Coventry City

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In-form Coventry City midfielder Victor Torp said working with Frank Lampard over the past year has helped him try to become more dangerous around the opposition's box.

The Dane has scored seven goals so far - second only to 10-goal Brandon Thomas-Asante - in a squad that has claimed an English Football League high 47 goals - 19 more than the next team in the Championship and 14 more than League Two MK Dons, the next highest scorers in the EFL with 33.

With Lampard celebrating his one-year anniversary in charge of Coventry on Friday, Torp said the Chelsea legend's own goalscoring prowess, which brought a club-record 211 goals, has played an important part in improving his game.

"I feel like I have a freedom in my game, where I have a role where I can get into the box, and he was one of the best at getting goals there when he played," he told BBC CWR.

"I feel like I've been adding that to my game and I've been scoring a few and I've been happy about that.

"The main thing is getting in the right positions where the ball can land so you can get the shots off."

Torp added that Lampard always makes time to be available for a chat.

"We have a good relationship and I feel like I can contact him whenever I have any questions," he said.

"I feel like he has that belief in me as a player and that's something I enjoy, and I try to do my best whenever I'm on the pitch."

With the Sky Blues 10 points clear at the top of the table ahead of Saturday's home game against Charlton Athletic (15:00 GMT), Torp said the dressing room is, understandably, a happy place.

"There's a really good vibe in the whole building and in the dressing room," he said. "We have a great team and the feeling is very positive at the moment."

After a successful first 12 months at the helm at Coventry, Frank Lampard has revealed what he takes most satisfaction from.

The Sky Blues are 10 points clear at the top of the Championship after 17 games, having risen from 17th, two points clear of the relegation zone, to the play-offs after Lampard was appointed on 28 November last year.

Asked by BBC CWR what he has taken most satisfaction from during his tenure so far, Lampard said: "We have found different ways to win games but still keeping a feeling of what we are as a team.

"It's a tactical development of the team we should be proud of. The players want to take on information."

Lampard said the identity and unity of the team were key to their success, adding: "We always try and hold dear to what we want to be as a team which is an exciting team with a lot of energy and quality used in the right way.

"The players have spirit and togetherness, it's a real strength of ours. We've got a really tight group that have found a way to improve and get results."

Slumping Charlton, who have lost their past three games, head to the CBS Arena where City are seeking a sixth straight win on Saturday (15:00 GMT), but Lampard remains wary of their threat.

"They've gone to Ipswich and won 3-0, they've had some big results, this week's been tough for them but that's the Championship," he added.

"They are an aggressive off the ball team and will try and press with a lot of energy and we have got to be ready for that."

Image source, Opta

Runaway leaders Coventry will seek to increase their advantage in the promotion race as they welcome wobbling Charlton on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

The free-scoring Sky Blues go into the weekend with a 10-point lead after Tuesday's 4-2 win at Middlesbrough, remain unbeaten at home and have won 10 of their past 11 Championship games.

Though they remain just four points behind the play-off places, the Addicks have slipped to 16th off the back of three straight defeats in which they have scored only once and allowed nine goals at the other end - the most recent a 3-0 reverse at Stoke on Tuesday night.

• Coventry have lost just one of their past 15 home league games against Charlton Athletic (W9 D5), with this their first meeting with the Addicks since a 2-1 victory on Boxing Day 2018.

• Charlton Athletic lost both league meetings with Coventry City when they last met in 2018/19 – they've never lost three in a row against the Sky Blues before.

• Coventry have won 10 of their past 11 league games (L1), while at home they've won each of their past five; it's their longest since a run of seven in October 2021.

• Charlton have lost each of their past three league games, conceding more goals in that time (9) than in their prior 10 games combined (7).

• Coventry's Ellis Simms has scored more goals in his past two games (3) than in his previous 25 Championship appearances (2).

Rob Gurney
BBC CWR

Image source, Getty Images

No amount of superlatives are really sufficient to describe what's happened in the last year under Frank Lampard at Coventry City Football Club..

When Doug King took him on the Sky Blues were 17th in the Championship table, and a significant proportion of the fanbase were not convinced.

In fact many preferred Ruud van Nistelrooy, who ended up at then-Premier League Leicester City and he did not survive going down with them.

An extraordinary run to the play-offs was only halted by a last-gasp extra-time Sunderland goal in a heart-breaking semi-final second leg.

