Jim's column 19.10.2019

I have belated congratulations this week for Kent-based Coventry City fan Colin Heys who two weeks ago celebrated 50 years of watching the Sky Blues. Colin, the founder of the London Supporters club in 1977, watched the team for the first time in October 1969 at Highbury where Ernie Hunt’s goal gave City their first ever win at the famous stadium.

                                                  Ernie Hunt scores the winner at Highbury in 1969                  

Since then Colin has watched the team play over 2000 games and reached the milestone of 2200 at Telford’s New Bucks Head ground in the friendly in July. Coincidentally Colin grew up half a mile away from that ground. Not that he normally watches friendlies - only two of the previous 2,199 were friendlies, the rest being competitive games. Earlier this year, at Accrington, he notched up the hundredth different away ground that he has seen the Sky Blues play on. Colin has barely missed a game, home or away, in the last 40 years and has had many tortuous midweek journeys to and from away games. Congratulations Colin!

Several readers spotted that Rotherham striker Michael Smith scored two penalties against the Sky Blues in the 4-0 defeat at the New York Stadium two weeks ago. This is is a very rare occurrence and the first time since Bradford City’s Tony McMahon netted two penalties in the 3-3 draw at Valley Parade in 2016.

Another two penalty man was Ade Akinfenwa who netted two for Gillingham in a 4-2 defeat at the Priestfield Stadium in 2014, a game that saw four penalties scored with Callum Wilson and Carl Baker scoring City’s spot-kicks.

There are a few other instances of opponents scoring two penalties in a game against the Sky Blues - Liverpool's Jan Molby managed three in the League Cup tie at Anfield in 1986 and other instances include Swindon's Jan Age Fjortoft (1994), West Ham's Ray Stevens (1984), Tottenham's Glen Hoddle (1980), Manchester City's Gary Owen (1978), West Ham's Geoff Hurst (1969) and Sunderland's Neil Martin (1967). I think Martin is the only opposing player to score two penalties at Highfield Road and also score two penalties in a game as City player, against Crystal Palace for the Sky Blues in 1969.

Jim's column 12.10.2019

Coventry City's excellent unbeaten start came to a shuddering halt at Rotherham's New York Stadium last Saturday. It was the Sky Blues' biggest league defeat for eighteen months -since that 2-6 debacle against Yeovil in the League Two promotion season. You have to go back to Easter Monday 2013 for the last time they lost by four goals in an away league game. That was a 0-4 defeat at Walsall near the end of the season. Left-back Jordan Stewart received his marching orders for two yellow cards in the 64th minute with the Saddlers, managed by current Villa boss Dean Smith, already 2-0 ahead and two late goals made it an embarrassing scoreline for manager Steven Pressley. It's interesting to look at City's team that day – it included a number of players who have gone on to greater things including Cyrus Christie, substitute Callum Wilson and John Fleck but some who have almost disappeared without trace and barely remembered by City fans. William Edjenguele and Callum Ball made their final starts in sky blue that day and Derby loanee James Bailey, Stephen Jennings and Franck Moussa were all on their way to the exit door.

The unbeaten run is over but let's not forget that it was the club's second best start ever in league football, falling five short of the club record set in 1937-38 which I have written about in earlier columns. I don't fancy waiting another 82 years for a similar start. The 10-game run was also the best unbeaten run since Tony Mowbray's exciting team were unbeaten in 11 games in October and November 2015.

Tranmere are tomorrow's visitors at St Andrews and won't be easy opponents. City's home record against them is quite good – only two defeats in ten games but the Sky Blues have a woeful record at Birkenhead with just one victory in nine visits (in 1938!). Those fans who travelled to watch City at Sixfields in 2013-14 will remember the 5-1 thrashing dished out by the Merseyside club that day with Ryan Lowe registering a hat-trick. Older fans will remember another 5-1 drubbing at Tranmere in a 1999 League Cup tie when City were a Premier League Club but threw Italian goalkeeper Rafaele Nuzzo in for his one and only senior game. It will be the fourth different venue that Tranmere have played away games against City, Highfield Road, Ricoh Arena, Sixfields and now St Andrews.

Following my mention of City's great home record in 1955-56 (they remained unbeaten from the start of the season until February) David Walker was in touch with his memories of the legendary manager Jesse Carver:

Thanks for the piece on longest unbeaten runs, especially the piece about Jesse Carver.

Amazing how some things stick in your mind, but that season (1955-56) was special, in one particular way.

Standing behind the goal, at the Swan Lane end that year, we seemed always to be watching a mediocre first half, with the City not looking too effective and short of ideas.

As the second half started, Mr Carver would appear from the tunnel and lean back against the terrace wall, just standing there, watching things, arms folded and obviously missing nothing. He was very distinctive in that light coloured sports jacket (as per the picture) and it was as if a someone had thrown a switch and got the team playing.

How? I reckon he had spent the first half weighing up the opposition, sorted out the needs in the dressing room at half time and came out to see the results, which usually gave us a lot to cheer.

Also, it was good to see long time director Erle Shanks in the picture. Derrick Robins gets a lot of plaudits, but Mr Shanks was a great supporter of the club, when there was not much money about.

Jim's column 5.10.2019

Last Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Doncaster ended the Sky Blues 100% home record after five consecutive victories. The team therefore equalled the five game winning run from the start of the season achieved last in 1973 under Gordon Milne and before that in 1956. It fell short of the club record start of eight home wins in a row set in 1935 and equalled in 1950. The next target is to remain unbeaten at home and the record for that was set in 1955, under the managership of Jesse Carver, when the team were unbeaten for 15 home games in a run which lasted until the middle of February 1956. Carver, the manager who City’s chairman Erle Shanks somehow lured from Italy to manage City, then a Third Division club, only stayed in post from the close season until New Years Eve, never lost a home game in charge. He oversaw 12 wins and two draws in that five month period before being enticed back to Serie A by Lazio.
The Sky Blues’ unbeaten run in the league is now 10 games, the second best start in the club’s history, and just five off the club record set in 1937 which I wrote about last week. City are now one of only three clubs unbeaten in the top four divisions, Liverpool and Ipswich being the other two.
Amadou Bakayoko became super sub on Saturday, scoring the deserved equaliser in the 89th minute, eight minutes after coming on for Jordy Hiwula. That was Bakayoko’s third goal from the bench since he joined the Sky Blues last year, following his brace in the victory at Charlton last autumn. The club record is five scored by Gary McSheffrey.
I watched Bayern Munich’s 7-2 demolition of Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday evening and realised as Serge Gnabry netted his fourth and Bayern’s seventh goal that a long-standing record had been broken. In October 1970 the Sky Blues suffered a 6-1 defeat at the hands of Bayern in what, until Tuesday evening, was the heaviest defeat by an English club in a major European competition. Older fans will need no reminding of the circumstances of the horrendous night in Munich: a surface resembling a paddy field after torrential rain, reserve goalkeeper Eric McManus in goal for the injured Bill Glazier and facing a team of virtually all internationals including Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Muller and Sepp Maier. The Sky Blues were 4-1 down after 20 minutes and the score line could have been a lot worse but a bit of dignity was restored with a 2-1 Sky Blues win in the second leg at Highfield Road. Since that night no English club had suffered a worse defeat although Leicester went close in 2016, losing 5-0 to Porto. Someone suggested that Tottenham had lost 8-0 to Cologne in the Inter-Toto Cup a few years ago but I don’t think that competition is classified as a ‘major’ competition.