SBA Posted December 13, 2003 Author Share Posted December 13, 2003 SBA talks exclusively to CM Stories Thursday 9 October All things considered we were reasonably happy to come away from our trip to Milton Keynes with a draw. Having gone there looking for the win against Wimbledon I must confess to being most impressed with the way they knocked the ball about, especially having had the confidence boost of the early goal. Credit to us for the way we kept at it, showing once again that while a team is only the one goal down the game is still alive - and if ever anyone needed a goal it was certainly Andy Morrell - not the prettiest of goals you'll see but certainly a potential kick-start to the season for him - and that can only be good for the team. I am very encouraged with the results coming through from the Under 19's fixtures so far this season ... and should the opportunity arise, will not hesitate in looking to provide some of the youngsters with first team experience if I feel it necessary. For all the financial turmoil at the club, it is very gratifying to continue to see a good supply-line of youth team players coming through the ranks - for which this club has long since had an excellent reputation. We have this weekend off due to the internationals but then embark on another hectic spell, starting with Rotherham at home on Wednesday, a side who are currently sitting pretty in 4th place in the table. Naturally we are expecting a tough game but as we have already seen in this league, there isn't much variation in difficulty whether playing 4th from top or 4th from bottom and so we must concentrate on our own performance levels and ensure we move into the right half of the table sooner rather than later. Just to give an indication of how tight this league really is, in all of our 9 games in the season so far, the only time there has been more than a one goal difference in a match was for the last couple of minutes in our win against Cardiff in August when we won 2-0. To appear here ... match details of City's game against Rotherham United from Highfield Road Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBA Posted December 13, 2003 Author Share Posted December 13, 2003 MATCH REPORT from the CET Wednesday 15 October 2003 CITY 3 Pipe 13 Adebola 20 Joachim 36 Rotherham United 2 Weatherson 50 Thorrington 85 Deadly debutants steal the City show The Sky Blues produced a superb first half performance that was ultimately to prove enough to claim all three points - but only just!! Manager SBA sprung a major surprise when the teams were read out before the game. Eddie Stanford has been impressing for the Under 19 side and this had not gone unnoticed by the City boss. SBA seized the opportunity to fill the problem left-sided midfield position with Stanford - and the youngster went on to fully justify his manager's faith, he didn't let anyone down and produced a sublime cross for Julian Joachim who netted City's third, and ultimately decisive, goal. Out of the side went Mansouri, McAllister and Pead. Another player making his Sky Blues debut was Geoff Pitcher in the central midfield role alongside Safri. The shock signing (who has plyed his trade in the lower divisions throughout his career to date) also gave an impressive performance as City produced a slick first half offering, with the ball being sprayed out to Pipe and Stanford on the flanks at every opportunity. The City wide men clearly had the beating of the Millers' full backs who were powerless to prevent Calum Davenport switching the play from left to right for PIPE to run into space down the inside right channel before blasting the ball across the keeper and into the far corner to give City a flying start on 13 minutes. Soon after Andrew Whing chipped in a near post corner where ADEBOLA rose unchallenged to power a header into the roof of the net. City were clearly pepped up by the arrival of the newcomers and this seemed to have sent a message out that no-one's place in the team was automatic. Then came the pick of the bunch as Safri measured an inch-perfect pass out to the left where Stanford teased his marker before supplying JOACHIM with the luxury of being able to pick his spot from eight yards out. 3-0 against a team occupying a play-off spot before kick-off may have appeared as a shock scoreline across the country but in reality this type of outcome was coming at some point with City unable to make use of territorial dominance in previous home games this season. Having said that it wouldn't be the Coventry City we all know and love without the odd heart missing a beat and when the Millers' lively frontman Weatherson pulled a goal back early in the second half any half-time thoughts of a 5 or 6 goal hammering were quickly banished. City should have gone 4-1 up as the second half wore on, Joachim guilty of missing an even easier chance than the one he did convert. He was not made to pay the price though, although Rotherham snatched a second five minutes from time to set up a nervy but thankfully trouble-free finale. So the Sky Blues have completed 10 games and this was just their second victory. They move up to 16th in the table and travel to Norfolk to face bottom of the table Norwich City on Saturday, where a first away win would see them well and truly clear of the dreaded danger zone, which had beckoned ever nearer after so many draws and defeats in recent weeks. MATCH STATS Goal Attempts Coventry City 7 Rotherham United 5 Corners Coventry City 4 Rotherham 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 14, 2003 Share Posted December 14, 2003 Glad to see your hard work is paying off, kutgw Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBA Posted December 15, 2003 Author Share Posted December 15, 2003 SBA talks exclusively to CM Stories Thursday 16 October Good things come to those who wait as they say, and last night's first half display was all the more satisfying following our recent pattern of results. To be three goals clear at half time was pleasing enough, but the manner in which we went about our business was the most gratifying aspect. Eddie Stanford managed the daunting task of stepping out of the Under 19 squad and going straight into the first team admirably well, and he gave us a different attacking option as I believe that in recent weeks teams had become wise as to how we had been trying to create chances. The goals are being nicely spread about which is another plus point for us. I have not yet settled on a first choice pairing up top - and it would be difficult at this stage to predict who will end up topping the goalscoring charts at the end of the season. Patrick Suffo's absence was a concern and he will give the squad a boost when he does return. I was pleased to see Geoff Pitcher come in on Saturday and give an accomplished performance in the midfield - an area where we did need added depth. He was certainly full of running and I was impressed with his straightforward approach to the game - leaving the likes of Pipe and Stanford to express themselves when we were attacking. At the other end the likes of Shearer, Davenport and Whing continue to be solid and reliable although I feel we may be a little bit short in that area should injuries or suspensions kick in. I've made it a big priority to try and move a few players on in order to trim the wage bill which might allow the flexibility to be able to strengthen in the defensive areas. But 'moving players on' is not easy in the current footballing climate. A quick turnaround then as we go to Carrow Road to face Norwich on Saturday - I think it's good that we have a game so quickly following the victory over Rotherham ... two wins in four days would be just the tonic we all wished for to push us back up the league. Match Details of Norwich City v Coventry City to appear here ... