Football Daily - Coventry City Special: Back in the Premier League!

Episode Date: August 20, 2026

After a 25-year absence, Coventry City are back in England’s top flight. Mark Chapman is joined by Golden Boot-winning former striker Dion Dublin, club legend Steve Ogrizovic, BBC CWR's Rob Gurney, and others to reflect on the club’s remarkable story.The Sky Blues have been all the way down to League Two since their last Premier League appearance, had to move out of their own city on two separate occasions, endured a spell in administration and they’ve had 15 managers!So, how did it happen, and how did they get back here?In the end, Frank Lampard was the man to bring them back up. We’ll hear from Lampard, recall the club’s rejuvenation under Mark Robins and the fan stories during the darker years.Timecodes: 01:00 What have the last 25 years been like for Coventry fans?! 05:00 What led to their relegation in 2001? 07:45 From Highfield Road to the Ricoh Arena and how it led to an unravelling 14:30 Moz Baker, former Chair of the Sky Blues Trust, explains how the fans split in the 2010s 20:45 Coventry legend Steve Ogrizovic joins the show 23:00 What kind of Coventry did Mark Robins take over and how did he turn it around? 29:00 Former Coventry captain Michael Doyle explains how Robins did it 36:40 Why a new owner sacked the much-loved Robins, and it came off 40:30 How did fans feel when Frank Lampard was appointed 44:30 Interview with Frank Lampard on the season ahead 48:25 Has Lampard changed the whole club’s culture, and will his style suit the Premier League? With Katie Stafford, from BBC CWR's Sky Blues fancast 51:00 Coventry’s £100m summer – will it pay off?

This is the Football Daily podcast with Mark Chapman. Welcome to the Football Daily as we tell the remarkable story of Coventry. Returning to the Premier League after 25 years away. In that time, they've dropped all the way into League 2. They've had five different home grounds in inverted commerce. They went into administration. They've had 15 managers as well before returning to the top tier. We'll go back through that story.

We'll speak to players, fans and staff from the top. the various different eras. Dionne Dublin, who won the golden boot during four-year spell at the club, is with us. Where do you have your golden boot? It's right next to the Premier League title. Oh, you are. Yeah, I tell you, you've had a, you've had a good preseason. You've come back flying, haven't you? Your match ready. I didn't really down. And with us also as well, Coventry, Commentator for BBC Radio Coventry and Warwick. Rob Gurney and you have been down and up with them, haven't you? Yes, as a fan and a broadcaster, chappers.

Yeah, great to touch base with Dion again. We worked together when he was the Coventry captain for, what, four successive seasons, Dion, when you were top score in the Premier League for each of those four seasons. And yes, considering where they were eight years ago, Mark, they were in League 2. They were just about to win or just won the League 2 playoff final in 2018. and now we're talking about a return to the Premier League,

the top table after 25 years away, is just an extraordinary story. You are a lifelong fan. Up until 2001, all you had known was Coventry being in the top flight, very much an established member of the First Division and then going into the Premier League. Obviously, the amazing FA Cup win of 1987,

and by the way, this season's kit is fantastic. This season's kit for Coventry is just brilliant because it is just like the 87 Cup winning. 40th anniversary tribute kit. It's brilliant. It's such a great kit. Anyhow, I'm slightly digressive.

So how, because you aren't, you aren't the only sort of fan base to have suffered this, you know, be established and then drop all the way, but probably one of the most prominent. How difficult was it? Forget your job for you as a fan? Oh, hugely, chappas.

Absolutely hugely. Because, well, keeping my son, who's now going to be 24, Charlie on Friday actually. My daughter Holly, she's his twin sister as well. Keeping them interested when they were kids was very, very difficult

and I'm happy to say that certainly Charlie is a died in the wall, Sky Blues fan. But when we were going to, I mean I was taking him to with the greatest of respect, places like Barnsley and Peterborough to go and watch matches, you know, away from home.

And they plummeted all the way into League 2. I mean, Michael Doyle. I know we're going to hear from Doyler later. I mean, there's a famous story of him in a game against Forest Green Rovers, where we were losing at home to Forest Green Rovers in the League 2 season. A fan came onto the pitch to remonstrate with the players. Doyler was the one that Frog marched him off. We lost 6'2 at home to Yoval in that League 2 season.

I mean, it is absolutely incredible. And a sliding doors moment came, Mark, really, at Knott's County, the second leg of the playoff semi-final in 2018. It was 1-1 after the first leg, got the dodgiest penalty ever just before the end of the first leg, taking it a 1-1-drawer to Meadow Lane. And then absolutely blew Knott's County away 4-1

in the second leg of the League 2 playoff semifinal. We went on to get promoted to League 1. They ended up going National League the following season, Knox County. while looked as though that sliding doors moment was going to be their fate, if you like, going into the National League. But fortunately, it wasn't the case. But, you know, unbelievable.

As a fan, I'd seen them relegated from the Premier League, obviously in 2001, relegated from the championship, relegated from League one, although did win the EFL trophy, the checker trade trophy that season in 2017. And that was another seminal moment, really, where it was. 47,000 and whatever it was, Coventry fans were at Wembley for that EFL trophy final against Oxford. And that was another day where you could tell what the groundswell of support was like, the fact that, you know, there was huge interest in the football club. If somebody could just tap into it.

And that's what Mark Robbins did for the seven years that he was at the club. But it's just, you know, phenomenal what Lampard has achieved as well in getting us into the Premier League. We have to start with the relegation in 2001 and their long stay in the top flight coming to an end. Gordon Strachan stands there impassively and has to accept Coventry are relegated. Shakes hands with John Gregory after 34 years in the top flight. The lights have gone out on Coventry's time and the upper echelon of football. They are heartbroken the Coventry players. They applaud the 5,000.

thousand or so fans at that far end of the ground. John Harleston first off the field. He'll be shattered and the Coventry supporters and players will be shattered. Assymm Villa three, Coventry two, Coventry relegated. Pat Murphy on Sports Report, the day Coventry's relegation was confirmed. It was the penultimate game of the season. Dion, as we said in the Villa team, Coventry had been 2-0 up in that game. They needed Derby and Middlesbrough's results to go their way and they didn't.

