Jim's column 24.9.2016

City's poor start continued last weekend with a goalless draw with Oldham, making it eight league games without a win. It is the worst run since 2014 when Steven Pressley's side failed to win any of their last seven games and then lost at Bradford City on the opening day of 2014-15. You only have to go back to 2012 for the last time there was a longer run – 14 games without win - the last six in the Championship and the first eight games of the 2012-13 season. That bad start in 2012-13 was when Andy Thorn was relieved of his duties after three draws and Richard Shaw took over temporarily until Mark Robins arrived and ended the slump.

Lots of readers wanted to know if the current bad start is the worst by a Coventry City side. The most horrendous start was in City's inaugural Football League campaign of 1919-20 when the Bantams went 19 games without recording a single victory. With 14 defeats and just five points on the board, City were bottom of Division Two, five points adrift of the 21^st placed team. Finally, on Christmas Day, Stoke were defeated 3-2 for the first victory. The team's form picked up after Christmas but they only avoided re-election (there were only two divisions at the time) by bribing Bury to lose the final game of the season.

Since 1919 the club has failed to gain a victory in its first eight games on three occasions – this season, the afore-mentioned 2012-13 and 1974-75. On 21 September 1974 City were bottom of Division One having drawn three home games, and lost one and drawn one and lost three away games. On paper the Sky Blues had a strong team with Dennis Mortimer, Tommy Hutchison, Colin Stein and David Cross all regulars but things didn't gel. Game nine saw City entertain Luton Town, the only other team without a win, and the knives were being sharpened against Milne. One of the lowest crowds at Highfield Road since promotion seven years previously, under 16,000, saw City gain their first victory, 2-1 with goals from Stein and Cross. The win sparked a six-game unbeaten run that lifted them well up the table and they finished the season comfortably in 13^th place and Milne went on to manage City for a further six years.

I'm always looking out for some positives and although the team haven't won a league game yet they are now unbeaten in nine home league and cup games. They won the last three home games last season and two cup-ties this season plus the four home draws. It may be clutching at straws but it's home defeats that gets me down the most!

At the Diamond Club lunch this week (which I unfortunately couldn't attend) another great servant of the club, Willie Carr was the guest of honour. In preparation for the lunch Diamond Club chairman Alan Ludford

asked me where Willie stood in the all-time list of midfield goalscorers for the club. The top 10 all-time list is:

1. Peter Hill 78

2. Ronnie Farmer 52 (including 21 penalties)

3. Micky Gynn 45

4. Ernie Machin 39

5. Gary McAllister 38 (including 16 penalties)

6. Willie Carr 37

7. Steve Hunt 34

8. Don Dorman 31

9. Dave Clements 30

10= Barry Powell 28

10= Carl Baker 28

Some of these players were, in the old days, better known as wingers but it is interesting to compare goals to games ratios. Most of the above played 250 or more games including Hill who made over 300 appearances. The best ratio (0.32) was Dorman who scored 31 in 94 games between 1951-54, although some fans may argue he was a forward not a midfield player. He and Peter Hill (0.25) played in an era where there were a lot more goals. The best ratio for the modern era from the top ten is a close run thing between Steve Hunt and Barry Powell (0.16), closely followed by Micky Gynn and Carl Baker (0.15). Gerry Daly doesn't qualify for the top ten but managed 22 goals in 101 games, a ratio of 0.22!

Jim's Column 22.9.12

Mark Robins became the eleventh Coventry City manager in 12 seasons (excluding caretakers) this week and without doubt he has walked into a tough job. It is hard to imagine City’s position in the league getting any worse so the new manager has little to lose – it surely can only be up from here – and a couple of wins will make him a hero with the fans.

Older fans will remember Robins, a predatory striker, for the goal he scored for Manchester United in a third-round FA Cup tie at Nottingham Forest in 1990, which allegedly saved Alex Ferguson from the sack after three trophy-less years at Old Trafford. United went on to win the FA Cup that year with Robins as a substitute against a Crystal Palace team that included Richard Shaw and Andy Thorn. Robins could never win a regular first team place at Old Trafford but did make two substitute appearances against the Sky Blues, scoring in a 3-0 United victory at Old Trafford in March 1990.

Mark left United for Norwich City in 1992 and later joined Leicester. He played twice for the Canaries against City and then once for Leicester City in a three year spell at Filbert Street. He failed to score in any of those three games and again in two appearances for his final club, Rotherham, against City in 2001-02. One of his claims to fame is that he once scored five goals for England under 21s in a 7-3 victory over France.

His managerial career consists of a reasonably successful spell at Rotherham where he had virtually no money to spend at a club in administration. Later he moved to Barnsley where he took over a club in the relegation zone and guided them to mid-table safety before a falling out with the board in 2011.

