Standing on the terraces at the Broadfield (or the horrendously named checkatrade.com) Stadium on Sunday, I just could not bring myself to join in with the vast majority of the tremendous 1700 strong Sky Blue Army support in singing “We are staying up” at the end of the game versus Crawley Town on Sunday.
During those 90 minutes, for a 15 minute nerve-wracking spell, Coventry were just a Crewe equaliser away versus Bradford City from falling further down the football pyramid and into the 4th tier of English football for the first time since the 1960’s. In the end, the City scraped survival, finishing 5 points clear of the drop zone and in 17th position.
More so out of relief than any genuine hysteria, Coventry fans when the referee’s whistle blew let out a collective sigh of relief that the dreaded fear of relegation had been avoided.
But to celebrate this feat, and the fact that we had managed to avoid trips to the likes of Accrington on a cold, wet Tuesday night (no offence intended, I’ve heard Accrington is lovely in February) for many supporters, would have been wrong, an embarrassment and a worrying indication of just how far the club has dropped in the last 15 years.
The question now another disappointing season is over turns to what is next? Where does Coventry City go from here? Celebrating survival is all well and good as long as the Club never has to suffer such an ordeal again. But in their heart of hearts, can any Coventry fan truly believe that this time next year, the City will not be in exactly the same position as they are now… or worse?
The only man at the minute who can give Coventry fans a tiny glimmer of hope that next season won’t be a repeat of the previous farcical years since relegation from the Premiership in 2001, is Tony Mowbray. A man whose approval ratings with the Sky Blue faithful Mr Cameron and Mr Miliband could only dream of at the moment, told the press, following Sunday’s victory, that he, like many fans, saw no cause for celebration, stating that he wanted celebrations of League 1 survival being the lowest point the club would ever sink.
Since Mowbray walked through the revolving managerial door at Coventry, his honesty and straight to the point attitude has been a breath of fresh air whose frankness has exposed the same concerns regarding the current organisational and structural mess the club finds itself in as the Coventry faithful.
No scouting network, a grossly underinvested playing squad, a lack of transfer budget, owners silent and disconnected from the supporters: Mowbray has been the first Coventry manager to raise such concerns and this week, will also be the first to sit down with the club’s owner Joy Seppala to tell her in no uncertain terms that their needs to be drastic change at Coventry City Football Club if it is to have any kind of successful future.
Mowbray has stated that Seppala must give him assurances that he will be sufficiently supported to be able to carry out his role as manager to the best of his abilities, or else his 7 week spell in the Sky Blue hot seat will come to an end, with no extension to the short term deal agreed upon in March.
If Tony Mowbray does walk away from Coventry City, fans will have confirmed to them their fears that the club’s hierarchy is willing to continue to preside over a stagnating and beleaguered football club which has no desire to start clawing themselves out of the perilous and disconcerting position it currently finds itself in.
Sisu, for many Coventry supporters will never be forgiven for their gross mishandling of the club since their arrival in the West Midlands (and a year out in Northamptonshire).
However, if Mowbray does put pen to paper on a permanent, longer term deal with the club, it will at least show that he has been given some assurances of investment from the much-maligned owners.
It would take more than mere assurances for Coventry City supporters to begin to forgive and forget Sisu for their catastrophic handling of the football club. Yet tying Tony Mowbray to Coventry, in turn showing an indication that the football club does match the popular manager’s ambition to return to the Championship could prove to be the first step in the right direction to put Coventry City Football Club back to where it deserves to be.
Time will tell, and decisions after will tell what has been said in these crucial meetings between the manager and the owners. For many Coventry City fans, their continued support and investment relies on Joy Seppala showing Tony Mowbray that she is, after 7 years, finally willing to put in as much effort as Coventry City supporters have continued to do with little in return.
Instead of “We are staying up” chants on the terraces from the Sky Blue Army this time next year could well be instead affirming “We are going up” if Mowbray is given the support he desperately requires. Now that’s a chant I’d have no hesitation to join in with.