And just to give you an indication, by the way, of, of, that team. This was a, I mean, this really was a decent team, Rob, wasn't it? You look at some of the names in it. Kirkland was in goal. Gary Breen was at the back. They had John Eustace and Lee Carsley in there. Mustafa Haji, Bellamy, Hartson. I mean, it wasn't, it wasn't the worst 11. No, it certainly wasn't. And I always say that had John Hartson been signed a few weeks before, finally did make the move to Coventry, then they'd probably not have been relegated that particular season, just ran out of time.

I mean, him and Bellamy did form a pretty lethal partnership towards the end of that season. But it must have a Hadji had moved on. He'd scored for Villa, having moved to Villa part. And George Boteng was another one that made that move across to Villa. But yes, it wasn't the worst quality. squad in the world, certainly, but they just came up short. I mean, again, Robbie Keene only lasted one season before Coventry doubled their money on him

when he went to Inter Milan, having been Britain's most expensive teenager at £6 million pounds when he signed for Coventry from Wolves in 1999. And Craig Bellamy was his replacement. Now, that didn't go massively well, either with the fans or, as I'm sure Craig would probably admit now himself. You know, that was a move that didn't quite work out. And that was one of the catalysts as to why the club ended up, you know, being relegated that season, I think.

They were relegated and maybe everything started to snowball a little bit, Rob, in 2005. Dion's talked about the importance of Highfield Road. But the mid-90s to the early 2010s saw a lot of clubs move. from their traditional grounds to, a lot of them actually, to stadium that were quite similar. I mean, there is a certain feel to a sort of 90s, mid-2000s stadium move. So they moved to what was called the RICO Arena.

And this is where things started to unravel a bit. They did, yes. I mean, originally, the original incarnation of the arena was thought about as early as the late 90s, the former chairman Brian Richard. The old Foles Hill gas work site in the north of the city. I remember Rob, Mr. Richardson, in the chairman's office when I signed, he had a little miniature, a little miniature version of the new stadium in his office.

And he was saying to me, Dion, this is where you're going to be playing. Look at this stadium. We're going to do this. We're going to do that. Never seen it. No, and that was going to be my point, is that the idea was originally conceived in the late 90s. It was at one time going to be, the Coventry were looking at. launching a bid to become the home of the new national stadium.

That was one of the drums they were banging at that particular time. There was talk of a retractable roof and a sliding pitch. I remember we went on a visit to Arnhem in the Netherlands, where they've got an identical model. Brian Richardson was saying how fantastic this was going to be. And then slowly but surely, for financial reasons and the fact that the club had been relegated with the... The time was reported a 60 million pound debt in 2001.

Now, you convert that to today. You can imagine how much debt the club was in 25 years ago. So they had to hugely scale back all those plans. And by the time the RICO arena got built and opened in 2005, they'd sold Highfield Road for housing. That's now a small housing estate. unfortunately, although Highfield Road Park now has been literally in the last couple of days been unveiled so that they've commemorated the site of Highfield Road a little bit more fully than has been in the last 20 years.

But they'd sold Highfield Road. The RICO Arena was opened in 2005, but it was already long overdue in terms of when they were supposed to originally move there. And then we got administration, the club financially was on its knees, sold its 50% share in the stadium, and that's where the real problems began. Because then, by selling that 50% share, they became tenant. Yes, exactly. And that led to all manner of difficulties. The ownership made fair hedge fund called Sisu.

owned the club December 2007 they came in apparently the club was very very close to going to the wall if C-Soo hadn't have bought the club you know it was going to go pop and I suppose Rob on that I don't want to annoy anybody here

but does that have to be well well not only time I mean obviously Dion that happens a lot but I mean what I mean is C-Soo were incredibly unpopular owners as time went on I completely understand that. Completely get why they became unpopular owners for the fan base,

which we will come on to when we look at where commentary ended up having to play and so on and so forth. But it is worth reiterating, is it, that Coventry were in a real mess when they took over? Did they rescue them at that stage, or is that going too far? No, I mean, that is the story at the time was that Cisu were the only game in town, effectively. that's been disputed elsewhere since,

but that was the narrative at the time. And if Joe Elliott, who was the chairman at the time, not the one-arm drummer from Def Leopard, obviously, but a local businessman who owned a very successful. And a good bloke, by the way. He is a tremendous bloke, yes. He always says if he hadn't sold the club to CISU at that point, the club was 20 minutes away from going bust.

So the very fact that Sisu then became hugely unpopular because they stopped paying the rent, that's when the club ended up going to Northampton for a season. But as I say, the narrative at the time was, if it hadn't been for Sisu, the club would have ceased to exist. During this period then, before Doug King came and bought them out, just quickly then, and then we'll come on to the move to Northampton,

what were the issues that made them so unpopular in their running of the club? Was it the moving of the club to different? to different home ground. Yes, there was that. And the lack of investment in the playing squad, really. And again, without going over all the minutiae of this, because it's a very, very complicated story. But they were effectively, Sisu were trying to force Arena Coventry Limited,

which was the company that owned the stadium, into administration. So they could get the arena for nothing. That was their M.O. that's what they did at various other businesses that they acquired over the years. And that's what they were trying to do with Coventry. And that never happened. There was a huge clash of personalities between the people that were at the top of C-Soo,

not so much Joyce O'Pallor, but Tim Fisher, who was the chairman, was vilified by the supporters. He was very infat. When he came on here on the radio, he was extremely inflammatory. and what he used to say. It almost to me as a fan. He used to light winding the supporters up. That was my perception of how he was. I mean, certainly tell a story while I was away

and just following the club as a fan. He came into these studios and had to be smuggled out of the back door because what he said on the radio, one particular occasion was so inflammatory that people started gathering outside the studio. So he was a problem. The city council at the time,

who owned part of the stadium as well. There was a massive clash of personalities and that's where the relationship completely broke down. Sisu stopped paying the rent for the stadium and that's how they ended up going to six fields for a season. Let's talk to Mose Baker, chair of the Sky Blues Trust at the time. Evening in Mors? Hello, Mark.

