Sunday 23 April 2017

Jim's column 22.04.2017

It's now official, Coventry City are relegated to League Two (tier 4). Good Friday's 1-1 draw with Charlton Athletic meant that the Sky Blues were unable to catch the sides immediately above the four relegation places. The draw finally put City fans out of their misery – most of them have known for weeks that relegation was inevitable, probably before Mark Robins arrived to offer a small glimmer of hope. At least he got the team winning a few home games and showing a bit of passion. I think most fans realised that Robins was brought in to start the planning for next season and over the few weeks he has seen performances over a wide range of the spectrum – from gritty wins over Port Vale and Bristol Rovers to capitulations at Rochdale – to be clear where the problems lie.

So, next season the Sky Blues will play in the fourth tier of English football for the first time since 1959. That was the first season of that division and City were there through a reorganisation of the league and not as many believe through relegation. Up until 1958 the Third Division consisted of two regional leagues (North and South) and when the 92 clubs voted to reorganise these divisions into a Third and Fourth league, it was decided that the top half of the Third North and the Third South would comprise the new Third Division and the bottom half of the two old leagues would make up the new Fourth Division. City, by virtue of finishing 19th in Division Three South were put in the new Fourth Division. Strictly speaking therefore, City have never been relegated to tier 4 before!

In 1958-59 City, under the management of Billy Frith, had a poor start with only one point from their first three games leaving them in 23rd place. A run of 15 games with only two defeats saw City surge into the promotion race and in early December they hit the top. A slight dip in March saw Port Vale overhaul them and win the title with over 28,000 watching the teams meeting at Highfield Road. Frith's team finished runners-up with York City and Shrewsbury also promoted. The success was based on an excellent home record with 18 victories and just one defeat, and the best defence in the division with only 47 goals conceded against 84 scored.

Fans are already looking at the likely opponents next season and although Doncaster, Plymouth and Portsmouth have clinched automatic promotion, it's not clear who will be in the play-offs with eleven clubs still capable of qualifying for places 4 to 7. At the foot of League Two there is a scramble to avoid the trapdoor and any two of nine teams could lose their league status. So at this stage it's only certain that we will be visiting Chesterfield (already relegated from League One) and Notts County. However it's fairly clear that there will be first league visits for the Sky Blues to Barnet, Morecambe and probably Cheltenham and Wycombe. The whole picture will be a lot clearer after today's games but it seems that City will also be making their first league visit to Accrington since 1960 (when Stanley played at their former ground, Peel Park) and first time to Lincoln since an FA Cup game in 1963.

Easter Monday offered the Sky Blues an opportunity to end the Spotland curse but they spurned it, losing 2-0. They have never won at Rochdale in nine league and cup visits stretching back to 1920 when Dale were a non-league side and defeated Second Division City 2-1 in an FA Cup replay.

Several readers believed that City are the first team that has played in the Premier League to be relegated to the fourth tier but this is untrue – Bradford City, who were relegated from the Premier League with the Sky Blues in 2001, had four seasons in League Two and Portsmouth were in the Premier league as recently as 2010. The statistic that is true is that City are the first of the original members of the Premier League to be relegated to the fourth tier. Another original member, Oldham, seem to have done enough to avoid being relegated but Swindon, Premier members in 1993-94, are looking very precarious in 22nd place.

Monday 17 April 2017

Jim's column 15.4.2017


I am writing this before Friday's game but if City have beaten Charlton yesterday it will amazingly be the first time since 2007 that the team have won four home league games in a row. That was the first four games of the Dowie era and although there have been numerous three-game runs in the intervening period the team have never won four. Back in October/November under Mark Venus the team won three league games plus a Checkatrade trophy game in a row, and we all thought the team would pull away from the foot of the table. It wasn't to be and now relegation is virtually certain – it may have happened yesterday or on Monday at Rochdale where the Sky Blues have got such a woeful record.

Long-suffering fan Dave 'Brammy' Bramwell attended the post-match party last Saturday and asked me a question about City goalkeepers. He wanted to know which 'keeper had made the most penalty saves during a season.

I'm pretty sure the answer is Joe Murphy who saved five penalty kicks from seven in 2013-14. Messrs Berrett (Carlisle a), Mooney (Leyton O h), O'Connor (Rotherham a), Lisbie (Leyton O a) & Judge (Brentford a) all had their spot-kicks saved by the agile Irishman. Information about penalty saves is patchy before World War 2 but since then several keepers have saved three in a season including Bill Glazier, Jim Blyth & Murphy himself in 2011-12. Glazier's saves were in that exciting but nail-biting 1967-68 season & his saves were all away from home & from stars of the day Denis Law (Manchester United), Charlie Cooke (Chelsea) & Francis Lee (Man City). Lee, especially, was renowned as one of the top penalty takers of that era & Glazier's efforts were outstanding. Jim Blyth saved three penalties in 1977-78, another exciting season when the Sky Blues scored 75 goals & narrowly missed out on a European spot. Jim saved from Liverpool's Phil Neal in a 1-0 victory at Highfield Road, from Leicester's Dennis Rofe in a 2-1 win at Filbert Street but his most crucial save was in the last minute of the 5-4 victory over Norwich City when he foiled John Ryan's attempt to make it 5-5. In 2011-12 Joe saved from Messrs Hunt (Reading), Martin (Ipswich) & Danns (Leicester).
                                                                    Joe Murphy

On Twitter this week Celebcelery asked if the Sky Blues had ever gone through a whole league season without scoring more than two goals in a game. With four games remaining (before the Charlton game) the team have failed to net more than two in a game and are closing in on a record they won't be proud of. The team has scored only 34 goals in 42 games and only Oldham (29) of the 72 Football League clubs have scored less.