But there was no real hangover from that, and even their solitary defeat at Wrexham has been responded to in the most spectacular fashion - that one L isolated among 10 Ws.

In all competitions, Coventry have played 52 games under Lampard, with 29 victories, 10 draws and 13 defeats, although two of those defeats were in cup competitions against Ipswich last season, and Millwall this term. That is a win ratio of 55.77%.

His brand of high-risk, high-reward football has brought goals, goals, goals, and results, even if sometimes they have found it tough - Middlesbrough on Tuesday being a case in point.

But Coventry are on course to break almost every record going in the Championship, and possibly the EFL itself.

As one podcast famously put it, when he got the job: "Why do clubs keep hiring Frank Lampard?"

Twelve months on I think we've got our answer, boys.

"Coventry look like a team that are ready to go the season - but every team has a wobble."

Have the Sky Blues already got the Championship title in the bag? Is new Middlesbrough boss Kim Hellberg the right man for the job at Riverside Stadium? Is it time for Southampton and Tonda Eckert to make their partnership official?

The 72+ team are joined once again by Chelmsford City striker Lyle Taylor to discuss all of the latest news in the Championship - from Coventry's dominant 10-point lead to Charlton's defensive woes.

Listen to the full episode of 72+ and more on BBC Sounds.

Two-goal Ellis Simms says Coventry City's thrilling 4-2 win at automatic promotion rivals Middlesbrough was a "statement" victory after the Sky Blues moved 10 points clear at the top of the Championship.

Frank Lampard's side continued their scintillating form with a performance at the Riverside Stadium that showed character and determination alongside their usual potency up front as they sealed their 12th win in 17 games so far.

Simms' stunning curler into the top corner from the edge of the box put City ahead on 10 minutes before Liam Kitching made it 2-0 four minutes later.

But Boro, who were second in the table before kick-off and defending their unbeaten home record, fought back to level either side of half-time through Morgan Whittaker and a Bobby Thomas own goal.

Free-scoring Coventry showed why they are such hot favourites for the title and promotion to the Premier League by netting their 46th and 47th goals of the season as Simms and Kitching grabbed their second inside the last five minutes.

"It was a massive three points", Simms told BBC CWR.

"We knew coming here would be difficult - they were second and not lost many games. It was amazing.

"We started very well then they brought it back and it was another test for us. We had to dig deep and we showed great determination to keep going and we were a massive threat going forwards.

"The lads stuck to the game plan. It's a big statement."

Coventry have now won 10 of their past 11 league games as they charge towards a return to the top flight for the first time in a quarter of a century.

They will try to increase their double-digit lead when they take on Charlton at the CBS Arena on Saturday.

Simms, though, is unsurprisingly not getting carried away.

"We're 10 points clear but we just need to keep our heads on it because things change so fast in this league," he added.

"It was a great result [against Boro] but we just need to keep at it, keep the form and keep it going."

Coventry City manager Frank Lampard was delighted with the character and quality his players showed in their 4-2 win over Middlesbrough.

Victory extended their lead at the top of the Championship to 10 points over Boro and Stoke City after this thrilling game.

They quickly went two goals up through Ellis Simms and Liam Kitching, were pegged back to 2-2 by their hosts before goals in the 85th and 86th minute from Kitching and Simms again secured a 10th win in 11 games for the Sky Blues.

"It was two good teams, Boro are where they are for a reason," said Lampard.

"There were lots of factors that made this a tough match for us tonight.

"They started the game well, but we were so clinical. We looked a big threat in our counter-attacking in the first half and we created some big chances beyond the goals.

"But they're a good team and they caused us problems and we changed in the second half to counter that and I thought we were outstanding in the last 20 minutes.

"When games go from 2-0 to 2-2, we've all seen that story before and how it pans out. Momentum is with the other team but we gripped the game back. The changes probably helped, but the players - they owned that today."

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Coventry City boss Frank Lampard says his relationship with Jack Rudoni reminds him of how he worked under Jose Mourinho at Chelsea.

Rudoni, 24, returned to action as a late substitute in Saturday's win over West Bromwich Albion after missing nine games with a calf injury.

Lampard told BBC CWR: "My main one (influence) was Jose Mourinho as he came in at a time when I was a similar age to 'Rudi' - he really injected something into my game on and off the pitch, or how I felt about the game, my confidence as well as tactical tweaks.

"With good players with his talent base, you give them the tactical information but it's also how you talk to them, how you engage with them all the time, that's what I experienced myself."

