Would robins Be our greatest ever manager if we were promoted (8 Viewers)

[Blind-Faith]

Has taken us from bottom division to potentially the top division. 2 wins at Wembley with possibility of a third.

Had all the off field issues to deal with, played at a different stadium , hasn’t had that much money to spend on transfers + wages compared to other teams.

If he gets us up via the playoffs = Greatest ever hands down

 

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[skybluetony176]

He’s up there. Certainly the best since 87 so certainly the best of the modern era. Subjectively against the best of the other era’s I think it’s fair to say the best of all time all things considered. Other managers achieved under progressive boards with a forward looking vision for the club. Robins achieved under SISU and for that reason alone it gives him extra kudos. If he did the unthinkable and we win promotion to the premier league I can’t see how anyone can argue otherwise.

 

[Evo1883]

We paid £750k in league one didn’t we for godden? Who else had that luxury?

Portsmouth signed marquis for 1.7 mill , Ipswich signed a player for 700k , Peterborough spent 800k on eisa

Some clubs paid multiple 2/300k fees

 

[hinckley cov]

Jimmy Hill did a great job , but Robin’s has had to deal with financial trouble and moving grounds and should have a statue next to Jimmy one day.

 

[bigfatronssba]

I’d say Robins is the best.

Jimmy Hill did a great job, but he was backed by a supportive chairman. Plus it was in an era where money wasn’t so important.

Sillett again did a great job. But we were an established top flight team. Winning the FA cup was something that we should’ve been capable of doing anyway.

 

[Evo1883]

I’d say Robins is the best.

Jimmy Hill did a great job, but he was backed by a supportive chairman. Plus it was in an era where money wasn’t so important.

Sillett again did a great job. But we were an established top flight team. Winning the FA cup was something that we should’ve been capable of doing anyway.

I'd say it harder now to win the fa cup than ever , we definitely won it at the right time

 

[bigfatronssba]

I'd say it harder now to win the fa cup than ever , we definitely won it at the right time

Evidenced by the fact that Wimbledon won it the year after.

Didn’t Oxford & Luton win the league cup around that time as well?

 

[Grendel]

Evidenced by the fact that Wimbledon won it the year after.

Didn’t Oxford & Luton win the league cup around that time as well?

Does a top 10 finish in the top flight mean nothing?

 

[Evo1883]

Does a top 10 finish in the top flight mean nothing?

It definitely does at a club like ours

 

[skybluetony176]

We paid £750k in league one didn’t we for godden? Who else had that luxury?

We funded it with the sales of Chaplin and Baylis didn’t we? 2 out on a fee to get 1 in. Doesn’t sound like a luxury to me.

 

[SkyblueDad]

Yes, from what he started with on his second coming, whats had to be endured in his six years, we’ve progressed every year. the luck from the start of this season, having to sell his best defender as the season was about to kick-off and bring in a rookie replacement and regularly play kids in every game. JH will always be up there but remember time wise almost the same Robins has made the same journey should we make it.

 

[bigfatronssba]

Does a top 10 finish in the top flight mean nothing?

Not after we’d already been in the division for 20 years.

Thinking that an established top flight team finishing in the top 10 is a success is exactly the mentality that has held us back for the past 50 years

 

[Sick Boy]

If he manages to get us promoted at some point then yes. He seemed to learn a lot from the League 2 season.

 

[PVA]

Yes Luton and Millwall are clear examples of that

And errr... Coventry.

 

[Bad Boy]

I am fortunate to know the JH era.
Football and more especially the city of Coventry was a very different place to what it is now.
Our football club has been blessed with a handful of very special people at the managerial helm and Mark Robins is up there with the very best without question.

 

[rob9872]

Don't care if he is or isn't just build the statue and get one of George and John too.

 

[Deleted member 9744]

You couldn’t finish 6th and get promoted

Do you still think we should have sacked him and replaced him with someone like Kenny Jackett?

Do you accept he has done well even?

 

[HuckerbyDublinWhelan]

I get what Grendel is saying - you can’t compare eras. Someone like Milne as he stated had to sell players and pick us up from a financial US disaster - all whilst keeping us in the top flight.

robins is great for me because in the modern era it isn’t common for someone to take a team from League Two to the prem, there’s Eddie Howe I can think of, but not many more. Eddie Howe had a Russian billionaire from league one upwards.

 

[Esoterica]

Are we in a day in age where Mark robins could influence English football as a manager ?

The things mentioned as I stated are things you'd see a chairman do and have little bearing on managerial ability

The only way I could see him influencing English football now is if he got us promoted to the PL and other chairman looked at how long he's been in charge for and started giving managers longer than 6-18 months to build something. Don't think that's ever going to happen though with the money at stake.

 

[Flying Fokker]

Surely it was Jimmy Hill,

He was entrepreneurial, innovative, motivational and a leader. Robins cannot be compared to Hill in the same way of course. Hill would have handled everything thrown at him even if it was similar to City over the past 15 years.

 

[Flying Fokker]

It's a nonsense to disregard just how influential Hill was. That's what makes him unique! That's what makes him great!

And if Hill were manging now, he'd be trying to progress football now, just as he did as chairman. That was more... mixed, to put it mildly (Ian Wallace in exchange for the connexion, losing money on buying an overseas football team... although of course both those are commonplace now, as was the all seater stadium - and sponsorship), but he'd be finding ways you and I hadn't even thought of, to make the club at the forefront of football.

And that's why he's up there! You can't take away why he is just because!

I’m with you. Although I did look at the current league table under the old 2pts for win system…. We’d be looking for 1 more win to get in the playoffs.