I mean, you must be delighted at where you are now on what is to come but there was a real anger amongst the fan base, wasn't that? But also, I'm told, some splits in the fan base. Yeah, that period when we moved to Northampton, it was an awful time for the club, because as a Comedy City fan, as, well, I started watching them in 1975 when they were playing at Highfield Road. And the fact that we were moving our football club

out of this community, 35 miles down the road to Northampton, just was just something that I just couldn't comprehend, and many Comedy City fans felt the same. equally you had people who had the view that I wanted to watch my club play wherever they're playing and there was kind of a disconnect there and there was falling out

because people they support the club but other people had different views of how to deal with it now I initially went and spent my time on the hill at Northampton if you know six on stage under there's a hill where you can see parts of the pitch

from that hill but even that for me became something too much for me and I ended up spending my Saturdays and when Conch Street were playing. Doing other things. I went to every away match that season but I would not go to a home game

and many of the Covency City fans felt the same. It was a really difficult time for the club. So hard, Dion, isn't it? Because probably one of the most prominent fan bases to have to suffer this. But it's so hard when fans find their loyalty tested in this way

when actually you can see both points, you can very easily see both points of view. You can. While I was at Coventry, I never thought that the football club's going to go down because they, we were so stable. And I can only see the training ground and the match day part of this and the staff and the fan base. We felt so stable.

And then like you've mentioned and we're having a conversation there about how it's kind of crumbling away. And I think it's down to, obviously it's down to bad ownership and bad decisions, but then the relationship between players and fans becomes. distant as well. Fans don't want to go and support their club at somebody else's ground. That's not the right thing to do. And also don't want to reward owners, MOS, for bad decisions that have left them in this situation. But then MOS, there will be other people weren't there. And it's so, I completely get this as well. Well, I've watched my team home and

away for the last 30 years. I don't want to break that run. They are my team. What else am I going to do on a Saturday. I'm supporting the team, not the club. It's very difficult. It was incredibly difficult for people, and I was in that boat as well. I'd watch the club home in a way for years, but there was no way

in my view, and like I say, Michelle was a lot of the Cogden City fan, because you saw the minimal crowds that we got at Sixthield, so I was going to watch my team. Call Covenny City football club plays matches in Northampton, but equally there were some who wanted to go. And it

did cause this friction between fans. And that was the real tragedy of this, because we were all community city fans. We all wanted to support our club, but we decided to support, well, in different ways. And I went down the road of getting involved with the supporters' trust, and I became chairman, and just doing what I could with my colleagues

and galvanising the supporters to recognise that this wasn't right and doing whatever we could in the form of protests and marches and rallies to get the club back to Coventry, it's the earliest opportunity. How do you feel now? Oh, I'm actually elated. I'm actually at an event at the CBS Arena tonight, actually. I've just come out of a premiere.

Yeah, they're doing a big premiere there, aren't they, tonight? Absolutely, yeah, and I've just come out of it. Actually, Dion, you feature quite heavily at the point I came out. It was the point I came out we'd just survived relegation in 97. Got a good point to leave that, Mos. Absolutely. Where's my... Moss?

I didn't get any invite, Mos. What's happening? Well, Dave Bennett's got an invite. Mickey Doyle's here. Oh, there you go. The important players. The important ones.

Maybe yours not lost in the post. Good man. Good man. To answer your question, Mark, I'm absolutely elated. And like Rob, I mean, I've run now and Rob probably from like 40 years,

supporting this football club for a very long time. And just to be back in the Premier League. Now, after all, we've been through, that journey down into League 2 and back again and Mark Robbins deserves an incredible amount of credit for his contribution to that. To be playing Arsenal in two days' time,

the Premier League champions against the championship champions, it's just the stuff of the third mate believe, to be honest. I think you have a chance of surprising a few people from what I've seen of Coventry under Fran Lampard. Are you quite hopeful? I don't necessarily mean Arsenal away. I'll give you that one. I'll make a picture.

I'm very hopeful. I mean, I spend a long time tonight chatting to Dean Austin, who's the head of recruitment here, and also Doug King, the owner of the club. And I share their optimism. I think we will surprise a lot of people.

I think, obviously, it's a massive goal between the championship in the Premier League. But I think we're going to give it a go. The players we've signed in the last few weeks, give me the hope

that I think we will do okay. Just before I let you go, Mos, who is the best number nine that you've seen at Coventry. Without any shadow of a doubt, without any shadow of a down, Mickey Quinn. Mickey Quinn.

No, no. You can come back on any time you want. Mos, I've got to come in and say, Leon Dublin, hero of mine, did a fantastic girl when he came to the club, brilliant striker, and some of his goal,

quite incredible. Yeah, edit that out of the podcast. bit but thank you moz moz baker chair at the sky blues trust going to join the rest of the premier there you're so harsh i know but it's funny dion isn't it i'm delighted to say their f a cup winner their former goalkeeping coach their former caretaker manager and now rob sidekick on commentary for the bbcce steve a grisovitch joins us evening steve yeah good evening mark good evening dion and rob i can't see you but i hope i can hear you loud and clear dion was dion was full of praise for for you, Steve.

Don't tell him that. I'll tell you what, Dion, I mean, he's not been down to see Coventry a lot in recent years, obviously with all his exports, but I'm sure that he'll be seeing quite a bit of them this season.

And I think he'll be excited by what he sees. I hope so. I certainly hope so. How, and I've asked this, everybody connected to the club, Steve, tonight, and then we'll get on to everything else. But how excited are you or really? leave do you, or maybe just tell me your emotions ahead of Coventry being back in the Premier League?