His ability to work within a limited budget would appear to make him ideal for the Sky Blues, who whilst having one of the biggest playing budgets in League One, are unlikely to sanction more spending when they are apparently still losing £250,000 a month. His only hope of getting some funds would appear to be to unload some of the higher paid, under performing players and persuade the board to use all or part of the savings achieved.

He is the fourth post-war Coventry City manager to take over the club in a relegation position, and the good news is that the other three all kept City up. In November 1948 the great Harry Storer returned to a club languishing in 21st position in Division Two but won his first five matches in charge and the team finished 16th, well clear of relegation. In December 1984 Don Mackay was handed the reins when Bobby Gould was sacked with City 21st in Division One. Mackay steered City to safety courtesy of a final day victory over champions Everton. Finally in November 1996 Gordon Strachan took over from Ron Atkinson with the Sky Blues languishing in 18th place in the Premier League. He failed to win any of his first four games but managed to avoid relegation thanks to that memorable last day win at Tottenham.

Several people have asked me whether this seven-game start is City’s worst ever and I can confirm that it is not. In City’s first season in the Football League in 1919 City lost their first nine games and didn’t win a game until Christmas Day (nineteen games without a win). The worst start of the modern era was in 1974-75 when after seven games City had failed to win a game and had three points. Then, with manager Gordon Milne under intense pressure, the team won three on the bounce and went unbeaten in six and comfortably avoided relegation. A mini-run like that would be very nice now.

It is sad to report the death last week of former Coventry City coach Jimmy Andrews. Jimmy, who was 85, joined City in December 1967 as Noel Cantwell was building his own backroom team after taking over from Jimmy Hill in the October.  Noel and Jimmy had played together at West Ham in the 1950s and Andrews made 120 appearances for the Hammers as a dribbling left winger following a big money move from Dundee in 1951. He later played for Leyton Orient before taking a coaching role at QPR, where in 1965 he was briefly caretaker manager. There followed a spell as coach at Chelsea under Tommy Docherty. Jimmy stayed at Highfield Road until early 1969 at which time Cantwell admitted that Jimmy’s time at the club had not worked. He went on to coach at Luton Town, Tottenham and Cardiff City and became manager at Ninian Park for four years between 1974-78.

Today is another special day at the Ricoh Arena when a host of former City players will gather for a mini-Legends Day specifically to celebrate the life of Ernie Machin who passed away in July. Around 30 former players are expected to attend including many from Ernie’s time at the football club from 1962-72 and the traditional half-time pitch parade of former players should not be missed. The Memorial Service for Ernie Machin has been re-arranged and will now take place at Coventry Cathedral on Wednesday 3rd October 2012 commencing at 3pm.  All Ernie’s friends and City fans are welcome.

Jim's column 10.12.11

                  City team at Coventry station leaving for Denmark 1946. Alf Setchell is kneeling on the right.

Coventry City’s poor run of form continued at Fratton Park on Saturday with the division’s financial basket-case gaining a much needed three points with a 2-1 victory. If, as many believe, Pompey are docked ten points because their parent company have gone into administration (and Southampton set the precedent for this three years ago), then they will become basement bedfellows with the Sky Blues. Unfortunately the way things are going we will need two more clubs to go into administration in order to avoid the drop.

The defeat sent City to the foot of the table, somewhere they haven’t been since 1996. On 7 December 1996 City lost 1-2 at home to Tottenham and propped up the whole Premier League. Ten days later Darren Huckerby inspired a famous win over Newcastle and a further three successive wins lifted City into mid-table. A spring slump however saw the Sky Blues sucked back into the relegation dog-fight and it needed wins at Anfield and at Tottenham (famously on the last day) to avoid the drop.

This season the statistics are not good for the Sky Blues. In the last eleven seasons only four clubs in this division have had 13 points or less from the first twenty games, and all have been relegated. The unfortunate four were:

Stockport            2001-02        12 points

Brighton            2002-03        12 points

Rotherham            2004-05        8 points

Southend            2006-07        12 points

In an effort to be positive I should point out that City’s worst 20-game start to a season during the same period (before this season) was in 2005-06 when, despite the move to the Ricoh Arena, only 18 points were in the bag at this stage. Then Micky Adams’ inspired signings of Don Hutchison and Dennis Wise lifted the season from the disastrous to the ecstatic with a final placing of eighth. Me thinks Andy Thorn needs to find a new Dennis Wise!

2011 has been a miserable year to be a City fan with before today only six league wins recorded. This is heading to be a new all-time low unless two wins are gained before the New Year. The current record low is eight in 2003 when City managed just one win in 24 games between January 1 and September 13. Gary McAllister’s team managed to win a further seven games out of the remaining 22 that year to reach the heady total of eight victories. That 2002-03 side was undoubtedly the worst City team I had ever seen and would have been relegated if the season had gone on two more games. Anyone who thinks the current team is the worst ever couldn’t have been around in 2003!

