Coventry City Q&A: January spending, Doug King’s patience, and where do Cal and KP fit into the 4-3-3?
Coventry City Q&A from CoventryLive, as Sky Blues reporter Andy Turner answers some of the week’s most pressing questions from fans.
Coventry City return to Championship action this weekend when they visit home-sick Millwall. The Lions have the division’s worst home record, along with bottom two teams Sheffield Wednesday and Queens Park Rangers, having lost five league games at home this season and winning just twice.
That must be balanced against the fact that the Sky Blues have only won one game away from the CBS Arena so far in the 2023/24 season, and have lost five. Fans have a lot of questions as Mark Robins’ men look to improve their early season form and move up the table and away from the bottom end of the division.
That must be balanced against the fact that the Sky Blues have only won one game away from the CBS Arena this season, while losing five. Fans have a lot of questions as Mark Robins’ men look to improve their early season form and move up the table and away from the division’s bottom end.
A formation change has been much debated, while many fans have been wondering about Callum O’Hare’s form and where he will fit into the new system, especially with the return of Kasey Palmer. In other news, many are looking forward to the January transfer window and wondering how much money Doug King will spend on new players as City look to fill the midfield void left by Gustavo Hamer’s summer sale to Sheffield United. Andy Turner, Sky Blues reporter, answers some of your burning questions from the week.
Do we spend a lot of money in January to replace Hamer?
AT: I believe it is fair to say that they are aware that a significant investment is required to achieve the required quality. Although City is still a development model to some extent, they recognize the need for someone to come in and hit the ground running, making a significant impact.
How much time do you think Doug King will give Robins to turn this season around?
AT: I’d like to think Doug King is a patient man who will let Mark Robins do his job after entrusting him with a summer budget and making plans for January reinforcements. Obviously, the owner’s patience will be determined by the outcome, but he must recognize the value of his manager and Adi Viveash, having given both new four-year contracts in May, and will be hopeful that they can turn things around in the coming months.
We have a tough stretch of games coming up before Christmas, with the possibility of more losses. Regardless of the results, I hope the club does not panic and succumb to the boo boys’ pressure to make a decision on Robins’ future. How does Doug King’s patience fare in the face of Robins undoubtedly turning our season around?
AT: Mark Robins and Doug King meet on a regular basis to discuss things at Ryton, and so far the manager has been clear that they are on the same page, that he understands the complexities of a team in transition, and as such, one would hope that the owner does not get twitchy. Robins is not in a panicked state. On the contrary, he remains calm and confident that the players will overcome their difficulties and begin to climb the table, aided, no doubt, by reinforcements in January.
Your article about the latest Academy prospects was interesting, and hopefully some of them pan out, but the reality is that Maddison and Wilson were a long time ago, and our graduates since then have tended to cap out at league one level or lower (most notably Shrewsbury and Northampton!). Josh Eccles is our only regular homegrown player, and it’s fair to say he won’t be for much longer if we meet our January targets. Is the club committed to improving this record, or is a new model of acquiring cheap talent from other clubs in place?
AT: I’m confident that the Academy will continue to produce local talent. The reality is that the higher up the pyramid you go, the more difficult it is for young players to break into the first team, so the development group must be supplemented by talented players released by higher placed clubs. City continues to compete with rival Midland clubs like Villa and Blues in terms of local catchment area, as it has always done, but the club’s scouting network works hard to attract local boys.
Do you think O’Hare will be released if he hasn’t signed by January? We know the club will not let him go for free. If this occurs, we will require two or more people in January.On that note, he was shown having a hand in the build-up to one of the goals in a clip.
I was wondering what formation the U21s used against Sheff U – given O’Hare’s involvement, could this be an indication of what formation plan Robins has in mind? What do you think he’ll do to get the most out of O’Hare and, eventually, Palmer, who aren’t deep midfielders and wouldn’t fit well in a 4-3-3?
AT: They used the same 4-3-3 formation as in their previous game. The U-21s tend to mirror what the first team does, so they are always a good indicator. Callum, I believe, played in the center of the midfield three, in a more advanced role, alongside Marco Rus and Liam Kelly. And it’s a good question where O’Hare and KP would fit into a 4-3-3 together, but I’m sure Cal will start and KP will possibly replace him later in the game until Palmer regains his fitness.
