The Final Nail In Adams Coffin....?

By CovSid67
January 17 2007

The lowest crowd yet for a competitive match at the Arena, 13,055, saw Coventry City bow out of the FA Cup with barely a whimper, as 'Fortress Ricoh' was breached for the sixth time this season....

I wonder what the crowd would have been had Adams left after Saturday's embarrassment? We'll never know, but I'm fairly sure the extra revenue would have gone some way towards meeting his pay-off....

This defeat was against a Bristol City side currently in great form, but let's be honest, it could have been any team from League One, League Two, or even one of the better non-league teams. As the home fans sang: 'We're Sh*t And We're Sick Of It'.

Elliott Ward was once again missing, and if he really is the difference between a solid Coventry City defence, and a poor one, I suggest when he recovers from injury, we wrap him in cotton wool, and don't allow him to train (Just to play!). Thankfully Adam Virgo was left out of the starting XI, with Ben Turner returning in the centre of defence.

Due to a lack of baysitters, I managed to miss the first half, but followed the game via radio and Sky Sports News. And yet still I bust a gut to get upto the ground in-time to watch the entire second half. With hindsight, I should have stayed at home....

The first match between the teams produced a cliched, end-to-end cup tie (Which included the first of our two defensive capitulations, conceding three goals in not many minutes, before producing a most unexpected fight-back), and this game had an averagely exciting start to it too.

By the time Coventry City ran out of ideas (Around the 20 minute mark), Paul Merson's face suggested whatever he was being paid to sit in a studio and watch this match, it clearly wasn't enough! Chances were made, chances were missed, and the chance to lose to Middlesboro (But at least earn some extra money!) was lost....

Scott Murray gave the visitors the lead seven minutes before half-time, with Showumni (Note to the new manager: swap him for any member of our squad), a constant thorn in Coventry's side, the supplier.

Isaac Osbourne was replaced by Kevin Thornton at half-time.

As with the first half, the home side came out looking slightly interested at the start of the second half, yet failed to take any of the chances on offer.

Stern John was once again at fault, failing repeatedly to take up what would be classed as an 'intelligent position', which most of the time would have involved getting in front of the Bristol defence to get on the end of any number of half-decent crosses.

Following half-a-dozen decent chances to equalise by the home side, Bristol City simply walked up the other end of the pitch, and made it 2-0 (Where was Robert Page?) .... and game over. It was embarrasingly easy. And to think only a few weeks ago, this was a team talked about as challenging for a play-off place....

A double substitution by Adams (Possibly his last managerial throw of the dice), saw Kyle and Tabb replaced by Adebola and Birchall. The decision to replace Tabb brought boos from the Coventry supporters, and a fair amount of disbelief from them too. Most of them seemed stunned that Stern John was left on the pitch - maybe he was just so anonymous that Adams didn't notice him?

Marucs Hall appeared to be fouled in the Bristol penalty area on 63 minutes, but his half-hearted appeal for a penalty was waved away by the referee. From my vantage point it looked as if he might have a case, but everything about Coventry City is half-hearted at this moment in time....

A fine save from Steele prevented further embarrassment, with Coventry's reply being a weak shot from distance from Birchall.

A Thornton corner was headed just wide by Whing on 73 minutes, then decent skill from Adebola saw his effort saved at Basso's near post. From the resulting corner the away side broke up the pitch, and blew a fine chance after a two-on-two chance was missed.

The home supporters, who had been fairly patient throught, decided this was the moment to show exactly how they felt, breaking into choruses of: 'We're Sh*t And We're Sick Of It', 'Adams Out!', and 'What A Load Of Rubbish'. Worth pointing out to moronic away supporters, who question the noise we are currently making, we've had to suffer this dirge all season - dirge that would test the football supporting equivalent of Mother Teresa.

The final whistle blew, and those that had stayed 'til the bitter end skulked off into the night.

The only real positive that cold be taken from the game was the return of Kevin Thornton (Despite his late miss), who clearly likes having the ball - unlike so many of our players who seem to hide from it - and who isn't afraid to take people on. His set pieces are also better than we're used to, though the fact they are of decent quality, something our players aren't used to, means that players will need re-educating as to where to stand for free-kicks and corners (Though, by the time they have learnt this, he will know doubt be 'injured' again).

After-match interviews with Mickey Adams and MD Paul Fletcher seemed to suggest that the reign could be over within 24 hours (Board meeting at 11am Wednesday!), though It's going to cost the club, as it's quite clear MA wants a big pay-off - which will once again leave me asking: just how can the rewards for failure be so good?

Some callers to CWR claim Adams isn't the problem, and that the players are. Even if this were the case (Which I don't believe it is), which is it easier to get rid of? Adams himself claimed 'the players are good enough....', so the problem must be something else.

How apt that as I got into my car to make the short journey home, 'I Just Can't Be Happy Today' was on the CD player .... and I won't be much happier when Adams leaves either, as it will mean another manager has tried, and failed, and the merry-go-round will start again....

And I await with intense boredom the first 'we've let the manager down' speech from any of the players he's left behind.