CET:
SHAW, INCE AND ROBINS IN FRAME FOR MANAGER'S POST
RICHARD Shaw has made the shortlist of three candidates to take over as the new boss of Coventry City.
He is understood to be going head to head with Paul Ince and former Manchester United striker Mark Robins, who cut his managerial teeth at Rotherham and Barnsley.
All were due to have second interviews with City chiefs today as the three-horse race hots up for the permanent manager's job at the Ricoh Arena.
The Telegraph revealed last week that former England international Ince was among the list of nine candidates from 65 applicants, along with Richard Money and Phil Brown.
But 42-year-old Robins has emerged as one of the front runners, currently out of work after parting company with Championship side Barnsley in 2011 due to reported “differences“ with the board. Prior to that he had a relatively successful two-year spell with Rotherham United who he kept consistently in the automatic promotion places in League One and almost got them up despite a 17-point deduction.
Meanwhile Shaw also has the task of preparing the Sky Blues for tomorrow's trip to Shrewsbury, a match they go into joint bottom of League One (just above Colchester on goal difference) after two late goals denied them a share with leaders Tranmere on Saturday.
And midfielder Carl Baker admits that the players have compromised the caretaker manager's chances by suffering three straight league defeats since the departure of Andy Thorn. He confessed: “We feel low because we have let Shawsy down ­ we wanted him to get the job and if we had won the games he's been in charge I think he would definitely have got it.
“After such a great performance in the Birmingham game, the lads wanted to kick on but unfortunately it never went that way.
“I don't want to keep saying we've been unlucky because you can't be that unlucky but we haven't had a rub of the green and it's like that when you're down at the bottom.“
Baker conceded that the uncertainty has unsettled the players: “At the minute no-one knows if they are coming or going so I think they need to get it sorted as soon as possible.
“When Andy Thorn went, the lads all wanted Shawsy and Lee Carsley to take over because they really like them. But obviously results haven't gone our way so something needs to happen and sooner rather than later. Whether they give it to Shawsy or get someone new in I think everyone would have wanted it done already to be honest.
“I'd be lying if I said the lads don't talk about it a lot. It has been difficult in training when you know someone new might be coming in and wondering whether he is going to like you or change formation or personnel, or whatever.
“The lads know that they need to start performing better because at the minute whoever comes in, I think, will probably change the whole team because it's not good enough. This is Coventry City Football Club ­ a massive club ­ and it doesn't deserve to be where it is.
“The fans don't deserve to come to places like this and give two goals away like we have. The players are frustrated but it must be even worse for the fans, so we need to start pulling our fingers out and playing for 90 minutes.
“At the minute it is not acceptable and whoever comes in is going to have a tough job to be honest.“
Shaw was understandably angry and frustrated after seeing City play reasonably well and look comfortable for the majority of the game, only to come undone with two goals in the space of four minutes at the end after failing to score themselves when the opportunities arose. But the caretaker boss remains confident that he can turn things round.
“Decision making at both ends is massive in League One and at the moment we're not taking chances and conceding poor goals,“ he said.
“I am not saying it's a disaster because it is only six games gone and you are talking about 120 points to play for, but we need to rectify it sooner rather than later.
“When the players make errors like that you can't legislate for it. It's just the way the players have been recently and, for whatever reason, they can't seem to put 90 minutes together.
“There are a lot of positives and people who weren't here won't have seen the game. I've seen it with my eyes and I thought we played all right at times but the bottom line is we didn't get any points and got beat 2-0, and that's what will be written about in the papers.
“We can't keep coming in after every game and feeling sorry for ourselves. At some stage it will click and they'll see it through.
“We said at half time that they had done well and dug in, and even the first 15 minutes of the second half when Tranmere were on top they saw that difficult period through but I just think they get to a stage when some of them think they've done enough. Good players don't do that.“ Asked about the managerial situation, he said: “Forget that.
I'm just so disappointed ­ not just for myself but for the players because they need to be stronger with each other and start battling away and getting results. That's my only concern at the moment.“
