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The Opposition View: Coventry City - Fratton Faithful

 

The Opposition View: Coventry City

Last updated : 22 March 2013 By Jim Bonner

What exactly is going on at your club at the moment? Are you going to be kicked out of the Ricoh Arena and how close are you to administration?

It's an exceptionally confusing situation that only a select few truly actually understand. On Thursday evening there were rumours that we were to be kicked out of the Ricoh and that we would be playing at another ground in the West Midlands. We know that SISU has been talking to another club in the West Midlands about that situation should it arise. Early Friday morning, ACL (the company that runs the Ricoh) said it wasn't going to be kicking the club out of the Ricoh. Whether SISU decide to play there or not is a different issue. 

We're pretty close to administration, the court case was Friday morning and it was adjourned to Tuesday due to SISU putting a subsidiary of the football club (Coventry City Football Club Limited) into administration. It appears an attempt by the owners to avoid entering administration and the points deduction that comes with it. In reality, we're likely to go into administration on Tuesday and face a points deduction now and next season. 

How do you rate this season given all the upheaval?

On a personal level i've really enjoyed it, the opportunity to go to new grounds has been great. We've been awful at home and given the fact I only really attend away games due to my location it's been fun. I think we've done about what was expected of us considering we had such an atrocious start to the season. In reality, we should be in the playoff places but our home form has cost us. It's hard to tell whether the off the pitch stuff has had much of an impact on the pitch. 

Were you happy with Steven Pressley's appointment and how do Coventry fans feel about Mark Robins now?

Steven Pressley wasn't everybody's first choice but I think most are fairly happy with his appointment. He has a decent record of bringing through youth players and with our financial state as it is, that could be invaluable. He's been in charge for 3 games and we've won 2 and drawn 1 so you can't complain too much.

With regards to Robins, lots of fans (including myself) are pretty pissed off with him. What hurt most was the way he talked up his love for the club and his long term plans for it. Many felt stabbed in the back when he left. Personally, I thought he was doing a decent job but no more than that, with the players he had he achieved about what was expected. Some however did rate him higher because we've done a lot better than in recent seasons. 

Who are the key players in this Coventry team that Pompey fans should look out for on Saturday?

Our two biggest threats (Leon Clarke and Carl Baker) are out injured so from that point of view it's a bit of a weakened team from us. Cody McDonald has a point to prove and I expect him to kick on from his goal on Saturday and hopefully get a few more before the end of the season.

Gary McSheffrey has come into some stick recently, which culminated in him getting booed off when he was substituted last Saturday, whether he'll attempt to silence them is a different matter though. 

What are the biggest weaknesses in this Sky Blues team that Pompey could exploit during the game?

The midfield in general is pretty weak, we struggle to control games and often get overrun in midfield by teams that are  lot worse than us. When teams have packed the midfield they've tended to do quite well against us as we can't get the ball down and play.

Jordan Stewart will most likely be playing at left back and he's quite unfit having not played any games bar last Saturday this season, so he might be someone to exploit. 

What kind of match are you expecting at Fratton Park?

Steven Pressley has seemed to make games a little tighter so I can't see there being too many goals. It'll probably be quite scrappy, especially with Pompey fighting to stay in the division. 

Predict the outcome of the game.

Due to the fact we're pretty good away from home I reckon we'll nick it 2-1.