Coventry City's record low number of goals in a season is 35, set in 1919-20 and equalled in 1991-92, but both campaigns were 42-game seasons. The club's lowest for a 46-game season is 41 in 2011-12, the Championship relegation year.

The low total number of goals is also reflected in the club's leading league scorers. Currently three players (Tudgay, Agyei and Sordell) are heading the chart with four goals. But with Agyei and Sordell no longer at the club and Tudgay's appearances, let alone goals, becoming as rare as hen's teeth, we have to look to George Thomas (3 goals) to try and overtake them in the remaining games and avoid another pitiful record. The lowest number of goals by a Coventry leading scorer is six. That was achieved in the club's Premiership relegation season when Hadji, Hartson and Bellamy all managed six. Two seasons ago Messrs Nouble, O'Brien and Samuel each scored six to top the scoring charts.

I have to mention the immutable law of the ex, as the famous football writer Brian Glanville described it, which struck in last week's 2-0 defeat at Bramall Lane. Numerous ex-City players have scored against the Sky Blues but until the trip to Sheffield only three had managed it this season (Mark Marshall, Chris Maguire and Jacob Murphy). Then within five minutes Leon Clarke and John Fleck both netted for the Blades for a unique record – never have two ex's scored in the same game against the club.

Although John Fleck has had an outstanding season Leon has been unable to hold down a regular place and before the City game had netted only one league goal. Predictably however he came off the bench to score against City to follow up his two goals for Bury against us last season. Then on Saturday Clarke and Fleck were at it again, scoring the goals at Northampton that clinched promotion for the Blades.

It was another great Legends Day last Saturday at the Peterborough game with over 40 former players watching the Sky Blues notch their third home win in a row. The crowd, 10,441, was the second largest home crowd of this miserable season. There were several factors for the high attendance – cheap tickets, a post-Wembley euphoria and hopefully the draw of seeing our former players.

Six of the 1966-67 squad were in attendance to celebrate the 50th anniversary of winning the Second Division title – Bill Glazier, Mick Kearns, Dietmar Bruck, John Tudor, Ronnie Farmer and Dudley Roberts but Bobby Gould had to pull out at the last minute after his mother died. The CCFPA's thoughts are with Bobby, Trevor and the family.

The highlight of a great day was to receive an award recognising ten years as chairman of the Former Players Association from one of my heroes Roy Barry. To be recognised by my fellow committee members and the association's members was a very special moment for me. Thanks to everyone.

Thursday 6 April 2017

Jim's column 1.4.2017

Regular reader Keith Ballantyne wanted to know which Coventry City players had played in the World Cup Finals whilst at the club. He thought Tommy Hutchison was the first but wonders how many others there are.

Keith is correct about Hutch – he represented Scotland at the 1974 finals in West Germany and made two appearances, both from the bench, against Zaire and Yugoslavia. Four years later he wasn't included in the Scotland squad that went to Argentina, despite having an outstanding domestic season. Ian Wallace and Bobby McDonald were also surprisingly omitted but goalkeeper Jim Blyth was part of the squad but didn't appear.

Since then the following City players have made appearances whilst with the club:

1994 (USA): Phil Babb (Ireland) and Roy Wegerle (USA)
1998 (France): Viorel Moldovan (Romania)
2002 (Japan/S Korea): Gary Breen (Ireland) and Magnus Hedman (Sweden)
2006 (Germany): Stern John (Trinidad & Tobago)

In 1998 Gary McAllister would have gone to France as captain of Scotland but wasn't fit and the same year Dion Dublin who was joint winner of the Premier League's Golden Boot, was unfortunate to be left out of Glen Hoddle's final 22 having won three caps in the warm-up games.

I have recently been involved in a project run by the National Football Museum to find the Oldest living Football league players.

I received the results this week and former Coventry player Colin Collindridge has been confirmed as the sixth oldest.

Colin, who was born in Barnsley, joined Sheffield United as an 18-year old in 1939 but lost the best years of his career to World War II. After the war he was one of the top players in the league, top scoring for Sheffield United three seasons running as either a left winger or centre-forward. In 1950 he joined Nottingham Forest and helped them to the Division Three North title in his first season, playing alongside Tommy Capel. Jack Fairbrother signed him and Capel for Coventry in 1954 but the man renowned for his terrific speed and fierce shooting had lost his pace and his eye for goal. In 1956, after 35 games and three goals he moved to Bath City on a free transfer. He has lived in Nottingham for many years.

The eight oldest living Football League players are listed below. Number 8 is interesting; Dudley Kernick was manager of Nuneaton Borough at the time of their great FA Cup successes in 1967 and also was on the coaching staff at Highfield Road during the Jimmy Hill era.

1. Arthur Hoyle Smith. (Bury & Leicester 14 apps).    DoB  8.5.1915.  Age 101yrs 10 months.

2. George Haigh. (Stockport  7 apps).      DoB. 3Q 1915.  Age 101yrs 4 months approx.

3. Cyril William Bacon. (Orient. 121 apps). DoB  9.11.1919. Age 97.4. 

4. George Stewart. (Brentford, QPR, Shrews. 74 apps). DoB 18.1.1920. Age 97.2.

5. Joe Johnson (Lincoln & Workington.  52 apps) DoB 13.9.1920.  Age 96.7.


6. Colin Collindridge. (Sheff U, Forest, Coventry. 343 apps)  DoB 15.11.1920. Age 96.4.

7. Thomas Hubert Best (Chester, Cardiff, QPR). 81 apps).  DoB 23.12.1920. Age 96.3.

8. Dudley Kernick.  (Torquay 41 apps.)  DoB  29.8.1921.   Age 95.6.

To all my readers – have a great day out at Wembley tomorrow. It's been a long wait to return there and let's hope it's not another 30 years before we are back.