Because I'm guessing at times you thought you would never get to this day. Well, yeah, I mean, in football in terms, Coventry have certainly been to hell and back in the last couple of decades. There's no doubt about that. But, I mean, football does tend to turn full circle. You know, everybody has the time in the sun at some stage. And I always felt that at one point, Coventry would get back. quite how they've done it quite as quickly as this when you think they're in Division 2

only, I'm going to say, seven years ago is quite remarkable. And, you know, the club have turned around the fortunes mainly off the, you know, away from the football pitch. They got things, started, get things right at the time when Mark Robbins came in, you know, just in 2017. And, you know, the club started being run like a football club

again, I've got to say. And it is what you're saying. see when the clubs run well, when there's good planning, when there's a structured approach, you have success and the success has happened quickly. And it's been really, really exciting, Mark. I mean, some of the football that the boys have played, not just, I mean, last year was off the scale. It was incredible.

But, you know, every year on year, it's been very, very good. Take me back then, Steve, to the club being in the fourth tier for the first time in 58 years. Mark Robbins had come in the year before, towards the end of the season the year before, won the EFL trophy a month after he came in, but were still relegated. Tony Mowbray and Russell Slade had also been managers that season. That's right.

I mean, you mentioned the chequer trade trophy. Rob will remember it well as well. You know, that really was the turning point. It's crazy because it's a nothing trophy. You know, most people want to go out in the early rounds and commentary somehow managed to find themselves into a semi-final, That's when you start to take it seriously. Mark Robbins had just come in.

We find ourselves playing Oxford at Wembley, and I think that was when the fortunes changed because I think everybody, the players, the staff, the hierarchy really, noticed for the first time probably the love that the football club was had from the fans. I mean, the fans came out in the droves, 45,000, I think it was, in a relegation year to cheer the boys on at Wembley.

We won that game, and although we got relegated, promotion followed the following season, another visit to Wembley. Every single year you've seen, I won't say baby steps, larger than that actually. Just improvement from one year to the next. They just gradually got stronger.

Well, I suppose even when Mark Robbins came in then, Rob, that changed things because even though they went down, four of the nine games that they won that season were after he was appointed. So I suppose you could see those baby steps, even in relegation. Yes, and I mean, Augie will acknowledge this. there was a little bit of skepticism from the fan base when he came back because he left in 2013 having established quite a solid team.

The club was challenging for the playoffs. And he left to go to Huddersfield because he simply got a better offer from Huddersfield town. So supporters were a little skeptical when he came back for a second time, given what had happened four years previously, but obviously winning a trophy within a few weeks of him returning, massively helped. And he bought into the fan base, he bought into the project, if you like,

of Coventry going into League 2. And I talked about it earlier on, Mark, you know, the untapped talent, if you like, or the untapped support that the club had got. Oggie mentioned 47,000 at Wembley that day. So there was huge potential around the club. It just needed somebody to unlock that. And Mark Robbins ended up being the person to do just that.

What did Mark Robbins do that brought the buoyancy back? For me, he was the first manage to get the ear of the owner, really. And, you know, things started to change upstairs off the pitch. All of a sudden, I think the owner, had realised the mistakes, you know, in previous years and started to listen to Mark. Recruitment got better. I talked about, you know, baby steps.

We didn't have a lot of money to bring people in, but recruitment was a lot better. You know, we spent years. I mean, it's crazy now when you looked at it, but years really doing recruitment on, you know, on the back of a fag packet. It was, you know, ringing people up, doing it old school, checking things out.

And, you know, and we didn't really have a recruitment, department that was worthy of anything because the club wouldn't fund it. When they did start funding it, I think you started to see, you know, the fruits of those labours. You know, the players that have come in, you know, at whatever level,

and you've got to remember that different teams have been assembled, you know, as you go up the leagues, but, you know, the recruitment has just got better and better and better. And I think that's one of the reasons we are where we are at the moment because, you know,

the way I see it, the recruitment department at the moment, are doing an outstanding job. And I think, Rob, I think Coventry would have been in league one, and I did a FA Cup draw with Mark Robbins. Like, we did it from Coventry, and I had a good chat with Mark at that.

And he was full of praise for how their recruitment was starting to work. And he felt that they had caught up a bit then, that there was data being used, and they'd narrow it down to three players, for example, he would tell me. and then he would be able to then make a decision based on those three and go out and watch them and scout them.

But it took a while for them to get to that stage. And maybe even some of the youth stuff was starting to pay off a little bit then. Yes, that's absolutely right. And I think that the club was being run, as Augie alluded to there, a lot more professionally. And Mark had a relationship with Dave Boddy, who was the chief executive.

They had a very close working relationship. And I'm sure, well, I know that Dave, you know, various times when things were looking particularly bleak, he successfully persuaded Mark to stay and, you know, resist overtures from other clubs. So that relationship was absolutely key. But it was just, you know, for somebody to stay at one football club, we all know these days, for seven years is an extraordinary achievement. and that's what Mark Robbins did, brought the club all the way up through the divisions. They were a miss penalty away from going into the Premier League, losing to Luton on penalties at Wembley three years ago. That would have, you know, completed the story, if you like, with Mark Robbins taking the club all the way through the divisions from League 2 to the Premier League. It didn't quite work out.

And then Doug King took the extremely at the time controversial decision to sack him in November 2024 and replace him with, with Frank Lampard. I just want to go back to that spell with Mark Robbins before we come on to Robbins' departure and hear from Mark Robbins' first captain when he returned to the club, which was Michael Doyle, who was also returning for his second spell at the club.

