Mark Robins: Coventry City boss urges players to 'puff chests out and believe'
- Published
Mark Robins lost to Kieran McKenna's Ipswich at Portman Road
Coventry City boss Mark Robins says all his players need is a little more belief in their own ability, as they look to rediscover the form that last season led to a play-off final.
Friday's visit of Wayne Rooney's Birmingham to the Coventry Building Society Arena marks the start of a key month in the Sky Blues' season.
Nine games in 36 days which will go a long way to determining their season.
But Robins' message is: "We're Coventry City. Puff our chests out and believe."
The summer loss of Viktor Gyokeres and Gustavo Hamer had a negative effect, but Robins is convinced that the replacements brought in are ready to start firing on all cylinders. And he sees last Saturday's reverse at second-placed Ipswich as another classic illustration of all this season's what ifs.
Having been 2-0 down to the high-riding Tractor Boys, City rallied in the second half, missed a penalty and, although their consolation goal did not come until the 96th minute, they came frustratingly close to snatching a result.
"If you're not on the front foot in your head, you can end up giving teams a bit too much space and too much respect," Robins said.
"We're just lacking in that a bit. We've got to give ourselves an opportunity to be in the game, but not to step back.
"Whilst you can give teams respect, you can give them too much respect and you then work together to win the ball back."
The two goals were the first summer signing Brad Collins had conceded in four games since being brought in to replace Ben Wilson as keeper after the 3-2 defeat at Preston - and one of them was a stunner from Wes Burns.
But, while only five Championship sides have conceded fewer goals than Coventry's 23 in 19 games, they are a bottom-half team when it comes to scoring. Just 24 goals. And they have to improve on that, if they are to improve on their current place in 17th, eight points shy of the play-off places.
They now have a scheduled nine-game stretch (five home league games against Blues, Southampton, Sheffield Wednesday, Swansea City. Oxford United in the FA Cup and current leaders Leicester City on 13 January), with only three away games in that sequence - although all tough ones at Leeds, Sunderland and Middlesbrough.
The O'Hare factor
One major plus point at Portman Road was creative midfielder Callum O'Hare getting through 74 minutes on his first start since his season-ending ACL injury at Bramall Lane on Boxing Day, almost a year ago.
His absence for the second half of last season was papered over by the splendid form of Gyokeres and Hamer - but their summer departures have highlighted O'Hare's continued unavailability.
His contribution in Suffolk could at least have been enough to light the touch paper for when the former Aston Villa youngster faces Birmingham at the CBS Arena this Friday.
O'Hare (right) has been nursed back to full fitness with five substitute appearances in recent weeks, before being recalled to the starting line-up at Ipswich
"It'll take a bit of time for him to get back up to speed but what a speed it is when he does," said Robins. "And there were certainly some good signs."
"I'm just focused now on getting on the pitch, being at my best and getting sharp," O'Hare told BBC CWR.
"We had some bad results before the two back-to-back wins, but you could see we were creating chances - and the ball just hasn't been going in for us."
Mark Robins and Callum O'Hare were talking to BBC CWR's Martin Winch