15th August 1992 - a dip into the matchday programme of the Sky Blues v Boro'

Following a 2-0 defeat for City at Villa Park in the final game of 1991/92, Notts County's 2-1 victory over Luton condemned the 'Hatters' to relegation. The Sky Blues survived to become one of the inaugural members of the newly formed 'FA Premier League'. For the opening day visit of Lennie Lawrence's Middlesbrough the match day programme displayed new City manager Bobby Gould stood on the Highfield Road pitch with the Spion Kop over his shoulder.

At a cost of £1.20 the programme listed the referee as Howard King from Merthyr Tydfil with Uriah Rennie one of his linesmen. Inside the front cover 'Club Officials' were listed, 'Vice-Chairman' was Bryan Richardson while Graham Hover was 'Club Secretary'. Former players who worked for the club included George Curtis, Brian Roberts, Trevor Gould, Barry Powell and Ray Gooding.

 

On this landmark day for football Oggy wore the number one shirt as his back four comprised Terry Fleming, Kenny Sansom, Andy Pearce and Peter Atherton. Last season's 'Player of the Year' Stewart Robson anchored midfield with Lee Hurst while Michael Gynn and David Smith provided ammunition for Robert Rosario and new signing from Swansea City, John Williams. On the bench were new signing from Bradford City, Phil Babb, and the combative Sean Flynn.
 

The prize for winning the previous season's 'Lucky Programme Competition' was a Peugeot 106 while £1,000 was the weekly prize in the Sky Blue Executive Club. Managing Director George Curtis was pictured as he presented club historian Jim Brown with a cheque for the above amount. 'Bits 'n' Pieces' advertised Coventry City Clubcall at just 36p a minute while mascot for the day was nine year-old Luke McCormick from Wyken - Oggy was his favourite player.

Bobby Gould was pictured with Willie Boland and his family as he welcomed the 17 year-old from Limerick who signed professional forms while the spotlight feature was 24 year-old John Williams, the Rumbelows Sprint Challenge winner whose speed earned him the title of the 'Flying Postman' prior to his move from South Wales.

 

The previous summer had seen farewell to Dean Emerson, Kevin Drinkell, Don Howe, Paul Furlong and Clive Baker while Phil Neal became Gould's number two. Brian Roberts returned to the club as reserve team coach, goalkeeper Jonathan Gould signed from West Brom while also new to Highfield Road were Babb and Stuart Bowen.
 

Kit manufacturer Ribero advertised their range and used City stars as fashion models. Lloyd McGrath wore leisurewear while Andy Pearce and his Simon Cowell-esque jeans rivalled the shell suit of Peter Atherton.

Replica shirts cost £28.50 while the shell suit retailed at £65.00.

So what happened next?

City won their first match in the FA Premier League 2-1 with goals from John Williams and David Smith - Williams' strike after nine minutes second only to Brian Deane's opener for Sheffield United against Manchester United at Bramall Lane.

The Sky Blues won their first three matches and became the first outright leaders while Michael Gynn's missed penalty at Tottenham three days later was the Premier League's first failure from the spot.

Bobby Gould can now be heard regularly on 'Talksport' and writes his regular column in the Coventry Telegraph. Three months into the campaign he signed Mick Quinn for City and the rest is folklore.

Phil Neal went on to succeed Bobby Gould as City manager and signed Dion Dublin. He was replaced by Ron Atkinson early in 1995 and went on to manage Cardiff City before working in television and radio.

Uriah Rennie went on to become one of the most well known referees in the Premier League until he retired in 2009.

Bryan Richardson moved up to Chairman and spent the club's money as if it was his own - he was removed from his post as was Graham Hover in late 2001 and left City £60m in debt.

None of the 'Club Officials' listed are still with the club.

Coventry City Clubcall is no more while mascot Luke McCormick is currently Plymouth Argyle's goalkeeper.

Willie Boland went on to appear 72 times for the Sky Blues between 1993 and 1999. He also played for Cardiff City and Hartlepool with distinction, as he had done at Highfield Road.

John Williams appeared 86 times and scored 11 goals for City before he moved to Wycombe Wanderers soon after Big Ron arrived. In his second game for City he scored both goals at White Hart Lane in a 2-0 win.

Kit manufacturer Ribero provided kits for Norwich City and Brighton in the same era.

City remained (as we all know) in the elite division until May 2001, only Arsenal, Aston Villa, Chelsea, Everton, Liverpool, Manchester United and  Tottenham Hotspur have competed in every season from the original 22 teams.

