Coventry City

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Coventry City midfielder Jamie Allen has told BBC CWR he's making good progress towards returning to the squad after two months out of action with a knee ligament injury.

The 29-year-old has missed the past nine Sky Blues games after coming off injured early in the 2-1 home defeat to Swansea on 21 September.

Allen won't publicly set a target for when he might be ready to play again, but he hopes to be in full training soon.

"It's going really well. I'm feeling strong," he said. "I've spent the last two or three weeks out on the grass doing straight line movements and then going into curving in different directions and my knee is feeling good now.

"I can't really put a date on when I'll be back in case something goes wrong but hopefully not too long."

Allen has passed 150 appearances for the Sky Blues after arriving in 2019 but has only started two Championship games this season and played a total of 126 minutes across six matches before his injury.

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Sky Blues summer signing Raphael Borges Rodrigues has made his long-awaited comeback from injury.

The Dutch-born Australia Under-23 international winger joined Coventry from A-League side Macarthur in May but suffered a thigh injury in his first appearance of pre-season against Port Vale.

He was named on the right flank in the Coventry under-21 side, which also featured Fabio Tavares, to face Barnsley's under-21s at the Coventry Building Society Arena on Tuesday afternoon.

Raphael was denied a goal on his return when Barnsley's goalkeeper foiled his stinging drive from distance shortly after the half-hour.

The 21-year-old was substituted with the Sky Blues trailing 2-0 just after the hour mark but the hosts fought back to draw 2-2 with two Joseph McCallum goals.

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Mark Robins will return to Coventry this week, less than a fortnight after being sacked by the Sky Blues.

The former City manager will collect an Honorary Doctorate from Coventry University, who are honouring Robins for his contribution to the community, in addition to the impact on the football club.

The 54-year-old led Coventry to within a penalty kick of the Premier League and to four Wembley visits over a seven-year span in his second spell in charge of the club.

He will become an Honorary Doctor of Administration at a ceremony at Coventry Cathedral later this week.

“It is said that all good things come to an end but it is right that we acknowledge the enormous and positive impact Mark has made here in Coventry,” said Professor John Latham CBE, Vice-Chancellor of Coventry University.

"Mark Robins has played a crucial role in helping Coventry City come out of a dark few years and helped restore pride and belief among the fan base.

"His outstanding leadership and dedication to Coventry stretches further than just on the football pitch and we are proud to bestow this honour upon him for his contribution both on and off the field over the past near decade."

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The chances of Lee Carsley returning to Coventry City as head coach appear to have diminished after the FA indicated he'll be staying with England's Under-21s.

The former Sky Blues midfielder ended his interim spell in charge of England with a fifth win in six games on Sunday evening, thrashing the Republic of Ireland 5-0 at Wembley.

While Thomas Tuchel set to take over the national team, FA CEO Mark Bullingham said Carsley still has a ‘vital role’ to play in developing talent for the senior squad, external.

"Lee will now return to the Under-21s and will continue to play a vital role supporting the seniors by developing England’s best young players,” he said.

"His leadership and coaching gives us the best possible chance of back-to-back U21 Euro wins next summer, and he will continue to play a big part in elite football development across the FA."

Frank Lampard is the heavy odds-on favourite with bookmakers to replace Mark Robins with Coventry owner Doug King confirming the former Chelsea and Derby boss has submitted his CV, while one-time Sky Blues striker Robbie Keane is a distant second in the betting.

Carsley was a development coach at Coventry early in his career and actually took over as caretaker first-team Sky Blues boss in February 2013 following Robins' departure to Huddersfield, although he left for Sheffield United that summer.

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Coventry City owner Doug King has confirmed Frank Lampard is a contender to replace Mark Robins as head coach.

With the popular Robins sacked last Thursday, former Chelsea and Everton boss Lampard has emerged as an early favourite but Sky Blues fans have mixed feelings over whether he is the right man.

BBC Sport invited Coventry supporters to give us their thoughts and these are just some of them:

Steve Clark - Mark Robins rescues Coventry after years of decline and despite off-field events. He then gets the sack and Frank Lampard is approached just due to him having a wardrobe full of England caps as a player but no great record as a manager. Not a great idea.

DMC - All Lampard will do is give Cov more column inches than usual.

Webby - He needs to rebuild his managerial career after a frankly shocking attempt at Everton and an even more awful second attempt at Chelsea. Dropping down a league or two probably best for him.

Filbo - Fortunate to have had some management experience, but the Championship is a tough gig. I'd like to see these guys cut their teeth in the lower leagues.

Foy - Why does everyone hate former top players and want them to fail as managers? Lampard, Rooney, Gerrard, get way too much hate. I hope if Frank gets the Coventry job, he does well. If not, he won't be the first player to struggle to transition into management. No need for the over the top hate campaign.

