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Coventry City

File:Coventry City FC logo.svg
Full name	Coventry City Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Sky Blues
Founded	13 August 1883 (as Singers F.C.)
Ground	Sixfields Stadium
Owner	Otium Entertainment Group
Chairman	N/A
Manager	Steven Pressley
League	League One
2012–13	League One, 15th
Home colours Away colours
Current season

Coventry City Football Club is an English association football club representing Coventry, central England, but currently playing in Northampton, some 55 km to the southeast of the city. They compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed the Sky Blues owing to the colour of their strip, Coventry City were formed in 1883 as Singers F.C., and they joined the Football League in 1919. Their only major trophy was won in 1987 when they beat Tottenham Hotspur 3–2 to win the FA Cup, listed by the FA as one of the twelve classic FA Cup Finals. They also reached two League Cup semi-finals, in 1981 and 1990.

The club was an inaugural member of the Premier League in 1992 and had spent an impressive 34 consecutive seasons in the English top flight before their relegation in 2001. Following eleven seasons in the second-tier Football League Championship without any significant success, Coventry were relegated to Football League One in 2012, the first time in 48 years that the club were destined to play in the English league system's third tier.

Coventry has only qualified for European competition once, during the 1970–71 season, when they competed in the European Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, reaching the second round. Despite beating Bayern Munich 2–1 in their home leg, they lost heavily in the away leg to go out of the competition. They were unable to compete in the 1987–88 UEFA Cup Winner's Cup due to the ban on English clubs following the 1985 Heysel Stadium incident.

From 1899 to 2005, Coventry City played at the Highfield Road stadium. In 1981 it became the first all-seater stadium in English football, though by the late-1990s the club's directors decided it was time to construct a larger stadium and chose a site in the Rowley's Green area of the city. The 32,609 capacity Ricoh Arena was opened in August 2005, but following a rent dispute with the ground's owners the club opted to play their home games at Northampton Town's Sixfields Stadium starting in the 2013–14 season.