Play up Sky Blues



 

"They shan't defeat us, we'll fight 'till the game is won..."

I've always stated we, as football supporters, have no control over anything the players and management do. We can't make a game changing substitution, we can't tell Steven Pressley who to pick, we can't affect change in any way for 90 plus minutes. What happens on the pitch is in the hands of our heroes and the gaffer, we're there to be entertained, to see the Sky Blues win and to witness an occasional glimpse of class.

These glimpses of class were regularly on show at Highfield Road, from Mark Hateley to Steve Hunt, Terry Gibson to Michael Gynn, Dave Bennett to Big Cyrille through to messrs Whelan, Huckerby and Dublin. Along with visiting stars like Peter Beardsley, John Barnes, David Rocastle, Ian Rush, Ian Wright and Bryan Robson there was quality on show each time you went to our former home of football. You knew the names of all the players who were numbered one to eleven, unlike the modern era. The players talked to the fans, even the manager signed an autograph, unlike now. A programme cost no more than £1 and you could park for free, unlike now.
 

Then it all went a bit wrong and after 34 years of top flight football we welcomed Grimsby Town and Burnley to CV6...and they went home with the points. Eric Black gave us four months of free flowing football as Bjarni Gudjonsson and Gary McSheffrey linked with the finally fit Julian Joachim to bring hope and optimism to City's faithful following. To quote modern day City journalist Kieran Crowley it was 'liquid football' - what a great phrase.
 

Then, Mike McGinnity's ambition got the better of him as he brought Peter Reid into the hot seat...only to call on the services of former favourite Micky Adams just six months later. Micky's City side began life at the Ricoh Arena and, with the introduction of Don Hutchison and Dennis Wise, oversaw an eighth place finish in May 2006.
 

Then, Gary McSheffrey was sold up the A45, not replaced and seasonal struggle became the norm....

SISU Capital and Ray Ranson rode into town and signed a wealth of talent as Keiren Westwood, Scott Dann and Danny Fox lit up the arena with fantastic shot stopping, the ability to defend and a repertoire of free kicks not seen since the days of Oggy, 'Killer' and Stuart Pearce.
 

Then, they were sold and a recurring theme again reared it's ugly head...
 

2012 saw relegation to the third tier as the best players continued to be sold, the inability to hang onto Marlon King a key factor in the demise of Andy Thorn's men as the battle with SISU began...
 

Then, we stopped talking about the football and the eleven men who took to the pitch every Saturday afternoon at 3pm. The ground share has torn Coventry City supporters apart from the club and each other. Last Saturday I witnessed one of the best City goals I've ever seen when Franck Moussa fired in his tremendous strike at Vale Park. For a few moments it provided over 3,000 supporters directly in line with him that glimpse of magic so rare nowadays. Looking back through the memories I can recall Don Hutchison's volley at Elland Road, Danny Fox at Norwich, Ritchie Partridge's Boxing Day strike versus Reading and Gary Mac's dipping volley against Derby. They remain in the memory as these glimpses are so few and far between, we've pined for a cult hero since Big Mo, we thought we had one with David McGoldrick but, he too, was allowed to go elsewhere. At Highfield Road genius was the norm, especially when Robbie Keane and his entertainers took to the stage.
 

The best memories for me down the years have come from night matches, especially those at Highfield Road. You always knew if City were attacking the West End in the second half any deficit could be overturned. There was something special about a ground we needlessly departed in search of individual greed and benefit. In its final season the wonderful theatre was filled just once but left a memory that we will never forget on that April day in glorious sunshine as Jimmy Hill led his rendition of the Sky Blue song.
 

Then, people got greedier and the beautiful game evolved into a business. Supporters, once valued and appreciated, are now the last thought as the money men focus on their investment, this in an era when the cost of following your team has never been higher and continues to soar.
 

Three years ago I wrote 'Coventry City On This Day', a calendar history of our wonderful football club, there is simply no finer club in the country but that's just my opinion. I began watching in 1979, many others go way back, what we all have in common is the desire for our club to return to its rightful place in the City of Coventry. Once the wrongs have been righted our club can get back to where it belongs and there will be no set of supporters more deserving than the Sky Blue Army.

Keep the faith

Gary McSheffrey - the life and times of a Sky Blue

It's every Sky Blues' supporter's ambition to play for their home-town side. Not many of them top 250 first-team appearances for the club and lie ninth in the all-time top scorers' list. No-one else has made their debut at Villa Park in the first-ever league win there thus becoming the club's youngest ever player. As well as finishing top scorer for the Sky Blues three seasons running he also took Player of the Year in 2006 and scored in the final game at Highfield Road. Step forward Gary McSheffrey.

