IT WAS season that promised so much yet once again delivered so little and now us Sky Blues fans are once again praying for another campaign to end as quickly as possible.
Looking back it’s difficult to see how this is the same side, managed by the same manager that looked destined for promotion just five months ago.
It had all started so differently for Mowbray’s young side whose brand of attacking football helped attract some of the brightest young talent in the country.
Who can forget that opening day victory over promotion favourites Wigan when there was a real buzz around the city and three consecutive wins, as well as an unbeaten home record that stretched for 13 games into mid-January had fans pondering where this team could be heading.
The answer was top of the league after four wins over Peterborough, Barnsley Colchester and Gillingham put the Sky Blues top of the pile.
The arrival of former England star Joe Cole put the Sky Blues on the national stage. All of a sudden the national media had been reminded that we do still exist and for once us deprived fans were starting to believe this could be our season.
There were however warning signs as early as December following an inconsistent run, but a thumping 5-0 victory at Crewe in the new year re-ignited hope and expectation.
But nobody could prepare fans for what was to follow and after that Crewe win what had been a promising campaign turned into nothing short of a disaster and the statistics do no make pretty reading.
The Sky Blues had won just four matches from 19 before Saturday’s clash against Sheffield United which accumulates to just 17 points out of 57, with the only highlight of the past four months coming in the shape of a 6-0 victory over Bury on the club’s annual Legends Day, on a weekend where the late Jimmy Hill was so brilliantly remembered.
Saturday’s 3-1 victory over Sheffield United made it all the more frustrating because the Sky Blues claimed maximum points from their final three points against play-off opposition.
Mowbray and his right-hand man Mark Venus will sit down at the end of the season and pinpoint where things went wrong but more importantly they must learn from their lessons.
The manager himself has admitted that he is still learning at League One level but after much talk of promotion and beyond when he joined, Mowbray now has a full summer to prepare a squad that must be capable of moving up to the next level next season.
It’s going to be a busy summer with many first team players out of contract but I’m sure Mowbray already has a firm idea who is in his plans and it’s encouraging to see the foundations already being put in place with the likes of Andy Rose, Vladimir Gadzhev, Jodi Jones and Bilal Sayoud all coming on board in recent months.
Whatever happens we head into this three month period knowing we have possibly the best manager in the league, who like last summer and throughout the campaign, will be using all of his experience and reputation to build a squad capable of at least making the top six. Try and keep the faith. PUSB!
