As John Lennon sang, "another year’s over a new one’s just begun." So another year in the history of the club and a year of contrasting fortunes, from one of the lowest times in our league history to a very rare thing, a winning team that might just break our long standing top six hoodoo. Off the field Sisu has been a real Jekyll and Hyde outfit, seemingly backing the manager, the later one at least, while still looking towards the courts and promising to build a new ground. In 2015 we have used 45 players in all competitions only two fewer than 2014, which was the highest number in our league history, 13 of those came from our youth set up, the same number as last season and we had 15 players come in on loan, the second highest in our history one fewer than last year. This year we have earned 74 points, the most for almost 50 years as the last time we earned more was 1966. Taking three points for a win this is our 6th best year in our league history. We have scored 66 League goals, only beaten twice times since 1966. We have only conceded 53 league goals which is the lowest for five years.
January
(Sick and tired of you’ve been hanging on me)
City started the year in 17th place, 3 points above the relegation zone and 7 points behind the play offs. City were in decent form in the league only losing 1 in 6 and climbing the table. New Year’s Day was the mildest for 99 years as City fans hoped the form could continue and City at least could end mid table. First game of 2015 was a rare experience for City fans since it was the first time City hadn’t been involved in a 3rdRound F.A. Cup tie since 1964. A local derby away to Walsall was the reward for not being in the cup. The Saddlers were within striking distance of the top six so it look a tough game. The
first team of the New Year was Ryan Allsop, Aaron Phillips, Matty Pennington, Jordan Willis, Ryan Haynes, Jim O’Brien, Connor Thomas, John Fleck, Frank Nouble, Simeon Jackson and Marc Tudgay, coming off the bench were Jack Finch and Adam Barton. City started well and won an early penalty but Tudgay failed to convert so making it the 5th longest we have gone in a season without scoring a penalty in the last 66 years! Seconds later O’Brien hit a wonderful over the shoulder volley to give City the lead. Late on Tudgay headed in a corner, his first goal for the club as the forward had been up to then a big let down. City saw out the game and City’s good form continued. Good news then came in from the team as John Fleck signed a contract extension more good news as Nouble signed to the end of the season and Aran Martin extended his contract until the end of the next. On a wet a miserable Monday night only just over 7,000 turned up to watch City take on Swindon in front of the Sky Camera at the Ricoh. Swindon needed to win by two goals to top the table but a win for City would move us up into 10th. Andy Webster. Aaron Martin and Gary Madine all started for the first time that year with George Thomas making his home debut off the bench and the other sub Danny Swanson playing for the first time that year as well. After seven minutes the City fans held up a large red card with the word "go" on it to represent the seven years Sisu have been in charge. City played abysmally and lost 3-0 the away fans sang "we are top of the league" and the City fans sang "we’re sh** and we’re sick of it". City’s Youth were next up and in F.A. Youth Cup action but the gap in quality between the have and the have nots was plain to been seen as City lost 8-2 away to mega-rich Manchester City their team assembled all over the world. Manchester City lost to Chelsea in the final, only time will tell how many of those players will make it to the Man City first team. First transfer news of the year was that City had sold midfielder Billy Daniels to Notts County for an undisclosed fee, he scored 3 goals for us in 29 League games. He was hardly a success at County, playing once before going out to play on trail in Ireland he
is now at Nuneaton Town. With the transfer window closing at the end of the months it was silly season for rumours, one was that Spurs were coming in to buy James Maddison. City next travelled to Gillingham on good form, winning three out of the last four away games. Gillingham had lost four in a row and were without a manager but it was City that started well when Swanson won a penalty, Madine scored from it, the first time City had scored from the spot since the same fixture the previous season. Shaun Miller played for the first time that season coming off the bench with City heading to victory until a total collapse in the last eights minutes. City shipped in three goals one converted by old boy Cody McDonald. The result looked harsh but it had seem that Steven Pressley had lost the dressing room and for the first time he may have lost most of the fans as well. With his loan spell over keeper Ryan Allsop returned to Bournemouth, the keeper had a big learning curve whilst at City but his early games cost many goals, he did improve later on but still looked a liability, he conceded on average 1.4 goals per game. In his return to Bournemouth he became 2nd choice keeper and finally played again in November. City were looking for reinforcements and one player on the radar was Australian defender Ryan McGowan then playing in China for Shandong Luneng Taishan, but in the end he opted for Dundee United where he became a regular. Next game was the long trek to struggling Yeovil. Pre-match rumours, according to Steve Waggott, were it was 50/50 whether Madine would sign for the rest of the season and the club were looking to loan in a speedy left winger and a defensive midfielder. For this game City had gone for experience to replace Allsop in the shape of keeper Jamie Jones of Preston also playing for the first time that year was Reda Johnson back from yet another injury lay off. It was a dull game with Nouble looking a waste of space out wide and Madine had a penalty saved but at least Jones looked steady enough and became on the 17thkeeper to keep a clean sheet on his debut since City became a league side. There were more mad rumours flying about this time courtesy of The Sun, so