So let's hear from him because he's been talking to Rob. Just being a part of one of the league, I was quite torn of, you know, do I go, because I really enjoyed it at a partnership selfishly from a professional point of view. But, you know, he asked me to go back down and he basically locked the doors when I went back down and said you ain't leaving here till you're saying

so that was kind of started that second adventure then you know the big thing with Mark he made me feel really wanted and I was excited to walk with him when I when it was agreed you know and what was he like as a manager how would you describe him Doyler and why do you think he ended up being so well loved at the club do you think from a personal point of view

from me I was as captain you know he confided in me a lot and he tell me stuff like, you know, football way is what he felt, I wouldn't say I was on a pedestal but I was a lot older and a lot of the lad so I could take myself away and I'd deal with a lot of stuff in the dressing room that needed to be dealt with. We're also like if I felt

he needed to know something. I wasn't like, listen, we need to keep an eye on this, that I could have that chat with him, that type of relationship, you know, but he's really good man manager, but he was very rootless as well and I think you have to be that as if you want to be a top manager, you know, and he certainly was that, you know, he was quite rootless, you know,

because his job's to win and he has to do whatever it takes. You know, for us as players, we're selfish, we just want to play. And he's probably got 11 happy people on the Saturday.

And, you know, the rest are really disappointed and not happy, but he was quite rootless with that. He was spying on win onto the next game. And he surrounded themselves, you know,

a very good coach in IDVash. It was brilliant tactically in that. And I think they worked really well together. You know, Mark was a great man manager. Could feel what the game needed, whether it was an extra forward or defender on the pitch.

And, you know, but he didn't take too much coach, you know, we stood back and he managed, you know. I think he managed the whole club at that point, you know, as I said it before, he was kind of, he was CEO, he was the manager, he seemed to be doing everything, you know, and he did it really well. And obviously the club Reeves massive rewards from what he did, you know.

And just lastly, clearly beating Exeter in the playoff final league two in 2018 was a magnificent occasion, but a lot of fans remember the second leg of the semi-final at Knox County just as much, if not more. because of the performance on that night and just the feeling of togetherness between you, you know, you the players and the fans, Michael.

Yeah, I think, like, you know, from me personally, you know, as I say, that was probably one of the best days I had. Certainly, we had some great days, you know, as a player through your career and cup games and promotion and things like that. But that was probably one day that stands out for me. It was an amazing day, as I say,

we were up against it and not set a, you know, quite formidable record at home. I think they'd lost one game of home all season and they were quite chirpy coming off the pitch at the RICO and we drew one all and I'll be honest going into the game I was thinking bloody hell it's going to be tough I wasn't too sure what we'd do

but you know it was a brilliant performance from the lads and I said we took over medal aim with 6,000 fans there that night it was a bit unforgettable but I just felt that night for me it was the night the kind of fans it was the night they got their club back you know that's what I felt like to me

that night was like it was a brilliant season but I just felt that night in Nott's County it just changed everything and the club never looked back from that moment. You've had some unbelievable memories the last 10 years, I think, as a supporter base. I think they couldn't have asked for anymore and now they've topped it off

for getting to the Premier League. Michael Doyle, the former Coventry captain talking to Rob Gurney, commentary commentator at BBC Radio Coventry and Warwickshire. And Dion, he sounded like the leader they needed at the time. Yeah, just a very confident footballer. He knew exactly what he brought to the game.

fearless, spoke incredibly well. And when he did speak as well, he was listened to, which I think is very, very important. It's okay having a leader, but people around you've got to respect what you're saying. And I knew Dora quite well, actually, even though he's different to my era. He actually viewed one of my houses and he wanted to buy it. But we were very, very close at the time, but he pulled out and then I got rid of his number. A bin did you. He cost you a few quid, Dio, did he?

Yeah, he cost you a few quick. He cost you a few quick. Wow. God. He bindi, I can't believe it, Doyle. I used to like you. Were you not of it offering him a sort of coventry old boys' favourable deal on your house? I got him to sign Stephen Gryzabeth Church and he said,

now he used to say. That's one, didn't it? That's why he pulled out. That's what he pulled out. But he pulled out. But he pulled. He was the idea, aside from where he was trying to live, Steve, he was the ideal leader for that Mark Robbins regime, was he?

It was brilliant. I mean, you've only got to listen to the way he spoke then. You know, he understands the game. He knew the game on and off the pitch. He knew his job as a captain. And again, you know, when you go through, I mean, you know, Doyler was massively influential in those early years, turning the club around, the promotion to Division I.

And then, you know, they've actually managed to recruit some very, very good experienced players who lead on the pitch. I think of Liam Kelly, who's just joined the staff only this season as under 21 coach now is finished playing. You know, it's massively important that you've got somebody on there that, you know, that they can actually pull the strings, almost know what's happening in a game. And Michael Doyle was brilliant for that.

Liam Kelly was. And there were a few others that followed away as well. You see it now when Matty Grimes and on Yaka, now he's joined, you get the feeling that they understand what's happening in there, and they'll need to because the Premier League will be a totally different to challenge to what they've been used to so far. Before I let you go, Dion, how do you view this season ahead for Coventry? As boring as it sounds, just keep jabbing.

Keep jabbing, man. Keep your distance. Keep doing what you do. I just feel if they play the way that they play, they're incredibly brave they try to play the game in the right way I mean the way that Frank Frank has changed the football club

he's changed the training ground and Ogie would have been back so many times I went to the training ground chappas I walked into the gym and there was a few players that were injured and there's training going on by the way there's a few players that were injured I was just looking around

I was going to interview Frank after training and they stopped what they were doing they came over to me they said Dionne nice to meet you and then they carried on with their rehab. That's what Frank Lampos brought into the side. Professionalism, respect and I think it shows on the pitch that those players are really playing for him, the football club and the fans as well. It's going to make a massive difference if those fans stay with the players this season. Deon, enjoy your evening. Thank

you. Thank you very much. Oggy, great to see you mate. You were the best, mate. You were the best. Rob, I didn't like you anyway. Cheers, Chapman. Thanks for tax in the post. Thanks, Teal. Always a pleasure. Always a pleasure in every chore. Let's go back then, Crikey.

