DON Goodman believes Coventry City are ‘nailed on champions’ with just seven games left to play in the Championship this season.
The Sky Blues hold a nine-point lead at the top with just 21 points left to play for.
Frank Lampard’s side have won seven of their last eight matches since a crucial victory against title rivals Middlesbrough.
And Goodman believes Coventry only need to win four of their remaining matches to seal the title.
Speaking to Grosvenor Casinos, Goodman said: “I think they are nailed on [champions]. Generally, I like the fixtures that are remaining for them. You rarely get an easy game in the Championship, I accept that. Although I think the Southampton game was the most difficult.
“I was more worried before the Middlesbrough game. Had they lost that, I think I said at the time that they would have been in big trouble. But it turned out to be a real catalyst for them. Tactically, they were brilliant and they executed the game plan perfectly.
“You could still argue that Middlesbrough are the best team in the league aesthetically, despite where they currently find themselves. Coventry used that game as a catalyst and then went on to win the next five as well.
“That has put them in a really strong position where they probably only need to win four of their remaining eight games, maybe five at an absolute push. Looking at the fixtures they have left, you would back them to win at least four of them.”
Goodman also singled out Sky Blues boss Lampard for praise following the club’s cruel play-off semi-final defeat last season.
The Sky Sports pundit praised Lampard and his players for their response to such a difficult defeat at the end of the previous campaign.
And Goodman feels Lampard has grabbed the club by the scruff of the neck since his appointment at Coventry.
Goodman added: “They were under pressure. I think he said all the right things publicly to us in the media. I am also sure he was a calming influence privately with the players at the training ground before every game, reassuring them that they are where they are because they deserve to be there.
“It has not been a fluke by any stretch of the imagination. They are up there as, if not the best, then certainly one of the best teams in the league.
“He has done all the things you would expect, and I am sure he has drawn on all the experiences he has had. You also have to remember that he is now a very experienced manager.
“Frank has been around a bit now. He reached the play-offs with Derby, worked at the top end of the Premier League with Chelsea, and at the bottom end with Everton.
“Then he came to Coventry and really grabbed the club by the scruff of the neck. They were very unlucky last season, obviously losing in the play-offs.
“What is really impressive is that they lost the play-offs in the manner that they did and then came back and started this season the way they did.
“Honestly, that is not easy. I have experienced losing two play-off semi finals and it is not easy when you turn up on the first day of pre-season.
“So he deserves a lot of credit for that. I just think he has used all his experiences well. You would expect somebody of Frank’s quality and intelligence to keep improving as a manager.
“For me, the job he has done has been absolutely impeccable, both last season and this season.”
