GARY NEWBON Vastly differing fortunes for clubs that shared city Arena last season
ONE Arena, two sports teams now a world apart. Coventry City are in the Championship playoff at Wembley on Saturday against Luton Town in what is termed the richest game in football. That is because the winners will play in the billionaire Premier League next season.
Meanwhile, the famous rugby club Wasps, who played in and owned the Coventry Building Society Arena last year, have been sent to the bottom of club rugby’s pyramid.
They have been dropped from the Premiership to Counties 4 Midlands West if the club wish to continue.
Wasps went into administration in October with debts totalling £95 million with 167 staff (including the entire playing squad and coaches) all having to leave.
Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group bought the Arena for £17 million while Christopher Holland became the new Wasps owner.
The Rugby Football Union said Wasps would be in the Championship next season as long as they completed all the necessary conditions. It seems they have not – hence their relegation. No-one seems sure what will happen next. It is a sad story!
What a contrast to the Sky Blues who also have a new owner, Douglas King.
The team is performing brilliantly. Bottom in October, without one of their very best players, Callum O’hare, with a long-term injury, and with one of the smallest budgets in the Championship.
King is wise to give Mark Robins a new four-year contract. He will need him and, for sure, his experienced chief executive Dave Boddy, a steadying influence who works closely with Robins.
If, as their loyal supporters hope, the Sky Blues beat Luton (kick-off 4.45pm on Sky Sports) then everyone will need to hold their nerve next season.
It is negative to say it but almost certainly true to say the Sky Blues may come straight down.
Let us hope that is not the case, but if it happens there is NO way that Robins should be sacked.
So let’s look on the bright side. My predictions have been inconsistent this season. Luton v Middlesbrough was my forecast (half right) and Villa NOT to win a European place (nearly wrong) but Wolves to stay up (right!) and West Bromwich pre-season to go up (wrong!).
However, at the risk of upsetting you all I will make a forecast for Saturday that Coventry will win and we will have THREE Premier League teams in the West Midlands next season. That is the least we should expect from this hot-bed region of football.
Wembley is such an occasion. I have written it before but it always amazes me how 40,000-plus seek a ticket for a final when just over half that number attend the regular matches. It was ever thus.
Good on you Mark Robins. You have an excellent management team and you deserve success.
Luton have some strong players but I think Coventry will have the edge.
The League Managers’ Association have an awards dinner on May 30 and no doubt will vote Pep Guardiola as their manager of the year.
His team, Manchester City, have just won their fifth Premier League title in five years and the third on the bounce. They should beat Manchester United in the FA Cup final four days later and will be favourites to do the treble by beating Inter Milan in the European Champions League final in Istanbul on June 10.
If it was any year without Pep and Manchester City, you would like to think Aston Villa head coach Unai Emery would win the award. What a first season Emery has had at Villa Park.
Much credit should also go to their goalkeeper, Emiliano Martinez, who has made some big saves most of the season. But will they keep him?
It augurs well for the future. With rich owners, if Villa make the right new signings they really could be doing a Newcastle before long.
Sports promoter Barry Hearn is so persuasive he could convince turkeys that Christmas is good for them! To make darts the second most watched sport on Sky is an achievement, as is fishing on TV.
I rang Barry last week to book a place on his forthcoming celebrity fishing programme for Commonwealth Games heavyweight boxing gold medallist Lewis Williams. He is from Leamington Spa and is a fanatic angler.
I have never touched a fishing rod but Barry has carded me as well for the show. Oh dear!
Meanwhile, as you would expect, Barry is a brilliant, riveting after-dinner speaker.
He is to do so with a copy of his book, My Life, at the lovely Nuthurst Grange Hotel in Hockley Heath near Solihull on Wednesday, June 28. Kick-off (with drinks reception) at 6.30pm. Dinner tickets are £100 each (including the book) or half table £500/table of ten £1,000.
Get a chance to talk to Barry too. Contact judi@notebook.international or the hotel.
Wasps, who played in and owned the Coventry Building Society Arena last year, have been sent to the bottom of club rugby’s pyramid.
I return in the Sunday Mercury with Utilita Energy on working with David Beckham.