Tea Rex - Those having a pop at Frank Lampard don't understand what drives a man like him. He has more money than he'll ever need but loves the game and wants to prove himself. He could have walked away and avoided all the abuse. Give the guy a break.

FunnyOldGame - If Lampard came in maybe this is more his level. He did really well at Derby and managed to get some quality loans from Chelsea because of his links. He’s managed two basket cases in the premier league in Everton and Chelsea at a time when they were going through problems - hardly makes him a ‘bad’ manager.

Conradk - Would be nothing more than a vanity appointment. “Ooh look at us, we got Lampard!” Lucky you...

BBC Radio CWR hosted a fans forum with Coventry City owner Doug King on Monday after an unhappy response from fans to the recent dismissal of long-serving manager Mark Robins.

Here are the main takeaways:

• "I fully understand what he has done for this city and this community but I still made the decision"

• He explained how Robins "dismantled" the coaching staff because of internal conflict

• He feels the club are lacking a high-quality first-team coach/tactician but struggled to recruit, though he believes recruitment will not suffer if a head coaching position is offered

• He was surprised by the fans' reaction and felt he was in a "difficult position"

• There was not a replacement lined up before Robins' dismissal and the decision was made following a senior management meeting in October

• He does not intend to sell the club and plans to purchase the Coventry Building Society Arena once financially viable

• He has stated that a sporting director will be a "logical position" to add as the club look to appoint a head coach

• He does not want a "revolving door" of managers and wishes to build a "sustainable" club but feels that relegation would "squander" what they have already built, so his next appointment will be crucial

• Robins' exit has not affected the budget for the upcoming January transfer window

• Head of recruitment Dean Austin on the lack of loan signings: "If we bring loan players in, loan players expect to come in and play - and their clubs expect them to play."

• Austin spoke about maintaining relationships with other clubs and how he felt loan players would not get a significant amount of playing time.

You can listen to the full fans forum on BBC Sounds

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Coventry fans, you could be seeing a new (and famous!) face in the dugout very soon.

Sky Blues owner Doug King has confirmed that former England and Chelsea legend Frank Lampard is in the running to replace Mark Robins following his dismissal last week.

Lampard has some good memories in the Championship, having led Derby Country to the play-off final in 2019 - but is that enough pedigree to replace long-serving Robins?

Is the former Everton and Chelsea manager the kind of appointment you were hoping for? Are you still sore about the controversial sacking that precedes it?

If Frank was on the phone to you right now, what would your advice be?

Let us know on #bbcefl, via WhatsApp on 03301231826 or text 81111 (UK only, standard message rates apply) - don't forget to include your name on your messages!

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Coventry City owner Doug King is to face Sky Blues fans over the sacking of Mark Robins as manager.

In the wake of widespread criticism from City supporters, King will answer questions at a specially convened Fans Forum.

BBC CWR's Rob Gurney, Clive Eakin and Lorna Bailey will host the hour-long show, which starts at 18:00 GMT.

They will be joined by representatives from supporter groups which make up the club’s Supporter Forum and also regular contributors to BBC CWR sport programmes.

Supporters have the chance to listen to the Forum and to text or e-mail in their questions.

Listen here to BBC CWR's live coverage of the Sky Blues Fancast here.

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As speculation increases about who will succeed Mark Robins as Coventry City manager, Wycombe Wanderers boss Matt Bloomfield insists he has had no contact with the Sky Blues.

The Chairboys are two points clear at the top of League One following their 1-0 victory away to Wigan Athletic.

Asked about reports linking him with Coventry, Bloomfield told BBC Three Counties Radio: "I've not heard anything from my club, I've not heard anything about that.

"It's just speculation as far as I'm concerned. But it's lovely to be linked with jobs higher up the food chain because it shows that the job you're doing is the right one.

"But it's all about the players. If they aren't performing on the pitch, you get linked with leaving the job for the wrong reasons. If they are performing on the pitch, like the boys are, you get linked the other way."

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Plymouth Argyle head coach Wayne Rooney has labelled Coventry City's decision to sack long-serving manager Mark Robins as "crazy", while Oxford City head coach Des Buckingham has called the revolving managerial door within the EFL "scary".

Robins was appointed Sky Blues manager in 2017 for his second stint at the club but saw his contracted terminated on Thursday after suffering a poor start to the season.

"I think it's crazy, I really do," Rooney told BBC Radio Devon.

"What he's done over the last few years for Coventry City - I think it's two play-off finals, an FA Cup semi-final, consistently had them in a good position in the league.

"Then he loses his job maybe because of a few bad results, I think it's absolutely crazy."

The departure of Robins means that Derby County manager Paul Warne, who was appointed in 2022, is now the longest-serving manager in the Championship.

"You never like to see anyone lose their job, especially Mark Robins who's been there for years, but that is nature of this role," Oxford boss Buckingham said.

"I haven't even been here a year yet and I sit quite highly in among the longest serving managers across the English Football League, which is pretty scary."