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBA Posted December 16, 2003 Author Share Posted December 16, 2003 MATCH REPORT from the CET Saturday 18 October 2003 Norwich City 2 Francis 5 McVeigh 11 CITY 2 Adebola 35 Joachim 50 Shearer spot-kick stop shares the points Normal service was resumed at Carrow Road as the Sky Blues recorded their 7th draw in their opening 11 games - but it was Scott Shearer they had to thank for saving them from defeat at the home of current basement club Norwich City. Shearer's spot-kick save came in the 55th minute, and he recovered to make an equally as impressive stop after the rebound had bounced invitingly to the on-rushing McVeigh. Manager SBA kept faith in the two debutants who had served him so well on Wednesday night, and provided a further surprise when he drafted on-loan Paul Robinson in to the heart of the City defence, with Mo Konjic the man to miss out. The move looked to have backfired early on as the inexperienced Sky Blues rearguard conceded 2 goals in the opening 11 minutes - at which point the Canaries must have fancied themselves to take the win which would have lifted them off the foot of the table. To City's credit they stuck to the task and were eventually successful in getting something out of the game. City new boy Geoff Pitcher was taken off before the half-hour mark as two games in four days looked to be taking its' toll - replacing him was Gary McAllister who was given an advanced midfield role ahead of Craig Pead who came in as a direct replacement for Safri. McAllister made an instant impression as he found himself in some space on the half way line and struck a delighful 40-yard pass down the right for Joachim to run on to. Just as we were looking for him to shoot he showed a great presence of mind to take two defenders out of the game with a square pass to the unmarked ADEBOLA who side-footed home with his left foot. It was City's best team goal of the season so far and clearly gave them an upsurge in confidence. Youngster Eddie Stanford was withdrawn at half time to be replaced by Safri. Stanford clearly finding the going tougher on his second Sky Blue appearance as he was well marshalled by former City right back Marc Edworthy. City continued to look to feed McAllister who was pulling the strings but it was David Pipe, again impressive, who released Adebola, who had swopped sides with Joachim, on 50 minutes, and he produced a near post cross where JOACHIM darted in front of his marker to nod City level. Adebola and Joachim are clearly striking an understanding up front and have helped to produce 5 goals in the last 2 matches for the Sky Blues, a marked improvement on their efforts earlier in the season, however the flipside is that they are now starting to leak more goals at the back. Suddenly it was game on once again and to be fair to the home side it was they who went on to look the more likely winners. Shearer excelled in the City goal with McAllister clipping a 30-yard freekick just wide of an upright at the other end. The Sky Blues stay in 16th and face Crewe Alexandra at Highfield Road next Saturday. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBA Posted December 16, 2003 Author Share Posted December 16, 2003 MATCH STATS Goal Attempts Norwich City 11 Coventry City 5 Corners Norwich City 4 Coventry City 0 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBA Posted December 16, 2003 Author Share Posted December 16, 2003 SBA talks exclusively to CM Stories Tuesday 21 October 2003 Aspirations can change so quickly in football, and although we went to Carrow Road on Saturday more in expectation than hope that we would record our first away win of the season, we were grateful in the end to come away with a draw. In fact, recalling how I felt after the first 11 minutes, I am delighted with the players' application to dig in and grind out a result against a Norwich City side who were hungry to lift themselves off the foot of the table. In reality I was probably asking too much of Geoff Pitcher and Eddie Stanford to go out and repeat the performances they had produced just four days earlier against Rotherham United. Different day, different set of circumstances, and it is far easier to apply yourself to the demands of playing first team football in a side that is playing their way to a 3-goal lead rather than a 2-0 deficit!! Gary McAllister, even at this veteran stage in his career, had been itching to get back into first team action and deserves massive credit for the way he performed in helping turn the game around on Saturday, having been left on the bench with his manager preferring to go with a player who's only previous first team experience this season had been at Third Division Macclesfield!! I was also pleased with the on-loan Paul Robinson who slotted into central defence alongside Calum Davenport. Both Calum and Mo understand that I shall seek to make use of the highly-rated youngster while we have him, and his dedication in training warranted his place on Saturday. After a shaky start I thought he did well in what was, Steve Staunton apart, an inexperienced back line. This Saturday we welcome Crewe Alexandra to Highfield Road, a team against whom we enjoyed our best result since being confined to the First Division, a 6-1 victory at Gresty Road at a time when we were seriously threatening to make the play-off places. A 3-point return on Saturday should put us back within striking distance of a similar standing in the Division One table as October draws to a close. Sky Blue News Updates to appear here ... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBA Posted December 16, 2003 Author Share Posted December 16, 2003 MATCH REPORT from the CET Saturday 25 October 2003 CITY 2 Joachim 19 Adebola 44 Crewe Alexandra 3 Owusu 46 Smart 76, 81 City surrender to super second half Alex comeback Having fought back from two goals down to earn a draw the previous Saturday, the Sky Blues were this week on the other side of the coin, only this time the comeback really was complete as City ended up suffering a shock first home defeat of the season. Crewe substitute Allan Smart struck twice within the space of five second half minutes to complete a remarkable comeback and shoot them up to fourth in the table. After Crewe had enjoyed the better of the early possession, it was City who struck what we thought to be the crucial opening blow as Craig Pead fed Julian JOACHIM with a lovely through ball to enable the still transfer-listed striker to notch his sixth goal of the season. City then dominated the remainder of the half with McAllister and Pipe going close before hesitancy in the visitors' defence, who failed to deal with a routine long ball, allowed Dele ADEBOLA enough time and space in the penalty area to prod the ball home and send an unchanged City side into the break two goals to the good. If the half time vibe around the ground was one of renewed optimism following the recent upturn in on-field fortunes it was swiftly banished when the teams re-emerged for the second half. SBA replaced Eddie Stanford with Youssef Safri as he looked to give added protection to the back four in light of the match situation. Alex were back in the game within seconds of the re-start when Owusu fired home from the right edge of the area. City were still looking dangerous on the break with Pipe causing problems down the right but at the other end Scott Shearer was to follow up his man-of-the-match display last weekend with a disappointing display this, and the City defenders certainly thought he should have shown more command of his six yard box as a cross from deep out on the right was allowed to drift across goal and into the path of Smart who turned the ball home from close range. In fairness to Crewe they continued to push forward and to the dismay of the majority inside Highfield Road forced a winner nine minutes from time thanks to a lovely one touch passing move which ended with Shearer unable to hold on to Smart's low drive, before desperately back peddling and trying, in vain, to recover the ball before it found it agonisingly found its' way into the bottom corner of the net. Maybe the damp conditions played their part but Shearer will doubtless feel that nine times out of ten he could have prevented the final swing of the day's pendulum. City did rally in the late stages with McAllister forcing a flying tip over the bar but credit must be given to a Crewe side who never became disheartened and continued to pass the ball throughout, to a better standard than a City side who will be disappointed to end what had been a promising October, in such dismal fashion. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBA Posted December 16, 2003 Author Share Posted December 16, 2003 MATCH STATS Goal Attempts Coventry City 10 Crewe Alexandra 10 Corners Coventry City 3 Crewe Alexandra 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBA Posted December 16, 2003 Author Share Posted December 16, 2003 SEASON 2003-04 Review of the Season so far: OCTOBER October Results (a) Wimbledon drew 1-1 (Morrell) (h) Rotherham United won 3-2 (Pipe, Adebola, Joachim) (a) Norwich City drew 2-2 (Adebola, Joachim) (h) Crewe Alexandra lost 2-3 (Joachim, Adebola) LEAGUE POSITION City are currently 17th in Division One, having won 2, drawn 7 and lost 3 of their 12 games. They have scored 14 goals and conceded 14 goals. City have 13 points, 3 points above the relegation zone, 7 points off the play off positions and 7 points adrift of the top two. Leading Goalscorers (All Competitions) Joachim 6 Adebola 5 Suffo 2 Davenport 1 Morrell 1 Pipe 1 Average Player Ratings Figure on the immediate left indicates first team starts with the figure in brackets indicating substitute appearances 1. 