Pivotal Sky Blue Moments (1 Viewer)

Grendel

Well-Known Member
Bringing in Jim Smith as the assistant manager Roland Nilssen didn’t need. He signed Paul Trollope and Horacio Carbonari and literally organised fights between players in training.

The game he is referring to we won With a brace from Lee Hughes - partridge wasn’t even at the club
 

Grendel

Well-Known Member
On a similar note, and i've mentioned this on here before... first season down in the championship, fairly early on, we were doing well and were at home to Norwich... i think (possibly incorrectly) that Norwich were top and we were 2nd... a win for us would have put us either top, or clear in 2nd with a decent gap above the playoffs...

It was an evening match and i was in the West terrace, it was the match where Ritchie Partridge scored an absolute screamer to give us the lead. We were cruising to victory but then a horrific deflection right near the end gave them an underserved equaliser.

We drew 1-1, never managed to create that gap over the chasing pack, and our form dipped from there.

I honestly believe that had we held on and won that match, we would have gone straight back up automatically. Even the national radio/tv pundits were saying at the time that we were looking like a Premier League team just waiting to go back up.

And the rest is history...!

We best Norwich 2-1
 

Travs

Well-Known Member
Assume he’s got the years mixed up, he did score in a draw against Norwich the year after though we nearly got relegated

Yes that was it. And i'm fairly sure that at that point in the season we were right up the top... though as the last few posts prove, memories can be a little hazy...!
 

MusicDating

Euro 2016 Prediction League Champion!!
For me I felt rock bottom was when we were about to go out of the Checkatrade to Swansea U23s (whilst being relegated with 9 wins all season in L1)...last minute own goal equaliser...won on pens, beat Wycombe (obviously 😏) and then we finally realised we could be winners v Oxford -

I genuinely feel that was the turning point, so nominate Adnan Matric as the man who finally stirred the phoenix 😃
 

TomRad85

Well-Known Member
For me I felt rock bottom was when we were about to go out of the Checkatrade to Swansea U23s (whilst being relegated with 9 wins all season in L1)...last minute own goal equaliser...won on pens, beat Wycombe (obviously ) and then we finally realised we could be winners v Oxford -

I genuinely feel that was the turning point, so nominate Adnan Matric as the man who finally stirred the phoenix
Oli McBurnie and Joe Rodon played in that game. Around 25 million worth of player. (Not really worth it at all, but you know.)

Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk
 

DannyThomas_1981

Well-Known Member
I lived in the Black Country when Ron was manager at West Brom. Their fans seemed to think Ron had got lucky inheriting a brilliant team. Think it was Ronnie Allen then Johnny Giles who built most of the team that built his rep. They were brilliant however. beating us 6-1 I remember when I went. At Man U he seemed to buy good players with absolutely no idea how they would fit together. Using Birtles as a traditional centre forward that did not work. Did he sell Laurie Cunningham?

Agree and you could say he did the same with us; huge marquee signing in McAllister (£3 million was a very very big sum of money in 1996) whilst completely ignoring the defence or even finding the right midfield combination to allow McAllister to perform.

In McAllister's first game - Liam Daish (who simply was not a top flight footballer) was at centre back - and Kevin Campbell danced around him for a hat-trick. I remember watching McAllister screaming in frustration at times in that game at his own team.

Big Ron was loved by the media but his record since leaving West Brom was very questionable - an appalling appointment - ultimately leading to a rookie manager taking over in Strachan and leading us to a relegation. Now that was the real start of our decline all the way down to L2.
 

Travs

Well-Known Member
It is worth saying though that Strachan was the manager of the "entertainers" era which was the high point of supporting City for me. So I don't hold anything against him.

(i am quite aware that the over-spending of that era has most probably led to where we found ourselves over the past decade or so.....)
 

Sky_Blue_Dreamer

Well-Known Member
It is worth saying though that Strachan was the manager of the "entertainers" era which was the high point of supporting City for me. So I don't hold anything against him.

(i am quite aware that the over-spending of that era has most probably led to where we found ourselves over the past decade or so.....)

Most annoying thing of that era ws that we didn't improve the defence much, if at all. To have Williams and Shaw as our main pair for that many years at that level is criminal and IMO the main reason we never pushed on despite some decent talent elsewhere in the team.
 

