BBC Radio CWR hosted a fans forum with Coventry City owner Doug King on Monday after an unhappy response from fans to the recent dismissal of long-serving manager Mark Robins.
Here are the main takeaways:
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“I fully understand what he has done for this city and this community but I still made the decision”
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He explained how Robins “dismantled” the coaching staff because of internal conflict
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He feels the club are lacking a high-quality first-team coach/tactician but struggled to recruit, though he believes recruitment will not suffer if a head coaching position is offered
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He was surprised by the fans’ reaction and felt he was in a “difficult position”
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There was not a replacement lined up before Robins’ dismissal and the decision was made following a senior management meeting in October
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He does not intend to sell the club and plans to purchase the Coventry Building Society Arena once financially viable
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He has stated that a sporting director will be a “logical position” to add as the club look to appoint a head coach
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He does not want a “revolving door” of managers and wishes to build a “sustainable” club but feels that relegation would “squander” what they have already built, so his next appointment will be crucial
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Robins’ exit has not affected the budget for the upcoming January transfer window
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Head of recruitment Dean Austin on the lack of loan signings: “If we bring loan players in, loan players expect to come in and play – and their clubs expect them to play.”
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Austin spoke about maintaining relationships with other clubs and how he felt loan players would not get a significant amount of playing time.
You can listen to the full fans forum on BBC Sounds
