2010-11 Season Review

Although the season ended on a relatively high note with only one defeat in the final nine games but the impressive start under Andy Thorn’s reign cannot hide another disappointing season. Once again the Sky Blues failed to capitalise from a strong position and endured the now annual slump. After the third victory in a three-match winning run on the first weekend in December had taken the team to fifth place Aidy Boothroyd’s team managed just one win in 18 games and slid alarmingly down the table generating serious relegation fears. Boothroyd’s departure and Thorn’s elevation to the manager’s role steadied the ship and some attractive football and positive results swept the fears away to secure safety with some games to spare.

Boothroyd had the third shortest managerial reign in the post-Premiership era (only Eric Black and Peter Reid’s were shorter) and his record in his 36 games (a points per game average of 1.139) was worse than Coleman, Dowie, Reid and even Terry Butcher. The quality of the football, like under Coleman, was poor but in my opinion, like Coleman, he has left City a better legacy than their predecessor Iain Dowie. Aidy had a severe injury list that left him without key men Ben Turner, James McPake, David Bell and Lee Carsley for long periods and on the whole the quality of his signings was superior. Even without the likes of Westwood, King and Gunnarsson Thorn has some very good players at this level such as Sammy Clingan, Martin Cranie, Richard Wood, Lukas Jutkiewicz and Carl Baker not to mention the aforementioned and the popular and enthusiastic Richard Keogh. There were few highlights and the fans’ long drought of quality was emphasised by the ecstatic reaction to a 0-0 draw with Reading in the final home game.

Points:
The team collected 55 points, one more than in the last two seasons. 33 of those points came in the first 20 games – form which would have produced a season’s total of 76 (play-off territory). 

Home Form:
The home record was won 9, drew 5, lost 9. Goals scored were one more at 27 and 26 were conceded – the first positive home goal difference since 2006-07. Between early December and April the team won only one league game out of nine but then, after Boothroyd’s departure went the final five home games unbeaten. Nine defeats was the highest number since 2002-03 (11).

Wins:
City won fourteen league games, one more than last season. In December they did however win three in a row for only the second time since October 2007.

Away Form:
Five away games were won, the same number as the last two seasons. The away points total (23) was the highest since the Eric Black era when 29 points were gathered. All five wins were against teams who finished in the bottom half (Bristol C, Sheffield U, Ipswich, Scunthorpe and Portsmouth). The victory at relegated Scunthorpe was the first ever at Glanford Park but the team failed to win at seven other grounds where they have never won (Leicester, Swansea, Cardiff, Preston, Doncaster, Millwall and Middlesbrough). We couldn’t even be one of the twelve teams that won at Deepdale and I am now convinced that we will never win a league game there in my lifetime.

Biggest win:
The biggest victory was 3-0 achieved twice, at home to Barnsley in October, and at Portsmouth in April. The Fratton Park result was the biggest away win since 2008 when they won 5-1 at Colchester. For only the third time in the post-Premiership era they failed to score more than three goals in a game.

Biggest defeat:
City’s strong defence ensured that nobody thrashed us apart from that freak 1-4 defeat at home to Bristol City which turned out to be the only defeat by a clear three goals. This was the first post-Premiership season that City did not concede more than three goals in a game away from home. 

Goals:
The team did score more goals, 54 compared to 47 last term, which was more than in any season since 2005-06, but 17 teams scored more goals in the Championship and a lack of goals was the single biggest reason why City were not challenging for promotion. 58 goals were conceded was the third lowest total post-Premiership but the eighth time in those 10 seasons when they have had a negative goal difference. Since 1967 there have only been five seasons that City have had a positive goal difference. Between entering the League in 1919 and 1967 City had a goal difference of +211; they now have a total goal difference of –220, a swing of –431 in 44 years.

Final position:
The final position of 18th means that the Sky Blues have finished in the top ten only once in ten years of second tier football. They are the only club, bar long-serving Premiership clubs and recent promotees from the Conference, not to have been promoted or reached the play-offs since the play-offs were introduced in 1987 nor to finish in the top six of a division. With Preston relegated, City are now the longest serving Championship club.

