'Glorious light' goes out - shock at Robins' Coventry exit

Even the English Football League's astir durable manager has succumbed.

Thursday's sacking of Mark Robins by Coventry City is different stark reminder that the ruthlessness of shot - and its insatiable request for winning - comes for each brag successful the end.

And so, aft 7 years, 8 months and 1 day, Robins' 2nd reign astatine the nine is over. Ended aft decision by Derby County - their seventh successful 14 Championship games.

Only Manchester City's Pep Guardiola has stayed astatine 1 nine longer, crossed the apical 4 divisions, than the 54-year-old erstwhile Manchester United striker managed with the Sky Blues successful his 2nd stint.

But, contempt 4 Wembley trips, 2 promotions, a trophy win, and an FA Cup semi-final fewer volition ever forget, Coventry proprietor Doug King has opted to spell successful a caller direction.

BBC Sport looks astatine the absorption to the determination to get escaped of a antheral the nine described arsenic "one of the club's top ever managers".

Legendary erstwhile Coventry City goalkeeper Steve Ogrizovic played much than 500 times for the nine and was portion of their 1987 FA Cup winning team.

Ogrizovic, who present works arsenic a pundit for BBC CWR, said: "Very fewer things successful shot daze maine but this is simply a mediocre decision.

"It's not a knee-jerk determination due to the fact that I deliberation this is planned and Doug King has got a program successful the backmost of his mind, though what that is I don't know."

Despite a dilatory commencement to the play for the 3rd run successful a row, wins against Luton Town and, impressively, astatine Middlesbrough, seemed to springiness Robins a spot of breathing space.

But Wednesday's 2-1 decision by the Rams was 1 excessively acold for King.

"Mark Robins had much to give, look astatine the nine since the time helium came successful and it's been year-on-year occurrence and progression," added 67-year-old Ogrizovic.

"The prima has been shining connected Coventry and they got backmost into the Championship and on the mode determination were immoderate large memories for people.

"The stadium is afloat present and it wasn't erstwhile Mark Robins archetypal came to the club."

Another erstwhile Sky Blues subordinate David Prutton has paid tribute to what Robins achieved against the backdrop of fiscal constraints and the imaginable of dragging the nine backmost up from the bottommost tier of the EFL.

"When I played for Coventry they were acheronian days truthful what Mark Robins gave backmost to that shot nine was conscionable glorious airy and illumination," Prutton, who had a little indebtedness spell astatine the nine successful 2014, told BBC CWR.

"He's got the aforesaid demeanour win, suffer oregon gully which enables a squad to ascent the mountains they did.

"The information helium outperformed fund and expectations twelvemonth connected twelvemonth is different feather successful his cap."

Key to that was getting the precise champion retired of the squad and Prutton cites the enactment Robins did with striker Viktor Gyokeres - present 1 of the hottest properties successful Europe acknowledgment to his Champions League hat-trick against Manchester City.

"He bought him for astir £1m and sold him for £24m, truthful he's ticked truthful galore boxes, connected the transportation for the fans to watch, bask and love, and disconnected the transportation for the legume counters who privation to marque the shot nine a viable fiscal asset," Prutton added.

"We tin each get into metrics and statistic but if anyone classes Mark Robins' tenure arsenic a nonaccomplishment I would accidental that suggests a cardinal misunderstanding of what shot means to radical who emotion the crippled and are passionate astir their club."

Lifelong Coventry protagonist and BBC CWR sports exertion Rob Gurney has beauteous overmuch seen it each successful his clip covering and pursuing the club.

He says Robins leaving has erstwhile again illustrated the contrasting emotions being a instrumentality and a writer often present.

"Am I gutted? Of course. Am I surprised? Not successful the least," helium said.

"Football doesn't respect a manager's past oregon reputation, but you could reason Mark Robins was a peculiar case.

"Yes, helium near once, nether a cloud. But, since his instrumentality successful March 2017, he's pulled the nine backmost from the brink.

"Winning the EFL Trophy wrong weeks of his return, instantly endeared him to Sky Blues fans again.

"An contiguous instrumentality from League Two, aft different memorable Wembley trip, cemented that narration inactive further.

"Then we saw the League One rubric secured during Covid, were a missed punishment footwear distant from the Premier League, and astir gut-wrenchingly of all, a toe-nail killed the top FA Cup comeback ever.

"Championship signifier tailed off, wholly understandably, aft the carnal and intelligence exertions of that semi-final."

Gurney added that the timing of that hangover was unfortunate, fixed the club's pronounced nationalist relations strategy coming into this season.

"Then a precise assertive summertime selling run 'Think Big, Aim High' fuelled expectations of a promotion push, but a dilatory start, for the 3rd play running, sealed Robins' fate.

"My cognition is the back-to-back wins implicit Luton and Middlesbrough came arsenic a immense inconvenience to owner/chairman Doug King, peculiarly the supporters' effect to Robins personally, successful the look of going 2-0 down successful the archetypal of those.

"His, and his players, in-game management, has been scrutinised successful caller weeks, though he'd appeared to person bought himself a small much time.

"Now King has made the determination to dispense with the antheral galore fans respect arsenic the modern-day Jimmy Hill, his adjacent 1 could specify the City's destiny for years to come."

As with immoderate manager departure, the determination has triggered a frenzy of absorption from the club's supporters.

Dave called sacking Robins "madness" and wondered "who is retired determination that tin realistically bash a amended job".

Another fan, Chris described his temper arsenic "absolutely devastated" adding "what a antheral helium has been for the shot club. It conscionable doesn’t marque sense".

"Mark convey you for everything you person done, america fans clasp you successful higher respect than our evident owner. Gutted"

The club's mini betterment pre-Derby left Jesmondos reasoning Robins had earned much time: "Wow, really? That antheral worked wonders. Coventry fans would cognize champion but surely helium deserved a spot much clip and trust?"

Another protagonist Jamie said helium thought the club's hunt for a replacement "head coach" was a imaginable motion wherefore Robins' clip is over.

"Sounds similar determination was a interaction of immoderate interior authorities successful this move, with the nine connection saying their adjacent assignment volition beryllium a 'head coach' alternatively than a 'manager'," helium said.

"Coventry haven’t started this play well, but not definite it was atrocious capable to warrant sacking their top manager of the 21st century."

The past thought goes to G-Man - who possibly perfectly sums up the fickleness of football: "The saviour that astir knocks Utd retired of the cupful 1 minute, to nary longer viewed arsenic up to the job.

"Football - bloody hell."