13 Andrew Whing 7.15 2. 13 Calum Davenport 6.92 3. 5 (4) Dele Adebola 6.89 4. 4 (2) Patrick Suffo 6.83 5. 11 (1) Scott Shearer 6.67 To appear here ... SBA talks of his dismay at Saturday's surrender & News Updates as they happen & more from the voice of a City fanzine ... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBA Posted December 17, 2003 Author Share Posted December 17, 2003 SBA talks exclusively to CM Stories Tuesday 28 October 2003 I have no idea what went wrong on Saturday. I'm not about to go shouting the odds at particular parties and singling out individuals. There is a general lesson to be learned however, and that is to never ever rest on your laurels, and that goes to all eleven outfield players in that catastrophic second half. I asked the players to go away after the game and consider for themselves what they could have done to help prevent what did happen, from happening, and that goes for the goalkeeper all the way through to the strikers. Having seen how bitterly disappointed the players were after the game I felt it to be an inappropriate time to start laying the law down. Only they themselves know if there was anything there that they could have done differently to affect the eventual outcome. But for now it is best to collectively put the experience behind us and move on. We go to Valley Parade to face Bradford City on Saturday, at the start of what is a very busy schedule of fixtures in November. Bradford have now replaced Norwich as the bottom club in Division One and we will be looking to follow up our first home defeat of the season with our first away victory. Unfortunately the financial status of the club remains perilous with only passing interest in the players I have made available for transfer. It is imperative that we trim the wage bill sooner rather than later - however the dark financial cloud hovering over the club is public knowledge in the footballing world and so naturally the clubs that have made contact with us are acutely aware of our situation when discussing any possible deals. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBA Posted December 17, 2003 Author Share Posted December 17, 2003 Wednesday 29 October 2003 As the season reaches the dozen games played mark, time for a more light-hearted look at the Sky Blue Scene ... Life-long fan and regular contributor to a City fanzine Graham Abraham gives his view from the stands ... CET: Graham, what was the feeling amongst the fans as you watched the second half collapse on Saturday? Graham: It was a sinking feeling. Most City fans will remember a game back in 1992 when Micky Quinn had put us 2-0 up against Manchester City and we went on to lose 2-3 in the second half, well Saturday brought back painful memories of that game. Is there anyone you feel should be particularly to blame for Saturday? Crewe played well to be fair to them and had chances in the first half, but it would be nice to occasionally play badly but still win. Given the fact that you go all around the country watching City, what has been your most enjoyable trip so far this season? Crystal Palace first game of the season was great because so many fans travelled down there, but as usual once August is over with it's just left to the real faithful to keep flying the flag wherever we play. I'd probably say the Norwich game overall - it was looking like a right waste of money being 2-0 down straight away, especially seeing as they were bottom of the league, but we came back well. Then there was the penalty save which is almost as good as scoring a goal yourselves. Julian Joachim is the current top scorer with 6 goals - do you think he really should be on the transfer list? It's weird because he's been constantly injured over the last few seasons. This season he's already scored more goals than he did in the last two combined - and that has been since he's been on the transfer list - and his contract is up next summer. Overall yes, I think it's right that he's been made available for transfer. If we do sell him we probably won't get much for him, but being on 10 grand a week it would be best for the club if he's moved on. That's also the case with Gary McAllister who is on twice that amount but he's retiring at the end of the season so we'll have to grin and bear it with McAllister until May. Off to Bradford on Saturday then Graham ... Yep, I'll be there, I'm booked on a Supporters' Coach for Saturday. Thanks again Graham, and we'll speak to you again in December. City till I die, thank you. Sky Blue News Updates to appear here ... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBA Posted December 17, 2003 Author Share Posted December 17, 2003 *Good time to say that this game is being run on a SMALL database and just has the ENGLISH leagues running ... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBA Posted December 17, 2003 Author Share Posted December 17, 2003 SKY BLUE NEWS Thursday 30 October 2003 Swedish youngster is a Sky Blue for 3 months Highly-rated youngster Labinot Harbuzi has been snapped up on a 3-month loan by the Sky Blues. He is said to be an exciting prospect, and makes his way to Coventry from Ajax in time to take his place in the City squad for the weekend trip to Valley Parade. Fowler finds his way back City midfielder Lee Fowler has completed his successful loan spell at Huddersfield Town and returns to Highfield Road to take his place in Saturday's squad. The midfielder has also attracted attention of Wigan Athletic, with SBA said to have issued a 'hands off' warning, stating that the prospect is not for sale. Youth Teamers Released On receipt of the advice of some of the City coaches, manager SBA has released Andrew Hall, Ryan Lynch and Paul McCrink from their contracts with the club, SBA saying that he was not in a position to be able to offer them full-time playing contracts. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBA Posted December 17, 2003 Author Share Posted December 17, 2003 MATCH REPORT from the CET Saturday 1 November 2003 Bradford City 3 Muirhead 30, 38 Atherton 77 CITY 1 Staunton 57 (pen) Sky Blues Buried At Bradford This was undoubtedly the lowest point of the Sky Blue season to date, with Bradford City, bottom of Division One prior to this fixture, becoming the latest side to inflict pain on new City boss SBA. Star of the show for the Bantams was midfielder Paul Muirhead, whose tricky display from the centre of the park proved too much for Lee Fowler and Youssef Safri, who had been brought on in the first ten minutes to replace Craig Pead who had picked up a knock. Muirhead grabbed two first half goals, and although City briefly threatened a revival similar to that at Carrow Road, the hosts ran out comfortable winners. Manager SBA was forced to replace Eddie Stanford (thought to be out for up to three weeks with an injury) with the available again Fowler. Fowler gave a whole hearted display but having not been with the squad for the entire season up until Thursday, it did seem to affect the overall team unit in terms of the cohesion of movement and passing. Although the sides exchanged early breakaways it was Bradford who looked the more ruthless in the final third and it was the pacey Muirhead who struck twice in the space of eight minutes to give them an advantage they never realistically looked like surrendering. City looked to have been thrown a lifeline as the referee spotted some pushing on Calum Davenport after Steve Staunton had floated over a corner early on in the second half. Staunton himself made no mistake with the spot kick to raise hopes amongst the travelling support. This was one occasion when the Julian Joachim/Dele Adebola partnership was not to bare fruit for City though, with Andy Morrell replacing Adebola who simply seemed to run out of steam midway through the half. Just to rub salt into the City wounds it was former City favourite, veteran Peter Atherton, who escaped unmarked from a free kick on 77 minutes to glance home the third. Only then did City show some real urgency but it was all too little too late and on this evidence we will all need to see some drastic improvement in the games coming up if City aren't to be dragged into a genuine relegation dogfight, the one and only thing we don't miss about being in the Premiership. City have four days to dust themselves down from this result - they take on third-placed Derby County at Highfield Road on Wednesday night. MATCH STATS Goal Attempts Bradford City 15 Coventry City 5 Corners Bradford City 4 Coventry City 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBA Posted December 19, 2003 Author Share Posted December 19, 2003 MATCH REPORT from the CET Wednesday 5 November 2003 CITY 0 Derby County 2 Morris 38, 40 Morris Rockets Rams