Irish Sky Blue

Well-Known Member
I lived in the Black Country when Ron was manager at West Brom. Their fans seemed to think Ron had got lucky inheriting a brilliant team. Think it was Ronnie Allen then Johnny Giles who built most of the team that built his rep. They were brilliant however. beating us 6-1 I remember when I went. At Man U he seemed to buy good players with absolutely no idea how they would fit together. Using Birtles as a traditional centre forward that did not work. Did he sell Laurie Cunningham?
Being the pedant that I am I have to say that wearing the chocolate kit, we were beaten 7-1 by West Brom. (They did also beat us 6-1 but that was a good few years before Atkinson).! The worst scoreline ( not necessarily performance) that I have been unlucky enough to witness. We lost regularly to Albion in that period, so much so that Arkinson used to say he kept Gordon Milne on his mantlepiece.
 

SlowerThanPlatt

Well-Known Member
Being the pedant that I am I have to say that wearing the chocolate kit, we were beaten 7-1 by West Brom. (They did also beat us 6-1 but that was a good few years before Atkinson).! The worst scoreline ( not necessarily performance) that I have been unlucky enough to witness. We lost regularly to Albion in that period, so much so that Arkinson used to say he kept Gordon Milne on his mantlepiece.

They’ve given out many hammerings to us, remember that really good team they had under Mowbray with Gera and Brunt. Think they beat us 5-0 two years running.
 

Brighton Sky Blue

Well-Known Member
They’ve given out many hammerings to us, remember that really good team they had under Mowbray with Gera and Brunt. Think they beat us 5-0 two years running.

They were too good to be in that league but equally never good enough to stay in the top flight. Much like Norwich again next season I think
 

COVKIDSNEVERQUIT

Well-Known Member
Born in Cov and becoming a Sky Blues Fan.



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CCFCSteve

Well-Known Member
Most annoying thing of that era ws that we didn't improve the defence much, if at all. To have Williams and Shaw as our main pair for that many years at that level is criminal and IMO the main reason we never pushed on despite some decent talent elsewhere in the team.

Yeah, never forget Williams was out of contract and was rumoured to be signing for Wolves and we ended up paying him something ridiculous like £10k a week to stay...crazy !
 

slowpoke

Well-Known Member
Talking of missed opportunities I watched a program yesterday and in part of it it showed Brian Clough and his influence and successes at Nottingham Forest league title, league cups, two European ( champions league)cups and thought that could have been us or at least challenging for honours, he was almost signed and sealed along with Peter Taylor coming here to replace Noel Cantwell there was a press conference set up but it would have clashed with some tv work Cloughie was booked to go on, so he postponed the conference our chairman Derrick Robins bit of a pompous character himself took the hump and gave Clough some sort of ultimatum Cloughie being the abrasive individual he was told Robins to stick the job where the sun don’t shine. When I look at the fortunes of Forest two or three years later I wonder what if.
 

Legia Sky Blue

Well-Known Member
Talking of missed opportunities I watched a program yesterday and in part of it it showed Brian Clough and his influence and successes at Nottingham Forest league title, league cups, two European ( champions league)cups and thought that could have been us or at least challenging for honours, he was almost signed and sealed along with Peter Taylor coming here to replace Noel Cantwell there was a press conference set up but it would have clashed with some tv work Cloughie was booked to go on, so he postponed the conference our chairman Derrick Robins bit of a pompous character himself took the hump and gave Clough some sort of ultimatum Cloughie being the abrasive individual he was told Robins to stick the job where the sun don’t shine. When I look at the fortunes of Forest two or three years later I wonder what if.

Cloughie was still to have his Brighton & Leeds spells at this point though too. Much though its nice to think we could have gone onto Forest's success the likelihood is he would have soon fallen out with Robins as you alluded to & left us before we got anywhere near that point. From what I understand Clough was never really interested in coming to us, and it was more Peter Taylor that wanted to come anyway.
 

slowpoke

Well-Known Member
Cloughie was still to have his Brighton & Leeds spells at this point though too. Much though its nice to think we could have gone onto Forest's success the likelihood is he would have soon fallen out with Robins as you alluded to & left us before we got anywhere near that point. From what I understand Clough was never really interested in coming to us, and it was more Peter Taylor that wanted to come anyway.
I think you are correct re: Peter Taylor the story goes Taylor was a goalkeeper here in the 1950s and his wife and family were from Cov and when the Coventry job became vacant he and Clough had either resigned from Derby after falling out with their board or were about to. I think you are correct about Derrick Robins too they would definitely have clashed I think Robins was to say the least was difficult.
 