Rob Gurney
BBC CWR sports editor

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Am I gutted? Of course. Am I surprised? Not in the least. Football doesn't respect a manager's history or reputation, but you could argue Mark Robins was a special case.

Yes, he left once, under a cloud. But, since his return in March 2017, he's pulled the club back from the brink.

Winning the EFL Trophy within weeks of his return, instantly endeared him to Sky Blues fans again.

An immediate return from League Two, after another memorable Wembley trip, cemented that relationship still further.

Then we saw the League One title secured during Covid, were a missed penalty kick away from the Premier League, and most gut-wrenchingly of all, a toenail killed the greatest FA Cup comeback ever.

Championship form tailed off, completely understandably, after the physical and mental exertions of that semi-final.

Then a very aggressive summer marketing campaign 'Think Big, Aim High' fuelled expectations of a promotion push, but a slow start, for the third season running, sealed Robins' fate.

My perception is the back-to-back wins over Luton and Middlesbrough came as a huge inconvenience to owner/chairman Doug King; particularly the supporters' response to Robins personally, in the face of going 2-0 down in the first of those.

His, and his players', in-game management, has been scrutinised in recent weeks, although he'd appeared to have bought himself a little more time.

Now King has made the decision to dispense with the man many fans regard as the modern-day Jimmy Hill, his next one could define the City's destiny for years to come.

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Former Coventry City goalkeeper Steve Ogrizovic says the sacking of manager Mark Robins is a "poor decision".

Ogrizovic, 67, made more than 500 appearances for the Sky Blues and now works as a pundit for BBC CWR.

"Very few things in football shock me but this is a poor decision," said Ogrizovic.

"It's not a knee-jerk decision because I think this is planned and (owner) Doug King has got a plan in the back of his mind, although what that is I don't know."

Coventry had won their previous two Championship matches before Wednesday's 2-1 home defeat by Derby, which proved to be Robins' last game in charge.

"Mark Robins had more to give, look at the club since the day he came in and it's been year-on-year success and progression," added Ogrizovic.

"The sun has been shining on Coventry and they got back into the Championship and along the way there were some great memories for people.

"The stadium is full now and it wasn't when Mark Robins first came to the club."

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Mark Robins "outperformed budget and expectations" throughout his time as Coventry City boss, says former midfielder David Prutton.

Robins was sacked by the Sky Blues on Thursday after more than seven-and-a-half years in charge during this second spell at the club.

Prutton, 43, had a brief spell on loan with Coventry City in 2014 and now works as a pundit for Sky Sports.

"When I played for Coventry they were dark days so what Mark Robins gave back to that football club was just glorious light and illumination," Prutton told BBC CWR.

"He's got the same demeanour win, lose or draw which enables a team to climb the mountains they did."

Robins leaves Coventry with a near 41% win ratio and two victories from their past three games.

"The fact he outperformed budget and expectations year on year is another feather in his cap," added Prutton.

"He had a player under his tutelage in Viktor Gyokeres who scored a hat-trick against Manchester City the other night. He bought him for about £1m and sold him for £24m so he's ticked so many boxes, on the pitch for the fans to watch, enjoy and love and off the pitch for the bean counters who want to make the football club a viable financial asset.

"We can all get into metrics and statistics but if anyone classes Mark Robins' tenure as a failure I would say that suggests a fundamental misunderstanding of what football means to people who love the game and are passionate about their club."

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The Championship's longest-serving manager was sacked this morning after more than seven-and-a-half years in charge during which Mark Robins led Coventry from League Two to the Championship, and within a penalty shootout of the Premier League and an FA Cup final.

Sky Blues fans have been reacting the news and you can share your thoughts as well.

Here are just some of the messages from Coventry supporters:

Troyston - This is absolutely horrendous. Robins deserves a statue for what he has done for this club. For about 15 years, this club slowly descended down the leagues all the way to League Two. He has transformed this club despite all the off-field nonsense. I'm sickened. I can't believe my club has shown such disrespect to him. To say I'm in shock is understatement of the century.

Gafferuk - From no ground, didn't own a player in the team at one point, nearly out of existence, a penalty away from the Premier League and a dodgy decision against Man Utd for a place in the FA Cup final to sacking him is a ridiculous decision. Coventry City FC what have you done?

Chris - Absolutely devastated. What a man he has been for the football club. It just doesn’t make sense. Mark thank you for everything you have done, us fans hold you in higher regard than our apparent owner. Gutted.

Mike - Mark ‘The Phoenix’ Robins brought us back from the ashes and embodied everything our club is about. He deserved so much better than this for his loyalty and success over the last 7 years. A truly awful decision. He had earned the right to leave on his own terms, whenever he wanted.

JT13 - As a rival fan of a Championship team I was concerned Coventry would be surging up the table again and that a play-off place would be taken up by them once again but now much happier after this announcement. Says it all really!