Aged just 16 years and 198 days, he replaced Darren Huckerby at Villa in the emphatic 4-1 victory on his debut, there could be no better place and more significant event to make your bow. Following relegation in 2001 'Sheffers' spent time on loan at Luton, aiding their promotion campaign, and began to feature regularly at City in 2002/03. He bagged a treble in the 8-0 League Cup win over Rushden and Diamonds but came to real prominence under Eric Black's brief tenure as he partnered Julian Joachim in a fondly remembered era for City supporters. Top billing in terms of goal scoring came in 03/04, 04/05 and 05/06 before his big move to Birmingham City, a transfer hotly contested by the City faithful as yet another star was sold. The Sky Blues a selling club? Never. You can see his prowess in front of goal in the clip below with 'Mr Blue Sky' for musical accompaniment:

Gary McSheffrey's many goals in a City shirt

After four seasons and a taste of the top flight with the side from St Andrews, Aidy Boothroyd snapped him up in the summer of 2010 for a second spell, a popular move amongst the Ricoh faithful. Since his return, in main due to fan expectation following his first spell, it has been a frustrating time for the City fan himself. We expect so much from him as we know what he can produce, he has spoken himself how it frustrates him but the hope is that he can now build on an injury-free run alongside David McGoldrick and add to his goals tally.


Now level with Dion Dublin on 72 goals, he is also the club's leading scorer in their time at the Ricoh, currently with 25 strikes to his name. Mark Robins believes in his talents, at present he is keeping John Fleck out of the side and finding the back of the net. If McGoldrick does leave the Ricoh in January we will need goals from somewhere and 'Sheffers' contribution will be vital along with Carl Baker who is also finding the net with regularity in recent weeks. The goals have started to flow for the pair but we need them in the zone every week to keep the momentum going on the pitch. They should let Mark Robins sort out the shambles off the pitch also, he speaks more common sense than all the 'board' members put together, they could do no worse than sit down with Robins and listen to someone else's voice apart from their own for a change.

Footnote: this was written prior to kick off on Tuesday.

Dean Emerson & Willie Boland : From Highfield Road to Hartlepool..and the CWR 'Fan of the Week'...

Saturday’s visit to Hartlepool United links two former Sky Blues’ midfielders who graced the top flight and whose curtain call came at the home of Jeff Stelling’s favourite side. One man missed out on our greatest ever day at Wembley through injury while, along with his compatriot, they both failed to register a single goal in sky blue. What they did bring was the ability to keep it simple, retain the ball and break down opposition attacks. They could be relied upon to deliver each time they stepped out onto the pitch - their names were Dean Emerson and Willie Boland.

Dean Emerson’s introduction to the top flight made one of the best ever impressions on the City support. Signed by John Sillett for £40,000 from Rotherham United after starring against City in a Littlewoods Cup tie he made 132 appearances for City between 1986 and the close season of 1991. Just two months prior to Wembley a reckless tackle by Sheffield Wednesday’s Gary Megson on an icy Highfield Road pitch began an agonising sequence of knee operations for the midfield kingpin as he returned time after time to appear in the Sky Blues' engine room. Eventually, the injury caught up with him and he moved to Hartlepool prior to the commencement of the Premier League. Always popular with the supporters it was Emerson’s pass that created the winning goal against Manchester City in August 1989 that took City top of Division One for the first time ever.

 

Willie Boland came through the City youth team and made his debut at the age of 17 during Bobby Gould’s tenure. Between 1993 and1999 he appeared 72 times and displayed an excellent engine dovetailed with the ability to retain possession and break up opposition attacks. Ever reliable, Boland made his full home debut in a 1-0 win against Liverpool and starred in front of the home faithful. After his time at City came to a close he transferred to Cardiff and again thrived under the management of Gould. He was a pivotal member of their successful late 90’s/early millennium promotion chasing sides and made his final appearance for the 'Bluebirds' at the Ricoh in their 3-1 defeat when Dennis Wise bid farewell to City. His final move took him to Hartlepool in 2006 but a knee injury led to his premature retirement in September 2009. Willie Boland never let the City down during his time at Highfield Road and, like Emerson, was an asset to the side he performed in.

 

Last Friday's CWR phone-in was an entertaining and humorous hour as City fan of over 35 years, Matt Partridge, displayed a refreshing honesty talking with Clive Eakin and fellow supporters as the 'Fan of the Week' about the current situation. 'Joy Serpentine' was one of his highlights along with an honest assessment of Carl Baker's recent form. Matt received criticism for this while the programme was running and the following day online - his departure from the CWR studios you can see below.

