[retired_smitchell78]

i vote to keep hughes cus he could get us back up

[retired_smitchell78]

www.iccoventry.co.uk


Mo Konjic is so determined to make his mark this term that he checked himself into a health and fitness clinic for a week before joining his team-mates for pre-season training.


Having suffered with injuries so frequently since joining the club, the powerful central defender now adopts the philosophy that prevention is better than cure as he looks ahead to his second full season in a Sky Blue shirt.


His first two seasons were virtually written off due to a string of problems but City fans finally got to see and enjoy the player who cost the club £2 million from Monaco last year.


“I am fit and ready for the new season,” said the 32-year-old fans’ favourite.


“I have no injuries and no problems and just to make sure everything was 100 per cent right for the pre-season I went to a fitness clinic in Croatia during the summer.


“I have spent so much time there in the past that they know me very well and it was the perfect place to get a check up and test my fitness and ability.


“Everything is fine and I feel good and am really looking forward to our first game.


“I only missed a few games last season and my aim is to make a bit more progress and play every one this season.”


And Konjic is backing City boss Gary McAllister to lead the club to a successful promotion campaign and says that the veteran Scottish midfielder is the biggest signing of the closed season.


“He is a great motivator on and off the pitch and I see him as one of the club’s biggest signings of the summer.


“Everyone has been impressed with his ambition and with our supporters and our experience in this league, I think we can win it. And that is not crazy ambition.”

[retired_smitchell78]

www.ccfc.co.uk

Coventry City Academy's Stuart Giddings put in a solid performance as England's Under 17 side beat the Czech Republic 2-0 at Birmingham City last night.
Giddings featured at left-back and played for the whole 80 minutes in a game which saw Ipswich's Dean Bowditch provide both of the goals.

Keith O’Neill may not be fit to return to action for the start of the season on August 10 – but the winger is still optimistic about pulling on a Coventry City shirt before the year is out.
It was initially thought O’Neill would be out of action for all of this season after fracturing his leg and ankle in five places in a horrendous training ground accident in April.
But after appearing to heal well, the Republic of Ireland international had his plaster cast removed two weeks ago and has started light fitness work.
“It feels really good to be walking around again,” said O’Neill. “I can’t run at the moment – I’m only swimming and doing similar things – but at least it’s a step forward.”
And despite the early prognosis that he could be forced to watch the whole of the 2002-03 season from the sidelines, physios and players alike say he could be back in action before Christmas.

[retired_vikkylj]

I'm city til I die,
City til I die,
I know I am,
I'm sure I am,
I'm city til I die.


Lets recite every city song up until the start of the season. Only 29 days left lads.

[retired_eburniv]

Hughes will not be coming back to Albion unless Coventry drop the asking price. We aren't going to pay you the full 5 mill back. Word is we won't pay any less than 3M and even then Hughes will have to accept a pay cut.

[retired_smitchell78]

plus kidderminster get a percentage of fee

[retired_smitchell78]

www.iccoventry.co.uk

Coventry kid Craig Reid has signed for Ipswich Town after being released by the Sky Blues.

The 16-year-old striker had been with City for 12 months but was reluctantly let go due to financial constraints on the soccer academy.

But the former Cardinal Wiseman schoolboy who scored 12 goals last season, took part in exit trials where he attracted the interest of the Tractor Boys and Arsenal.

"Both clubs said they were interested in me and I went for trials but felt that I would have a better chance at Ipswich and was really impressed with the set up and how friendly everyone was," said Reid of Binley Road, Coventry.

was disappointed not to be kept on by my home town club but we left on good terms and from what I was told it was all to do with the financial problems at the club rather than not wanting me.

"I am just looking forward to making a fresh start and delighted that I have been able to find another club."

New City academy director Steve Ogrizovic said: "Unfor-tunately at the end of February when Craig was told we could-n't keep him on, a lot of decisions were made on a financial basis and we were unable to offer him a place at that time.

"It is disappointing because we had picked him up from the local leagues and he had spent a season with us.

"He is a good prospect and we wish him every success in the future."

[retired_smitchell78]

Magnus Hedman is more than happy to stay at Highfield Road and play his part in helping the club win promotion back to the Premiership.

The Swedish international, who returned for pre-season training this week after being granted extended leave following his role in the World Cup, is excited about the new campaign when he insists he will be in the best form of his career.

