Coventry set for Ricoh return in Championship opener
After a couple of years away at Birmingham’s St Andrews Stadium, with their game against Nottingham Forest, Coventry City, the University of Warwick’s most local league club, will return to their home city.
The newly renamed Coventry Building Society Arena, formerly the Ricoh, has undergone a tumultuous 16 years of existence, but will play the host to Coventry, the club it was initially built for, until Coventry’s new stadium plans on the University of Warwick site come to fruition.
Fans returning to the Arena will be delighted by the fact that their club are back where they belong: in the upper echelons of English football after a few years languishing in Leagues One and Two.
Last season, played largely behind closed doors, was the Sky Blue’s first in the Championship since the 2011-12 season, almost ten years ago, and, luckily for the fans, they managed to stay up, consolidating in 16th under club legend Mark Robins, a platform off which they can build heading into the new season.
And this is what appears to be the watchword for Coventry this season: consolidation. Finances, in a Championship full of recently relegated Premier League sides, are limited in comparison with the rest of the division, meaning this summer’s transfer window has been relatively quiet and frugal, but in other respects promising.
Perhaps the marquee signing out of the those brought in is Martyn Waghorn, who moved to Derby County for around £8 million only three years ago.
Coventry, with momentum behind them, could well upset the apple cart
Although Waghorn has been relatively quiet in recent seasons in terms of his goal record, his style of play will complement last season’s top scorers, Tyler Walker and Viktor Gyökeres, whose loan moves have been made permanent. As more of a target man, Waghorn will be hoping to prove the foil for, and draw defenders away from, his poacher partner.
Other transfers of note include Ian Maatsen and the returning Ben Sheaf, formally of Chelsea and Arsenal respectively. Two defensively-minded players, Robins will be hoping to provide more defensive resilience to an area that was on of Coventry’s weaknesses last term. They conceded 61 goals, a tally that was more than 23rd-placed Rotherham United.
An area where numbers and quality are still lacking is at centre half, with quality and depth in the position vital to Robins’ 3-4-1-2 formation. Should a couple of signings be made in that area between now and the end of the window, Coventry can be confident heading into the new season.
The presence of Robins is undoubtedly a difference maker. This is his second spell at Coventry, and it as this club where he has really made his home, leading them to successive promotions from League Two to the Championship. This may not be a star-studded side, but Robins fosters a team spirit that means they are a challenge for any side.
They ended last season strongly, with a 6-1 win over play-off hopefuls Millwall, and a solid start to the season could lead to momentum which Robins will fight to maintain. A couple more signings are undoubtedly needed, but the Championship this season is a hugely even field, barring the sides at the top, and Coventry, with momentum behind them, could well upset the apple cart.
And lets hope they have a good backing of some Warwick students when they do.
Comments