“We literally had the worst owners” - Coventry City fanbase urged to show faith in Doug King | OneFootball

Coventry City fan pundit Ryan has urged supporters to remember how far they have come under owner Doug King.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Coventry City have had a very poor start to the season, with Mark Robins’ side currently in the relegation zone after 11 games.

Having reached the play-off final in the 2022/23 season, the Sky Blues pushed for a top six finish once again in the previous campaign, whilst they were millimetres away from reaching the FA Cup final.

Therefore, promotion was the aim this time around, so the opening few months of the season have been concerning.

Naturally, that has brought criticism of key figures at the club, with some supporters questioning Robins despite his excellent record over the years. And, another person who has been questioned is owner Doug King, particularly by some on social media.

Doug King has transformed Coventry City

However, when asked by FLW about the anger directed at King, FLW's Sky Blues fan pundit Ryan Murphy was keen to remind supporters just how bleak Coventry’s outlook was before he came to the club.

“I think our fans have very short memories. We literally had the worst owners in world football with SISU. We had to ground share, we were taken out of Coventry, it was heartbreaking.

“They also played a massive hand in us losing the stadium that was built for Coventry, and we’ll probably never own it.

“So, King was a breath of fresh air, and it started off great, but the honeymoon period is well and truly over it seems, but I can see what he is trying to do. He has spent millions on the training ground, which was neglected by the previous owners. He has spent money on the stadium that he doesn’t even own to make the fan experience better, and the facilities better for the players, and a new pitch.

“He has also spent a lot of money on the squad, so criticism is harsh for me.”

As well as that, he felt that there are plenty of examples to suggest that King is still striving to make the Sky Blues better - with King putting his money where his mouth is to do just that.

“He has brought in coaches, and sports scientists and performance analysts, which people are moaning about because the performances have been terrible since these people have come in, but, if you look at successful clubs, these positions are filled, and they previously weren’t at Coventry.

“So, you can see what he’s trying, he’s trying to kick us on, and I don’t mind an owner coming and trying to make you better. Yes, he will fail in certain ways, but you can see he is trying. Our previous owners just neglected us, they didn’t care, whereas you can see this guy cares and he is really trying.

“He is going to make mistakes, and he has openly said he will make mistakes, but as long as we learn from it, and have a bit of patience as fans, I think we’re in good hands.

“People really need to remember who we had before, and what we have now. As a player and a fan, the experience is a lot better. So, all we need to do is sort the form out on the pitch.”

Yet, Ryan also acknowledged that some errors were made by Coventry in the summer, as he highlighted the failure to sign a central midfielder as something that has proven costly in the opening part of the season.

“The central midfield area, it was criminal not to bring someone in. When we lost Gus Hamer, he still hasn’t been replaced. That was a massive mistake in the transfer window, and we need a central midfielder. We can’t rely on Ben Sheaf, he is injured a lot and when he has come back, he is not in top form.

“He has made mistakes, but I believe if we have patience, we can kick on. King has done great transfer deals, in and out of the club. Viktor Gyokeres had a year left on his contract and we got around £20m, and future installments, and sell-on fees.

“He has not done bad. If Gyokeres had been sold when SISU were here he would’ve gone for £5-6m, and we wouldn’t have seen any of it in the squad, so people need to remember these things.”

Coventry City fans need to show patience

There’s no doubt that Coventry have underachieved this season, so fan frustration is understandable.

In that instance, you always look to the people at the top, so King and Robins were always going to be in the firing line.

But, it’s important that Coventry fans step back, realise what the duo have done for the club, and give them time to get things right again.

This is just a bad run over a couple of months, and it can’t take away from the outstanding work Robins has done in the past, nor the fact that King came into Coventry when there were doubts about their very future as a club.

So, whilst this is tough, there’s enough evidence to say they will get it right.