Leading scorers:
Marlon King was top scorer with 13 goals (12 league, 1 FA Cup) and his league total is the best since Gary McSheffrey netted 15 in 2005-06. Despite the club claiming that City’s first goal at Scunthorpe was scored by King it was officially credited as a Joe Murphy own goal. Lucas Jutkiewicz was second top scorer with nine and McSheffrey third highest with eight. King’s ratio of goals, 12 from 24 starts (0.50 or a goal every other game) was the best from a City striker in a season since 1992-93 when Mick Quinn scored 17 goals in 26 starts (0.65). Unless of course you count Mick Harford who in just twelve minutes in a City shirt managed to score one goal!

Doubles:
City did the double over Portsmouth. Six clubs, Swansea, Preston, Cardiff, Leeds, Nottm. Forest and QPR achieved the feat against City, this is the most in the post-Premiership era and the most since the highest ever (7 in 1985-86).  

Appearances:
Richard Keogh was City’s first ever-present since Westwood two years ago but outdid the keeper by appearing in every minute of every league game. He became the first City player since Gary McAllister in 1996-97 to achieve this feat. Five players failed to start a league game but made substitute appearances (Michael McIndoe, Gary Deegan, Roy O’Donovan, Callum Wilson and Danny Ireland), although McIndoe and O’Donovan did start the League Cup game. Colin Doyle and Jermaine Grandison also started the game at Morecambe but made no further appearances whilst Cyrus Christie and Jonson Clarke-Harris appeared as subs in the same game but did not start a game. Clarke-Harris at 16 years and 20 days became City’s youngest ever player, beating Ben Mackey’s record. Conor Thomas became the club’s 850th first team player since the club joined the Football League when he came on as a sub in the FA Cup tie with Crystal Palace and subsequently started the cup game at Birmingham.

Players used:
Twenty nine players were used in league games. In addition five others made at least one Cup appearance. Of the 34, 13 players made their debuts during the season, three of them loan players (Colin Doyle, Iain Turner and Danny Ward). In addition to the 34 players used, five more, Josh Ruffles, Lee Burge, Gael Bigiramana, Conor Grogan and Luke Bottomer all sat on the bench as substitutes but were not used. 

Goalkeepers:
The club used five different goalkeepers during the season. In the early weeks of the season first Westwood was injured and loanee Colin Doyle played at Morecambe before being recalled to St Andrews the following day. Then another loanee, Everton’s Iain Turner arrived but was injured on his debut opening the door for youth team keeper Michael Quirke to be the fourth goalkeeper used in three games, a club record. Later in the season Westwood was injured against Bristol City and replaced at half-time by the fifth, Danny Ireland. Five different goalkeepers equals the record set in 2001-02 when Kirkland, Hedman, Montgomery, Goram and Flowers all made appearances.

Captains:
A record was set by having eight different captains during the season, with six different starting captains. Lee Carsley was the club captain but after his injury in January Michael Doyle took over before his move to Sheffield United. Against Bristol City Westwood started as skipper but went off injured and King took over the armband only to be dismissed and he handed over to Gunnarsson to make it three captains in one match. Wood, Clingan and McPake also captained the side. 

Records:
Michael Doyle left the club during the season after making 297 first team appearances. This puts him 17th in the all-time club records. Gary McSheffrey reached 197 appearances by the end of the season and but for injury would have reached the 200 milestone. He now is in 48th place in the all-time chart, level with Peter Ndlovu and close behind players such as Gary McAllister (200), Gary Gillespie (205) and Dave Bennett (209). McSheffrey also joined an elite band of only 14 players to score 50 league goals for the club. Gary has now netted 52 and is in 13th place in the all-time league scorers chart. 

Substitutes:
For the second season running Freddy Eastwood made the most substitute appearances (14). Carl Baker and Clive Platt both made thirteen appearances from the bench.  Four City substitutes came off the bench and scored goals: McSheffrey v Doncaster (h), Baker and Jordan Clarke v Barnsley (h), and Lukas Jukiewicz v Watford (h).  

Average attendance:
Home 16,307 (2009-10 17,305), down 5.8%. Away 16,311 (2009-10 17,426), down 6.4%. The home average attendance was the lowest since the last season at Highfield Road, in 2004-05.

Highest home attendance:
The biggest league crowd was 28,184 for the visit of Leeds United in November, a record league crowd for the Ricoh and the largest for a City league game since 1980. That day the crowd was boosted by over 6,000 Leeds fans.