Rudoni joined Coventry from Huddersfield in June 2024, with Saturday's cameo against Albion being his 50th league appearance for the Sky Blues.

"We have a really good relationship, we talk a lot about midfield play, goal threat and I know what that mindset is and it's easy for me to talk about and he's easy to get on with," Lampard added.

"Nothing in management is quite as rewarding as playing - but in terms of individual relationships, when you see a player grow through the work and perform how he's performed, then you get a really good sense and feeling from it."

This is the one we have been waiting for as the top two come face-to-face on Teesside.

Coventry's stirring 3-2 win over West Brom on Saturday, coupled with Middlesbrough being held to a 1-1 draw at Oxford means the Sky Blues hold a seven-point advantage over their opponents at the top of the Championship.

• Middlesbrough are winless in their past six league games against Coventry (D1 L5), losing each of the past four in a row.

• Coventry have won their past two away league games against Middlesbrough, more than they had in their previous 14 visits between 1982 and 2023 (W1 D6 L7).

• Middlesbrough have lost just one of their past 13 home league games (W9 D3) and are unbeaten in nine at the Riverside Stadium since a 1-0 loss against Leeds in April.

• Coventry have scored 21 goals in their eight away league games this season, just three fewer than they managed in the whole of last season on the road (24 in 23 games).

• Coventry's Haji Wright has been involved in four goals in his four league appearances against Middlesbrough (3 goals, 1 assist), with three of those coming at the Riverside Stadium.

Coventry City boss Frank Lampard hailed his side's resilience after they came from two goals down to beat 10-man West Brom at the CBS Arena.

Josh Eccles' goal just before the break sparked the Sky Blues' revival and Ellis Simms and Victor Torp sealed the win in the second half.

"Even at 2-0 (behind), my feeling was we can definitely get back in this, the way we were moving the ball," Lamped told BBC CWR.

"You're going to get tested, you can't play this many games in a season and have it all your own way, or not expect a team like West Brom to have the quality to capitalise on moments.

"I think we fully deserved it in the end, and from being 2-0 down, that shows the level of resilience in the group.

He added: "I believed at half-time that we wouldn't lose the game against 11 because of the way we finished the first half, Josh's goal was great for him from not having played so much.

"And it was Josh's turn which gets the second clear yellow card, which was a red - a shame for them but at the same time it was good play from us, but then you've got to deal with 10 men which is a challenge because they sink, but we gave them real problems because we moved the ball to the sides great and did everything we wanted to do."

The win put Coventry eight points clear at the top ahead of Tuesday evening's trip to Middlesbrough.

Image source, Rex Features

Coventry City manager Frank Lampard is taking nothing for granted despite opening up a healthy lead at the top of the Championship.

The Sky Blues are five points clear of second-placed Middlesbrough and have a seven-point cushion in the automatic promotion spots from Stoke City in third.

Lampard says "it doesn't matter" who you play and that there is "absolutely no consideration" about where opposing teams are in the table.

"They're all tough and you analyse them as they come," Lampard told BBC CWR ahead of the visit of West Brom on Saturday (12:30 GMT).

"It will be a difficult game, they won their last game. I can see they are a well organised team. Very hardworking team, good players on the ball, like to have possession. So we may expect that at times, even at the CBS.

"We have to approach it in absolutely the right way because it's going to be a tough game for sure."

Lampard wouldn't be drawn on any specific team news but said Ghanaian forward Brandon Thomas-Asante and USA striker Haji Wright will be assessed having returned on long haul flights following international duty from South Korea and the US respectively.

"We just have to manage that and it's obviously my call in terms of how ready they are for the match because we're also going into a three-game week, which is something to take into consideration," he added.

Listen to Lampard's press conference in full on BBC Sounds.

Tatsuhiro Sakamoto has revealed he isn't a fan of international breaks interrupting the Championship schedule.

The 29-year-old, who has played twice for Japan told BBC Radio CWR: "To be honest it's difficult to play after the international break because we have [time] off and we need to prepare to play and work hard.

"I like to play a lot of games in the week so I'm ready, and we are ready."

Following November's break, Coventry are set to play three fixtures in the space of a week with West Brom and Middlesbrough at home before travelling to Charlton next Saturday.

Sakamoto added: "I don't like international breaks. I don't need a rest."

You can listen to more from Sakamoto on Lampard, life in Coventry and more on BBC Sounds.