History in brief

• 1883 – The club is founded by employees of Singer, the cycle firm, with William Stanley one of the leading lights.
• 1898 – The club's name is changed from Singers F.C. to Coventry City.
• 1899 – The club move to Highfield Road following stints at Dowells Field and Stoke Road.
• 1901 – The club suffer their worst ever defeat with an 11–2 loss against Worcester-based Berwick Rangers in the qualifying round of the FA Cup.
• 1919 – The club are voted into the Football League, where they have remained ever since.
• 1928 – In February, and with Coventry struggling near the foot of Division Three South, the club's worst ever attendance is recorded. Only 2,059 turn up for the match against Crystal Palace.
• 1932 – Centre-forward Clarrie Bourton heads the Football League scoring lists with 49 goals. The following season he scored 40 goals.
• 1934 – City record their biggest ever victory a 9–0 league drubbing of Bristol City.
• 1936 – Coventry City win the Third Division South championship after a nail-biting final day 2–1 victory over Torquay United and return to Division Two after eleven years in the lower division.
• 1958 – Goalkeeper Alf Wood becomes the oldest player to start a game for the club, which this year was a founding member of Division Four (now Football League Two). He played against Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup aged 43 years and 207 days.
• 1961 – Former Fulham player and PFA chairman Jimmy Hill is appointed manager following an embarrassing FA Cup defeat at home to non-league King's Lynn.
• 1964 – Jimmy Hill guides Coventry to promotion from Division Three as champions after a final day 1–0 victory over Colchester United.
• 1967 – Coventry City promoted as Second Division champions to the top flight for the first time in their history. This made manager and BBC Sport presenter Jimmy Hill a legend at the club. Coventry's record attendance was also set in this year – officially recorded as 51,455, (although many people who were at that game suggest the attendance was a lot higher, possibly much over 60,000) against Wolverhampton Wanderers, the team that finished a close second to Coventry at the top of the table.
• 1969-70 – Under Noel Cantwell, Coventry finish 6th in the First Division, their highest League placing.
• 1970 – Coventry qualified for the European Fairs Cup but lost 7–3 on aggregate in the second round to Bayern Munich, despite winning the second leg 2–1 at Highfield Road.
• 1977 – Coventry City escaped relegation after drawing with Bristol City who also escaped relegation. The result of this game relegated Sunderland, which has caused many disuputes over the outcome of the match due to the result of the Sunderland game being relayed to Coventry City and Bristol City players for the remainder of the game.
• 1978 – The strike partnership of Ian Wallace and Mick Ferguson helped the Sky Blues finish in seventh position in the First Division, their second-highest ever final league placing, but fractionally missing out on a UEFA Cup place.
• 1981 – The club reaches the League Cup semi-final but are denied their first Wembley appearance by West Ham United, despite being 2–1 ahead after the first leg. Highfield Road becomes England's first all-seater stadium.
• 1987 – The Sky Blues won the FA Cup, beating Tottenham Hotspur in the final. It is their only major trophy to date. They were runners-up to Everton in August in the Charity Shield. Coventry also won the FA Youth Cup in this year.
• 1989 – Coventry were defeated by non-league Sutton United in the FA Cup Third Round, only 19 months after lifting the trophy. However, their impressive league form meant they equalled their best ever end of season placing, finishing in the top seven once more.
• 1990 – Coventry reached the League Cup semi-final for the second time, but were defeated by eventual winners Nottingham Forest.
• 1998 – The club reached the FA Cup quarter-final but were denied a semi-final appearance as Sheffield United (a division below them) won the replay at Bramall Lane on penalties. They also attained their highest Premier League finish of 11th position. Dion Dublin earned the top scorer award, the only one for the club and the second of two players for clubs which never made the top three in the League.
• 2001 – Coventry relegated from the Premier League after 34 years in the first tier. At the time, only Liverpool, Everton and Arsenal could boast longer tenures in the top flight.
• 2004 – Their football academy, based in southeast Coventry at The Alan Higgs Centre, owned by the Alan Higgs Centre Trust, was opened in September 2004.
• 2005 – Coventry relocated to the 32,609 seater Ricoh Arena after 106 years at Highfield Road. The club's last game at Highfield Road stadium results in a 6–2 win over Midlands rivals Derby County in front of a sell-out 23,000 crowd.
• 2007 – Coventry narrowly avoided administration when Ray Ranson and hedge fund managers SISU took over the club with twenty minutes to spare.
• 2008 – The club celebrated its 125th anniversary. They avoided relegation to League One despite being beaten 4–1 at Charlton on the final day of the season.
• 2009 – The first ever complete sell-out of the Ricoh Arena was announced for the FA Cup quarter-final match against Chelsea on 7 March 2009 which Chelsea won 2–0.
• 2012 – Coventry are relegated to League One, the third tier in English Football, for the first time in 48 years
• 2013 – The club owners, SISU, place a non-operating subsidiary of the club, which owns no financial assets and has no employee on or off the pitch into administration.The club moved all staff out of the Ricoh Arena and the administrator accepted a bid from the Otium Entertainment Group, a company registered by three ex-Sky Blues directors Ken Dulieu, Onye Igwe and Leonard Brody. The club agrees to play future home matches at Sixfields Stadium, Northampton.

Playing kit

Coventry's home shirts are now always sky blue. However this hasn't always been the case. During the 1880s and 1890s, the club used black and red. Sky blue was first used by Coventry in 1898, the sky blue theme was then used until 1922, the colour made its return in 1962 thanks to the then manager, Jimmy Hill. In the 2008–09 season, Coventry used sky blue and white stripes, a design that was used three times that decade. This is a contrast to the late-1990s where sky blue and navy stripes were chosen three times. To mark the 125th year of the club, Coventry wore a special brown shirt in the last home game of the 2008–09 season against Watford having first worn a chocolate brown kit in 1978. This kit is sometimes considered the worst kit in English football history.

In 2012, against Southampton in the FA Cup, they wore a commemorative blue and white striped kit to mark the 25th anniversary of the club winning the FA Cup in 1987. The strip was worn again in January 2013 for Coventry's 3rd round FA Cup fixture with Tottenham Hotspur, whom they beat in the 1987 final.

Former Players' Association

In February 2007 a Former Players' Association was launched. Set up by club historian and statistician Jim Brown, former 1980s player Kirk Stephens and a committee of volunteers, its aim was to bring former players of the club together and cherish their memories. To qualify for membership players have to have made at least one first team competitive appearance for the club or been a manager.

