"They think he gets off the hook" - Claim made on Coventry City star Josh Eccles who "divides opinion" | OneFootball

We asked our Coventry City fan pundit which player has divided the opinion of the fan base.

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 turbulent start to the season, finding themselves 17th in the Championship table and on the hunt for a new manager to replace Mark Robins.

The Sky Blues were hoping to mount another promotion push in the second tier this season, having lost in the play-off final two seasons ago and reached an FA Cup semi-final earlier this year, but things have not quite gone to plan so far.

Long-serving manager, Mark Robins, was relieved of his duties earlier this month after seven years at the helm, a decision which disappointed a number of supporters who felt as though he had earned the right to try and turn the season around.

The former boss is not the only figure who has split opinion at the CBS Arena in recent times, with another longstanding member of the club also having divided supporters, who have been seeking a reason as to why Coventry have been below par during the early months of the 2024/25 campaign.

Josh Eccles has split the opinion of the fans

We asked our fan pundit, Ryan Murphy, who is part of the 'PSB Group' that has aimed to protect the future of Coventry City since the days when SISU owned the club, which player has divided the opinion of supporters, and whether he agrees with any of the criticism they have faced.

Ryan said : "A player that divides opinion is definitely Josh Eccles.

"He has played for us for a number of years now and come right through the academy - I think he joined City's academy aged seven - and he is still there now, and now he is one of the main players that is playing.

"Some fans don't seem to take a liking to him, and they think he gets off the hook a bit because he is a Coventry lad and people are a bit more lenient with him, but I don't believe that is true, the opinion that some have of him.

"I think he is a great player now, and he's matured a lot. We are a lot worse a side when we don't have Josh Eccles playing.

"He is a player that definitely divides opinion, but a player that I believe is vital to the team now and the way we play, so yeah, he is a good player for us."

Josh Eccles will be hoping to kick on under a new manager

Eccles has played more than 130 games for Coventry, all of which were under Mark Robins, and he has been a regular starter so far this season.

The 24-year-old will no doubt be eager to progress alongside his boyhood club under a new manager, with the Sky Blues still having their sights set on promotion to the Premier League in the not too distant future.

Coventry are reportedly in advanced talks to appoint former Chelsea and England midfielder Frank Lampard as their new boss, according to journalist Florian Plettenberg, and while it is not yet a done deal, it could be a move which benefits Eccles.

Lampard is one of the best English players to have played in Eccles' position, so working under the 46-year-old could see the City academy graduate further develop his game and win over the supporters that have questioned him.