Coventry City
New signings should ease the pain of Keane loss
Useful information
Going for goal: Belgian forward Cedric Roussel will be looking forward to build on his promising start last season
Photograph: BEN RADFORD / ALLSPORT  |
Summer summary: Keane cartwheels to Inter.
Transfers in: David Thompson (Liverpool) £2.5m; Jay Bothroyd (Arsenal) £1m.
Transfers out: Robbie Keane (Internazionale) £13m; Noel Whelan (Middlesbrough) £2.2m; Gary McAllister (Liverpool) free; David Burrows (Birmingham City) free; Barry Ferguson (Hartlepool) one-month loan; Ian Brightwell (Walsall) free; Chukki Eribenne (Bournemouth) free.
Whelan and dealing: While Noel Whelan’s value has risen merely from £2 million when Coventry bought him in 1995 to £2.2 million this summer, Robbie Keane’s worth has rocketed in 12 months. A year ago, when Sir Alex Ferguson reportedly valued the Irishman at £500,000, Gordon Strachan paid £6 million for him, but the Coventry manager still made a £7 million profit.
Here’s looking at you, skipper: Moroccan Moustapha Hadji will be the club captain this season, replacing Gary McAllister.
Grounds for insanity: All 12 of Coventry’s league wins last season came at fortress Highfield Road; next summer the club will move to a new stadium. Uh oh.
The new boys: David Thompson, a pacy midfielder, has been allowed to leave by Liverpool. Playing for Arsenal, Jay Bothroyd impressed Coventry so much in the FA Youth Cup final last season that they have signed him.
Palmer d’Or: Anyone confusing Carlton Palmer’s unsophisticated style for a lack of talent should recite the following statistic. With the former England midfielder in the team last season, Coventry won 23 points from 15 league games (a ratio that would have earned them sixth place in the Premiership); when deprived of him through injury, they gained just 21 points from 23 games (equating to one place above relegation).
Season’s aim: Avoiding relegation for the 34th successive season would mean they could expect
to fill much of their new 40,000-seat stadium and be in a position to cash in on its money-making potential.
Usefulness of new stadium’s retractable pitch: When Strachan moves characteristically beyond the technical area around his dug-out, he can be reeled in by pulling the grass backwards.
Tactical profile: A fluid passing style in a 4-4-2 formation. The presence of the two Moroccans, Hadji and Youssef Chippo, has helped create arguably the most entertaining team in Coventry’s history.
One player they need: Paul Scholes to supply the creation and goals that Keane gave Coventry last season.
Up-and-coming prospects: Midfielder John Eustace may fill the role of the departed McAllister, while Gary McSheffrey, an 18-year-old striker, scored seven goals in Coventry’s run to
Great Scot: McAllister can be optimistic: another Scottish Gary sold by Coventry to Liverpool, Gary Gillespie, in 1983, won the league four times at Anfield.
City hamstrung: Injured absentees during pre-season have been Tomas Gustafsson, Steve Froggatt, Hadji, Chippo, Palmer, Thompson and Marc Edworthy.
Murky past: Now dismissed as the ugliest kit in history, Coventry’s brown away outfit was released to the world in the late Seventies. It is unlikely to make a playing comeback, but brown replica kits are being sold to supporters. Presumably fans who endured City’s season-long failure to win away in the league last season have become immune to feeling humiliated in public.
Least likely TV soundbite: “Colin Hendry needs to get stuck in a bit more” (Strachan).
Lookalikes: Colin Hendry as Dr Who legend John Pertwee.
Prediction: Fourteenth.
BILL EDGAR
Useful Information
Squad: 1 Magnus Hedman; 2 Marc Edworthy; 3 Stephen Froggatt; 4 Paul Williams; 5 Colin Hendry; 6 Richard Shaw; 7 David Thompson; 8 Youssef Chippo; 9 Cedric Roussel; 10 Mustapha Hadji; 11 Ysrael Zuniga; 12 Paul Telfer; 13 Chris Kirkland; 14 Carlton Palmer; 15 John Eustace; 16 John Aloisi; 17 Gary Breen; 20 Tomas Gustafsson; 21 Gavin Strachan; 22 Barry Quinn; 23 Morten Hyldgaard; 24 Marcus Hall; 25 Barry Ferguson; 26 Muhamed Konjic; 27 Stephen McPhee; 28 Jay Bothroyd; 29 Runar Normann; 30 Laurent Delorge.
Stadium: Highfield Road
Capacity: 23,673
Address: King Richard Street, Coventry CV2 4FW
Telephone number: 02476 234000
Clubcall: 09068 12 11 66
Official website: www.ccfc.co.uk
A seen-it-before-look to the newly designed site with the bonus effect that the builders are still in. The standard features include news coverage, which is also in audio.
Unofficial site: www.depro.co.uk/page4.html
Frankly, any unofficial site for this “modest Midlands club” would be better. Among the Sky Blue Superplex offerings are all the rumours, lists of statistics and stadium information.
Manager: Gordon Strachan OBE
Coaches: Garry Pendrey, Trevor Peake
Chairman: Bryan Richardson
Ticket details: 02476 234 020 (ticket office) 09068 12 10 66 (recorded information)
Ticket prices: £19-£25
Cheapest/most expensive adult season ticket: £307/£410
Recommended radio station: BBC CWR 94.8 FM
Programme: £2
Fanzine: Sent to Coventry
Cost of adult replica shirt: £39.99
Training ground: Ryton-upon-Dunsmore
Directions to ground: 1.5 miles from Coventry station. Bus Nos 17 and 27 run to the ground. Highfield Road is to the east of the city centre, off Swan Lane, near the A4600 (Walsgrave Road)
Pubs near the ground: The Old Ball, 62 Walsgrave Rd. Several pubs along the A4600.