Right, let's go back to Doug King buying out Cisu in 2023, which leads us on to, and you've already touched on it, Rob, really, the removal of Mark Robbins. But what changed with Doug King? Basically, optimism and a sense that the club was really,

moving in the right direction and that Sisu were no more and that was such a relief if you like for the supporter base. It wasn't necessarily a case of you know anybody but Sisu

but the fact that they'd been through such turmoil under the previous ownership meant that the fans were just relieved basically to have a new owner in charge of the football club who was, you know, prepared to put some money behind it and get them to where we all think they, you know, deserve to be, which is back in the Premier League.

So it was optimism, Mark. That was the one thing that Doug King did bring to the club when he bought it. When he decided to move on from Mark Robbins, what were your feelings, Steve? Because as Rob has sort of mentioned, the atmosphere felt feebrile. Yes, it did. And it was disappointed because, I mean, you know, if you go back to, I think it was November, was it two years ago when we went to, we'd had a really bad start to the season. But we'd had a bad start the previous season and the season before then.

And Mark Romins and Adi Vy Vash had turned it around. We'd managed to make the playoffs one of those years, getting to the semi-finar of the FA Cup, another one. So, you know, I still felt that, you know, they were probably following the same. same pattern as previous years and they'd probably turn it around. So, you know, it's always disappointing when you lose a manager that's been so successful. But I've got to say, I mean, you know, with due respect to Mark Robbins and everything, I mean, Frank Lampard has just done an incredibly good job.

The way he's taken the club forward, moved it on. You know, the results last year, the way that they played was incredible. And on top of that as well, the owner Doug King, I mean, he's barely put a foot wrong, really. There's two things, really. I mean, he's managed to buy the ground for Coventry. We've not owned the ground since the day we stepped foot in it. I think it was Michael Doyle that was talking about the soulless place previous to it now. I mean, you walk into the CBS now.

It's a cauldron. And, you know, if we're going to survive this season, we're going to need to have the type of results and the type of atmosphere that we've experienced in the last few years. We've results have been absolutely brilliant. So, you know, he's managed to buy that stadium. But, you know, even this season, you know, we've got to the Premier League. Everybody's thinking how much are you going to spend 60, 70 million.

I mean, you know, as of today, I think we're up with a 120 million, which is incredible at the moment. Five-Ly Sports. So here's the first ball of this series. All the cricket you last. Shave Rambi Dobby. Outs. Lives on BBC sounds.

Smash straight back down the ground. This girl. Here ball-by-ball coverage of the biggest competitions on the domestic and international circuits. It's a ball. cricket and it's the huge one. Just, worse. Settle down.

It's a solidly. Cricket on five live in every ball of this. Listen on BBC Sounds. You're listening to the Football Daily podcast with Matt Chapman. Let's bring Katie Stafford into this. Member of BBC CWR Sky Blues fan cast. Evening Katie. Good evening.

Are you optimistic? You have to be, don't you? Well, there's somebody who rarely is. No, actually. It's just me then, yeah? carry the optimism flag. If I take you back, we'll come on to this season at a moment. If I take you back to when Lampard was appointed and what your feelings were then?

It was a difficult time, I think, that a lot of people disagreed, maybe with the second of Mark Robbins, purely for the fact of what Oggie just said their Coventry always started their season slowly. They always said that if they started the season with Tony Mowbray and finished with Mark Robbins, then we would have got up a whole lot quicker because they, were just chalk and cheese in that respect. But I think that people were disappointed and hurt and angry. And it was the end of an era.

And he was the only person that stuck around when the club was in, well, plummeting and then brought them back up again. So he was almost the dad of the club. I think everybody saw him that way. It was the fatherly figure that was always there when you needed him. Normally chappas as well, the fan base by the time a manager is sacked, is calling for his head. Now, that wasn't the case at all.

Some supporters were starting to question whether he was the man to take the club forward, but not many, so that's why the decision came as a bolt from the blue. And Katie will know this. A lot of fans were preferring the idea of Rudd Van Nistelroy being Mark Robbins's successor rather than Frank Lampart. Of course, he went to Leicester

and things, you know, ended up on the Glass Mountain as far as, you know, he was. concerned. So Lampard has turned out to be a phenomenal appointment. And just on the ownership, I think, again, a lot of Coventry fans thought that Mike Ashley, who is part of Fraser's group, obviously the chief executive, they owned the stadium at one point when Doug King only owned the football club. And I think a lot of people, me included, thought that Mike Ashley was more likely to buy the football club to pair the stadium and the club together, rather than, what's turned out to be the case.

And Doug King has bought the stadium as well as the football club. It's just strange how things work out sometimes. I mean, Steve, you knew the squad that Lampard was coming to take over, and you knew the atmosphere around the club. You know, I'm quite biased here. I know Frank, I like Frank. I've interviewed Frank a few times. My concern was more for him, to be honest,

because of the reaction to Mark Robbins going, because I felt like he'd been dealt not the greatest set of cards. in previous managerial roles there was always something to deal with. Do you know something? I mean, obviously you do your homework and, you know, when people come in and you look at Frank Lampard's managerial record

and actually I thought he, you know, you've got a tough road really because he'd done quite well. I mean, I remember him taking Derby to the playoffs. Everton, when he took over, was always a difficult club to manage. You know, there were so many managers before Morris came in

that struggled there and when he went back to Chelsea again it was only a short period of time and the club was in free fall then but you know when you look at his record you know for a young manager I always felt it was pretty good I used to listen to him when he was

you know either on Sky or other TV channels talking about the game and you know I always felt that you know it was certainly when you sit there you always think oh could you play for this player what sort of manager would it be and I always thought that he sounds like a player's type of manager.