they must have been true, apparently some Saudis and Russians were interested in buying into some lower league clubs and City was one of them this was later deigned by Tim Fisher, so it must be true then. The mysterious winger was revealed when City signed Sanmi Odelusi on loan from Bolton and forward Dominic Samuel from Reading. Last game of the month was at home to Rochdale, a team pushing for the play offs, so for the first time in history against Rochdale we were the underdogs. Both the debutants scored and looked good but Rochdale came from behind twice to draw the game and Johnson went off injured again.
February
(Month of purification, City are purified of a manager)
We started the month in 19thplace 3 points above the drop zone but only 7 away from the play offs. More signings early in the month as Blair Turgott, a winger from West Ham joined as did Luke Williams, a defensive midfielder from Middlesbrough. There also was an appointment on the coaching staff as Dave Hockaday joined as Professional Development Coach and also was put in charge of the U21 Dave had been a shock choice to manage Leeds at the start of the season but only lasted four league game before United’s eccentric owner, Massimo Cellino sacked him. Hockaday moved to Supermarine Swindon where City hired him from. First game of the month was at our famous bogie ground Deepdale, where we have never won a league game and to make matters harder Preston were in the top six. Williams made his debut whilst Lee Burge played for the first time that year. It was wasn’t a good performance by City but the fans saw the funny side as when we were losing we sang "You’re nothing special, we loose every week". City ended the game in defeat with Nouble wasted out wide again and the new boy Williams looking poor. In midweek City were in action again at home as just
fewer than 7,000 fans turned up for the game. Gary McSheffrey scored direct from a free kick to give Scunthorpe the lead but it took an injury time goal from Tudgay rescued a point. Next up was a trip to play-off chasing Sheffield United, Dave Hockaday was making his presents felt when we sign a defender from his old club, Forest Green Rover in the shape of Chris Stokes; he became the 14th player to sign directly from an English Non-League Club since 1960. Stokes made his debut as City started off well then Sheffield’s Joe Baxter was given a straight red card for a foul on Barton, City exploited the ten men by taking a two goal lead just after half time with Samuel scoring both. City were in control and seemed to be steaming towards three points when a Sheffield midfielder brilliantly lobed Jones in the City goal to put the home side back in it, it would be his only goal of the season and his name, Michael Doyle. Two minutes later they were level and City left with a point. A point before the game most fans would have settled for but results going against us City were now in the bottom four. That was the last straw as Steve Waggott sacked the manager days later; bizarrely the last time City led 2-0 and ended up drawing 2-2, was at home to Bury in 2012 and it cost the job of manager Andy Thorn. It was a sad end to Pressley’s run as manager, no other boss had it so rough, ten points deduction not long after joining, another ten points at the start of the next season, being forced to play in Northampton and various transfer embargos it was a miracle he kept us up but in more stable times more was expected of him. So the search was on for City 36thfulltime manager since we became a league side. As normal the bookies were taking bets on the next boss and these are the ones they thought would take over, in the orders of their odds, Dave Hockaday, Paulo di Cannio, Neil McFarland, Dave Jones, Darren Ferguson, Shaun Derry, Lee Johnson, James Beattie, Mark Cooper, Gary McAllister and Paul Lambert. This was different from the fans’ choice, which in order picked, Nigel Adkins, Eric Black (a normal front runner), Uwe Rosler, Paulo di Cannio, Dave Jones and Billy Davies. The caretaker team of Neil McFarlane and
Dave Hockaday acted to end our terrible goal scoring record, no doubt a target of Pressley, as they sign German forward Nick Proschwitz on loan from Brentford. Since the German has been in England he had scored in 8 goals 61 league games, hardly a goal machine. One loan in another went and it was surprisingly Jamie Jones who had performed well, this left Lee Burge as the number one and many feared the worst for the rest of the season. The first game without Pressley was a real tough one at home to 2nd placed Milton Keynes Dons; City had the biggest home crowd for the year so far as just fewer than 10,000 turned up. Two quick goals early on put City in the driving seat as Stokes scored his first and Samuels his fourth. The Dons pushed City back inspired by former favourite Carl Baker they pulled one back in the second half and laid siege to the City goal. Luke Williams was taken off after another anonymous performance and Proschwitz made his debut becoming the 10th forward to play for us that season. City somehow hung on to the win with Burge looking good in goal and yet another impressive display by Matty Pennington at the back. City climbed out of the drop zone as the month ended.