And Hedman is keen to put the record straight after some reports over the summer have suggested he is desperate to leave the Sky Blues.

"I think it is important to state the fact that I have never said I want to leave Coventry," said the ambitious 29-year-old, who thought he was on his way to Espanyol until they couldn't stump up the £2 million price.

"What I have said is that my target is to play on the big stage because I am coming back from the World Cup now and it is obvious that you want to compete with the best players.

"But there is also another side to it because I was also part of the squad when we went down and I would love to be part of the squad taking us back up.

So I am not just going to go for the sake of it and leave for a club that will be struggling in the Premiership or wherever in the world it might be.

"Everything has to be right and everything felt right at Espanyol when I was down there.

"It was quite similar to Coventry - being a social club with a family feeling.

"They invited me down to Barcelona to sort my personal terms out and when you do something like that you think a club are going to sort the price out. Espanyol didn't have the money and that's life.

"There is not an awful lot you can do about it.

"But while I am here, and I said it to myself as soon as I walked through the door, I am here to give 100 per cent to the job. I am going to be a lot better than last season and one of our key play-ers if I am still here.

"We know the club need to cut the wage bill so I haven't asked for a transfer, but if the club have to sell me for financial reasons I will agree to do it.

"I think it is important to make certain things clear because what you say is one thing and what is written can be another. I have been here for five years and I am going into my sixth season so I have a lot of heart for the club.

"It would just be amazing to get us back up and for us to do that I know I have to play as well as I did in the last part of the World Cup, there's no doubt about it.

"The Argentina game was probably the biggest game of my career and to be able to make the saves that we needed and hear the whistle go was just amazing.

My self confidence is way up now and I am looking forward to going into another season because I know I will perform well.

"I learned a lot of things out in Japan and Korea, particularly how to approach big games.

"Every game will be massive for us this season because in my opinion Coventry have to go back up this year.

"It feels good to be back and really good to see the boys again and the staff seem real-ly good. I was happy coming back and glad to see my teammates and Macca smiling."



* ERIC DELOUMEAUX has signed for Aberdeen, ending speculation that he is on his way to Highfield Road.

The Sky Blues have been keeping tabs on the Frenchman who was managed by City assistant manager Eric Black at Mother-well last season.

But cash-strapped Coventry were only prepared to take the right-back on a free transfer despite the best efforts by Fir Park administrators to sell him at the cut-price of £50,000.

The 29-year-old could now make his first appearance for Aberdeen today in a pre-season friendly against Brechin City.

[retired_smitchell78]

Coventry City kick off their pre-season tour in Germany tonight with four key players missing.


New loan signing Gary Caldwell and young midfielder Lee Fowler are the latest players to pick up injuries and join Lee Hughes (foot) and David Thompson (ankle) in staying behind at Ryton to recover.


The Sky Blues are set to play five matches against varying strengths of opposition, starting with the lower league SV Neusorg tonight and concluding with a triangular tournament against the more testing Bundesliga side FC Nurnberg and Bulgarian outfit Slavia Sofia on Sunday.


They will also play VFR Aalen on Wednesday and VFB Auerbach on Friday, and although McAllister can’t hide his frustration at being without the play-ers, he is looking forward to the football.


“Unfortunately there are a few key players who have had to stay behind which is a wee bit disappointing,” he said.


“We won’t have Thommo, Hughesy, Gary Caldwell and Lee Fowler so it is appointing that they are not with us.


“Gary has got a little injury to his knee which if we rush him back could be long term so the physio and doctors have advised us to keep him at Ryton and ease him back gently and hopefully he will be fit for when we get back. The same goes for the others as well.


“They need to get another week’s training under their belts and they are looking to start maybe this week and then they have got four games when we come back before we start the season. So it is up to them to get fit and get themselves in the reckoning.”


McAllister had hoped to try out centre-back Caldwell alongside Mo Konjic and as for the players ear-marked for sale, McAllister reiterated: “I’ll continue to work as if these players are with us and that won’t change until they go. I’m fed up of talking about it to be honest, it is getting a bit boring so we just continue to plan with these guys as part of the 16 to 18 man squad once we get serious.”

[retired_barbara45]

Anyone know what time kick-off ias for the friendly in Germany? I think it started at 3PM. [IMG]/infopop/emoticons/icon_confused.gif" alt="confused[/IMG]