Mark Robins has praised Coventry for being “one game away from achieving a dream” at the end of a season in which he accepts he might have been sacked.
Coventry meet Luton in the Sky Bet Championship play-off final on Saturday with a Premier League place and the millions of pounds that come with such status at stake.
Yet Coventry – who played seven of their opening nine league games away from the CBS Arena this season after the Commonwealth Games’ Rugby Sevens wrecked the pitch – were bottom of the Championship on October 19 and still in the relegation zone as November began.
“We are one game away from achieving a dream and changing the club’s future very quickly,” said manager Robins.
“This season has been exceptional in terms of the start we were handed and all the well documented issues that we had.
“The fact I remained in post when others didn’t. Bottom of the league in October, it’s generally unacceptable.
“That’s been something you look back on and say, ‘OK, that could have happened but it didn’t’.
“We managed to navigate our way through a really difficult period and come out the other side.
“The supporters understood the situation and really backed it, and without them it wouldn’t have happened.
“That’s why it makes it so special because, for me, the biggest achievement since I came through the door is the reconnection between players and supporters and long may that continue.”
Robins’ second Coventry spell – he spent five months there before leaving for Huddersfield in February 2013 – began in March 2017 with the Sky Blues bottom of League One and doomed to relegation.
Coventry claimed promotion the following season with a Wembley play-off final victory over Exeter, and Robins repeated the trick in the Covid-hit campaign of 2019-20 as the club returned to the second tier of English football for the first time since 2012.
Success was more notable as it was achieved against the backdrop of playing in Birmingham between 2019 and 2021 due to a rent dispute.
A sense of calm did not arrive until January when Doug King completed a full takeover of the club, while last month’s agreement of a five-year deal to continue playing at the the CBS Arena has provided further stability.
“I’ve had so much turbulence here that my first job at Rotherham stood me in good stead,” said Robins, recalling the 2008-09 League Two season when the Millers were deducted 17 points and Luton lost 30 for breaching Football League insolvency rules.
“The game is one for the romantics because of the journeys both clubs have been on.
“Luton dropped out of the league when I started my managerial career and found it very difficult to come back from that position.
“It took them five years to get back in and they have had a phenomenal run ever since.”
Coventry lost only once in their final 17 games to finish fifth in the Championship and they edged out highly fancied Middlesbrough in their play-off semi-final.
But Robins said: “We are under no illusions Luton are going to be made favourites because they finished 10 points ahead of us in the division.
“Luton are a really good team with some good technical players and have the power to go with that. That’s why they finished third.
“They are a year ahead of us in their development (Luton were play-off semi-finalists last season) and are expected to go up. No one expected us to be in this game.
“But the change of ownership has accelerated our five-year plan by five years. We’ve got to try and and finish this off, but to be in a position to do that is in itself incredible.”
Rabiot seals Ligue 1 return with Marseille transfer
Adrien Rabiot's wait to find a new club is finally over after his move to Marseille was officially confirmed on Tuesday.
Rabiot joins the Ligue 1 club following his departure from Juventus at the end of last season and has signed a two-year contract with Roberto De Zerbi's side.
The 29-year-old was reportedly of interest to several Premier League clubs, including Manchester United, but the France international has opted to return to his homeland.
Rabiot offers the French outfit an experienced option in midfield, having made 163 Ligue 1 appearances during his seven-year stint with Paris Saint-Germain.
He won 18 major titles during his time with the Parisiens before making the move to Juventus in 2019.
The Frenchman appeared 212 times in all competitions for the Serie A giants, netting 22 times and laying on a further 15 assists across his five-year stay in Turin.
In his final season with Juventus, Rabiot made 31 league appearances, with his 39 tackles won a total only bettered by Bremer (42) and Manuel Locatelli (43) in their squad.
Rabiot becomes the latest addition to a Marseille side that has started the new campaign with 10 points from their opening four games under new head coach De Zerbi.
Roma part ways with De Rossi following winless Serie A start
Roma have confirmed the sacking of head coach Daniele De Rossi after the Italian failed to win any of his first four Serie A games this season.
De Rossi replaced Jose Mourinho as interim boss back in January, and had only signed a contract extension with the club in June until 2027.
But a run of three draws and one defeat to start the new campaign has seen the 41-year-old part ways with the club he made 616 appearances for as a player.
Roma's draw with Genoa last Sunday marked only the fourth time in their history after 1974-75, 1984-85 and 2010-11 that the Giallorossi had failed to win any of their first four Serie A games.
Koni De Winter's late leveller for Genoa also extended Roma's barren run to just one win from their last 11 games in all competitions (drawn six and lost four).
"AS Roma announces that Daniele De Rossi has been relieved of his duties as head coach of the first team," a club statement said.
"The club's decision is made in the best interests of the team, to get back on the desired path as soon as possible at a time when the season is still in its early stages.
"A heartfelt thank you to Daniele, who will always be at home at the Giallorossi club, for the work he has done in recent months with passion and dedication.
"Communication regarding the team's technical guidance will follow."
The Italian oversaw 30 games in charge of Roma in all competitions, winning 14 of those (drawn nine and lost seven), while scoring 46 goals.
His time at the Stadio Olimpico came to an end having averaged 1.70 points per match, accumulating a total win percentage of 46.67%.
Ancelotti lauds 'unique' Endrick after Champions League debut
Carlo Ancelotti hailed Endrick's display in Real Madrid's 3-1 win over Stuttgart in the Champions League, saying he has unique gifts that set him apart.
Endrick emerged from the bench to notch Madrid's final goal of a nervy encounter, striking from distance and beating Alexander Nubel in the bottom corner.
The Brazilian's effort saw him become the youngest South American player to score on his Champions League debut, aged 18 years and 58 days.
Endrick is also the youngest to score on his Los Blancos debut in the competition, overtaking Javier Portillo in 2002 (19 years, 355 days).
"He is able to do things that no-one can think of," Ancelotti said.
"He has the gift that strikers dream of, the gift of being very effective, decisive.
"You can see that he has something special, something I have never seen. And he has such a strong and very fast shooting.
"Endrick had courage because it was the last ball of the game.
"The best solution was to take advantage of the three against one, with Vinicius and Rodrygo open in the wings, but he did it very well, even though it was perhaps the most complicated solution."
But the reigning champions did not have it all their own way at the Santiago Bernabeu, with their German opposition creating several opportunities on the night.
Stuttgart ended the match with 17 shots, seven of which were on target, while also producing an expected goals (xG) tally of 1.94 compared to Madrid's 2.61.
However, they were thwarted by the hands of Thibaut Courtois, with the Belgian making six saves throughout the contest.
Ancelotti was pleased with his side's start to the defence of their European crown, but said improvements were needed if they were to secure a 16th Champions League title.
"If anyone thinks that winning games is easy, they are wrong," Ancelotti said.
“I have coached more than 200 games in the Champions League and I can't remember a game without suffering.
"Nobody knows better than Real Madrid what it's like to win a Champions League with suffering.
"We are still trying to find our best version. It's a work in progress."
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