Coventry City owner points finger at Mark Robins and insists brutal sacking 'had to be done'
Mark Robins was brutally sacked as Coventry City boss earlier this month, but owner Doug King has defended his decision citing a fallout between the manager and his assistant Adi Viveash
by Neil Moxley · The MirrorCoventry City owner Doug King has fronted up following Mark Robins’s sacking saying: ‘It had to be done.’
That was the good news for Sky Blues’s supporters in the wake of the sacking of the former Manchester United striker. But the bad is that instead of clarifying the situation, it’s only raised more questions.
King took full responsibility for his actions in showing the Championship’s longest-serving boss the door. Appearing before a packed audience in the media centre at the club’s stadium, he laid bare the reasons behind his actions.
But the manner in which he did it - by suggesting that Robins and assistant Adi Viveash had been involved in a major bust-up - lacked elegance.
Asked why he sacked Robins - and referring to the drop-off in form following Coventry’s defeat to Manchester United in the FA Cup semi-final - King said: “He (Robins) dismantled the coaching staff at this football club. That’s the thing people don’t realise.
“The fall-off following the semi-final was obvious. I told Mark to take time out and have a rest. But then I had a call from Mark saying he could no longer work with Adi Viveash. That annoyed me.”
King said he was at liberty to disclose the fall-out - but this tells only one side of the story - and fans are unlikely to hear the other. Following every managerial exit, there is a severance payment - and a non-disclosure agreement accompanies that.
This legal document buys any manager’s silence - in Robins’s case, he’s probably waiting on a 12-month pay-off in the region of £750,000. No sane individual will jeopardise that by breaking their silence. And that probably goes for Viveash, who will be enjoying a smaller, but similar, notice period.
The argument that underpinned King’s position throughout his grilling was his assertion that the group of players assembled was up to the job of reaching the play-offs. Referring repeatedly to the ‘deck’ instead of ‘squad’ of players, he said he could not risk this group being relegated.
He said: “You could argue this has been a big mistake - and that’s fair enough. I say it was necessary to protect - and not squander - what has been created through the sale of high-quality players.
“Sometimes a tough decision has to be made. I’m sorry it had to be. I like Mark Robins and we’ve had good times together - but it had to be made.” However, King also suggested that no suitable assistant with the kind of coaching credentials he wanted could be found.
A sporting director would usually be charged with that task. Coventry City do not have one. If he can’t find a top-class coach, the argument goes, how could he source a new manager? Frank Lampard is one of the 60 applicants who forwarded their CVs in the wake of Robins’ departure.
The club has said it will take its time to vet their claims. Coventry’s owner has few people within his inner circle who possess genuine football experience. He might think that sacking Robins was the tough part. As a new owner, he will soon find out it wasn’t.
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