Criticised for telling it as it is in my view - we can all run round and try hard but, like Gary McSheffrey, we all know they can both do so much better and that is one of the points Matt made. Baker and Sheffers were expected to be shining lights in League One yet they are currently fading stars. Matt's honesty I witnessed first hand in 1986 when, in the style of Geoff Boycott, he ran me out in school inter-house cricket. 'Sorry mate!!!' was shouted after me as I trudged back to the pavilion a year prior to the FA Cup final victory. Fast forward 26 years and we both still await that top six finish last experienced in 1970. A few honest words can do no harm, Mark Robins delivers similar each time he speaks, for too long the cracks have been papered over and it's time to tell it as it really is - SISU take note.

The Coventry City Years : 1982/83...and the wind of change since day one at Yeovil...

The opening day of season 1982/83 welcomed England’s World Cup goalkeeper to Highfield Road as Peter Shilton made his Southampton debut. At the other end of the pitch, due to an injury to Les Sealey, 16 year old Perry Suckling kept a clean sheet in the Sky Blues’ 1-0 win and belied his youth with a fine performance. He would go on to make 29 starts for City before joining Manchester City in the swap deal which brought FA Cup winner David Phillips to the club.

 

Mid-September saw Jim Melrose score a hat-trick on his home debut as Everton were defeated 4-2 in the same game which saw Garry and Keith Thompson take to the field – the first brothers for over 60 years to appear for City. Scotsman Melrose scored 10 times in 29 appearances during a brief stay before he moved to Celtic.

 

Spurs’ Garry Brooke scored a six minute hat-trick past Sealey weeks later as City lost 4-0 before Steve Whitton stepped up and smashed home unstoppable strikes from range against Luton and Brighton – on his 21^st birthday in front of just 8,035 supporters . His shooting prowess was some of the best seen at Highfield Road (in my time) and following his summer move to West Ham he would fire an unstoppable effort past Perry Suckling the following September in the Hammers' 5-2 win at Upton Park.

 

Brian Roberts’ first ever goal for the club after 192 games inspired the side to a 3-0 win at West Ham before Peter 'Chukkie' Hormantschuk followed suit with a strike that Manchester United’s Gary Bailey fumbled into his own net as City defeated Big Ron's 'Red Devils' to triumph 3-0 just after Christmas. His own team-mates were in shock as you can see below at his only goal for City and he moved on to Nuneaton Borough, similar to Kevin Malaga, after 29 appearances for his home-town club following the arrival of fellow local lad Kirk Stephens.

 

The goals continued to flow into February as a classic from Mark Hateley was too good for Manchester City and a 4-0 thrashing ensued in front of the TV cameras.

Sky Blues 4 Manchester City 0 February 1983

One win in 15 games ensured safety was not guaranteed until the penultimate game as I came across the word relegation for the first time – like a bad smell it would not go away and still interrupts my sky blue thoughts on a daily (hourly) basis. Birmingham City won at Highfield Road in mid-April with a late winner – so bad was the performance a fan ran onto the pitch and threw down his shirt in front of the dugout. He was only venting what we all knew – we were in trouble and only a 3-0 win at Stoke kept our heads one place above the drop zone as Manchester City plummeted down the table and into the second tier.

The season ended with a Les Sealey horror show at home to West Ham as Dave Sexton stepped aside amongst much discontent inside and outside the club. We would never believe what would happen during the close season of 1983...

Fast forward 29 years and...

From the side who took to the field at Yeovil on the opening day only Joe Murphy, Richard Wood, John Fleck and Callum Ball are holding down a regular role in the team. Jordan Clarke now faces fierce competition from the rehabilatated Cyrus Christie while Reece Brown has joined Adam Barton and Billy Daniels in being quickly removed from the first team picture. Carl Baker has frustrated the City faithful along with Gary McSheffrey - both a huge disappointment when we know they can do so much better. Perhaps the biggest victim of the mass change has been Cody McDonald - I wrote prior to the opening day how I expected him to reach 20 goals this season yet how wrong could I be. I still maintain he is a genuine goal threat but when you play as narrow as we were and have poor service from Clarke and Hussey (in the first ten games) then your goal output will suffer. We have the opportunity to move through the gears during the approach to Christmas, stay unbeaten and we could be in the mix come the new year. The signing of McGoldrick is key, let's hope plans are in place to make the move a permanent one.

Next week....1983/84....