to League Leadership Bonfire Night usually acts as confirmation to everyone that the winter months are well and truly upon us ... and for Sky Blue fans attending this game, it must seem an especially daunting prospect. City slumped to their second successive home defeat against a lively Derby County side, who with this performance, would have secured three points against far better sides than City. Gary McSheffrey was brought in for David Pipe in a shock move by manager SBA as he deployed three strikers with McAllister sitting behind them. The strikers were the only City players who could possibly claim exemption from criticism, with little, if anything, in the way of service coming their way for the whole 90 minutes. This match was likely to be McSheffrey's last for the club, with the Sky Blues having accepted a £170,000 offer from Norwich City - the deal is expected to go through before the weekend. Craig Pead made way for Geoff Pitcher in the only other change but it was the defensive partnership of Davenport and Robinson who were twice guilty within the space of three minutes of being caught hopelessly out of position to allow Rams striker Lee Morris to crash in two left footed strikes to effectively kill the game before half time. Derby nearly scored straight from the kick off with Scott Shearer making a fine stop to save City the embarassment of going behind in the opening minute. City's best chance came just before half time but Julian Joachim was thwarted by the goalkeeper when presented with a glorious one on one situation. City never looked like breaking disciplined Derby down in the second half and in the end the margin of defeat could have been wider. Sections of the Sky Blue faithful were leaving the ground with still a quarter of an hour to go, and any honeymoon period manager SBA might have experienced is now well and truly over as the Sky Blues hover just one place above the bottom three in the First Division table. MATCH STATS Goal Attempts Coventry City 2 Derby County 7 Corners Coventry City 2 Derby County 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBA Posted December 19, 2003 Author Share Posted December 19, 2003 SKY BLUE NEWS Thursday 6 November McSheffrey switch to East Anglia confirmed Coventry-born Gary McSheffrey has been snapped up by Norwich City in a £170,000 deal. Manager SBA is said to be deeply saddened to have let McSheffrey go but said that circumstances (i.e. the player's wage - £4,500) dictated that his hand was forced. Mansouri Released Another player leaving the club this week was Yazid Mansouri. City are only allowed to have a maximum of 4 players on-loan at any one time and SBA had to release one of his existing loanees to be able to bring another one in. Mansouri, who has faded in a City shirt since doing well in the opening weeks of the season, returns to his home club, Le Havre. As one leaves, another comes in With manager SBA continuing to have to play the loan market, his latest temporary acquisition is 19-year old Matthew Kilgallon from Leeds United. The German central defender joins in a 3-month loan deal. Manager SBA is thought to be concerned at the recent downturn in defensive efficiency in matches and continues to look to strengthen in these areas. Kilgallon is highly-rated and comes with the recommendation of City's scouting team. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBA Posted December 19, 2003 Author Share Posted December 19, 2003 SBA talks exclusively to CM Stories Friday 7 November 2003 I will move onto on-the-field matters in a moment but first of all I must say that it was with mixed emotions that we had to say so long and farewell to Gary McSheffrey this week. On the positive side we have to say that we are glad to have finally (if only slightly) reduced our somewhat crippling wage bill by releasing McSheffrey to Carrow Road. Obviously I'm looking for as much scope as possible to be able to wheel and deal in the transfer market and McSheffrey's departure is the first step towards a bit of much-needed freedom in that department. It is disappointing to have to let such a young player, and one with such promise, leave the club, but we wish him well for the future. It was decided last week that I should wait until after the Derby game before writing this week's column and after the Valley Parade debacle I was pleased to be able to send the players out against Derby with an opportunity to put things right before speaking to you all on here. In the event it went from bad to worse, and the prospect of three league defeats on the bounce was evidently rocking the confidence of those on the pitch for the second half on Wednesday. Players were unwilling to take responsibility to try to get us back into the game - they didn't show enough character and it came as no surprise to see some of you leaving before the final whistle. We go to deepest Kent tomorrow afternoon. Gillingham is not one of the more pleasurable trips to make for the travelling football supporter but for those of you making the trip, I can only assure you that I'll be doing my upmost to try and reward your loyalty, which is obviously being tested under the current circumstances. To appear here ... Match Details on City's match at The Priestfield ... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBA Posted December 19, 2003 Author Share Posted December 19, 2003 MATCH REPORT from the CET Saturday 8 November 2003 Gillingham 2 Shaw 25 King 42 CITY 1 Adebola 14 Missed Chances Cost City Dear The lack of a vital cutting edge was to cost the Sky Blues a golden opportunity of picking up their first away victory of the season at The Priestfield on Saturday. City led at second-placed Gillingham, who looked more like the team scrapping at the wrong end of the table as the Sky Blues carved open their defence on numerous occasions throughout the afternoon. Individual mistakes from an inexperienced pairing at the back once again resulted in a game passing by without reward for manager SBA. City went back to basics with a 4-4-2 formation which involved them defending deep in two banks of four and a rare start for Stephen Warnock on the left hand side of midfield, with Lee Fowler teaming up with Youssef Safri in the middle and David Pipe pushing on from the right. Astonishingly, Julian Joachim sprung the home offside trap three times within the opening 10 minutes yet failed on each occasion to put his side in front before turning provider on 14 minutes to supply an inch-perfect cross for ADEBOLA to show the way in the finishing department and put City a goal up. Gills were apparently there for the taking, and the Sky Blues appeared to be as shocked as everyone on the home terraces at the hosts' defensive generosity. A second goal would most probably have been the clincher for City but their own defence was to go on to return the compliment later in the half to enable Gills' strikers, first Paul Shaw, and then Marlon King, to turn the game on its' head thanks to a deadly eye for goal which City lacked. King in particular was allowed the freedom to ghost in in front of his marker Calum Davenport to turn home a near post cross to give the home side a most unexpected half time lead. City rattled up a total of 13 corners to Gillingham's 1 with Paul Robinson finding himself unmarked from one of them just 10 yards out towards the end of the game but he blazed wide with the goal gaping in front of him. Joachim was certainly the main culprit for the Sky Blues but this was a 5-fold improvement on the last couple of performances, in which City had been comprehensively blown off the park. The worry is that if City can play this well and still come away with nothing, the players are at the risk of becoming disheartened and will wonder how much worse the situation has to get before it gets better. City remain in 21st place in Division One and face a two-week break from fixtures. MATCH STATS Goal Attempts Gillingham 6 Coventry City 11 Corners Gillingham 1 Coventry City 13 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBA Posted December 20, 2003 Author Share Posted December 20, 2003 SBA talks exclusively to CM Stories Wednesday 12 November 2003 There was plenty for us to draw encouragement from following our match at Gillingham. Having forced 13 corners with only one single reply we must consider ourselves unfortunate to have lost the game. I am looking forward to being able to draft Mo Konjic back into the side now that he has recovered from injury. It's been evident that we've missed his leadership at the back during recent times. Looking at the other end of the pitch Patrick Suffo is only a matter of days away from full fitness and we will look to him to provide the necessary spark to turn this losing run around. Teams can get into a losing habit as easily as they can get into a winning habit - and four reverses on the bounce now sees us on the edge of the relegation zone having played 15 of our 46 games. We have no fixture this weekend and so we should go into the Watford game a week on Saturday with a full squad to choose from. Rest assured that I am doing what I can to improve the squad quality-wise but I need to be convinced that whoever I bring in can actually influence the first team in a positive manner because the club cannot afford to pay wages for extra fringe players, even if they are only on loan deals. To appear here ... Match Details of City's match against the Hornets ... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBA Posted December 21, 2003 Author Share Posted December 21, 2003 SKY BLUE NEWS Wednesday 19 November 2003 This season to be Staunton's last Former Republic of Ireland international Steve Staunton has announced that he will be retiring from the game at the end of this season. The left back has been a virtual ever-present for the Sky Blues this season and manager SBA hopes that he will still be able to do a job at the club with Dean Gordon having been resigned to the reserves for most of the season. Should there be no cash available to help find a suitable replacement for the position it is hoped that youngster Eddie Stanford may be groomed for the role long-term. Robinson returns to South London Young central defender Paul Robinson has completed his loan spell with City and returns to Millwall. He has covered for Mo Konjic whilst the Bosnian has been sidelined. It is not clear at this stage as to whether or not SBA will pursue his interest in the player. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBA Posted December 21, 2003 Author Share Posted December 21, 2003 MATCH REPORT from the CET Saturday 22 November 2003 CITY 1 Joachim 23 Watford 1 Mariappa 15 City Stop The Rot But Can't Force Victory City's 4-match losing run came to an end at Highfield Road on Saturday, but with two tough away games to follow, they will be disappointed not to have taken all three points against Watford. They recovered well from the early setback of losing a goal and could have gone on to complete the turnaround but again were left rueing some wasted chances in the second half. Watford gave a senior debut to 17-year old left back Paul Coyne in a 3-5-2 formation and it appeared that the busy David Pipe would provide the key to unlocking the visitors' rearguard as he went on several mazy runs down the City right but the strikers were only able to convert one of several of his inviting crosses. After the sides exchanged goalscoring opportunities early on it was the Hornets who scored first after a corner wasn't cleared and Shearer could only palm the resulting shot into the path of right wing back Mariappa who was left with the simplest of chances to score. With the home fans again fearing the worst it was absolutely imperative that City struck back quickly and they did so midway through the half after Craig Pead released Pipe in space with Julian JOACHIM the beneficiary as he swept home the youngster's low cross at the near post. Pead was operating alongside Gary McAllister and Lee Fowler in the midfield while there was a recall for Mo Konjic at the back, and City did look more solid than they had done in previous weeks. Danny Webber was always a threat for the visitors and there were occasions when Scott Shearer had to be on his guard to prevent City sliding to a defeat which could have proved close to terminal for inexperienced manager SBA, even at this early stage of his career, given the games at The Hawthorns and Turf Moor which follow later this week. Even though Joachim is the Sky Blues' top scorer, he must have been left kicking himself for spurning a couple of excellent second half opportunities as City went for the victory. Pipe was replaced by Youssef Safri with 20 minutes to go after the Hornets made a tactical switch. This saw McAllister pushed on in a more advanced role and he was involved in a lovely move, combining with Pead, to set up Andrew Whing in injury time at the end of the game. The ground held its' breath as Whing went across the keeper with his shot from the right angle of the goalmouth but the ball went an inch the wrong side of the post. City are still in 21st position in Division One but given the difficulty of the couple of games coming up, will do well not to be in the bottom three this time next week. MATCH STATS Goal Attempts Coventry City 10 Watford 9 Corners Coventry City 4 Watford 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBA Posted December 22, 2003 Author Share Posted December 22, 2003 MATCH REPORT from the CET Wednesday 26 November 2003 West Bromwich Albion 1 Clement 79 CITY 0 Baggies Finally Break Brave Sky Blues' Resistance A Neil Clement goal 11 minutes from time helped to maintain Albion's promotion push and at the same time plunged the Sky Blues into the Division One relegation zone. Not many pundits would have predicted City to take anything other than defeat away from The Hawthorns, but they came very close to shutting out The Baggies and claiming what would have been seen as a mini-triumph at 0-0. Jason Koumas, who had been nullified to a large degree all evening by the hard working City midfield, clipped in a left wing corner where Clement emerged from a ruck of players to glance the ball home at the near post. Having done so much to ensure Albion did not break them down in open play, manager SBA will have been devastated to see his side concede from a setpiece, Albion's only corner of the night. SBA made wholesale changes to his starting eleven. Both Adebola and Joachim were withdrawn with Patrick Suffo starting his first game for months as a lone striker. Suffo did pretty well in this unaccustomed role before picking up a knock on the half hour when he was replaced by Adebola. City went with five in midfield, with the recalled Stanford on the left and Pipe on the right being encouraged to get forward and support the frontman whenever possible. There was also a change in goal with Pegguy Arphexad being given a rare start in place of Shearer. Albion had most of the play in the first half but were restricted to mostly long-range efforts, many of which didn't trouble Arphexad. There was also a recall for Geoff Pitcher, who was full of running in the midfield alongside Youssef Safri and Lee Fowler. City's ploy was clearly to frustrate, although they did see worthwhile chances fall to Stanford and Adebola while at the other end former City striker Lee Hughes was well marshalled throughout by Calum Davenport. The central defender's performances have clearly returned to somewhere near the level of earlier in the season now that Mo Konjic is back alongside him. City pushed forward in numbers following the breakthrough goal and Adebola saw his instinctive injury time side foot volley go straight at the Albion keeper. Had it gone either side then the Sky Blues might still have come away with the unlikely point they had laboured all evening for. City are now 23rd in the First Division Table and face a trip north to Burnley on Saturday. Should there still be a zero in the away wins column after that, then SBA will suddenly find himself under huge pressure to deliver a winning run in December, the kind of yuletide sequence which the Sky Blue fans have become familiar with in recent years. MATCH STATS Goal Attempts West Bromwich Albion 10 Coventry City 4 Corners West Bromwich Albion 1 Coventry City 3 [This message was edited by SBA on 22 December 2003 at 10:19.] Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBA Posted December 24, 2003 Author Share Posted December 24, 2003 SBA talks exclusively to CM Stories Thursday 27 November 2003 A bit of a hectic week on the field so I thought I would wait until today before writing the weekly column. Having reacted in a positive fashion to going a goal down against Watford at the weekend it was a disappointing not to have taken the three points. I tried everything to encourage the team to go forward in the second half but in the end we just ran out of time just at the point when it appeared that a winning goal was just around the corner. We went to West Brom to try and do what so many other sides have done to us at Highfield Road this season - to frustrate and hit the home side on the break. We managed to carry out the plan effectively for the whole 90 minutes. To concede from a set piece left us all feeling a bit deflated but I will be looking at ways of preventing such 'soft' goals by working at it with the players on the training ground. Patrick Suffo did well in his first full game back from injury - albeit that it only lasted 27 minutes. I am reliably informed however that it was just a knock and he should be available for selection this weekend. We go to Turf Moor this Saturday to face a Burnley side that have produced some very inconsistent results so far this season, and we hope that their win last night will be followed with a defeat. To appear here ... match details of City's trip to Burnley ... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