DannyThomas_1981

Well-Known Member
It is worth saying though that Strachan was the manager of the "entertainers" era which was the high point of supporting City for me. So I don't hold anything against him.

(i am quite aware that the over-spending of that era has most probably led to where we found ourselves over the past decade or so.....)

Got to disagree Travs. Taking us down with the talent and money at his disposal - continuously failing to improve in key positions during his seasons in charge - it was simply poor management with dire consequences.

To be fair to Strachan it was his first managerial post - should never have been given the job from the start.

(I also loved the entertainers but doesn't excuse the disaster that followed).
 

wingy

Well-Known Member
Got to disagree Travs. Taking us down with the talent and money at his disposal - continuously failing to improve in key positions during his seasons in charge - it was simply poor management with dire consequences.

To be fair to Strachan it was his first managerial post - should never have been given the job from the start.

(I also loved the entertainers but doesn't excuse the disaster that followed).
I just feel he got stale and the squad would have stayed up should the normal jettisoning at most other clubs have happened here.
 

Bad Boy

Well-Known Member
Pivotal Sky Blue Moment...............

Saturday 16th May 1987.

John Sillett famously said after helping lead Coventry City to Wembley success in 1987 that the Sky Blues had “shopped at Woolworth’s for too long, from now on we’re shopping at Harrods.”

And we got too big for our boots.
 
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WestEndAgro

Well-Known Member
Two pivotal moments for me on the pitch, Steve Bull not signing at the 11th hour and Strachan turning down Ruud van Nistolroy.
 

SlowerThanPlatt

Well-Known Member
Two pivotal moments for me on the pitch, Steve Bull not signing at the 11th hour and Strachan turning down Ruud van Nistolroy.

Is the latter true? It’s easy for a manager/scout to claim a player after they’ve made it. I remember Ranson saying we could have had Henderson, he was 18 and only ever here for experience.
 

cc84cov

Well-Known Member
Is the latter true? It’s easy for a manager/scout to claim a player after they’ve made it. I remember Ranson saying we could have had Henderson, he was 18 and only ever here for experience.
Wasn’t Andy Carroll another one mentioned around that time also
 

WestEndAgro

Well-Known Member
Is the latter true? It’s easy for a manager/scout to claim a player after they’ve made it. I remember Ranson saying we could have had Henderson, he was 18 and only ever here for experience.
He turned him down because he felt we had enough up front, I believe we had Huckerby, Whelan & Dublin at the time
 

COV

Well-Known Member
By the very nature of a club like ours there are so many, one thing we’ve never had is stability.

Positive pivotal moment: Losing to Kings Lynn in 1961- because that persuaded a hitherto undecided Jimmy Hill to take the manager’s job, as “i can’t fail here can I, things are already rock bottom”

Negative pivotal moment: investing in Washington Diplomats, which failed, costing us about 500k (a hell of a lot at the time), which drove us to sell Gillespie, Thomas, Hateley, Thompson, Sealey et al. Nobody will ever convince me that we didn’t have the nucleus of one of our most exciting teams ever in that era, and we had to get rid of them in a fire sale, and I guess thinking about it an upside as a result Gould brought in a lot of the cup winning team shortly after.

positive and negative pivotal moment: McAllister having his bad injury in 1997/98.Things weren’t working with him in midfield, we had to reinvent our style & team after he was out, and we had one of our best seasons in many years.

but as other people have said, I don’t think you can look beyond 99/00 post season as the biggest. Whelan, Keane and a rejuvenated McAllister all gone, Bellamy in. This isn’t a Bellamy rant, but losing those three and failing to replace or compensate elsewhere (a defence that could defend perhaps) led directly to relegation, and the next 20 years with all the fun & games we’ve endured can in my opinion be traced directly back to that summer.
 

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