‘If we don’t deal with it ourselves then we don’t deserve to be in the division’
ROBINS INSISTS CITY MUST TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR SURVIVAL
COVENTRY City remain masters of their own destiny despite dropping points against bottom of the league Wycombe Wanderers at the weekend.
The Sky Blues are one of six teams battling it our for survival, eight if you include Huddersfield Town and Nottingham Forest who sit just three points above Mark Robins’ men with nine and eight games remaining, respectively.
City have nine games to avoid an immediate return to League One, and Robins, like his rival relegation battling bosses, fancies his side’s chances.
Asked about results elsewhere at the weekend when Rotherham and Sheffield Wednesday, sitting third and second-bottom respectively, pulled off shock wins away from home, the City manager insisted: “It doesn’t matter. I’ve already said that if we don’t deal with it ourselves then we don’t deserve to be in the division. It’s as simple as that. We have to deal with it ourselves.”
Here’s what Robins’ relegation counterparts said after their results at the weekend:
WAYNE ROONEY ON DERBY’S 1-0 DEFEAT AT STOKE
Rooney was “hugely disappointed” by Derby County’s performance in the 1-0 defeat by Stoke City and admitted the Rams are in a relegation battle.
“We look at ourselves, that’s all we can do. But obviously the run of form over the last few weeks has not been good enough. We know, if we did not know beforehand, we are in a relegation battle.
“It was a very frustrating performance, especially first half when it felt like a testimonial game which is fine for Stoke where they are in the table, but for us that is not acceptable.
“Our plan was to be on the front foot, be aggressive and get to the ball.
“We felt by doing that we could cause Stoke problems but we didn’t do that.
“I am hugely disappointed with the performance.
“We lacked in energy and in quality going forward, and I don’t think we deserved anything from the game.”
LEE BOWYER AFTER BLUES’ 3-0 DEFEAT AT WATFORD
Overall Bowyer was happy with his side’s display, but not the result and he goes into the international break with plenty to work on. “I don’t think was a 3-0 game. “They started better than us they kept getting through our press first 10-15 minutes, they got the early goal but then we changed shape and I thought we matched them and at times we looked the more likely team to score next.
“They got some good blocks in front of goal and defended well, we moved it well at times and created chances.
“Even after the second one I thought we were on the front foot. We kept moving the ball and creating problems but that quality – Watford were more clinical. it
“I think attempts we had more, for us to have more attempts at their ground, that showed we had a go but they took their chances better than us and that’s what happens in football.
“We will learn from it, these ain’t the games that will keep us in this division. We got a good win on Wednesday and [today] a good performance, ignoring the scoreline, I thought the performance was positive.
“Watford have come down from the Premier League, you can tell the difference, for me they are going straight back up they are very good, they defended their box very well you could tell in every aspect of their game.
“The thing I will take from today learning about the group is that the Wednesday-saturday is tough. This group put so much effort into the Wednesday, I should maybe have changed it and freshened it up a little bit because we looked sluggish in the first part.
“But fair play to the players who kept going. I said to them after the game ‘be disappointed but don’t beat yourself up because we have just gone toe-to-toe with a top side and
we didn’t embarrass ourselves.’ If you are watching the game from the stands – I didn’t think there was very much in it personally, maybe I am a little bit biased.”
DARREN MOORE ON SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY’S 2-1 WIN AT IN-FORM BARNSLEY
“I am really pleased for everybody at the football club to get the three much-needed points.
“We wanted to finish the week strongly and I thought we did that. We knew we had to be strong and resolute and dependable and accountable and I think the players showed that. I thought at times in a frantic match, we put our foot on the ball and linked a few passes together and when we did get it at the far end of the pitch, Jordan Rhodes did what he does best and puts it in the back of the net, so I was really pleased.”
The run of form over the last few weeks has not been good enough. We know we are in a relegation battle. Wayne Rooney
GARETH AINSWORTH ON WYCOMBE’S DRAW AT COVENTRY
“It’s not over yet, no chance, we are still going to be battling hard and who says we can’t win every game we’ve got left? These things do happen.”