He can relate to them, it can talk to them about the modern game. You know, and it's certainly not all about, you know, he was such an outstanding player that, you know, it's sometimes very, very difficult for players who are that good to be able to accept that some

players can't do, you know, the things that they could. And, you know, he's managed to bridge that gap. He can talk on a level to all the players. I mean, they absolutely love him. And I think that's, you know, probably being probably one of his biggest successes in management, the fact that he can build an atmosphere and, you know, a winning mentality within those players,

just by the way he is. Let's hear from him. Here is the Coventry Manager then on getting ready for the season ahead. Well, we've had a lot of time to prepare. You know, fortunately we were promoted early in April and as a season and we've had a long break. It's hard to do certain recruitment business in the middle of a summer with a World Cup there, but we're trying to be strategic about how we see it. I love the squad that got us to their Premier League

they fully deserve it and they were great for us last year but of course we know we want to improve so we brought in some players that we think will help the squad we've had a good pre-season the players are working very hard and we're given a massive challenge of the champions on day one and that's no problem you know you have to play them so we have to be ready

for that game and try and give a good account of ourselves but I think we're working hard to get ourselves in the best position to take on the challenge ahead that challenge you speak of is it the greatest you've faced in your career would you say the challenge of keeping Coventry City up, given the advantages that more established teams in the top flight have? I think maybe yes, and I don't

want to sound defeatist in that way, because it's fine. Life's about having challenges and when you're a challenge in a place that you enjoy working, we're a good feeling, we're on a good trajectory as a club, the fan base are with us, the players I love working with. So that's great, it's a great base, but of course, we study a lot of the teams that go up and come down, that's

pretty regular. There's some teams that will come up and stay up and you go, what did they do? So, you know, we have to take on the challenge in our own way with the players that we have and try and make our mark. There was this sense of a kind of yo-yo effect of clubs that come up immediately going down again because, as I say, of the advantages that their competitors have. And yet you had last season, Sunderland obviously doing really well, Leeds as well. How much encouragement does that give you in the squad, do you think, seeing that precedent being set?

Yeah, it does. Every situation is different, but Sunderland Credit, recruited strongly, went for it and brought out an aggressive team that you could see were giving teams problems and had different ways of playing. lot of their games. It's a good case study for us because their story was a little bit similar in terms we played them and they weren't promoted in the semi-final and they hadn't been in the Premier League for a while so they went bang this is what we need to do. Leeds slightly different because they probably had some more Premier League players. So it's like good to watch those and then think

about what we want to be but they're good reference points for us and it's good for confidence to see teams come up and do that and we'll try and do our version of that. Sitting here now would you take 17th if it was offered to you? I would. You framed that question to make me to give you that answer. I want to I want to say more than that. I want us to compete every week. You look at what Sunderland did. They ended up in Europe. So I don't like setting benchmarks low.

But of course, we start with that as a baseline. But we want to go and compete. And maybe we can do better than that. I think you've spent more than 70 million so far this summer. What does that tell us about the ambition, the level of ambition of the club? Yeah, we're ambitious. And credit to the owner for Doug.

He gave me my opportunity at the club. And we've had a great 18 months. I think we know now it's a necessity to improve you, Scott, if you come up. And in the market now, we all know where it's going, especially at the top end. So it's not easy for a club like us to do that. So we have to pull all the stops to try and sell the project to players.

Sometimes it's more of a developing player or an experienced player who's coming to help us in a different way. And that's fine. But yeah, we are ambitious. We want to stay here. The size of the club, as it is, deserves to be a Premier League club, in my opinion. But when you've been 25 years out of it, that's easier said than done. We have to do the work on the pitch.

And you've enjoyed plenty of battles against Arsenal over the years. How special will it be for you personally? walking out in that opening match, having achieved what you wanted to last year and being up against a club that really is at the height of its powers, it seems. Yeah, I'm excited for that and it'll be difficult for us. We're probably nobody's favourites, I'll say that. But for me to have gone to Coventry from the position, I was in personally and going to the club 18 months ago to have had this time with Coventry, I feel proud, I feel proud of everybody that's been involved in it, but in my role, and I want to go to the Premier League and do well. And fortunately, I'm used to as a player and as a coach before,

Chelsea and Everton have having these occasions and now I've got an opportunity to get back there so I'm excited for that. Steve has alluded to it and Dion very much mentioned it as well Katie that he's changed the culture as Lampard. Absolutely and there's a massive group cohesion that I don't think you can actually describe

until you've seen it yourself. Everything about the club is just on the up whether it's on the pitch, off the pitch the fan base. Everybody's quite optimistic going into Friday it can't get any tougher as far as Premier League starts go. It's Arsenal, then it's the six-pointer against Hull at home the following week, and then it's

Manchester City away. But what a time to play them, and I think that's the attitude that a lot of the fans have. We're going in as underdogs, zero pressure, because if you're playing them near the back end of the season in their own yard, it's a completely different game. So there is a real feel and optimism going into Friday. Well, the style that they played last season at times, and I'm looking at a stat here that says 10 of their 28 wins came with the minority share of possession, Katie. So will their style suit at times having to hit on the counterattack in the

Premier League? That stat really surprises me because I'm trying to cast my mind back to 10 games where we were without the ball for a lot of the game. I think that we'll see quite a few changes in the way that we set up. I went to the Monaco game last week and we were far better off the ball that time around.

We were physical box to box midfielders. It was a joy to watch. Very different to the fluid football that we saw last season. But definitely going to hang on in there and try and be gritty this year. But I think that against maybe the teams in the lower part of the table, then we will have time on the ball. And that will be then when we get to play the Lampard ball that we've all come to know and love.

It will be that fluid. I hope so. I can't see Lampard wanting to play anti-football. I think that that's just not his style at all. He'll still want his attackers to be going at it. And you can see from the business that Coventry have done in this window, that they've still brought in wingers and the midfielders they've brought in

actually have quite a good goal record too. I think he's still planning on outscoring the opposition where possible. That's our best line of defence effectively. What he has done in the transfer market this year for me has bought legs. There's athleticism, there's people who want to work hard. Katie was talking about the game last week against Monaco.

