Sky Sports pundit warns Doug King after Coventry City call by using Brentford FC example

Sky Sports pundit warns Doug King after Coventry City call by using Brentford FC example

Don Goodman, a Sky Sports analyst, has questioned Coventry City’s decision to fire Mark Robins, saying Doug King ought to have used Brentford as an illustration of how results sometimes take time to materialise.

The Sky Blues have had an extremely challenging and subpar start to the season, and after 15 games, they are currently 17th in the Championship table, only one point above the relegation zone.

Given their previous success—Coventry has finished in the top half of the league in each of their last three second-tier campaigns—few would have imagined the team to be in this position at this time.

Last week, Robins was relieved of his responsibilities. King, the owner of the West Midlands club, attributed his departure from the CBS Arena after seven years to a falling out between the now-ex-manager and his assistant, Adi Viveash.

Goodman makes verdict on Robins sacking

Since it was disclosed on November 7, the decision to fire Robins has drawn a lot of criticism, particularly when considering his prior performances.

The Sky Blues have not always been among the best starts and frequently take a little longer than their competitors to get going, but once they do, it is very hard to stop them.

Goodman thinks that Coventry is simply performing below expectations and has likened the scenario at the CBS Arena to that of Brentford when they originally signed Thomas Frank.

“They’ve created the fifth-highest XG and have missed a lot of chances in key moments,” he said.”Coventry has had difficulty gaining the points they have earned because of this.

“I remember when Thomas Frank replaced Dean Smith at Brentford but only won one of his first 10 games. It would have been easy for their hierarchy to get rid of Thomas Frank but they looked at the performance levels and data… and look where they are now.”

According to Goodman: “There are a few underperforming clubs such as Middlesbrough, who should definitely have more points than they do, Coventry are just another one.”

Coventry have been extremely wasteful this season

On the pitch, they haven’t had bad performances, despite their league standing being a reason for concern. Without a doubt, they would have been far further up the table if certain circumstances had worked out.

Callum O’Hare, Gustavo Hamer, and Viktor Gyorkeres are just a few of the standout players that Coventry has lost in recent years. They have all left the team for better opportunities.

With 27, the Sky Blues have missed as many significant opportunities as both Leeds United and Norwich City combined thus far this season. The fact that they have only had 35 significant opportunities in 2024–2025 demonstrates how many chances they are losing.

Although they have scored 20 goals, it is evident that their strikers are not playing well right now, and Robins could have done nothing more to improve their form. According to FotMob, their xG rate of 21.1 is the fifth-highest in the championship.

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