March
(The month of the god of war as City fans are shell-shocked by the new General)
We started the month in 20thplace one place and point above the drop zone but teams below us had a game in hand. The ultra optimistic fans could say were 8 points behind the play off places. News early in the month was a real jaw dropper as City had appointed none other that experienced manager Tony Mowbray. This was incredible news, one of the biggest managerial appointments in the club’s history, certainly whilst outside the top two divisions and it stands comparison to when City appointed top coach Jesse Carver in the 1950’s. There was a sting in the tail to the appointment when the manager only signed a contract to the end of the season, so why? Maybe he didn’t want a long contract in case City
were relegated and he had to manage in League Two, maybe he was making sure Sisu gave him an adequate budget for next season or maybe if he did well he could leave for a higher club. Whatever the reason on the day of the appointment City had a tough away trip to Barnsley, Mowbray was in charge but he gave himself a watching brief at Oakwell. It was a miserable night as City went down 1-0 with Blair Turgott finally making his debut after coming off the bench. Results went for City who kept above the drop zone. The next day Mowbray gave a message to the fans it read,
"Dear supporter, First and foremost, I would like to say how proud and delighted I am to be the new manager of Coventry City Football Club. I took the decision to take a year out of football management to spend some time with my family but the plan was always to return at around this time – but only when the right opportunity came along. When the chance to manage Coventry City was mentioned to me, it got that fire in my stomach burning again and, as I said above, I am proud to be here. I am a football romantic at heart and Coventry City, to me, means the Houchen header in 1987, big Killer playing at the back and players with the quality of Gary McAllister. That may seem like a world away right now but just as my fire began to burn again, I want to do the same for the supporters of this great club. I know the immediate brief is avoiding relegation but my ambition is to get this club back where it should be. Maybe a decade or so ago, that would have been the Premier League without question. Now, with the way football has changed, I believe this club should be at least in Championship and should be one of those teams pushing for promotion to the Premier League. I look at clubs like Southampton and Norwich and think why not? The opportunity is there. But more than that, I want to give the supporters of Coventry a team they can be proud of. A team that they will tell their mates down the pub is an attractive one to watch, wants to play with the ball and score goals. The people there in 1987 and those supporters who watched the JPT Area Final have not stopped supporting Coventry City. They still own
the scarf but, for some, maybe it’s been in the cupboard for a while. For too long. I want to be able to light the blue touch paper that helps those supporters forget about some of the politics that have surrounded the club because they want to come and watch a team that plays good football and entertains people on a Saturday afternoon or Tuesday evening. There’s not much time left this season to stamp that mark on the team – especially when there will be so little time on the training pitch because of the busy match schedule and the challenging situation we find ourselves in. But I think there is a good group of players here and I hope I can help to put a bit of fire in their stomachs too to see what they can achieve for this football club In turn, I have no doubt that will mean the people of Coventry and beyond will come out in force to support their team."
