Mark Robins reaffirms commitment to Coventry City after ‘sad’ decision by Championship rivals.
Coventry City news from CoventryLive as manager Mark Robins admits there’s a lot to be said for ‘sticking’ with what you have got and have started to build amid the merry-go-round of football management.
Mark Robins has reaffirmed his commitment to Coventry City following the ‘sad’ sacking of his opposite number at Stoke, Steven Schumacher.
The Sky Blues boss has sympathy for the 40-year-old manager who was dismissed by The Potters on Monday, just five games into the Championship season, having lost three and won two of the club’s opening league matches, including victory in their opening game of the campaign against City. Stoke are currently a point and place above Coventry in the division, and the managerial casualty comes as the second in the Championship so far this term, following Ryan Lowe’s departure from Preston North End after the first game.
Asked if it ever ceases to amaze him when managers are sacked so soon into a new season, Robins said: “No. I think it’s always sad when someone loses their job. Steven Schumacher did fantastic things with Plymouth, left to go to what appeared to be a job where he could move on further, and quicker I suppose, but there’s a lot to be said for sticking with what you have got and what you know and have started to build.”
Robins knows from personal experience, of course, that the grass is not always greener, having left City less than six months into his first spell at the club in 2012/13 to join Huddersfield Town in a higher division, only to be sacked 18 months later, after an opening day home defeat to Bournemouth.
Since his return to the club in 2017, he has experienced the most successful period of his managerial career, enjoying longevity to build the club back up. Now in his eighth full season, Robins is a shining example of what can be achieved by sticking with a manager.
Speaking about Schumacher, he added: “He’s done a brilliant job at Plymouth and less than 12 months after he’s out of work, and it’s a real shame because I think he’s a really decent guy and a good coach.
“There’s been significant change there and he’s started to put his stamp on things but also move the club in a direction that I think everybody there wanted to see. There is some exciting talent there so the decision that they have made doesn’t shock me, but it’s always sad to see someone lose their job at ay stage, but it is really early in the season.”