Around 50 former stars of the club attended the launch including Coventry City legends George Hudson, Cyrille Regis, Charlie Timmins and Bill Glazier. The association's first newsletter was published in autumn 2007 and a website launched. The launch of 2007 was followed by subsequent Legends' Days. The 2009 event, held at the home game against Doncaster Rovers was attended by 43 former players including the first visit to Coventry for many years of Roy Barry and Dave Clements. In March 2012 the membership had increased past the 200 mark with former captain Terry Yorath inducted as the 200th member at the 2012 Legends' Day.

'SISU Out' protesters

In August 2011, after Coventry City fans became tired of cost-cutting by SISU, Coventry fans started to protest for the removal of SISU. Protests took place at the Jimmy Hill Statue at the Ricoh Arena before games but limited numbers turned out. However after these games the number of protesters grew and so did the number of banners. After protesting near the rear entrance, the fans moved into the lobby and start chanting "SISU OUT" at which point a large number of "Security Response Guards" moved in to remove the protesters.

Sky Blue anthem

The club song was written in 1962 by manager Jimmy Hill and director John Camkin. It was launched at the home game with Colchester on 22 December 1962 (a match abandoned at half-time because of fog) with the words printed in the programme. It quickly became popular with supporters during the epic FA Cup run in 1963 when the then Third Division team reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup before losing to eventual winners Manchester United. To the tune of the Eton Boating Song;

Stadium

Grounds

• Dowells Field – 1883–1887
• Stoke Road – 1887–1899
• Highfield Road – 1899–2005
• Ricoh Arena – 2005–2013
• Sixfields Stadium – 2013– (ground-share with Northampton Town)

106 years at Highfield Road

Coventry City began playing at the Highfield Road stadium in 1899, although the club did not buy the freehold to the site until 1937. The record crowd at the ground was on 29 April 1967 when 51,455 watched the Second Division title decider against Wolverhampton Wanderers. This was more than 6,000 more than the previous record set against Aston Villa in 1938. Many people who were at that game suggest the attendance was a lot higher, possibly over 60,000. Supporters climbed onto the roofs of the stands and up the floodlights. The ground had an interesting history. In 1940 the main stand which backed onto terraced houses in Mowbray Street was bombed by the Luftwaffe, heavy turnstiles from the ground and gas meters from houses in Mowbray Street were discovered in Gosford Park some 500 yards away. In 1968, the main stand burnt down and its replacement was built within four months.

In 1981, Highfield Road was converted into England's first ever all-seater stadium with a capacity of around 24,500, which many criticised as killing the atmosphere of the ground. Some seats were removed a few years later. It had been gradually upgraded since then, with the final phase of work being completed in the mid-1990s, including two fully enclosed corners, providing some much-needed modernity. The final game played at the stadium was against Derby County on 30 April 2005, with Coventry hammering Derby County, resulting in a scintillating 6–2 scoreline. Many great players graced the turf of Highfield Road, on an emotional day, the final goal at Highfield Road was fittingly scored by a homegrown youngster Andrew Whing. Other goals came from Stern John, Dele Adebola and Coventry-born player Gary McSheffrey, who scored two of the goals. One of these was from a penalty given away by the ex-City captain Mo Konjić. The land on which the stadium once stood is now a housing development.

Relocating to the Ricoh Arena

For the 2005–06 season, Coventry City moved to the new 32,609-capacity Ricoh Arena after 106 years at Highfield Road. In 1998, the club had decided that it was time to relocate to a new stadium in the Rowleys Green area of the city, three-and-a-half miles north of the city centre and close to junction 3 of the M6 motorway. The original plan was for a state-of-the-art, 45,000-seat, multipurpose stadium with removable pitch and retractable roof. It was due to be ready for the 2001–02 season and was touted to be one of the finest and most advanced stadiums in Europe. However, the club's subsequent relegation, financial problems, financier/contractor withdrawals and England's failure to secure the 2006 World Cup competition led to a radical redesign. The resulting stadium was built to a standard and somewhat uninspiring bowl design with steep stands, in line with several other new stadia builds during that period, though it is said to generate excellent acoustics (and has been used to host several major rock concerts).

