Coventry City

Frank Lampard praised his Coventry City players after they hammered QPR 7-1 on a momentous day for the club.

The stunning victory came hours after City announced they had completed the purchase of their stadium, the Coventry Building Society Arena, describing it as a "pivotal moment" in their history.

"It's a great day. This club has a great history and tradition and been through so many things. To make this feel our home is really special," Sky Blues boss Lampard told BC CWR.

"I'm delighted for everybody. We have this officially as our home. Then the onus was on us to put in a performance and the boys certainly did that - from the first minute.

"It was a performance of quality, mentality and attitude. They were at it in every single way.

"We want to take the template of today. We won't always play with so many great things but we must always have the attitude and mentality we had today."

Image source, Getty Images

Coventry City manager Frank Lampard says it is difficult to find consistency because of the quality in the Championship.

The Sky Blues have made an unbeaten start to the season, winning one and drawing one of their opening two games.

But Lampard is wary of over confidence ahead of Saturday's game with Queens Park Rangers.

"Consistency is tough to find for a lot of teams," Lampard told BBC CWR.

"Some of that is credit to opponents. There are a lot of different styles in this league. You always come up against different challenges week to week, that is why we don't lean too much from last week."

Meanwhile, QPR are winless so far this term but Lampard has noticed a change in the club after Julien Stephan replaced Marti Cifuentes.

"QPR are a different team with a new manager, quite intense, some different players from last year. It is important we do our job.

"We have to prepare for the best version of them. It is a focus on us; if we are at our best, we back ourselves."

Coventry City will aim to maintain their unbeaten start to the Championship season when they take on Queens Park Rangers on Saturday (15:00 BST), having begun with a 0-0 draw with Hull City and a 5-3 win at Derby County.

QPR will look to build on a draw and a loss in their opening two Championship fixtures as manager Julien Stephan's side remains "under construction".

• Coventry City have won four of their last six league games against QPR (D1 L1), as many as in their prior 13 encounters.

• QPR have lost five of their last eight away league games against Coventry City (W3), doing so 1-0 in last season's meeting.

• Remaining unbeaten in the Championship so far this season (W1 D1), Coventry City will look to go unbeaten across their opening three games of a league season for the first time since 2019-20.

• QPR have lost seven of their last 10 away league games (W3), while in 2025, only three sides have lost more Championship games than their 11.

• Coventry City have recorded more touches in the opposition's box than any other side in the Championship this season (73), are second for non-penalty expected goals (3.9) and third for possession won in the final third (10).

Coventry have seen a bid for Ipswich defender Luke Woolfenden rejected, with the Tractor Boys keen to keep the 26-year-old at Portman Road. (Sky Sports, external)

Want more transfer news from the EFL? Take a look at Thursday's gossip column here.

Belief was key to Coventry City's victory at Derby County on Saturday, says midfielder Victor Torp.

The Sky Blues came from 3-2 down to win 5-3 at Pride Park and record their first Championship victory of the season.

"It was a crazy game - throughout the game we had a feeling we could win, in the dressing room at half-time at 2-2, and we believed if we did well we could win it," Torp told BBC Radio CWR.

"We were really good winning second balls and we scored five goals which should be enough to win and it was - (scoring) five goals isn't something which happens in every game so we should enjoy that."

The 26-year-old Dane scored his first goal of the season after latching on to a Milan van Ewijk pass to notch Coventry's fifth of the afternoon and is pleased with their unbeaten start to the campaign.

"It's a decent start - we go into every game with a mindset we want to win but with the first game (a 0-0 home draw with Hull City), if you can't win then don't lose and we put in a good performance here."

Coventry are next in Championship action at home to QPR on Saturday, 23 August (15:00 BST)

Coventry boss Frank Lampard praised his players for their battling spirit after they came from behind to beat Derby 5-3 in a thriller at Pride Park.

It was the Sky Blues' first league win of the season and was secured by three goals in the space of seven second-half minutes.

"If it's not my favourite game since I've been here then it's right up there because of the character and quality - we kept playing and kept pushing and showed belief," Lampard told BBC CWR.

"We won at a place a lot of people are going to find really tough. We were really sharp against a back five that don't give you any space.

"I'm just really pleased with the players. They have to have the belief at 3-2 down. An outstanding game from us.

"We scored a couple of real quality goals and I think that quality from us was the difference. The players were fantastic."

Coventry are are home to Queens Park Rangers next Saturday.

Alex Howell
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Sheffield United have made a bid for Coventry City defender Bobby Thomas in the region of £5m.

One source also said that a bid of £8m has been registered with Coventry.

The 24-year-old moved to Coventry from Burnley in the summer of 2023 and signed a four-year deal.

He is closing in on a century of appearances for the Sky Blues, and played in both of their games so far this season.

Coventry boss Frank Lampard has been speaking to BBC CWR ahead of the Sky Blues' trip to his former club, Derby County, on Saturday [12:30 BST].

City began the season with a goalless draw against Hull City at the CBS Arena last Saturday but Lampard is hopeful time on the training ground will help them sharpen up in front of goal.

Here are some of the things he had to say:

• "We deserved to win the game [against Hull], we have to look at how we can improve."

• Practice in front of goal - "It's early in the season. Only training and practice and becoming ultra sharp will give you the edge at the end of the pitch".

