When CEO Dave Boddy says Coventry City’s only remaining concern ahead of the Championship season is COVID-19, many others in a similar position may nod along in agreement.
It’s a contrast to the last decade in Coventry, in which every campaign has started with a gloomy cloud lurking overhead.
This season, the Sky Blues have finally managed to get their house in order as they prepare for Championship football back in the city and at the stadium they know as home.
While the Coventry Building Society Arena doesn’t have the same chime to it as the Ricoh did, the difference between playing home games there, as opposed to either Birmingham or Northampton, is vast.
COVID-19, admittedly, is a concern. The first team have experienced a number of positive cases this summer and the players are therefore at different stages of their fitness journey. Meanwhile, discussions over vaccine passports amid a third wave may also impact the commercial opportunities that have been opened up by fans returning to the stadium, so like the rest of the country, Coventry are anxiously waiting to see what happens next.
But the plan, for now at least, is to enjoy what will no doubt be a party-like atmosphere for the return to the stadium over the next fortnight.
After their pre-season friendly with Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday (their friendly against Norwich, scheduled for July 28, was cancelled) the Sky Blues host Nottingham Forest in their Championship opener the weekend after — a fixture that has already left Boddy and his team licking their lips with excitement.
“It’s a great game to start our season and one the supporters are really looking forward to,” he tells The Athletic.
“I’m just so happy they can finally see Championship football back in the city again.”
To recognise why this is such a big deal, you only have to go back through the struggles.
Up until 2018, when Coventry were promoted from League Two via the play-offs, the club had not finished in the top six of any division for 48 years, were financially unstable, and losing supporters rapidly due to the relocation issues.
In 2020, when they stormed League One with a relentless surge of scintillating attacking football, the success couldn’t fully be enjoyed because home games were still being played outside of the city.
Even last season, as the pandemic took hold of the country, Coventry had to wait until the 44th game of the season before they could mathematically say another campaign of second-tier football had been guaranteed, although regular observers suggest the flirt with relegation wasn’t as concerning as it might have looked on the outside.
“Yes, we were a bit naive at the start of the season by trying to replicate what we did so well in League One, and it didn’t always work,” Boddy says.
“But we became versatile and mixed things up and in the end, it looked fairly comfortable. We were recognised by even the top teams for the way we played attractive football.”
Two months on and with just days until the season starts, things are looking up for a club used to dealing with a crisis.
The new club shop is open and the new kit has been well received. There’s an exclusive football hub at the stadium now and the relationship with London Wasps is much better than in previous years.
With no off-field drama, staying out of the spotlight suits them for now.
“COVID really is the only real thing we’re fighting at the moment,” Boddy says as boss Mark Robins explains how he’s going to need every day of next week to go well in order to start the season with his strongest team.
Earlier in the month, a pre-season camp in Spain was interrupted by positive cases before, during and after the trip. The friendly fixtures have also been hit by players who are either ill from the virus, isolating, or just working their way back to full fitness. Extra measures are in place around the training ground for best practice purposes and the hope is that there are no major changes in the next week.
In comparison to previous summers, though, the bigger picture is bright.
“It’s important for us to have a bit of fun this season,” manager Mark Robins tells The Athletic.
“You can’t get bogged down with all the rubbish. I want them to work hard but also to enjoy themselves and see where that takes us.”
Sunday’s final pre-season game with Wolves won’t quite be the same homecoming party as the following week when the Championship gets underway. The team will still look disjointed this weekend due to the aforementioned COVID-19 issues but the squad, on paper at least, will be stronger by the close of the transfer window.
Coventry had the second-lowest budget in the division last season but have raised it slightly this term to become more competitive. The pandemic has so far hit the club to the tune of around £1.5 million, so the recruitment team had to box clever when the window opened.
As Norwich City wanted Sam McCallum to experience new surroundings this season — he’s joined Queens Park Rangers for the campaign — Coventry knew they were out of the race to bring him back for his fourth spell at the club.
Goalkeeper Simon Moore and striker Martyn Waghorn have arrived as experienced additions, though, while Ben Sheaf, Viktor Gyokeres and Bright Enobakhare, all 23, bring energy and excitement.
Getting Enobakhare out there for more minutes is now important. He was bubbly during a substitute appearance at Mansfield on Tuesday and has the potential to be a game-changing signing if he can find some consistency throughout 2021-22.
“We need him firing and flying,” Robins says.
“The players should place extra demands on him because he’s that good.”
Waghorn will bring a bundle of knowledge with him and should help convert some of last season’s draws into wins. He averages slightly better than a goal every four games in the Championship and has top-flight experience, too.
Then there’s last season’s player of the year, Callum O’Hare, who is expected to go up another notch.
“We’ve got some exciting players in the final third so let’s see where that takes us,” Robins continues.
The absence of Matty James, who has now signed for Bristol City, may be felt in the middle of the park, however.
Whether that void will be addressed by the start of the season remains unclear. Robins is expected to let defender Rocky Bushiri return to Norwich City after a trial but is still working on two or three possible loan deals. Decisions on ex-Crystal Palace left-back Pape Souare and veteran defender Martin Cranie will also be made this week.
“The players coming in for us will make a huge difference,” Robins, who prepares for his fifth full season in charge, adds.
The 51-year-old is now the second longest-serving manager in the division behind Blackburn Rovers’ Tony Mowbray and without him, it’s unlikely Coventry would have achieved the success of recent years.
He insists “there is no brief” for him each season, even if it appears he has over-achieved in his previous four campaigns. Boddy can’t speak highly enough of the boss, insisting that their relationship is fantastic.
“Mark and myself in terms of interviews may be dour, but we’re quite the opposite when you get to know us,” the CEO says. “We laugh and joke all the time but we’re also very driven.
”He knows what he wants and has a plan of how he’s going to get there. His traits remind me of one of his mentors, Sir Alex Ferguson. I can see a lot of Ferguson’s traits in Mark, to be honest, and that can’t be a bad thing.“
The concern, of course, is when a manager consistently punches above his weight, others take note. Coventry see him as a crucial part of the club, though, and are filled with excitement for the future rather than anticipation of his exit.
After a season of consolidation back in the second tier, the Coventry should be well equipped for the challenge ahead. There’s a feeling among some of the players that they could surprise a few, even if pre-season has felt like a bit of a slog at times.
Robins says there’s a lot to be positive about and is ready to attack the season with vigour.
Boddy, pragmatically, adds: ”My aim is to get a point more than last season but in quicker time. If we can do that then it will be great.”
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Cheers bud.