David N. Port Posted December 28, 2003 Share Posted December 28, 2003 SBA OUT! Good story though, KUTGW Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBA Posted January 14, 2004 Author Share Posted January 14, 2004 I've just awoken from a dream ... involving lots of sun, alcohol and a general recharge of the batteries ... The story will continue in the next few days as real life dawns once again ... the fight goes on ... Details will appear here ... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
loyalwolvesfan Posted January 15, 2004 Share Posted January 15, 2004 Great story mate - super layout and easy to follow. you deserve the sack for losing twice to west bloody brom though!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBA Posted January 16, 2004 Author Share Posted January 16, 2004 MATCH REPORT from the CET Saturday 29 November 2003 Burnley 0 CITY 0 City Dig Deep To Stop The Rot The Sky Blues ended a run stretching back to the middle of October in that they managed to avoid defeat in this latest away fixture - but remain in search of their first victory on the road this season after this deadlock at Turf Moor on Saturday. City had looked the better of the two sides for the first 70 minutes before being left to hang on a touch in the final 20 but manager SBA will be pleased with the way his side worked for the result - and crucially didn't concede in such a soft manner as they did at West Brom recently. There was a surprising inclusion on the City teamsheet as Michael Doyle was drafted in on the left hand side as SBA deployed the 4-5-1 formation as he did at The Hawthorns. Dele Adebola played up front on his own with Julian Joachim, Doyle, and David Pipe, pushed inside from his usual position wide on the right, encouraged to support him when possible. The City manager will be concerned at the way his side managed so much possession, particularly in the first half, but could only look back to a point blank Jensen save from Adebola's bullet header midway through the second half as evidence to suggest they could have won the game. Burnley forced some good saves out of Arphexad but the game became scrappy in the second half as SBA saw three of his players booked, including Calum Davenport who was quickly replaced by the on-loan Matthew Kilgallon who impressed to help repel the home side's late press for a winner. Andrew Whing was once again probably the pick of the City bunch and it may not be long before the vultures are swarming Highfield Road. SBA will do well to hang on to his talented young full back. The Sky Blues remain next to bottom in the table. The 4-5-1 formation looks like becoming a regular feature on away days. Given their current predicament a 0-0 stalemate away to a side in the top half of the league cannot be sniffed at. City return to action next Saturday when Sunderland are the visitors to Highfield Road. MATCH STATS Goal Attempts Burnley 7 Coventry City 2 Corners Burnley 2 Coventry City 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBA Posted January 16, 2004 Author Share Posted January 16, 2004 SEASON 2003-04 Review of the Season so far: NOVEMBER November Results (a) Bradford City lost 3-1 (Staunton) (h) Derby County lost 0-2 (a) Gillingham lost 2-1 (Adebola) (h) Watford drew 1-1 (Joachim) (a) West Brom lost 1-0 (a) Burnley drew 0-0 LEAGUE POSITION City are currently 23rd in Division One. They have won 2, drawn 9, and lost 7 of their 18 games. They have scored 17 goals and conceded 23. City have 15 points. They are 3 points below the relegation zone, 14 points below the top six, and 20 points below the top two. Leading Goalscorers (All Competitions) Joachim 7 Adebola 6 Suffo 2 Davenport 1 Morrell 1 Pipe 1 Staunton 1 Average Player Ratings Figure on the immediate left indicates first team starts with the figure in brackets indicating subsitute appearances. 1. 19 Andrew Whing 7.11 2. 19 Calum Davenport 6.89 3. 18 Steve Staunton 6.78 4. 10 (5) Dele Adebola 6.73 5. 15 (1) Julian Joachim 6.63 To Appear Here ... News Updates/City Fanzine Comments/SBA Weekly Column Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CovFan Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 SACK THE BOARD! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBA Posted January 16, 2004 Author Share Posted January 16, 2004 <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by CovFan: SACK THE BOARD!<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> I'm running this on small database, and refuse to look in any good player guides/tactic guides etc. The sack isn't too far away if we carry on like this for much longer ... which would be a shame because I'm enjoying writing the story (more so than playing the actual game in fact ) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBA Posted January 16, 2004 Author Share Posted January 16, 2004 Monday 1 December 2003 Another 6 games have passed, meaning it's time to bring in Graham Abraham for a fans' eye view. CET: Graham, thanks for joining us once again - it can't be easy for City fans at the moment. Graham: It's been anything but easy since the moment we got relegated. But this season it looks like we're hitting an all-time low - certainly in my lifetime anyway. Where does the blame lie in your opinion? Well it's a shame we can't aim a gun at the people who got us into this mess and say "get us out of it" ... so there's no real blame for the current situation ... although the board's decision to bring in such an inexperienced manager has to be called into question. That seems to be the general consensus amongst the fans ... Yeah, definitely. We need someone who knows how to play the transfer market, has experience in getting the best out of players etc. How long are you prepared to give SBA? Well it's not the fans that make the decisions and we do appreciate it isn't the most glamorous or attractive job to be in at the moment. We desperately need to offload some of the higher earners at the club but we can't appear desperate or else other clubs will snatch players like Andrew Whing away from us on the cheap. Is relegation this season a possibility? We live in the real world and although it's heart wrenching to see Coventry City where they are at the moment, yes it is a possibility. December will be crucial to the manager's future. Thanks for joining us Graham. Yeah, thanks, I just hope we don't see Saturday's performance followed up with a bad one against Sunderland because that is what's been happening, we need to find a better consistent level of performance. See you next time. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBA Posted January 16, 2004 Author Share Posted January 16, 2004 SKY BLUE NEWS Wednesday 3 December 2003 Tigers on the prowl for City Jewel SBA is said to have finally accepted one of several loan offers made for current top scorer Julian Joachim. Hull City have offered to make a 40% contribution towards the striker's £10,000 a week wages and if the deal goes through it will take Joachim away from Highfield Road for the next three months. Joachim is out of contract at City as of June 2004. Doyle call up to spark transfer interest? Michael Doyle did himself no harm on Saturday after turning in a competent display at Burnley and is expected to play his second game of the season against Sunderland this weekend. The midfielder is transfer-listed at a cut-price £60,000. SBA will be hoping for more of the same from the Irishman in order to attract bids from any interested parties. Reserve Squad Swelled SBA has taken the action of dropping several members of his first team squad into the reserve squad with the intention of maintaining decent levels of match fitness. First team fringe players such as Geoff Pitcher and Andy Morrell, amongst others, are being made available to play in the reserve side in the coming weeks. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBA Posted January 16, 2004 Author Share Posted January 16, 2004 SBA talks exclusively to CM Stories Thursday 4 December 2003 It was pleasing to see the team show such strength of character to see out the game at Turf Moor and ensure that we came away with something to show for our efforts. I must admit the game had developed a feeling of 'Deja Vu' about it in the closing stages as Burnley pressed for a winner they wouldn't have merited but this time the lads kept fully focused for the 90 minutes. I hope the fans do not see the 4-5-1 system as something of a backward step on my part. We must face reality - a harsh reality in that should Bradford City win on Saturday then we will go into the Sunderland game on the Sunday at the basement of the Division One table. The players are all aware that the game will be screened live on TV and they want to show the nation why all at the club have faith that we won't be down there for very long. I want to take this opportunity to quash any rumours with regards to Andrew Whing's future at the club. Whilst I can do little to stand in his way should he be tempted by a transfer move from a Premiership side, I can assure the fans that he is very happy at the club and is as determined as the rest of us to lift the club in its' hour of need. He is not the type to let such rumours go to his head and admits himself that there is still much about the game for him to learn. We now embark on a run of three consecutive home games - all of them look tough on paper - against Sunderland, Sheffield United and Nottingham Forest. We must try and use these games as a springboard for the rest of the season. See you on Sunday. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocheyuk Posted January 17, 2004 Share Posted January 17, 2004 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 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBA Posted January 17, 2004 Author Share Posted January 17, 2004 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 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Utter Utter Loser (Ned) Posted January 18, 2004 Share Posted January 18, 2004 I shall be reading this from now on. Play up Sky Blues! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBA Posted January 22, 2004 Author Share Posted January 22, 2004 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 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
furtherseemsforever Posted January 22, 2004 Share Posted January 22, 2004 Just read the whole thing Great work, sir, and best of luck avoiding both the drop and the boot Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBA Posted January 23, 2004 Author Share Posted January 23, 2004 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 ... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBA Posted January 23, 2004 Author Share Posted January 23, 2004 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 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBA Posted January 23, 2004 Author Share Posted January 23, 2004 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.] Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBA Posted January 26, 2004 Author Share Posted January 26, 2004 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 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wimb The Barman Posted January 26, 2004 Share Posted January 26, 2004 Great story buddy kutgw! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBA Posted January 30, 2004 Author Share Posted January 30, 2004 MATCH REPORT from the CET Saturday 20 December 2003 Ipswich Town 1 Bent 90 CITY 0 Wasteful City plough into Tractor Boys but leave empty-handed City boss SBA saw the footballing gods turn full circle on Saturday as Ipswich stole all three points after the Sky Blues had turned in what was, without any doubt, their best performance of the season to date. After the euphoria of Wednesday night it seemed absolutely certain that City would register their first away victory of the season. They attacked relentlessly but spurned countless opportunities and found Town 'keeper Kelvin Davis in world class form on the occasions they did hit the target. SBA named a 5-man midfield reading, from left to right; Doyle, Warnock, Osbourne, Pead & Barrett - average age approximately 20. Their high energy levels proved instrumental in ensuring that City dictated the game throughout. 17-year old Isaac Osbourne seems to have taken to first team football like a duck to water and SBA must be considering his progression as a real bonus for the side. Dele Adebola, later replaced by Avun Jephcott, played as the lone frontman while young Stuart Giddings was probably the pick of the City players at left back, and produced some excellent through balls for Michael Doyle who tormented the Town backline all afternoon. Unfortunately City were unable to capitalise as they went on to create enough chances to have won three or four games. Barrett (twice), Adebola (twice), Davenport and Warnock formed the majority of the guilty party. On 65 minutes Doyle had seemingly placed the opening goal on a plate for Barrett who smashed the ball wide from 12 yards out with Davis seemingly beaten. Bent's winner, coming as it did with the game entering stoppage time, forced all eleven City players into looks of disbelief with some of them falling to their knees. City had produced a performance full of desire, energy and quality, the only aspect missing was the ability to find the net. With two minutes to go substitute Andy Morrell raided down the right flank and played an inviting low centre across the six yard box which saw two on-rushing City players slide to try and divert the ball in. As it was a home defender cleared the ball agonisingly wide of the far post and out for the corner from which Ipswich were to break away and score a highly unlikely winning goal of their own. Even then it seemed as though super-sub Steve Staunton would come to the rescue once again for the Sky Blues, but this was Davis' day as he produced a flying save to deny the Irishman his third goal from two substitute appearances. City now look to Boxing Day when they entertain Walsall at Highfield Road but had the bout at Portman Road been a Boxing match it would have been stopped in City's favour long before Ipswich delivered their late knock-out blow. City remain in 22nd place in Division One. MATCH STATS Goal Attempts Ipswich Town 1 Coventry City 13 Corners Ipswich Town 0 Coventry City 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBA Posted January 31, 2004 Author Share Posted January 31, 2004 SBA talks exclusively to CM Stories Tuesday 23 December 2003 I do not want to dwell on Saturday's result as, given the manor in which we dominated proceedings from start to finish, we would be left questioning for a long while how justice failed to prevail. The match left me feeling more confident in the potential of this squad than at any other stage this season. The side that took the field were inexperienced in the extreme with only Dele Adebola the wrong side of 25. We are becoming ever more anxious to drag ourselves away from the bottom three and have the perfect opportunity to do so on Boxing Day as Walsall come to Highfield Road. The game, being the 23rd league match, will signal the half way point of the season. In the New Year we will be looking to climb into a position from where we will be looking forward and not over our shoulders once spring is upon us. The lads have performed admirably during games just recently, and that with the burden of our league position hanging over them. I believe that should we get to a stage where the players can exercise more freedom in their play, then we can be more than a match for anyone in this Division. With this being our third season down in Division One it is no secret that a number of the higher earners in the squad will be out of contract come June. A huge weight will then be lifted off the club's shoulders and should enable myself to take a far more active role in the transfer market. Enjoy your Christmas - we'll be doing our upmost to bring you some festive cheer with three points on Boxing Day. SBA Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBA Posted January 31, 2004 Author Share Posted January 31, 2004 MATCH REPORT from the CET Friday 26 December 2003 CITY 1 Morrell (pen) 84 Walsall 0 Morrell Spot On To Sink Saddlers Andy Morrell lifted himself off the substitutes' bench and within five minutes found himself facing a kick which could prove pivotal in the fortunes of Coventry City's season as 2003 draws to a close. It had looked like it was to be another frustrating afternoon for the encouraging numbers who had turned out to see some evidence of the Sky Blues' recent improved displays. They were not to be disappointed as City outclassed Walsall in every department but could not find a breakthrough until Morrell was handed the perfect opportunity to lift City out of the bottom three in the Division One table. SBA kept faith with the side that had been so cruelly denied at Portman Road last week as he named an unchanged side. Isaac Osbourne played the full 90 minutes and received the man of the match champagne from two of the three matchday sponsors in the players' lounge afterwards. It has not gone un-noticed that City's improvement