If you're wondering where your team is going to finish in the Championship this season, you no longer need to worry.

Well, kind of.

Opta's supercomputer has worked its magic to figure out the most likely final league position of every team - and the chances each has of being promoted, making the play-offs or getting relegated.

Who is most likely to win automatic promotion?

It will come as no surprise that leaders Coventry are heavy favourites for the title (69.3%) and also have the highest chance of automatic promotion (84.2%) to the Premier League.

The next most likely to go straight up, with a 30.8% chance, are Middlesbrough. Despite currently sitting seventh and six points behind Boro in second, Ipswich are expected to be the third favourites for a top two finish (18.9%) followed by Stoke (14.1%).

Even though they've each enjoyed a strong start to the campaign, Preston (10.3%), Hull (6.1%) and Millwall (8.3%) have slimmer chances of finishing in an automatic promotion spot.

Who will make the play-offs?

Image source, Rex Features

Even if Coventry don't win automatic promotion, Opta's supercomputer has given the Sky Blues a 97.9% chance of a top-six finish, suggesting it's almost guaranteed.

Each of Middlesbrough, Ipswich, Preston and Stoke are expected to finish in a minimum of a play-off position at least one in two times.

Hull might feel the hardest done by as they sit fifth currently, but are said to have less chance (32.3%) than Millwall (38.8%) and Charton (32.4%), who are below them in the table.

The most likely of the chasing pack to make a surge up the table are 12th-placed Leicester City, who have been given a 31.8% chance of finishing in the top six and are more likely than Bristol City (28.9%), Derby (22.9%) and Birmingham (19.9%).

Last season's beaten play-off finalists Sheffield United have just a 1.8% chance of recovering their season to make the play-offs again, while relegated Premier League side Southampton (12.5%) aren't likely to either... if you trust the supercomputer!

Who is going down?

Image source, Rex Features

It's probably not hard to work out who is most likely to finish bottom and be relegated to League One.

Sheffield Wednesday's 12-point deduction, which has left them 17 points adrift of safety on -4 points, means they're pretty much nailed on to finish bottom (84.8%) - and failing that, are almost certain to go down (98.2%).

Second from bottom Norwich are the next most likely candidates to fall through the trap door (58.5%) but Sheffield United, who currently occupy the final relegation spot, have just a 22.4% chance of going down and are considered more likely to stay up than Oxford (37.8%) and Portsmouth (31.3%).

Championship leaders Coventry City return to action after the international break when they welcome West Bromwich Albion to the CBS Arena on Saturday (12:30 GMT).

Back-to-back wins before the break gave the Sky Blues a five point lead at the summit and effectively an eight-point cushion in the race for automatic promotion thanks to their astonishing goal difference of +27 after 15 games.

The Baggies are 14th and 14 points worse off already, though they did end a four-game winless streak and goal drought as they came from behind to beat Oxford United at The Hawthorns last time out.

• Coventry City won their last league game against West Brom but haven't won consecutive games against the Baggies since September 1985.

• West Bromwich Albion have won four of their past five league matches against Coventry (L1) but did lose 2-0 against the Sky Blues in April.

• Coventry City have 34 points in 15 Championship games this season (W10 D4 L1). Since 2004/05, eight of the nine teams with 34+ points at this stage of a campaign have won automatic promotion, Watford are the only exception in 2007/08 (35 pts, finished 6th).

• West Brom have had 121 shots when they've been drawing in Championship games this season, the most of any side, which works out at 14.4 shots per 90 minutes. However, when they've been winning, the Baggies have faced 32 more shots than they've had themselves (48 for, 80 against) and are averaging 8.6 shots per 90.

• Having scored four times in 38 Championship appearances last season, Coventry's Brandon Thomas-Asante is the joint leading scorer this season with 10 in 15 games. He has found the net in each of his past four home appearances for the Sky Blues.

"Based on the clips you see of Rudoni and how he behaves, he must be chomping at the bit to get back into the team.

"But I will say I don't want it to be a big rush to get him back because I don't him to get hurt again. Luckily, we've done alright without him, so we can put a little bubble around him."

BBC Radio CWR's Will Oelrich is joined by Coventry City fans Sam and Ged to discuss whether to rest US international Haji Wright, the upcoming game against West Bromwich Albion and the possible return of Jack Rudoni.

Listen to the full episode of the Sky Blues Fancast and more Coventry City content on BBC Sounds.