There’s a distinctly retro feel to the Championship’s nascent promotion race as it morphs into a deliberate, discernable shape. The last time play-off chasing Coventry City – currently fourth and gunning for a highest league finish in more than 20 years – had their name uttered in the same breath as the Premier League, Alex Ferguson still had 12 years left in the job at Manchester United, Jürgen Klopp had barely hung up his playing boots, and cash-strapped Chelsea’s midfield was being marshalled by Jody Morris.
The day the Sky Blues dropped out of the top flight, in May 2001, the team’s current top scorer was three years old. Viktor Gyokeres admits to not exactly having an encyclopedic knowledge of the history of the club he signed for permanently from Brighton in July, but since this is a team facing emphatically towards its future, perhaps that’s fair enough.
“I know a little of the history of the club,” says the 23-year-old Sweden international, whose nine Championship goals have put the grip into Coventry’s hold on the top six. “I wouldn’t say I know it all. We’re just trying to do out best and it’s been a good start, but we know that we’re nowhere near the end.”
In truth, the key elements of Coventry’s last two decades are sufficient to paint a picture. The club’s drawn-out demise, triggered by the end of their 34-year stay in the top flight, triggered a descent into League Two in 16 chaotic seasons. But it was the failure of the owners to reach a tenancy agreement on the stadium formerly known as the Ricoh Arena, forcing the club to play home games outside the city during three of the next eight years, that defined the era.
This season the club are back in Coventry for the first time since 2019, after two seasons spent playing at Birmingham City’s St Andrew’s. In July, a 10-year lease was agreed on the Coventry Building Society Arena, as it is now known, but there are plans for the team to move into a purpose-built, permanent home after a deal was reached last year to purchase land from the University of Warwick.
After more than a decade of fan protests against the running of the club, there has been a fresh impetus to involve supporters in decision-making, as well as greater communication from the board. Last month, owner Joy Seppala confirmed that she and the board have their eyes on the Premier League.
That promotion push has taken on an unmistakable shape this season, helped in no small part by Gyokeres and his goals. It’s no coincidence that this marks his first first-team season as a permanent signing since leaving Sweden at the age of 20.
“I wouldn’t say I had a tough time at Brighton,” says Gyokeres. “I was away on loan for two years getting experience, so I can’t say there was anything wrong with the move. Sure, I would have wanted to play more in the first team. But I wasn’t there forever.
“I wouldn’t do anything differently. I did one-and-a-half seasons there, I was on the bench a lot for the first team and played a few games in the cup. Then I was out on loan to Germany [to St Pauli], had a good season in division two. It was definitely my decision to come [to Coventry]. It was completely up to me. There was certainly others interested, but I was sure I wanted to come back here.”
Much of Coventry’s revival can be attributed to manager Mark Robins. The former Manchester United striker has been a constant over the past four years, masterminding two promotions and victory in the 2017 EFL Trophy. One more promotion would make him the first manager to guide a team from the bottom division of the Football League to the top flight in a single spell since Graham Taylor at Watford in 1982.
“Mark is a really good manager,” says Gyokeres. “Him, Adrian [Viveash] and Dennis [Lawrence] work really well together, and they are good at getting us to improve, as a team and as individuals. They’re great people to work with. It’s good to finally be somewhere permanent, being at a club to which you belong. I like it around here, I’m enjoying living here.
“I don’t know if we’re surprised exactly to be where we are. I will say it’s nice to be up there. We knew before the season that we are a good team who play very good football. We’re good enough to be where we are in the league.”
There is plenty to keep Gyokeres motivated. When he signed for Brighton in 2018, his partner, the AIK Solna defender Amanda Nilden, came too, signing for the Seagulls’ women’s side. After a brief return to Sweden, she joined Juventus in August.
“Maybe we’ll see more of this [partners playing for the same club] as the women’s game continues to be more established. She’s at Juve now so she’s done really well. It’s a great example for me to try and match.”
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/2ZxuLVE
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