebola in a new partnership up front, Gary McAllister playing just off them and fit-again Michael Doyle swopping flanks at regular intervals as SBA sought new ways of breaking down the stubborn Yorkshiremen as the game wore on.

It was McAllister who fired City's best opportunity of the first half just over the crossbar much to the relief of 'keeper Paddy Kenny.

SBA would have expected nothing less than 100% in the energy department from the Blades but they were lacking in quality with Youssef Safri doing an effective marking job to limit the supply coming from dangerman Michael Tonge.

Graham Barrett had been drafted in as substitute following a consistent run of form for the reserves and he replaced Lee Fowler who had to be treated following a nasty clash late in the opening half.

United left one man up front with the rest virtually anywhere between the ball and their goal in the second half as the game developed the feel of an attack versus defence training session.

The Sky Blues found space more and more difficult to come by although with 20 minutes remaining Adebola clipped over an inviting cross which was met by Jephcott who was denied his first senior goal due to a flying fingertip stop from Kenny.

City ended the game bereft of ideas and when Barrett's wildly ambitious 90th minute left foot swinger found the second tier of the stand behind the goal, the City fans headed as a man to the exits.

To add insult to injury SBA now finds himself in charge of a side who are genuinely bottom of the table. However a win against Nottingham Forest on Wednesday could see City out of the bottom three.

Surely the clever money is on the draw ...

MATCH STATS

Goal Attempts

Coventry City 7
Sheffield United 2

Corners

Coventry City 5
Sheffield United 0

retired_trainer21

MATCH REPORT from the CET

Wednesday 17 December 2003

CITY 2
Staunton 82, 90

Nottingham Forest 1
Johnson 4

Stan The Man Shoots City To Unlikely Victory

Manager SBA has probably endured many a sleepless night during his time in charge so far as he has pondered over team selections and other conundrums that come as part and parcel of football management, but he won't take long to decide on the first name on his Christmas Card list this year ... it will have to be Steve Staunton.

Without a win in two months, City were indebted to the veteran Irishman as he hammered two screamers into the same corner of the visitors' net in the last ten minutes of the game to leave the long suffering City fans pinching themselves in disbelief at what they had just witnessed, and grateful for the bizarre circumstances that helped contribute to it.

The extraordinary finale was all a million miles away from a depressing opening to the game which saw livewire David Johnson complete a crisp Forest move as City's defence, in a new-look 3-5-2 formation, was cut to shreads inside five minutes.

Stuart Giddings came into the back line with Mo Konjic still on the bench as SBA looked to combat the obvious threat of pace in the Forest line-up.

It seems almost as though there is a City player making his debut with every game they play. This time it was the turn of young Isaac Osbourne, coming in to replace Lee Fowler who could be out for a few weeks following his setback on Saturday.

Andrew Whing was forced to miss his first game of the season through suspension. Craig Pead did a decent job at right wing back with Michael Doyle on the opposite side.

City were having similar trouble to that which they encountered on Saturday in that Forest, after the goal, had something to cling onto as City saw much of the ball but rarely threatened 'keeper Ward in the visitors' goal.

The game turned on one incident and no doubt gave SBA renewed faith that the footballing gods aren't all against him after all.

75 minutes on the clock and with Forest having made all three of their substitutions 'keeper Ward had to be withdrawn, much to the manager's dismay, when he was knocked unconscious after coming off his line for a Sky Blues' corner.

He was in no fit state to continue and striker Marlon Harewood was the unlucky man to be thrown the gloves with the visitors naturally reduced to ten men.

The crowd suddenly found their collective voice, SBA practically had a hernia in trying to lift his troops for one final effort, and City, or should I say Staunton, who had only been on the pitch a matter of minutes, responded with two absolutely priceless goals.

Following a frenzied spell of pressure Graham Barrett knocked the ball square to the Irishman who drilled a 25-yard effort through a ruck of players and into the top left hand corner. Harewood was unmoved but it was unlikely that even a full time stopper would have had much of a prayer.

Forest were simply swamped after that with the City players at times unwilling to take a shot when well placed, much to the frustration of the home fans. But they were to be ultimately rewarded for their loyalty in turning out to support a side at the very foot of Division One on this damp December evening.

The Sky Blues won a free kick deep in injury time, again about 25 yards out.

Staunton was not to be denied and left the posse of City players who had gathered around the ball in absolutely no doubt as to who was taking the kick.

The former Villa man was to be the toast of Highfield Road as he swept the ball up and over the wall before finding the same corner of the net which he had located just minutes before.

In reality it was a fortunate 2-1 win against a side reduced to ten men and with a centre forward in goal. It was only City's third success of the season, but the circumstances dictated that the City faithful celebrated in such ecstatic fashion.

Even in such a dismal footballing season, these are the kind of moments which can, in an instant, make it all seem worthwhile.

City travel to Portman Road to face Ipswich Town on Saturday, themselves just a couple of places above the Sky Blues, who are now in 22nd.

MATCH STATS

Goal Attempts

Coventry City 4
Nottingham Forest 2

Corners

Coventry City 6
Nottingham Forest 3

To Appear Here ... SBA's weekly column as he looks back at the Sheffield United game and the dramatic Forest finale ...

[This message was edited by SBA on 24 January 2004 at 2:31.]

retired_trainer21

SBA talks exclusively to CM Stories

Thursday 18 December 2003

So, another week has passed in the roller-coaster story that is Coventry City FC!!

It makes a very pleasant change to be able to reflect on a victory - still fresh in the memory - and I'm sure you'd agree that few have ever been achieved in such dramatic style as the one last night.

We were incredibly fortunate to see Forest reduced to ten men, and there is no doubting that a previously unseen air of anticipation and belief swept over the stadium as we saw frontman Marlon Harewood take his place in goal for the visitors.

It is often said that these things even themselves up over the season and we all enjoyed a laugh and a joke at the training ground this morning as I nominated our emergency goalkeeper in the event of us being struck down by a similar fate to that which Forest were last night!!

However we mustn't take anything away from Steve Staunton who produced such a timely reminder of his goalscoring prowess from distance - he certainly doesn't score tap-ins!!

There was an uplifting feel about the whole club following the game last night as well as at the training ground today and I'm certainly enjoying writing this column far more than I have done in previous weeks.

On Saturday ten-man Sheffield United were not affected in the same way as Forest were and to be fair to them defended with military-like discipline to ensure we didn't find a way through.

Whilst we acknowledge that the win last night was fortunate, we must give credit where it is due for the perseverance shown right until the final whistle.

The sequence of three consecutive home games is now at an end. I remember stating beforehand that we should look on the games as an opportunity to provide a springboard for the rest of the season. I was looking for 2 wins out of 3 but the 5 points we have gleaned is obviously the next best return.

We're all looking forward to going to Portman Road on Saturday with the lads determined to work overtime to try and lift the club out of the Division One drop zone.

SBA

retired_steffani

Great story buddy kutgw!