The press high up the pitch was the best I've ever seen a country city team do. a pre-season game and you know we have to be careful not to get carried away with with preseason but monaco are a decent side they beat liverpool the year before and you know they were very very uncomfortable trying to get around coventry's press and you know the premier league could be different we're going to wait and see on friday night but there's no doubt about it coventry have got legs they've got hard work to go with it athleticism and that takes you a long way and being able to stay in games and um

you know, and be competitive. Mark, I'm pleasantly surprised, by the way. Sorry, just to brush it. I'm pleasantly surprised by the amount that, you know, Doug King has sanctioned spending in the transfer market. You know, it's around, well, over 120 million. I mean, Frank on Yekker was six million. That was an obligation to buy from Brentford.

Lom Chowner, 20 million from Burnley, Oral Amender, the Swiss centre back for around 17 million. Carl Rushworth, that was the big signing of the summer, the guy that was on loan from Brighton last season, 17 clean sheets, won the Championship's golden glove, 22 and a half million for him all thereabouts. Calab Yerenci, now what a phenomenal talent. He looks to be at 23 million pounds for just a 20-year-old.

Gus Hamer, very romantic signing him coming back for 6 million. And then in the last couple of days, Thai oil won you for 9 million from Nottingham Forest. And just today, Siddiqui Sharif, again, it reported 20 million pounds for a 19-year-old to the French age group international from Fenerbache. So Doug King has sanctioned a hell of a lot of money going out the door. So it would appear, well, the club are clearly going to give it a go

to the very least, as Frank Lampard was telling Dan Rowan just now, finished 17th if not better than that in the forthcoming season. I'm glad you've gone through all those names because it means I don't have to now. But the other thing, Katie, that strikes me when I look at them is a real blend. A real blend of Premier League experience players, i.e. they have featured in the Premier League, coupled with some really quite interesting young players from the continent, but also with some experienced players as well. I think I won you is 29,

but also then players who know the club as well, you know, on Yeka, who was already there, Rushworth, who's been there, even Gus Heyman coming back. So there's a real blend, even before you look at positions and what they need and so on and so forth, in terms of experience, club knowledge, league knowledge and age? Yeah, I think the balance is spot on really. If you think about the players that might not have Premier League experience

have come from the top leagues in Europe. A lot of them have Europa League and Champions League experience too, as well as being internationals. And that will be crucial. They are used to playing at the top level, just not in the Premier League. So they arrive fresh and knowing the standards that aren't necessary to compete in the Premier League. I think that it's wise to look at the younger players,

players because you have to have one eye on this season and one eye on the future. If current tree don't survive this season and are relegated, you have to have sellable assets. And the likes of Yerenki and probably Amenda and the new La Sharif that arrived today are exactly that. They are young, raw talent. So I think it's good business all around. And obviously, if you bring in loads of Premier League experience, Premier League players come at the premium, don't they?

That's where your highest price tag is. But I also think, Steve, and you've watched these players for many years, It will be interesting to see those that Lampard has been loyal to since taking over from Mark Robbins, which has been the majority of the squad, whether they are ready to step up. Many times on a Saturday afternoon, myself and Stapman Dave have argued about whether we prefer Hayden Hackney or Jack Rodoney. Well, Hayden Hackney's got a Premier League move to Everton. And now it'll be interesting to see what Jack Rodoney, as just an example, can do in the Premier League with commentary. but there will be several players

that will be interesting to see whether they are now ready for that step up. Well, they will. I mean, they all did so incredibly well last season. I mean, Jack Rodoney, unfortunately, won't be playing at the weekend. He's still recovering from a shoulder operation. But he's always looked premiership material.

Milan Van Avaac has got so much pace down the right-hand side. You think of the Premier League would suit him. And there's a number of others that, you know, I've waited a long time and worked very, very hard to get to this level. I think the manager has brought players in and some of these players will get an opportunity to show what they can do at this level

but they're going to have to learn fast and they're going to have to be thinking on the feet because if they don't there'll be other players that, you know, or want to get an opportunity as well. So it is something that you look at and a lot of the fans' favourites last season you would like to think we'll play this season and do really well. It's not always the case. Football moves on and if players come in to replace some of them

then that's the way it is. It's up to the players that get an opportunity to try and stake a claim and keep the place. What will you be thinking, Katie, five or ten minutes before kick off on Friday night? It probably only just be sinking in. I've never watched this in the Premier League, so I am so excited to be there on Friday. Very fortunate to be in the away end with the other Sky Blue Faithful. It has sunk in, especially now with all the media and it all ramping up for this week.

But until maybe I've stepped foot through the turnstiles of the end, Emirates. I don't think it's quite sunken yet. Any part of you, Rob, and I feel like I can say this to you as a grizzled veteran that will think, God, not sure. Not sure this is proper football. It's not like when we went away to Peterborough on a Tuesday night in November. Any part of you? Just a little bit. Like, well, like you said earlier, I mean, you know, I am, as everybody will know, that knows me, a glass half empty person, that is my nature.

Even I am optimistic looking ahead to this new season because I just think, you know, the recruitment has been terrific and yeah, I'm looking forward to it, Mark, in a way that I didn't think that I would be necessarily, but I genuinely am.

Yeah, there'll be a bit of you going, this buffet in the press room at the Emirates is honest. Var, as well, we haven't, you know, we haven't cope with that. the championship. That's a whole new other show. Who needs quinoa? I just want a sausage roll

when I go away to a grab. Katie, Rob, Steve, thank you very much. Enjoy the season ahead. And that's it. Commentary back in the Premier League. It starts on Friday night. 209 commentaries on the way on Five Live

and BBC Sounds across the season and all the analysis on the Football Daily Feed. Next up is EuroLeaks. This goes beyond what the KGB did back in the days. Conspiracy theories and the Football World Cup is there ever one without the other? Well, I've been digging into one of the very best back in 1994.

Guy from Iraq gets a red card for a, you know, a dubious tackle. I'm James Montague and from BBC 5 Live, this is Sports Strangers Crimes Presents Shadows on the pitch. Listen on BBC Sounds. Thank you.