Coventry City just missed out on promotion last season following their sixth place in the EFL Championship. Now, Sky Blues fans will be hoping that they can go one step further in the upcoming season.
Ahead of the new season, I sat down with Lower Tiers writer and Coventry City fan Edward Stratton (CcfcEs on X) to talk all things Coventry City in a Coventry City interview.
Before we start, I would like to take a moment to thank Edward for taking part in this Coventry City interview. His responses and insights aim to give you an insight into the current mood within the Coventry fanbase.
The Coventry City Interview
Question 1: City Finished 6th Last Season. But, How Would You Summarize The Season?
“Well, last season came with a fair few ups and downs, and the departure of Mark Robins undoubtedly hit the fanbase quite hard at the time; it really felt like losing a family member and there was a lot of ill feeling towards Doug King.
However, the appointment of Frank Lampard sparked a different feeling of excitement, not that we didn’t have that under Robins’ tenure, but a large majority of the younger fanbase has only seen Robins in charge – so it was a new feeling for a new gaffer to be in the home dugout.
That being said, looking back on last season, I’m very happy with how we played, especially under Frank Lampard and really looking forward to the new campaign. I believe we had success last season even with the playoff heartbreak, but I’m sure we will be around there for the new season.”
Question 2: What Was Your Favourite Moment Of Last Season?
“My personal favourite moment from last season has to be Jamie Patterson’s last minute scissor kick winner vs Portsmouth. Not only was the goal sensational, but he lived out every Coventry fans dream, coming from the city he very much embodies our heritage, and what a moment it was for us to see him guide it into the corner like that.”
Question 3: What Would You Rate Coventry’s Transfer Window Out Of 10?
“So far, I would rate Coventry’s window a seven out of 10. It has been really solid so far with the business that has happened.
Miguel Angel Brau has joined from Granada. Kane Kessler Hayen also looks like a really, really promising edition for the Sky Blues and is somebody that can cause a real threat down the right flank and provides good competition for the likes of Milan van Ewijk.
Carl Rushworth is the third edition we’ve made most recently on loan from Brighton and looks to be a very good keeper at championship level. We’ve seen that with his stint at Swansea. Its worth noting he’s very, very similar in terms of Dovin in his save percentage based on shots faced.
I think Doin saved 69% of the shots faced last season in the games that he played and then if we compare it to Rushworth when he was out on loan with Swansea, he saved 68% of the shots faced. Therefore, it’s very comparable.
Overall, a seven out of ten so far. There is still a lot of business to be done, but there are promising signs from Frank Lampard amid his first full season.”
Question 4: Who Has Been Coventry’s Best Signing So Far?
“I sort of answered in the last question. Our business has been good overall. I think for me at the minute the best piece of business has to be Kaine Kessler Hayden; he won every award under the sun at Preston last season. Players’ player, fans’ player (of the season).
He looks really good so far from pre-season, really physical player, very good. off the ball movement, strong on the ball as well. The player grabbed his first goal against Bristol Rovers in the 2-0 win most recently with a lovely touch past the keeper to create space for a tap in to an open net.
He looks a real real threat on that right flank, which is where I think he’ll be deployed, but he can play on the left as well. So he’s very versatile. But so far, Kaine Kessler Hayden would be my signing of the summer.”
Question 5: Which Area Of The Squad Do City Need To Improve The Most And Why?
“It’s a tough question really to pinpoint where Coventry need to target, because it all depends on outgoings now.
The position I would have said would have been goalkeeper.
Obviously, Ben Wilson is a good third choice. I don’t think Brad Collins is quite cut out to be Coventry’s number one until Dovin back. So goalkeeper would have been the position, but Carl Rushworth obviously comes in on loan and solves that issue.
Aside from goalkeeper, I think striker could be something we need to potentially look into getting a bit of depth into.
Ellis Sims is the only real natural striker up front. Haji Wright likes to play off the left but can be deployed up top; and I think we’ll see Wright up front this season, to be honest.
Ellis Sims leaves a lot to be desired based off his performances last season. His work rate is top. He does work hard, but last season we saw he was not comparable to the first season he had in Sky Blue. It’s almost like he lost that goal scoring element to him. And I think a lot of the fan base are riding his back a little bit saying if he doesn’t start scoring soon, we need to look into other options for when those injuries start coming in.
So I think goalkeeper has been sorted and striker depth is now of top priority.”
Question 6: Are City Prepared For Next Season?
“Well, so far, the recruitment we’ve made has been has been good, and it really looks like we are pushing for the playoffs once again, if not higher, though that would be fairly difficult to achieve, given the competitiveness that this league is going to show.
The Championship is, as we know, a difficult league to play in anyway, given that anyone can be anyone on any given day under any given circumstance.
But, the amount of quality that is in each team for this upcoming season is really tough to create a clear picture of who’s in that playoff race, who’s in the automatic race, who’s in the title race, so on, so forth. I think we are adequately prepared, to be honest. All positive signs from around the camp.