Lowest home attendance:
Only 12,292 attended the midweek visit of Doncaster in September – the lowest league crowd at the Ricoh. The Derby home game in August attracted 13,169 – the lowest for a Saturday home game since the stadium opened in 2005. 

Highest away attendance:
The biggest away crowd was 27,033 at Leeds in February.

Lowest away attendance:
4,397 v Scunthorpe. The lowest to watch a City away league game since September 2002 when 2,077 watched them play Wimbledon at Selhurst Park.

Won from behind:
(0) City failed to come from behind to win a game all season. It is now over two years since they last came from behind at home. 

Lost from in front:
(5) Forest (home and away), QPR (a), Middlesbrough (a) and Birmingham (FA Cup). In a further seven games City took the lead only to be pegged back for draws. The Birmingham turnaround (2-0 to 3-2) was only the third time in ten years that City have lost after leading 2-0. The others were Watford (h) in 2009-10 and Ipswich (h) in 2002-03. 

Firsts:
City did break a few bogeys. They won at Bristol City for the first time since 1963, at Ipswich for the first time since 1995 and at Bramall Lane for the first time since 2001. They also won at Scunthorpe for the first time. However Barnsley beat us at Oakwell for the first time in 14 years and we lost at QPR (a normally lucky ground) for the first time since 2004. The Crystal Palace bogey at the Ricoh was finally put to bed as the South Londoners were beaten twice within a month.

Hat-tricks:
(0) No City player scored a hat-trick but King managed two braces and Eastwood also scored two on the opening day.

Opposing hat-tricks:
(0) None. Jay Rodriguez (Burnley), Grant Holt (Norwich), Darren Ambrose (Crystal Palace) and Andrew Fleming (Morecambe) all scored two in a game.

Own goals: For City:
(2) Chambers (Forest) and Murphy (Scunthorpe).

Own goals: By City:
(2) Cranie (Millwall a) and Westwood (QPR h).

Penalties: For City:
(6) Jutkiewicz (3) and King (3). No penalties were missed. 

Penalties: Against City:
(5) Whittingham (Cardiff h), Gradel (Leeds h), Ambrose (Crystal P. a), Clarkson (Bristol C h), Savage (Derby a). Neil Danns (Crystal P FAC) and Leroy Lita (Middlesbrough h) had penalties saved by Westwood. Lita became the first opposing player to miss two penalties at the Ricoh having previously missed one for Reading in 2005.

Fastest Goal scored:
2 minutes: Two goals were scored in the second minute of a game: Gunnarsson v Doncaster (h) and Eastwood v Palace in the FA Cup.

Fastest Goal conceded:
4 minutes : Three players scored after four minutes: Whittingham (Cardiff a), Howson (Leeds h) and Doyle (Barnsley a).

Red cards: Coventry:
(5) Baker (Millwall a), Gunnarsson (Norwich h), King (Ipswich h and Bristol City h) and Cranie (Leicester a). King became only the second City player to see double red at the Ricoh (Michael Doyle was the first).

Red cards: Opponents:
(2) Mullins (Portsmouth a) and Harris (Millwall h). Harris’ dismissal only 67 seconds after coming on as a sub was the fastest ever in a game at the Ricoh.

Television:
City appeared on live television (Sky) three times, at home and away to QPR, and at home to Derby.

Cup form:
City were unable to beat Premiership opposition in the FA Cup for the fourth year running. Despite taking a two-goal lead at St Andrews, City were overhauled by the Blues. In the League Cup Aidy Boothroyd gave little respect to the competition by playing a largely second-string against League Two side Morecambe and paid the price with a first round exit for the second season running. City did however have the honour of being the first visitors to Morecambe’s new ground the Globe Arena.

Miscellany:
The Scunthorpe game on Good Friday afternoon was the first afternoon home game on the religious holiday since 1914 when City played in the Southern League.
The home win over Barnsley in October re-wrote the history books. Barnsley arrived late but the kick-off was only delayed five minutes, then two substitutes scored in a game for the first time since December 1999 (Norwich a (FA Cup)) with Jordan Clarke netting City’s 5000th goal in League football. For only the second time in League history two Cov Kids (McSheffrey and Clarke) scored in the same game. 