has coincided with the 17-year old's involvement in the first team which has left the likes of Safri and McAllister kicking their heels. In much the same way as happened in Suffolk, City were well on top in the first half without creating the clear cut opening they craved but stepped on the gas in the second period with Graham Barrett, part of a five-man midfield being operated for the first time in a home game, going close on three occasions. He then turned provider for Adebola who saw his left foot effort cannon off a post with the game in its' last quarter. Stephen Warnock had to be withdrawn due to injury allowing Avun Jephcott to join Adebola up front with SBA determined not to let another three points slip through his fingers. Morrell was introduced for Craig Pead who had been booked. Morrell operated wide right with Barrett moving back inside and when Adebola allowed a Stuart Giddings pass to roll under his foot just inside the area he was tripped by a backtracking Saddlers' defender. The majority of the ground rose as one and were rewarded as the referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. MORRELL was the coolest man in the stadium as he was made to wait to take the kick due to some furious Walsall protests. But much to everyone's relief he calmly slid the ball just inside the left hand post to nudge City in front just at the right time. SBA then replaced Adebola with Staunton and hurled some frantic instructions onto the field to ensure that City did not surrender their precious lead. He needn't have worried however as the Saddlers were unable to launch any kind of attack in the closing stages as City held out for a fully deserved victory. So a turbulent 2003 finishes in fine fashion for the Sky Blues. There was time for one last collective cheer after the final whistle as results elsewhere dictated that City moved out of the Division One drop zone. On the last two performances few would expect them to return. City will start 2004 with the FA Cup Third Round tie at Meadow Lane before they embark on a tough looking run of league fixtures in the month of January. MATCH STATS Goal Attempts Coventry City 14 Walsall 1 Corners Coventry City 1 Walsall 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBA Posted January 31, 2004 Author Share Posted January 31, 2004 SEASON 2003-04 Review of the Season so far: DECEMBER December Results (h) Sunderland drew 1-1 (Adebola) (h) Sheffield United drew 0-0 (h) Nottingham Forest won 2-1 (Staunton (2)) (a) Ipswich Town lost 1-0 (h) Walsall won 1-0 (Morrell) LEAGUE POSITION City are currently 21st in Division One. They have won 4, drawn 11, and lost 8 of their 23 games. They have scored 21 goals and conceded 26. City are 2 points above the bottom three, 16 points below from the top six, and 17 points away from the top two. Leading Goalscorers (All Competitions) Adebola 7 Joachim 7 Staunton 3 Morrell 2 Suffo 2 Davenport 1 Pipe 1 Average Player Ratings Figure on the immediate left indicates first team starts with the figure in brackets indicating substitute appearances. 1. 5 Stuart Giddings 7.20 2. 23 Andrew Whing 7.17 3. 24 Calum Davenport 7.00 4. 4 Isaac Osbourne 7.00 5. 6 Michael Doyle 6.83 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBA Posted January 31, 2004 Author Share Posted January 31, 2004 HALF TERM REPORT With the season now at the halfway point, our regular CET Reporter Adam Dent reviews the highs and lows of City's season so far ... In June SBA entered the hotseat at Highfield Road with his eyes wide open. There was a mammoth task ahead. The proud name of Coventry City was now all too regularly being preceeded with the term 'First Division' rather than 'Premiership' in media circles. That hurt. The club had become famous for their successful battles against relegation from the top flight. Many who followed the club were keen to see the club shrug off the tag of the 'great survivors' and become famous for something else. After two seasons of Division One obscurity they were now famous for nothing. Barely mentioned. Those (often last day) escapes now permanently confined to the long term memory bank. It is now said that for any promoted side to become an established Premiership club they need to survive their first three seasons in the Premiership. Coventry City had survived for 34 years. Relegation hit them more than most. They are still feeling the tremmers to this day. City kicked off Season 03-04 in promising fashion. Despite going out of the League Cup at the first time of asking they picked up two away draws in the league before picking up a win in their first home game against Cardiff City. Victory in the home match against Stoke City would have seen them immediately up and challenging in the top 6 but they were unable to break stubborn Stoke down as the game finished goalless. The first defeat swiftly followed at Upton Park before City appeared to be on the verge of taking 9 points from their opening 6 games as they led going into the final stages against Wigan Athletic at Highfield Road. It was not to be however as they conceded late on from a quickly taken free kick. The late setback against Wigan appeared to be the catalyst for some poor displays from the Sky Blues as they slid down the table with a defeat at Preston and another home draw against Reading. They rescued a point at Wimbledon before registering their second win of the campaign against Rotherham. However they nearly contrived to throw away a 3-goal lead before scraping through 3-2. They failed to win in the two months that followed. City fought back bravely to pick up a 2-2 draw at Carrow Road but surrendered a 2-goal lead themselves against Crewe, who amazingly went on to win the game. A grim November followed. City went down to a 3-1 defeat at bottom of the table Bradford before another two goal reverse against high-flying Derby. City were encouraged by their start at The Priestfield but again let a lead slip and ended up with no reward. Yet another draw followed, this time against Watford before City went down to West Brom for the second time this season. It was at this point that City seemed to find a renewed appetite for the fight as was aptly displayed in a creditable goalless draw at Turf Moor and home draw in a fiercely fought contest against Sunderland. City drew another blank against Sheffield United despite playing the majority of the game against ten men but then saw two spectacular efforts from Steve Staunton turn defeat into victory at Highfield Road against Nottingham Forest. City were denied a first away victory by a stunning goalkeeping performance at Ipswich, a game they went on to lose. However they were now finding more consistency in their performances and a penalty award gave them a timely three points in the Walsall home game to ensure the Sky Blues enter 2004 on the right side of the relegation trap door. [This message was edited by SBA on 31 January 2004 at 22:42.] Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBA Posted January 31, 2004 Author Share Posted January 31, 2004 SBA talks exclusively to CM Stories Monday 29 December 2003 It was nice to see our persistence finally reap the reward it deserved in the Walsall game. Once again our young side played some attractive stuff and I feel that had we scored early in the game we might have gone on to secure our biggest win of the season. I was delighted to hear of the attendance figure - nearly 16,000 for a club in our position is a testament to your loyalty. Having been the football league's top scorer last season with Wrexham I can tell you that Andy Morrell has not been happy with his return this season despite the obvious difference in class of opposition. It was especially pleasing therefore that he was the player to take responsibility for the penalty. You won't see many better penalties considering the extreme pressure he was under. Playing with a lone striker in a home game can understandably be perceived as a little negative. I hope that the chances we produced against the Saddlers go some way to proving that so long as the midfielders are encouraged to get up to support the frontman, it should not hinder a team's chances of hitting on a winning formula. I hope that we can take our recent league form into the FA Cup game at Notts County. This club has been known to wobble against lower league opposition in the past and that is a stigma we hope to shrug off in time. Whilst we will not underestimate the East Midlands side we fully expect our name to be in the draw for the fourth round come Saturday night. The financial benefits of a decent Cup run are all too crucial to pass up. Happy New Year from all at the Club. SBA Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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