Despite initiating the project and being the principal attraction there, Coventry City's financial situation means that they no longer own the stadium and must pay rent to use it; this could appear to raise concerns over the managing of the club's finances by previous club officials, as, as of the year 2001 the club were the fourth-longest serving club in the top flight of English football.

The stadium naming rights were originally sold to Jaguar Cars, which has strong links with Coventry. Jaguar pulled out of the project on 16 December 2004 and a new major sponsor was needed. A £10 million deal, which included naming rights, was signed and electronics manufacturer Ricoh became the new chief sponsor for the stadium. The project was funded largely by Coventry City Council and the (Alan Edward) Higgs Charity (of which former CCFC and ACL director the late Sir Derek Higgs was a trustee), and includes shopping facilities, a casino, exhibition halls and a concert venue.

At the beginning of the 2005–06 season, construction delays at the ground forced Coventry City to play their first three games of the season away and postpone their home games. On Saturday 20 August 2005, City hosted Queens Park Rangers in the first-ever game at the Ricoh Arena. Coventry won the game 3–0, the first goal at the Ricoh Arena being scored by the Faroe Islands international Claus Bech Jørgensen with an 11th-minute diving header. Dele Adebola then added two more for the Sky Blues.

On 28 July 2011, a statue of Jimmy Hill was installed at the main entrance to the Ricoh Arena, with Hill appearing in person to unveil it.

2013 rent row and ground relocation

On 3 May 2013, Coventry City put a contingency plan in place to play elsewhere for the 2013–14 season due to ACL (Arena Coventry Limited), who manage the stadium, not being willing to negotiate with the club to agree a new lease. However, this has led to the local newspaper, the Coventry Telegraph, starting a petition in order to try stopping Coventry City from playing outside of Coventry and has been sent to all 72 clubs in the Football League and also the Football League Chairman.

In May 2013, Managing Director Tim Fisher set a plan of building a new stadium within the city over the next three years and ground-share whilst the new ground is being built.

In June 2013, ACL made an offer that Coventry City F.C. could play at the Ricoh Arena rent free while the club was in administration.

It was believed that Coventry City might ground-share with Walsall at the Bescot Stadium or attempt to stay at the Ricoh Arena, following the appointment of new owners. However, as of July 2013, the Walsall rumours were denied and it looks likely that the club will ground-share at Northampton Town's Sixfields Stadium until 2016 – at a ground that has less than one quarter of the capacity of the Ricoh Arena. Plans for the club to play their home matches outside of the city were met with strong opposition and protests by Coventry fans. Member of Parliament for Coventry South, Jim Cunningham described the move as "a disgrace".

Current players

First team squad

As of July 2013.

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  IRL Joe Murphy 2 DF  ENG Cyrus Christie 3 DF  ENG Blair Adams 6 MF  ENG Conor Thomas 7 MF  SCO John Fleck 8 MF  ENG Carl Baker (captain) 9 FW  ENG Leon Clarke 13 GK  ENG Lee Burge 14 MF  BEL Franck Moussa 16 MF  IRL Adam Barton 17 MF  ENG Billy Daniels 18 DF  ENG Aaron Phillips 19 DF  ENG Jordan Willis

No. Pos. Nation Player 20 FW  ENG Callum Wilson 24 DF  ENG Jordan Clarke 30 MF  ENG Louis Garner 31 DF  ENG Ryan Haynes 32 MF  ENG Leon Lobjoit 33 FW  ENG Ben Maund 34 MF  ENG Lewis Rankin — GK  ENG Chris Dunn — DF  FRA William Edjenguélé — MF  ENG Steve Jennings — DF  FRA Kévin Malaga — MF  ENG Gary McSheffrey

Academy squad

As of May 2013.

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player — GK  ENG Alex Gott — DF  ENG Jordan Smith — DF  ENG Ryan Smith — DF  ENG Tarik Azille-Moore — DF  ENG Ryan Haynes — MF  ENG Ivor Lawton

No. Pos. Nation Player — MF  ZIM Eli Bako — MF  ENG Ashley Carter — MF  ENG Jack Finch — MF  ENG Ryan Quinn — FW  ENG Jordan Forrester — FW  ENG Courtney Baker-Richardson

