Heroes & Villains – Coventry City
Hero – Jimmy Hill
Jimmy Hill revolutionised Coventry City after taking charge of the club at the age of 33. He became manager after retiring as a player in 1961 and in the six years that he spent at Highfield Road, changed the club drastically.
One of the first changes Hill oversaw was a colour change of Coventry’s home shirts. Sky blue was the colour that was chosen, replacing x. They still wear sky blue to this day.
Highfield Road had a makeover too with two new stands being built. ‘The Sky Blue Revolution’ as it became known under Hill, was well under-way.
On the field successes came too, with the Third Division title being won in the 1963/64 season, Hill’s second full season in charge. This was followed by the Second Division title three years later and Coventry were in the top flight for the first time in their history. They would stay in the highest division for 34 years.
Hill left Highfield Road in 1967, a few weeks before the start of the 1967/68 season to start a career in broadcasting. He was to return to the club in 1975 to become the Managing Director and then the Chairman.
Villains – SISU
SISU (or SISU Capital Limited to give them their full title) bought Coventry City back in 2008 and City fans have had a turbulent time ever since! Many protests by the fans have taken place over the running of the club over recent years and for very good reason.
Within four years of SISU taking ownership, Coventry slipped down to the third tier of English football. This was the first time in 48 years that they had played outside the top two leagues.
A year later and SISU put the club into administration. Worse was to follow as the club moved out of Coventry and into the temporary surroundings of Northampton Town’s Sixfields stadium.
Things began to look desperate for Coventry fans in 2017 when the club were relegated to League Two, but come up again via the play-offs. Two Wembley visits do little to brighten the mood.
The club are now groundsharing with Birmingham City, playing their home games at St Andrew’s, almost 20 miles from the Ricoh Arena.
About Author
