Mark Robins is the longest-serving manager in the EFL Championship, having spent over six years at Coventry City. Robins and the Sky Blues are looking to win promotion to the Premier League this season.
Can City Go One Better?
Coventry City were one game away from winning promotion to the top tier last term. They were ultimately beaten in the play-off final, but the Sky Blues are hoping to complete the job this season. They have made an indifferent start, though Robins’ men could be there or thereabout at the end of the campaign. You can get EFL Championship odds of 15/2 for Coventry to be promoted.
City had a great 2022-23 season, finishing in fifth place and taking a play-off spot. In the regular season, Coventry picked up 18 wins, 16 draws, and lost 12 games. They saw off Middlesbrough in the two-legged semi-final but were beaten on penalties by Luton Town in the 2023 Championship play-off final at Wembley Stadium.
Securing a top-six place could be harder than ever this season. With Leeds United, Leicester City, and Southampton dropping out of the Premier League, the Championship is packed with top teams these days.
Coventry have made themselves tough to beat in the early weeks of the 2023-24 campaign, but Robins’ side have also struggled for wins. Before beating Queens Park Rangers away from home in late September, City went six Championship matches without tasting a victory.
As they showed last season, Coventry are capable of putting a run together, and team spirit at the Coventry Building Society Arena is second to none. The Sky Blues could be a team to watch out for in the Championship as the season progresses.
Robins’ United Connection
Robins came through the academy at Manchester United and made his senior debut in 1988. Over four years, he racked up almost 50 league appearances and scored one of the most important goals in United’s recent history.
Sir Alex Ferguson was reportedly one game from the sack in 1990, and the Scot could have lost his job at Old Trafford if United had lost to Nottingham Forest in a third-round FA Cup tie. However, Robins scored in a 1-0 win, the Red Devils went on to lift the FA Cup, and Ferguson would go on to achieve unrivalled success at Man United.
Robins left Old Trafford in 1992 and went on to have a brief loan spell at rivals Manchester City in 1999. He hung up his boots after leaving Burton Albion in 2005 and took his first managerial job at Rotherham United two years later.
In a world where football managers get sacked left, right, and centre, Robins is one of the longest-serving bosses in English football. He has done a remarkable job at Coventry, taking the Midlands club from EFL League Two to the cusp of the Premier League.
We have not seen Coventry in the top flight for over two decades, but Robins has the club heading in the right direction again. Could City join United in the Premier League next season?
