Buzzin Championship Football

coventry city

Coventry City have parted company with manager Chris Coleman following this weekend’s 4-0 home defeat against Watford, although the club stress that the decision is not based merely on that result but on Coleman’s achievements overall since taking charge in February 2008.

Coleman’s appointment helped to keep Coventry in the Championship in 2008 and they finished last season in 17th position. However ther has been no progress for the Midlands club this term when they ended a fairly frustrating 19th in the league.

Coleman made his mark in mangement when he became the youngest manager in the Premier League in 2003 for Fulham, steering the club clear of relegation. He continued with his first full season at Craven Cottage and  surprised everyone when he took the club to ninth place in the top tier.

Having to sell many of the key players in the Fulham team, Coleman struggled to repeat his early success but kept Fulham away form further relegation trouble before losing his job in April 2007 following a winless spell of seven games.

A brief spell in Spain with Real Sociedad ended abruptly for Coleman following disagreements with the newly elected president at the club and Coleman resigned in January 2008, taking up the Coventry post a month later.

Coventry City chairman Ray Ranson says;

“I enjoyed a very close working relationship with Chris and it’s been a pleasure to work with him since his arrival. The board would like to place on record their thanks for his efforts over two and a half years. We will not be rushed into finding a successor and the board will explore every avenue to appoint the right manager to take Coventry City forward.”

A further statement from the club blamed the team’s ‘form deteriorating rapidly towards the end of the season for the second year running’, and insisted ‘that the decision was not a knee-jerk reaction to Sunday’s match.’