With many thanks to Paul O’Connor and Kevin Monks.

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Aidy Boothroyd arrived at Coventry City in 2010 as the ninth manager since 2001 with few illusions about the financial straits the club was in. Despite this the board sanctioned the signing of seven new players.

Gone were Stephen Wright, Clinton Morrison, Elliott Ward and Marcus Hall. In came the prodigal son, Gary McSheffrey re-signed from Birmingham, defenders Richard Keogh from Carlisle & Stephen O’Halloran from Aston Villa, the veteran midfielder Lee Carsley, strikers Lukas Jutkiewicz, Roy O’Donovan & Clive Platt. In addition Michael Doyle was back from his season-long loan at Leeds.

Boothroyd also had his eyes on one more signing, his former Watford striker Marlon King. King was due to be released from prison after serving half his 18-month sentence for sexual assault and as his release came closer speculation grew that Aidy wanted Marlon for the Sky Blues. The news spurred Freddy Eastwood into action, albeit briefly, as he scored both goals in an opening day 2-0 win over Portsmouth. Boothroyd showed he had no respect for reputations by leaving out Wood, McPake, Clingan & Gunnarsson from his first line-up.

The first crisis of the season came days later in the goalkeeping department. Keiren Westwood was in the final year of his contract and was stalling on signing a new deal. On the eve of the second league game at Watford he cried off owing to a family bereavement. With loanee Colin Doyle recalled by Blues after his one and only game in another league Cup debacle at Morecambe, City were left without an experienced keeper. Boothroyd hastily signed Iain Turner from Everton on an emergency loan on the morning of the game but he was injured after 15 minutes & had to be replaced from the bench by youth team ‘keeper Michael Quirke. Quirke played a blinder but couldn’t stop Watford roaring into a 2-0 lead before late goals saved a point for City.

Two weeks later Boothroyd dropped Westwood giving him two weeks to sign a new deal but the contract was never signed & the Irish international keeper would see out his contract & move as a free agent in the summer.

King finally arrived in September despite many City fans being against the signing, but he was far from match fit and would need time to re-establish himself.

The team’s autumn form was good. There were slip-ups at home – Preston & Cardiff snatched fortuitous wins – but away wins at Bristol City, Ipswich and Sheffield United banished long hoodoos at these grounds. The win at Bramall Lane at the end of October lifted the team to a heady fourth place. A week later, in front of the biggest league crowd for 30 years, City’s high hopes were brought down to earth by an impressive Leeds. More importantly Ben Turner picked up a knee injury which would keep him out for the season just as he was beginning to look a class centre-back. A week later Clingan suffered a bad injury and two of the key men in the team were badly missed.

Strangley King’s introduction to the side – he made only his second start the week after the Leeds game – coincided with a poor run of form. Three unconvincing wins in a row pushed the team back into the top six but three Christmas defeats against promotion rivals were a setback for Bothroyd.

Apart from an FA Cup victory over Crystal Palace the bad run continued into the New Year and by the time Palace returned to the Ricoh for a league game in mid-February the team slipped to 16^th place and exited the FA Cup at Birmingham, despite taking a 2-0 lead. Palace were beaten again but it was to be the only victory in 16 league games for the beleagured Boothroyd and on 14 March with the Sky Blues in 19^th position he was sacked and Chief Scout Andy Thorn took over temporarily.

In the intervening period there had been shake-ups in the boardroom with Joe Elliott & Gary Hoffman stepping down & Ken Dulieu, Leonard Brody & local man John Clarke coming in. In March chairman Ranson stood down & days later rumours began to circulate that Hoffman was talking to potential investors with a view to launching a takeover bid. 

Caretaker boss Andy Thorn picked up the team & despite having few options with an injury ravaged squad the team lost only two of the final ten games with King scoring six goals to take his final tally to 12 in 24 starts and the team finished in 18^th place & well clear of relegation. The good run earned Thorn the permanent position with a one-year rolling contract.

The summer promised to be a tough one for new chief executive Paul Clouting. In addition to Westwood & Aron Gunnarsson being out of contract and seemingly set for riches elsewhere, Marlon King’s short-term contract was coming to an end and his goalscoring feats had alerted other clubs to his form & City would face a battle to keep him.