 

[procdoc]

This keeps coming up but it’s an impossible measure

It’s not really. I judge him by what he has achieved against the odds. You wanted him gone every season

 

[bigfatronssba]

Surely it was Jimmy Hill,

He was entrepreneurial, innovative, motivational and a leader. Robins cannot be compared to Hill in the same way of course. Hill would have handled everything thrown at him even if it was similar to City over the past 15 years.

But the thing is JH didn’t have to deal with that.

We can’t judge on hypotheticals. Otherwise we could say that Phil Neal would’ve coped just as well with what Robins has had to deal with

 

[pusbccfc]

If he got us promoted, he'd be one of the greatest in football history. Getting Coventry promoted with everything that has happened in the last 10 years is up there with Leicester winning the Premier League.

 

[Bad Boy]

Not after we’d already been in the division for 20 years.

Thinking that an established top flight team finishing in the top 10 is a success is exactly the mentality that has held us back for the past 50 years

Mentality isnt/wasn't what held us back bigfatronssba it was the simple fact that a lot of clubs were better than us.
There was and still is no lack of effort and desire and there were plenty that had a vision but couldn't unlock the formula to success.
Please don't let the SISU years cloud your judgement. We're a proud football club with fans as passionate as any other clubs and it wasn't for the lack of trying to reach for the Sky.

 

[Flying Fokker]

But the thing is JH didn’t have to deal with that.

We can’t judge on hypotheticals. Otherwise we could say that Phil Neal would’ve coped just as well with what Robins has had to deal with

Robins is a different person. He is worthy of praise but Hill knew How to lead from the front. Why hasn’t been picked up by the prem? Jimmy Hill took on the mantle of CCFC and came back.
Robins may take us to the Prem and keep us there. In which case, he will be putting up a good atgument. Then there is the notion that CCFC/ football was modernized by Hill.

Two different beasts. Anyway, enjoy the journey. We are on the up and there is some great positivity.

 

[pusbccfc]

I think what people need to remember is all the names that came through the door to manage Coventry since 2001 and not one even came close to any success. They need to remember just what we've seen as Coventry fans.

We've seen it all at Coventry in the past 20 odd years. We had fans watching from a hill in Northampton and followed the club to Birmingham every week. We've had seasons, like 2011/12, where we were fielding kids. Transfer embargo's, points deductions, 3 relegations, chairmen who wanted 'text a sub', had our stadium snatched from us. We've had to play on pitches not fit for Sunday league because of the rugby.

And even this season, we were forced to postpone games and play at fucking Burton Albion and had to sell a centre half to balance things.

Robins has his faults, we've all been frustrated at times because of his arrogance, but everything turned around the moment he stepped back into the door. Maybe SISU improved, maybe Boddy changed things but the biggest difference was Robins and, later on, Adi working their magic.

Whatever happens this season, we should be very proud and appreciate just what we've seen this year.

 

[bigfatronssba]

Robins is a different person. He is worthy of praise but Hill knew How to lead from the front. Why hasn’t been picked up by the prem? Jimmy Hill took on the mantle of CCFC and came back.
Robins may take us to the Prem and keep us there. In which case, he will be putting up a good atgument. Then there is the notion that CCFC/ football was modernized by Hill.

Two different beasts. Anyway, enjoy the journey. We are on the up and there is some great positivity.

One thing I would say is Robins got lucky as to when he took over. Sisu were so hated that almost all frustration over a bad performance was directed at them rather than him

 

[SkyblueDad]

We paid £750k in league one didn’t we for godden? Who else had that luxury?

We had sold Mark McNulty for £1.5 million I’d say that was a decent and productive swop.

 

[covcity4life]

Or is he already ?

Is already imo. Would love to see him complete the journey and manage us in prem.

But then the journey to champions league begins

 

[rob9872]

As i understood it, Godden was 350 rising to 750, but the counter argument McNulty was only 800 rising in the same way.

A lot of the points made ref Hill are all valid and he was innovative, but much of it for wider football and not just ccfc.

 

[HuckerbyDublinWhelan]

We had sold Mark McNulty for £1.5 million I’d say that was a decent and productive swop.

As i understood it, Godden was 350 rising to 750, but the counter argument McNulty was only 800 rising in the same way.

A lot of the points made ref Hill are all valid and he was innovative, but much of it for wider football and not just ccfc.

Pretty sure there was a conor Chaplin purchase in between

 

[SkyblueDad]

Surely it was Jimmy Hill,

He was entrepreneurial, innovative, motivational and a leader. Robins cannot be compared to Hill in the same way of course. Hill would have handled everything thrown at him even if it was similar to City over the past 15 years.

I think there needs to be some realism regarding Jimmy Hill,a lot gets ignored, he was my first ccfc manager as a kid and teenager, a hero and proved a number of times he knew football and knew a footballer, bought great talent in a number from non-league but he only stayed five years and on the eve, yes the eve of our debut first division game he announced his resignation, out of the blue, nobody had an inkling not even the players, in later years I knew Ronnie Farmer through work and local football, I’ll call him a friend, he told me it was like being thumped in the guts and you couldn’t get it out of your mind. Also forgotten no new blood was brought in for the higher division, all promoted teams need one or two better players. We really struggled that year to stay up, we did by the skin of our teeth, all be it in hindsight it was Hills fault.
Robins has proved loyal absolutely certain he’s had offer to move on probably higher wages but stayed.

 

[skybluetony176]

Pretty sure there was a conor Chaplin purchase in between

There was. It was his sale to Barnsley and the sale of Baylis to PNE that funded the purchase of Godden.

 

[Deleted member 5849]

Robins has proved loyal

Apart from when he sodded off to Huddersfield.