Backroom staff and club officials

Name Position Steven Pressley Manager Neil MacFarlane Assistant Manager Steve Ogrizovic Goalkeeping Coach Pete Tierney Strength & Conditioning Coach Dave Hart Physiotherapist Paul Travis Performance Analyst Gregor Rioch Academy Manager Richard Stevens Assistant Academy Manager Ian Foster Under-18s Coach Mark Noon Head of Academy Sport Science Andy Crabtree Academy Technical Skills Coach Mark Fogarty Academy Recruitment Officer

Name Position Joy Seppala Chairperson Tim Fisher Managing Director Steve Waggott Development Director Mark Labovitch Director Mike McGinnity Life President John Sillett Life President Jimmy Hill Life President George Curtis Life President Pam Hindson Club Secretary Jim Brown Club Historian and Statistician

Seasons, awards and honours

Season Review & Statistics	Level	Pos.	Player of the Year	Top Goalscorer	Most Appearances	Other
1967–1968 season	1	20th (22)	Ernie Machin	Ronnie Rees 9	Ernie Machin 44	FA Youth Cup Runners-up
1968–1969 season	1	20th (22)	Bill Glazier	Ernie Hunt 13	Bill Glazier 49
1969–1970 season	1	6th (22)	Neil Martin	Neil Martin 15	Mick Coop 44	FA Youth Cup Runners-up
1970–1971 season	1	10th (22)	Willie Carr	Ernie Hunt 12	Jeff Blockley 48	Inter-Cities Fairs Cup Second round
1971–1972 season	1	18th (22)	Ernie Hunt	Ernie Hunt 12	Willie Carr 45
1972–1973 season	1	19th (22)	Tommy Hutchison	Brian Alderson 17	Mick Coop 48
1973–1974 season	1	16th (22)	Bill Glazier	Brian Alderson 15	Jimmy Holmes 53
1974–1975 season	1	14th (22)	Tommy Hutchison	David Cross 8	Tommy Hutchison 46
1975–1976 season	1	14th (22)	Tommy Hutchison	David Cross 16	Mick Coop 47
1976–1977 season	1	19th (22)	Mick Ferguson	Mick Ferguson 15	John Beck 45
1977–1978 season	1	7th (22)	Ian Wallace	Ian Wallace 23	Bobby McDonald 47
1978–1979 season	1	10th (22)	Bobby McDonald	Ian Wallace 15	Tommy Hutchison 45
1979–1980 season	1	15th (22)	Ian Wallace	Ian Wallace 13	Tommy Hutchison 45
1980–1981 season	1	16th (22)	Gary Gillespie	Garry Thompson 15	Paul Dyson 54	Football League Cup Semi-finalists
1981–1982 season	1	14th (22)	Danny Thomas	Mark Hateley 18	Gary Gillespie 46	PFA Merit Award: Joe Mercer
1982–1983 season	1	19th (22)	Gary Gillespie	Steve Whitton 14	Gary Gillespie 48
1983–1984 season	1	19th (22)	Nick Platnauer	Terry Gibson 19	Trevor Peake 40
1984–1985 season	1	18th (22)	Terry Gibson	Terry Gibson 19	Steve Ogrizovic 46
1985–1986 season	1	17th (22)	Trevor Peake	Terry Gibson 13	Steve Ogrizovic 47