• "If we can help the squad in terms of balance before the end of transfer window absolutely we'll look at it."

• Ben Sheaf could be back to face Oxford United on 30 August.

• "I enjoyed my time at Derby, it's a big club, we just fell short [of promotion] in the end."

• "John Eustace did a really good job to keep Derby in the league last season."

• "We need to remember the feeling of the [2-0 defeat at Pride Park in March] and work against that.

• "Derby are a dangerous team who will want to react to [opening defeat at Stoke] in front of their own fans."

Coventry City travel to Derby County on Saturday (15:00 BST) with both sides looking for a first win of the league season.

Since joining the Rams in February, manager John Eustace guided the side to a 19th-placed finish which ensured their survival, while Sky Blues' boss Frank Lampard will be hoping to finish inside that top six again following last season's disappointment.

• Derby are unbeaten across their past four league games against Coventry (W2 D2), completing a league double over them last season. The Rams haven't won three in succession since April 2010.

• Coventry have won just one of their past 21 away league games against Derby (D9 L11); a 3-1 victory in October 2003.

• Derby have won two of their past three opening home games of a league season (L1), as many victories as across their prior 12 such matches combined (D6 L4).

• Coventry haven't won their opening away game in any of the past seven league campaigns (D3 L4) since winning 2-0 at Grimsby Town in League Two back in 2017-18.

• Last weekend, Derby's Ebou Adams made more tackles than any other player (8) – the last player to record more in a second tier match for the Rams was Graeme Shinnie vs Bournemouth in October 2020 (9).

Coventry City forward Kai Andrews made his full debut in the club's 1-0 victory over Luton Town in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday and is hoping it will kick-start more regular appearances in the first team.

The Wales Under-21 international had previously only played three minutes for the Sky Blues during the 2023-24 season before leaving for Motherwell on loan in January, where he made eight Scottish Premiership appearances.

"It was a really good opportunity to showcase myself on the pitch," Andrews told BBC Radio CWR.

"The focus now is take it back into training on Thursday and hit the ground running again. Try to get as many minutes and starts and appearances as I can this season."

Listen to the full interview with Andrews and more on BBC Sounds.

Wrexham have registered interest in Manchester City defender Callum Doyle but face competition from Coventry City, Leicester City and Norwich City for the 21-year-old Englishman. (Football League World), external

Want more transfer news from the EFL? Take a look at Wednesday's gossip column here.

Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Hull are confident of keeping defender Charlie Hughes at the MKM Stadium.

The Tigers have rejected two bids from Championship rivals Coventry, the last being £7m, for the 21-year-old.

Hull sold Jacob Greaves to Ipswich for £17m last summer and it is expected any offer for Hughes would need to eclipse that to even be considered.

But the Tigers are also under a transfer embargo and unable to sign players for a fee, meaning they would not be able to reinvest the money for a replacement, leaving them determined to keep Hughes.

He joined Hull from Wigan last summer as a replacement for Greaves - winning the club's Young Player of the Year award - and has made 28 appearances, including Saturday's opening 0-0 draw at Coventry.

"Because of a lot of the hype, it was a bit of an anti-climax... you're not going to keep fans on your side playing like that every week."

BBC CWR's Will Oelrich is joined by Sky Blues fans Sam and Anthony to reflect on Coventry City's opening game against Hull City - the good and the bad - as well as what to expect in Tuesday night's Carabao Cup encounter with Luton Town (19:45 BST).

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

Image source, Rex Features

Coventry City manager Frank Lampard says his team were lacking that 'little extra' in attack in the goalless draw with Hull City.

It meant the Sky Blues were unable to turn one point into three as they failed to win their season opener for the fourth successive year.

But for Lampard, the goal was all that was lacking in a solid performance at the CBS Arena.

"I'm disappointed not to win the game," he told BBC CWR.

"I'm happy with a clean sheet, I thought we were the better team and deserved it, we had a lot of control of the game and played in their half a lot.

"Maybe the first game there was a lack of 5% at the top end of the pitch.

"We looked like us, we played like us but we didn't have that little extra. That's probably the difference as otherwise we probably win that game."

Coventry City head coach Frank Lampard said that his side "has to move on" from their play-off anguish and "start again" ahead of their opening game of the season against Hull City on Saturday (12:30 BST).

Lampard's side lost in extra time against Sunderland in last season's play-off semi-final but he told BBC Radio CWR that his players have to treat this season as completely different.

"I'm happy to be back, we start again off the back of what was a really positive season for us, with a disappointing ending," the former England international said.

"I always like the challenge of a new season, you must try to improve in every sense because everyone else around you is trying to do the same."

This is Lampard's first pre-season at the club following his appointment in November 2024 and his first opportunity to have a summer working with players.

"I know the squad now, I've worked with them for quite a few months. You are always learning as a coach, always growing and it is important to give players the opportunity to surprise you and train well because it is like a fresh start when you go again," he said.

The 47-year-old guided Coventry to their second play-off appearance in three seasons but when asked about if the top six was the target again this campaign, he said: "No, I haven't set targets.

"I think they are pretty pointless at this stage. We have an awareness of what the opening section of the season looks like but that is where our focus is."

Click here to listen to the full pre-match interview on BBC Sounds.