The promotional videos throughout preseason have looked or shown a real good morale amongst the squad. They look like they’re learning off each other day by day.
Frank Lampard has a real grip over these players, a real stronghold in this sense that they all respect him, and he respects them. And it’s a real community kind of feel. You know there’s a lot of togetherness in this team, and it shows on the pitch and I really do think they can go and do well.
So in simple terms, yes, I believe Coventry are ready for the upcoming season.”
Question 7: What Do You Think Of The Club Currently?
“What do I think of the club? Well, Coventry is the team I’ve supported ever since being a small lad. It holds a really special place in my heart. My dad’s a Coventry fan. My grand-dad’s a Coventry fan. I’m a Coventry fan, obviously, I have adopted that tradition.
I think the club’s in a really stable place right now, certainly compared to where we were just under a decade ago in 2017. We had stints away at Birmingham and Northampton before coming up here (the Championship) and being where we are now.
In 2023, we were one kick away from the Premier League, and an FA Cup semi-final the following year. Then, again most recently, playoff heartbreak again. I think off the pitch we’re growing, we are really growing.
Doug King split opinion between the fan base over Mark Robins’ termination decision which was something that really affected us fans because we’re not used to it. He’d been in the dugout for seven, eight years, which is really rare in football these days. But off the pitch, King has done a lot to develop the club. The training facilities have improved. The recruitment department, the way in which we run, the way we operate our sponsors, everything in terms of the branding of the club is top level. So I think the club’s in a really stable position.
I think we’re in a good area to try and fight for promotion again. I think having Frank Lampard as the manager of the club says a lot as well. He’s a real big name and for a big name like that to come to Coventry is something that we’ve not seen certainly in decades as a football club.
So to summarise. I love this football club and I also love where we’re at right now. I think we’re in a really strong position and I really do believe we come out again and push for the Premier League.”
Question 8: Can Frank Lampard Deliver Success This Season?
“Can Frank Lampard deliver success? Well, that is still an answer that may split opinions dependent on who you support.
From Coventry’s point of view – I believe yes, he can. I think as fans of the club, as fans of any club will say, they will back their manager provided they can see the signs that they think he or she is the right manager to lead the team to success. And well, to put it bluntly, he took us from 17th to fifth.
People can say what they like about how he was as a coach previously in that he was too predictable or in that he relies on too many players to just get him out of the dirt. But, he coached them to that. I think he has improved as a coach since he was last in management.
A lot of the queries around Frank when he was with Chelsea, Everton and Derby is that he didn’t show enough tactically to convince those fans that he was an elite manager. But, he’s tinkered with his formations since he joined. It’s not like he’d come in, played a 4-3-3, and just stuck with it until it clicked. He came in, he switched to a three at the back when we had injuries and our wingers were out. He then went to a 4-3-3 and then changed that to a 4-2-3-1, very similar, but slightly different in its own regard.
But, do I think he can deliver success? Well, he got us to a play-off finish when we were looking like we were going to finish mid-table. I think it’s fair to say we dominated the ball in both of those games (the semi-final games) and we created chances to score more.
We’re just lacking that clinical edge in the moments that it matters. And ultimately, fair play to Sunderland, they got what they needed to progress and they went and did it in the final. It’s good to see them in the Premier League albeit as much as there is existing rivalry between the two sides.
I think we will be in the play-off picture again. Do I think we can win the playoffs? That depends on how the season folds out and nobody can really predict that until it happens.
But to put a long answer short, yes, I believe Frank Lampard can bring success to us Coventry fans.”
Question 9: Who Is City’s Best Player Currently?
“I think best player can be described in many different ways – it can be in terms of the best quality, best performer, so on so forth.
I think if we’re talking just pure quality, I think our best footballer at the club is Haji Wight. He is the one name in the side that I would look at and say he can play consistently in the Premier League. I think he’s very much the Premier League mould, if you like. Very, very good with the ball at his feet.
He’s got a lethal finish. I think his work rate off the ball needs to get a little bit better for him to be monitored more closely by Premier League sides however, but he certainly is a very good footballer.
He’s an American international, and could be heading off to the World Cup come 2026.
So, Haji Wright would probably be my answer for the best player we’ve got at the club.”
Question 10: What Is Your Prediction For How Coventry City Will Do Next Season?
“I sort of alluded to it in a few of the other answers, but I think the playoffs is realistic for Coventry once again.
I’d like to see us do one better and come forth because it is just nice to see your team higher in the table, but I think playoffs is the realistic aim.
I would like to think we can get automatics and avoid the playoffs because the last two times we’ve been in there, obviously, we’ve not been successful. But, the league is so competitive this year and there is so much quality across the board that I think automatics might just be out of our reach.
The teams coming down will have parachute payments, which they have to reinvest in the squad. We don’t have that.
So, I think we’re going to have to grind our results out and grind our way up the table. Therefore, I would say the play-offs is where Coventry will finish for the 2025-26 campaign.”
Thank you for reading the Coventry City interview with Edward Stratton. If you have feedback on this Coventry City interview, comment it below.