1986–1987 season	1	10th (22)	Steve Ogrizovic	Cyrille Regis 16	Steve Ogrizovic 53	FA Cup Winners: 1987 FA Cup Final; FA Youth Cup Winners
1987–1988 season	1	10th (21)	David Speedie	Cyrille Regis 12	Brian Borrows 45
1988–1989 season	1	7th (20)	David Speedie	David Speedie 15	Brian Borrows 42
1989–1990 season	1	12th (20)	Brian Borrows	David Speedie 9	David Smith 46	Football League Cup Semi-finalists
1990–1991 season	1	16th (20)	Kevin Gallacher	Kevin Gallacher 16	Brian Borrows 47	PFA Merit Award: Tommy Hutchison
1991–1992 season	1	19th (22)	Stewart Robson	Kevin Gallacher 10	Lloyd McGrath 44
1992–1993 season	1	15th (22)	Peter Atherton	Micky Quinn 17	Peter Atherton 42
1993–1994 season	1	11th (22)	Phil Babb	Peter Ndlovu 11	Phil Babb 44
1994–1995 season	1	16th (22)	Brian Borrows	Dion Dublin 16	Steve Ogrizovic 40	PFA Merit Award: Gordon Strachan
1995–1996 season	1	16th (20)	Paul Williams	Dion Dublin 16	John Salako 40
1996–1997 season	1	17th (20)	Dion Dublin	Dion Dublin 13	Steve Ogrizovic 46
1997–1998 season	1	11th (20)	Dion Dublin	Dion Dublin 23	Dion Dublin 43	PFA Merit Award: Steve Ogrizovic
1998–1999 season	1	15th (20)	Richard Shaw	Noel Whelan 13	Magnus Hedman 42	FA Youth Cup Runners-up
1999–2000 season	1	14th (20)	Gary McAllister	Gary McAllister 13	Gary McAllister 43	FA Youth Cup Runners-up
2000–2001 season	1	19th (20)	Gary Breen	Craig Bellamy 8	Craig Bellamy 38	PFA Merit Award: Jimmy Hill
2001–2002 season	2	11th (24)	Gary McAllister	Lee Hughes 15	David Thompson 45
2002–2003 season	2	20th (24)	Muhamed Konjić	Jay Bothroyd 11	Muhamed Konjić 48
2003–2004 season	2	12th (24)	Stephen Warnock	Gary McSheffrey 12	Stephen Warnock 46
2004–2005 season	2	19th (24)	Michael Doyle	Gary McSheffrey 14	Michael Doyle 48
2005–2006 season	2	8th (24)	Gary McSheffrey	Gary McSheffrey 17	Michael Doyle 49
2006–2007 season	2	17th (24)	Andy Marshall	Dele Adebola 9	Andy Marshall 42	Birmingham Senior Cup Winners
2007–2008 season	2	21st (24)	Jay Tabb	Michael Mifsud 17	Jay Tabb 49
2008–2009 season	2	17th (24)	Aron Gunnarsson	Clinton Morrison 12	Keiren Westwood 49	PFA Team of the Year: Danny Fox, Keiren Westwood
2009–2010 season	2	19th (24)	Keiren Westwood	Clinton Morrison 11	Keiren Westwood 46
2010–2011 season	2	18th (24)	Marlon King	Marlon King 13	Richard Keogh 48	FL Fan of the Year: Kevin Monks
2011–2012 season	2	23rd (24)	Richard Keogh	Lukas Jutkiewicz 9	Joe Murphy 47	Championship Apprentice Award: Gaël Bigirimana
2012–2013 season	3	15th (24) †	Carl Baker	David McGoldrick 18	Joe Murphy 56	FLT Northern area finalists; FL Fan of the Year: Pat Raybould
2013–2014 season	3	(24)

