FORMER Coventry City player Mark Hateley predicts an ‘uncomfortable’ end to the season for the Sky Blues in the club’s quest for Premier League promotion.
Hateley began his professional career with the Sky Blues in 1978 and scored 34 goals in 112 appearances for Coventry in five seasons with the club.
He went on to play 32 times for England and enjoyed a distinguished playing career featuring for Italian giants AC Milan, Monaco and Rangers.
And Hateley believes Sky Blues boss Frank Lampard is the leader Coventry need to secure a place in the Premier League next season.
Speaking exclusively to the Observer on behalf of British Gambler Hateley said: “I follow all of my old teams very closely and a lot has been learnt by the ownership and the manager is a top, top manager.
“Coventry have just picked up when they needed to pick up because you’re thinking this is going to fall away drastically poorly.
“Coventry have just come back into form at the right time. It’s all down to leadership.
“Frank has got a lot of knowledge and a lot of history with his dad. He knows the game inside out.
“It may be uncomfortable because Coventry have not been in the Premier League for a while.
“Squad-wise, when you’re running for a Championship, it’s the be-all and end-all.
“You’ve got to have more than 12 starters, you’ve got to have at least 20 starters and you’re going to have 15 per cent of your squad injured all the time.
“They’ve got to pull everybody together in tight. Everybody is looking for the same goal.
“Never splinter, always stay together, you need a strong captain and strong leaders within the captaincy group and 100 per cent trust in your manager.”
Hateley reflected fondly on his time with the Sky Blues giving a nod to former City boss Gordon Milne and chairman Jimmy Hill.
The 64-year-old felt Coventry were building the infrastructure of the club when playing for the Sky Blues which ultimately led to the club’s FA Cup triumph in 1987.
Hateley added: “It was a great place, I made some great friends there and great culture, great music – it was just a great place to be.
“It was ideal timing for me. I was in the right place at the right time with Gordon Milne, Ron Wylie and Joe Mercer knocking around in the background with the legendary Jimmy Hill.
“You could see over the horizon what was coming with an all-seater stadium, training ground facilities and building a young side.
“We were in a great place with great players and we were really attractive to watch and because we were young players we were fearless.”
Hateley played for Coventry with the club then playing in the old First Division.
And the former striker spelled out what the Sky Blues must do if they were to return to the Premier League next season.
He said: “The ownership have to take on all responsibility of survival because the first year [after promotion] is about survival and having a squad that can survive.
“You need to build the foundations to survive again the second year and the third year in the Premier League, you can start to add big players to the foundations.
“Frank will know that. Frank’s been there and got the t-shirt and seen it all before. You see it evolve, collapse and be rebuilt.
“It’s about having the right people to build the foundations and putting trust and investing in the manager.”
