SKY BLUE THINKING
Coventry boss Robins works on a tiny budget and has nowhere to call home... but he doesn’t care one bit!
WITH two promotions in three seasons – not to mention a cup-final victory – it’s clear that Coventry City boss Mark Robins is a man in a hurry.
But anyone who thinks the ride is over had better think again because Robins has a message for those supporters who have paused for breath: strap in and get ready to go again.
The club without a home to call its own has punched so far above its weight that it doesn’t bear thinking about.
However, the handicap of playing at St Andrew’s, 23 miles down the road, did not stop him last term.
Nor does the regular problem of selling on the club’s most valuable assets, with Sam Mccallum following a well-worn path to fame and fortune. Sadly for Coventry, not with them but with Norwich City instead.
Celebrate
Robins takes it in his stride, saying: “Promotion was a great achievement and it’s a huge shame we weren’t able to celebrate with the supporters – possibly the biggest of my career.
“I’m sure the players missed it. They missed out on a lot.
It’s been a long time coming and there’s been a lot of pain.
“But it’s gone. We have to get our heads together and improve. We will need to do better.
“Yes, we have gone faster than the club anticipated. We are now in a league where the competition is very serious. We have to move with it. We have to get better – and fast.
“And there’s only one way we can do it. We cannot spend anywhere near the money that’s being spent by a lot of other clubs in the Championship.
“We will have the lowest budget in the division, barring none – and I know that Wycombe were promoted too.
“But I don’t want to dwell on that because it’s pointless – I need to bring in the players who can grow with us.
“And it’s going to be a damn sight harder now. It’s not really been picked up yet, but games are going to come at us all thick and fast because the start of the season has been pushed back and you are finishing at the same time.
“There’s a huge challenge heading towards us. If people think, ‘Fine, no worries’, then we have to change that. We have to get up to speed. There’s a huge gap between League One and the Championship.
“There are clubs working with budgets for their first team of £50-60million – and upwards of that.
“We are competing in a league that – in terms of the finances – is totally out of our league. But there are always things you can do to bridge that gap.
“I’m not making any predictions or forecasts – I don’t want to limit people’s minds. The message is: ‘Get out there and play without any fear’.
The big news from Coventry City this summer was not about a player signing, but rather an agreement struck with Warwick University, who own land suitable for the club to develop a new stadium.
Negotiations with rugby club Wasps to play at the Ricoh Arena f ell through, so the Sky Blues headed back to Birmingham.
But they have their eyes fixed firmly on building a new home. Robins called the news “really exciting” and the club finally appears to be gaining upwards traction after a largely lost decade.
He said: “It’s been a perfect storm. The circumstances of not being in Coventry, of Covid and with the television revenues going down make it so.
“It’s a constant challenge. I know it is everywhere, but this one is unique.
“We need to make sure the instability that characterised the place is taken away.
“We need to become the masters of our own destiny – then you can build, your fan base builds and your revenue builds. You can work and improve upon the infrastructure.
Boundaries
“I have so much admiration for the people who work at the club because everyone there is absolutely up to their neck – not just to keep the club going, but to keep it moving forward.
“If you keep it moving forward, then people will come with you. That’s what’s changed. Chief executive Dave Boddy has been fantastic.
“There’s a glass ceiling there – financially we’re not capable of doing it.
But we have some brilliant signings in the building so far. We have the raw material and the recruitment boys have done a tremendous job.
“I’ve been trusted to get on with things – that’s a big thing for me. What I want to see is that we push forward and keep pushing those boundaries.
“And if we get those incremental c h a n g e s , who knows, we might just surprise one or two people next season.”