Coventry City deducted 10 points by the Football League for going into administration.

Club honours

Notable players

Official Hall of Fame

Player Apps Goals Dave Bennett 187 33 Brian Borrows 474 13 Clarrie Bourton 241 181 Willie Carr 280 36 Mick Coop 485 22 George Curtis 534 13 Jimmy Dougall 237 14 Dion Dublin 168 72

Player Apps Goals Ron Farmer 311 52 Mick Ferguson 141 57 Ian Gibson 101 14 Bill Glazier 402 0 Frank Herbert 200 89 George Hudson 129 75 Ernie Hunt 166 51 Tommy Hutchison 353 30

Player Apps Goals Mick Kearns 382 15 Leslie Jones 144 74 Jock Lauderdale 182 63 George Lowrie 85 59 Ernie Machin 289 39 George Mason 350 8 Reg Matthews 116 0 Steve Ogrizovic 601 1

Player Apps Goals Trevor Peake 330 7 Ronnie Rees 262 52 Cyrille Regis 274 62 Richard Shaw 338 1 Danny Thomas 123 6 Ian Wallace 138 60 Alf Wood 246 0

Player records

• Highest fee paid: Craig Bellamy, £6,500,000 in 2000 from Norwich City
• Highest fee received: Robbie Keane, £13,000,000 in 2000 to Internazionale
• Last goal at Highfield Road: Andrew Whing
• First goal at Ricoh Arena: Claus Bech Jørgensen
• Most appearances (all competitions): Steve Ogrizovic, 601 (1984 to 2000)
• Most appearances (league): Steve Ogrizovic, 504 (1984 to 2000)
• All-time top scorer (all competitions): Clarrie Bourton, 182 goals (1931–1937)
• All-time top scorer (league): Clarrie Bourton, 173 goals (1931–1937)
• Top-flight era top scorer (all competitions): Dion Dublin, 72 goals (1994–1998)
• Top-flight era top scorer (league): Dion Dublin, 60 goals (1994–1998)
• Most goals by one player in a game: Cyrille Regis, 5 (vs Chester City, 1985), Arthur Bacon, 5 (vs Gillingham, 1933), Clarrie Bourton, 5 (vs Bournemouth, 1931)
• Most goals by one player in a season: Clarrie Bourton, 50 (1931–1932) 49 league, 1 FA Cup.
• Most goals by one player in a season in the top flight: Dion Dublin, 23 (1997–1998), Ian Wallace, 23 (1977–1978)
• Oldest player: Alf Wood, 43 years 207 days (vs Plymouth Argyle, 1958)
• Youngest player: Jonson Clarke-Harris, 16 years 20 days (substitute vs Morecambe, 2010)
• Youngest player to start: Brian Hill, 16 years 273 days (vs Gillingham, 1958)

Managers

Rivalries

As of 2012, Coventry fans consider Leicester City, with whom they contest the M69 derby to be their main rivals. Aston Villa are the club's traditional rivals but differing fortunes have somewhat diluted the clubs' dislike of each other. A lesser rivalry also exists with Birmingham City. Other rivals could include Wolves, West Brom, Derby and Nottingham Forest. After being relegated from the Championship in the 2011/2012 season, Walsall was seen as their League One rivals.

References

1. ^ "The Sky Blues – A Brief History". ccfc.co.uk. Coventry City F.C. 7 November 2011. Retrieved 22 September 2012.
2. "City confirm Northampton arrangement". CCFC Official Site. 8 July 2013.
3. "Classic Cup Finals". The Football Association. Retrieved 8 August 2008.
4. "Coventry City Football Club information". Coventry Telegraph. Retrieved 22 September 2012. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
5. "Frozen in time: 7 January 1989 – Sutton upset Coventry in the FA cup". The Guardian. 8 January 2006. Retrieved 22 September 2012. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
6. "The Alan Higgs Centre". covsf.com. Coventry Sports Foundation. Retrieved 22 September 2012.
7. "Coventry City face administration threat over 'unpaid rent'". BBC Sport. BBC. 21 March 2013. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
8. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/22913459
9. Look: Coventry's infamous chocolate brown kit named as the worst strip in English football history, Coventry Telegraph, 6 June 2013. Retrieved 9 June 2013.
10. Bagot, Martin (22 August 2011). "Coventry City fans stage protests outside London's Sisu HQ and Ricoh Arena (videos)". Coventry Telegraph. Retrieved 22 September 2012. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
11. Brown, Jim. "100 Years of Highfield Road". cwn.org.uk. Retrieved 22 September 2012.
12. "Coventry City Factfile: Ricoh Arena". Sky Sports. Retrieved 4 August 2008.
13. "Owners of Sky Blues planning to build Highfield Road II 'just outside' city". Coventry Telegraph. Retrieved 23 May 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
14. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/22856508
15. http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/sport/football/football-news/coventry-city-planning-build-highfield-4003689
16. http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/preston-haskell-bids-buy-coventry-3860193
17. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/22987022
18. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/23163594
19. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-23109981
20. "Coventry City ground share 'a disgrace' MP says". BBC News Coventry and Warwickshire. 11 July 2013. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
21. "Coventry City deducted 10 points by the Football League". 28 March 2013.
22. http://www.thedaisycutter.co.uk/2012/09/football-rivalries-the-survey/
23. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Who_are_coventry_city's_biggest_rivals

External links

• Official club website
• Coventry City F.C. on BBC Sport: Club news – Recent results and fixtures
• Sky Sports Coventry City
• Coventry City Former Players Association

• Articles with bare URLs for citations from July 2013
• Football clubs in England
• Coventry City F.C.
• Premier League clubs
• Football League clubs
• Association football clubs established in 1883
• FA Cup winners
• Football League Championship clubs
• 1883 establishments in England
• Southern Football League clubs
• Football clubs in the West Midlands (county)
• Sport in Coventry