COMMENT - New Sky Blues boss must have League One experience - The Coventry Observer

COMMENT - New Sky Blues boss must have League One experience

Coventry Editorial 6th Oct, 2016 Updated: 28th Oct, 2016   0

THE SEARCH for a 13th Sky Blues manager in 15 years is already well underway and this could well be the most important appointment of them all with the club languishing at the wrong end of the third tier.

We’ve seen our fair share of managers come and go in recent years and although I was sad to see the back of Tony Mowbray, his resignation did not come as too much of a surprise.

Mowbray spoke passionately about promotion and beyond at his very first press conference and he continued to talk up the club’s chance throughout pre-season, which understandably raised fan expectations.

His reputation in the game made him a hugely popular figure amongst supporters but there were question marks raised over last season’s dramatic collapse.




Working on a similar budget this summer, many expected Mowbray to assemble a similar type of squad but for whatever reason that hasn’t happened and a dismal start led to his decision to walk away in an applaudable dignified manner.

So who should get the job or perhaps more realistically who would want it?


We’ve been down the road of hiring an up-and-coming, fresh manager in the shape of Steven Pressley and the club has also attempted to go down the vastly experienced route with Mowbray and had no such joy.

Now it’s imperative that we get someone in who knows how to get the club out of this division.

As always there will no doubt be a high number of candidates along with the usual suspects but one man who has caught the eye is Steve Evans, who I understand has applied the job this week.

Evans watched from the stands as the Sky Blues recorded their first win of the season at Port Vale on Saturday and he knows what it takes to win promotion at this level.

Evans guided Crawley Town from non-league to the brink of promotion to League One and he also did a fantastic job at Rotherham, where took them from League Two to the Championship in the space of just three years.

Someone like Alan Curbishley, who also expressed an interest in the job this week, might perhaps be a bigger risk having not managed a club since 2006 but like Mowbray he has stature in the game and could be worth a gamble.

One man who was recommended to me and who I feel the club should be looking to speak to is Kenny Jackett.

Jackett not only led Millwall and Wolves out of this league, but afterwards he did well with both clubs in the Championship too.

Despite the continuing off-field problems and long list of managers who have failed to improve the club’s on-field progress in recent years, Coventry City is a football club that will always attract a high calibre candidates and now it’s over to the current owners to bring in the right man for the ninth time of asking under their stewardship.

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