My brief obituary of Alf Setchell last week prompted his sons John and Alan to contact me to correct some of my facts and add some more of their own. Alf, who sadly passed away two weeks ago, was born on 29 October 1924, therefore was 87. He had made his debut as an eighteen year old in 1942 in a 1-0 home win over Walsall but his wartime service in the Royal Navy robbed him of what might have been a very successful football career. In addition to his 18 war-time appearances for City he also appeared as a guest in the war for Southport and Morton and possibly Rangers whilst on active service in the Navy.

After the war he was on City’s books until 1947 and a regular for the reserves in 1946-47 before joining Kidderminster Harriers, then a Southern League club. According to John, Kidderminster offered him more money than Coventry! 

I was incorrect in saying that he played for Lockheed Leamington but he did appear briefly for Hereford United, another Southern League side, before becoming part of a strong Bedworth Town team that won the Birmingham Combination in 1948-49 and 1949-50. The Bedworth team included several former City players including Stan Kelley (player-manager), Jack Evans and Norman Smith, with ex-City man Bob Ward as trainer. One of Alf’s playing colleagues at Bedworth in 1953-54 was Jim Brockbank (from Earlsdon) who also contacted me this week to express his condolences and remind me that ‘Shad’ Richards, the goalkeeper in that team, also passed away recently.

Outside of football, Alf worked at Dunlop Aviation Division for a number of years before being elected to the position of Secretary of the Unicorn Social Club, Holbrook Lane, in 1972. He held this position until his retirement in 1993. He was therefore well known not only in the Holbrooks area but also in the wider Warwickshire branch of the Club and Institute Union organisation.

Jim's column 5.11.11

Millwall has never been a happy hunting ground for Coventry City and Tuesday night proved to be no exception. It is 56 years since City won in Docklands – Boxing Day 1955 to be precise – and 16 subsequent league and cup games have failed to yield a victory. Millwall’s supporters already had a reputation back then and Jesse Carver’s team (it was his penultimate game as manager before a premature return to the Italian Serie A) upset them with a professional display, assisted by a stunning display of goalkeeping from Reg Matthews as he edged nearer to his first England cap. Matthews kept the rampaging Lions out and goals from Alan Moore and Ken McPherson ensured a 2-0 win. After the match Reg was the hero again – jumping off a besieged team coach to confront some gruesome dockers. Even in City’s Second Division 1966-67 promotion season City failed to win in New Cross, losing to a Joe Broadfoot goal.

Coventry City have now completed one third of the season and it is time for a review of their record. The Millwall defeat means they have gained only 12 points from 15 games – a poor record, which if replicated over the season would almost certainly mean relegation with 36 points. It is the worst first third of the season since City were relegated from the Premiership in 2001. In the last ten seasons City have averaged around 21 points from the first 15 games – the best, 31 in 2001-02 (under Roland Nilsson), the worst, 15 in 2004-05 (under Peter Reid). City, of course, are generally good starters and have a tendency to fall apart after Christmas, so here’s hoping previous seasons’ trends are reversed this term.

This start is the worst since the 2000-01 relegation season when they clocked 12 points from 15 games – but then it was more serious as they were almost halfway through the 38-game season. The worst start in modern times was under Ron Atkinson in 1996-97 when they gathered a measly ten points from 15 games. That season they won only one of their first sixteen games and by then Big Ron had already paid the price. Fortunately his replacement Gordon Strachan pulled City out of their nose-dive and kept them up on the final day at White Hart Lane.

Their worst ever start, which hopefully will never been repeated, was that horrible first season in the Football League in 1919 – where so many of the dreadful club records reside. That season they gained a pitiful three points from the first 15 games but still managed to survive the drop but only because they bribed their opponents!

Darius Henderson is in a rich scoring vein at the moment with 8 goals in 11 games and six in his last three. Darius is no stranger to the Sky Blues having netted for Watford against them in 2005-06 and again in 2007-08. He was a key member of the Watford team promoted via the play-offs in the former season and was the strike partner of Marlon King. From being one of the top scorers in the Championship he had a torrid time in the Premiership – failing to net until January 2007 and scoring only three goals all season. He re-discovered his scoring form for the Hornets back in the Championship before a big money move to Sheffield United in 2008. He failed to live up to his ‘star’ rating at Bramall Lane and then suffered a serious leg injury which kept him out of the side for most of last season. By the time he was fit the Blades were as good as relegated and his wages were presumably too high for League One. Millwall took a punt and have been richly rewarded.

Finally, a big thank you to all who supported and helped me two weeks ago at my book launch in Coventry. The management and staff of Waterstones, G-Casino and Coventry City were fabulous. Thanks also to my friends from the Former Players Association, especially Billy Bell and the former players who turned out on the day. Not forgetting Dean Nelson for his excellent 1960s video. It was a great day and I appreciate everybody’s efforts.