Quite stirring stuff but would he be here next season to fulfil those promises? A few days later Sisu claimed that had reorganised the debt into shares, so no one had to worry, not many fans now believed a word Sisu were saying. Mowbray’s first home game was a derby against Port Vale but it was an anti-climax as City took the lead but lost 3-2 results elsewhere kept us out of the drop zone. Games were coming thick and fast next up at home were Bradford in midweek. City again took the lead on an ever deteriorating pitch but failed to hold on as for the third home game out of four the away side scored direct from a free kick to level. Late on City should have levelled when sub Proschwitz had an open goal but somehow failed to score. Tony Mowbray first piece of transfer activity was to get ride of the hopeless Luke Williams and replace him with Spurs’ midfielder Grant Ward. On a day when the bottom four played each other City travelled to Chesterfield who were just outside the play off zone. Ward made his debut as Tudgay gave City the lead but half time it was level and City were provisionally in the bottom four. The second half City scored twice with Nouble scoring the third a late goal for the home side meant City had to hang on but did after facing eleven shots on target City won 3-2 and eased the
pressure. This win also meant that City avoided being the worst side in our league history after surpassing the points gained in the 1919-1920 season adjusting for three points for a win and the number of games played. Another midweek game for our first ever visit to Fleetwood and another team just out side the play offs. It was St Patrick’s Day as it was pointed out City had only ever won once away on that day, 1982 vs. Middlesbrough. The game itself was a good one with Burge keeping his first ever league clean sheet and two late City goals meant we won two away league games in a row the first time since December 2013. More reinforcements as City signed midfielder Al Banguara but he never made it to the first team. After two wins on the road City returned home to face Doncaster on Legends Day. Samuel opened the scoring for City and thus went joint top scorer on a measly six but a 2nd half collapse saw City ship in three goals and lose 3-1. With one win in eleven at home City were happy to be on the road again as we took the short trip to Peterborough another team fighting for a play off place. It was a turgid game between what looked like two very poor sides but with twenty minutes to go sub Turgott pounced on a loose ball to score the only goal so to record yet another away win our form on the road was keeping our heads above water as the month ended.
April
(The month of the fool as City’s players are proven to be clowns)
City started the month in 17th place, 3 points and 3 places above the drop zone but two of the teams below us and within 3 points and had a game in hand, for the over optimists we were 10 points behind the play off places. Five of the remaining seven games were against teams below us in the table. First up on April Fools Day were 22ndplaced Leyton Orient, a team that had gone from Play Off losers to relegation battlers in one season. It was a rainy day in Coventry as the Ricoh hosted the Insomnia
Gaming Festival as many City fans wish they had an escape from reality. It wasn’t a good start to the game when Orient’s Marvyn Bartley clattered into Samuel, injuring the forward and he had to go off and miss the rest of the season. So in one fair swoop Orient eliminated the only City player that looked capable of scoring. Despite another good performance by Ward, City lost by a single goal and edged closer to the drop zone. Another crunch relegation six-pointer was next up as we travelled the short distance to take on Notts County. City stretched there unbeaten away run with a scoreless draw again a truly awful County side. One good piece of news was that James Maddison came off the bench to play his first game of the year and a lot of undue pressure was put on the teenager to save the City. City now were only a point above the drop zone as things were getting hairy. The third six-pointer in a row as Colchester turned up at The Ricoh as we had more good news on the injury front as Reda was fit for the run-in. It was a day when all bottom eight teams played each other. It was a nervous game but with ten minutes of the first half to go O’Brien made good contact with the ball and scored a great goal to lift City and put him joint top scorer on six. City were on edge right to the end but did enough for our first home win under Mowbray and Lee Burge celebrated his first home clean sheet with some important saves. This gave City some breathing space between us and the bottom four. One team out of the equation was Yeovil who were relegated. Oldham were next up at the Ricoh for a midweek game but not every fan got in on time as a man threatening to jump from a bridge over the M6 that delayed fans coming in from the north. The seven thousand odd crowd did see Oldham take the lead against the run of play but City hit back and dominated unfortunately City had Proschwitz up front firing blanks, City had eleven shots on target, the most so far that season but it was the last one deep into injury time as Johnson steamed in with a header to rescue a vital point for the Sky Blues. As a total contrast to the relegation threatened teams City played next was away to already promoted Bristol City. The predicted
hammering never arrived as City defended manfully and The Robins got the point they needed to win League One as for the first time this season the opposition failed to get a shot on target. Three of City’s rivals played in midweek as City dropped a place when Scunthorpe drew but defeats for Notts County at Preston and Leyton Orient at Rochdale kept City five points clear and not three. These result meant that City on Saturday we would be mathematically safe if we avoided defeat. So the last home game of the season and safety within touching distance we took on Crewe who were below us in the table and with a bad away record. Reduced prices and a relegation fight pulled in the ground’s second biggest attendance of the season of just under 14,000. There was nothing to celebrated as City were caught cold three times and despite a good goal from Proschwitz lost 3-1 to take it to the last game of the season. This rounded off a miserable home record only three of the relegated team won fewer at home. The end of the month saw the 10th anniversary of leaving Highfield Road no one then could guess what type of troubles we were heading for. Statistics can be misleading as City achieved a 297.44% rise in home attendances thanks to the return to the Ricoh.
