Long-serving Championship manager is brutally SACKED after seven years

Coventry City have sacked Mark Robins after seven years in charge and two promotions.

Robins leaves the club 17th in the Championship on the back of a 2-1 defeat by Derby County at home on Wednesday night. They have appointed assistant coach Rhys Carr on an interim basis as they search for Robins' successor. 

In 2022-23 he led them to the Championship play-off final, where they lost on penalties to Luton, and last campaign they were agonisingly knocked out of the FA Cup semi-finals by Manchester United on spot-kicks. 

Robins returned to the Sky Blues in March 2017 for a second stint in charge with the club bottom of League One and was unable to prevent relegation that season.

However, he led them to an immediate promotion and in 2019-20 steered them to the League One title. He was the Football League's longest-serving manager. 

'The club is well aware that this is a difficult moment after over seven very successful years at the helm and this decision is not taken lightly,' Coventry said in a statement. 

'Mark’s achievements at the Sky Blues, often against a backdrop of uncertainty and financial restrictions, will see him remembered and lauded as one of the Club’s greatest ever managers, who was able to galvanise players, staff, fans and the Club as a whole to incredible feats.

'Mark masterminded and built several team over that time that outperformed their budget, outperformed their infrastructure and brought back a playing style, credibility and belief to our City that had been lost and eroded over many years. 

'The performance of the team over an extended period, however, has just not been good enough and as such the board of the club has decided to make an immediate change in leadership.' 

Robins' dismissal serves as a reminder that any boss can be on the chopping block in a cut-throat league which saw 25 managers sacked between May 2023 and April this year. 

For a club near the bottom of the Championship wage bill table, 17th may appear respectable - especially given that Robins had given them three top-half finishes in a row.

Coventry had picked up seven points in five games since the last international break and, before their loss to Derby, had beaten Luton 3-2 and Middlesbrough 3-0 in consecutive games.

They almost knocked Tottenham out of the Carabao Cup third round in September before a late turnaround with goals from Djed Spence and Brennan Johnson knocked them out. 

Reacting to Robins' sacking, respected EFL pundit Gabriel Sutton said: 'I remember sitting on a bus with Coventry fans, shortly before he joined: talk of dread for the future. 

'Many are to thank for the turnaround but none more so than Mark Robins. He leaves an extraordinary legacy - one of the greatest associations in Football League history.'

One fan wrote: 'Mark Robins. The first 17 years of my life were full of heartache and disappointment from Coventry. You came in and gave me the 7 best years of my life. 2 Promotions, an FA Cup Semi-Final, a Championship play-off final. You made me love Coventry again. Thank you legend.' 

Another said: 'I’m absolutely disgusted! I don’t even have words for how angry and sad this decision makes me. We created something different. Something most clubs don’t have. They’ve killed it. Mark Robins was the greatest manager in our history.' 

Robins started his playing career with Manchester United and played as a striker in the Premier League with Norwich and Leicester. 

His winning goal against Nottingham Forest in the third round of the 1990-91 FA Cup has often been credited with saving Sir Alex Ferguson's job. 

As a manager he has taken charge of Rotherham, Barnsley, Huddersfield, Scunthorpe, and Coventry twice.