May
(The month of the spring-time of life: youth, City fans age several years but hope then springs eternal)
So City went into the last game of the season needing a result to be safe. Last day escapes, something City had become famous for but in the top flight and not trying to keep out of League Two. The table stood like this Yeovil bottom and relegated, next Leyton Orient on 48 points, then Colchester on 49, in the final relegation place were City’s opponents Crawley on 50 points, then came Notts County also on 50, Crewe on 52 and ourselves also on 52 but with a healthier goal difference than most of the teams
below. This was the seventieth time we went to the last game with a chance of dropping a division. City backed by a large away following thought they had a breakthrough early on but Proschwitz’s goal was correctly ruled out for a foul. First team to crack were Crewe as they conceded at home to Bradford after 17 minutes. 40 minutes gone still scoreless at Crawley but Orient had scored at Swindon pushing them out of the bottom four. Meanwhile back in Crawley in the last minute of the half Tudgay was pushed over PENALTY. It was up to Proschwitz to take the kick in front of the away end but his shot was weak and was saved; only City could find a German that couldn’t even score a penalty. Four minutes into the half and Pogba rose to put Crawley in front and send City to the edge of the abyss. City were now one spot above the drop zone if either Crewe or Colchester could score City would be in the bottom four. After the shock of conceding and the withdrawing of Barton and Proschwitz for Maddison and Nouble City started to get forward again and in the 73rdminute O’Brien swung in a cross and Tudgay buried a header to draw City level, pushing Crawley back into the bottom four and spark off mad scenes of celebration in the away end. Later on with results going for us Maddison latched onto a Nouble cross to give City the win and safety. Some City fans sang "We are staying up", some refused as avoiding relegation to League Two was hardly anything to celebrate. In the end it was Colchester that pulled of the great escape with Leyton Orient, Crawley and Notts County joining Yeovil in League Two. With the season over the main worry was now would Mowbray stay? The manager seemed to want to stay with his post match comments but would Sisu give him the budget he wanted as they sat down to talk? Not everyone was patient with Sisu as Rugby Council gave them until September to announce plans for a new ground in their area. The General Election saw a surprise overall majority for the Tories, former City Chairman, and Geoffrey Robinson retained his seat at Parliament winning again in Coventry North West. A fortnight later great news on the managerial front as Mowbray signed a two
year contract, suddenly City fans started to get a wave of optimism. The next day it was announced that the following players were getting a contract extension, Tudgay, Johnson, Willis and Stokes. The players that were leaving were Andy Webster, moved to play in the Scottish Championship with struggling St Mirren where he is a regular, Shaun Miller, signed for Morecambe where he had scored seven goals in all competitions in 22 games, Simeon Jackson, signed for Barnsley in September and as yet to score, Danny Pugh, signed for Bury and has become a regular, Blair Turgott, one goal in twenty three appearances up to early December and finally the joint top scorer Franck Nouble, also left but for further a field as he joined Chinese top flight side Tianjin Songjiang and has scored three goals in fifteen games for the mid table side. Away from City things were hotting up in Switzerland as FIFA officials were arrested after an investigation over corruption with President Sepp Blatter the main man but despite the rumours incredibly Blatter won another term as dictator at FIFA a few days later. Back to City and next season ticket prices were kept pleasingly low for the following season. City fans ended the month was massive smiles on there faces after they saw Villa ripped apart in the F.A. Cup final 4-0 by Arsenal, meaning City remained the last Midlands club to lift the cup.