The final piece of the Jigsaw
Coventry City boss Mark Robins says he’s looking for the final piece of the jigsaw to help turn his side into a more potent League Two force.
The Sky Blues drew another blank at Exeter City at the weekend - their 11th of the league campaign - when Max Biamou came under the spotlight for missing a good opportunity to score as he continues to search for his first goal in the division in 27 appearances since joining the club from non-league Sutton United in the summer.
Robins has already drafted in exciting young loan players Jordan Maguire-Drew and Josh Barrett but is now looking for an experienced and permanent centre-forward to push Biamou whom, he says, is suffering under the pressure of not delivering goals.
“The No.9 is an area we need to strengthen,” said the City manager, who was linked with veteran Northampton Town striker Marc Richards, who this week opted to join promotion rivals Swindon Town who, coincidentally, travel to the Ricoh Arena this Saturday.
“We have got to do it; got to bring the right one in.
“Being a able to get the right one and being able to afford the right one is a balancing act but we have got to try to do something that gives the lads we have got some help and support because they can’t sustain it.”
Asked if drafting in a centre-forward will be the final piece of the recruitment jigsaw for this season, he said: “It will be, without a shadow of a doubt.
“We need that position and that’s the one I feel we are lacking; just that knowledge to see games through. And that’s not a criticism of anybody, certainly not Max because he’s trying his best and winning quite a lot of things.
“He is a foil for Marc McNulty and whoever else he plays up front with, but he knows he has to contribute with goals.
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“He’s beating himself up and that doesn’t help anybody. He knows he’s under pressure and under scrutiny.
“Everyone wants to be liked and loved and he has got to start scoring goals for that to happen.
“Let’s hope it’s not a vicious circle and that he can just relax into it and keep working as hard as he possibly can.
“But we need some help in that department and we’re trying to get someone in there to help because it’s clearly weighing on Max’s mind because he’s getting opportunities and not taking them.
The good, the bad and the damn right ugly January signings
Coventry City have added two players to their squad so far this month in the form of Josh Barrett of Reading and Jordan Maguire-Drew from Brighton and Hove Albion.
Both have made promising starts to their spells, with Maguire-Drew showing positive signs in his first two starts for the Sky Blues while Barrett, who made a brief 15 minute debut at Exeter, formally announced his arrival with a hat-trick in the Under-23s' 6-1 hammering of Crystal Palace on Monday.
All the signs are that Mark Robins has landed a couple of crackers to help with the second half push for promotion.
But managers don’t always get it right and the City faithful will no doubt agree that some of the players the club has signed in January over the years are among the worst to have pulled on the shirt.
Here we look at three good and three really bad January signings from recent years.
Leon Clarke
After arriving initially on a short-term loan, Leon Clarke joined the Sky Blues on a permanent deal at the start of January 2013 following the termination of his contract at Charlton Athletic.
Brought in to replace the goals of the departing David McGoldrick, Clarke carried on his outstanding form from earlier in the season at Scunthorpe United where he scored 11 goals in 15 games during an early season loan spell.
In his first half season with the Sky Blues, he made 16 appearances and managed an impressive return of ten goals, and many fans will remember his last gasp winner against Preston in the 3-2 JPT win.
He then took that rich vein of form into the new campaign at the start of the 13/14 season by netting 18 times in 29 games which attracted his boyhood club Wolves to make a £750,000 swoop in January 2014.
Despite his brief spell at the Ricoh and the fact he left on bad terms, having engineered his move to Molineux, City fans have regularly called for the 32-year-old to re-join the club.
Cyrille Regis' family make first public statement since his death aged 59
However, that is a mere pipe dream as he is in the form of his life at Championship side Sheffield United where he has scored 15 so far this term, four of which came in one game against Hull City.
Denzel Slager
Making his debut at the age of 20, Slager impressed in his first season in the Dutch top flight with RKC Waalwijk where he made 14 appearances, scoring his first professional goal in a 4-1 defeat to Go Ahead Eagles.
Come the turn of the year in 2014 and Steven Pressley flew him over to Coventry and he made his debut in the FA Cup third round 2-1 win over Barnsley.
He went on to make a further three substitute appearances for the Sky Blues before having his contract mutually terminated just seven weeks in to his 18-month deal due to personal reasons, which Pressley attributed to home sickness.
After a year seemingly out of the game he signed for third-tier US club Orange County Blues in March 2015. He made six appearances and scored twice for the newly founded American side and was then signed a year later by United Soccer League side LA Galaxy II in February 2016.
Slager once again failed to impress and was released at the end of that season. According to various records the Dutchman, who is now 24, is currently without a club.
To see some other hits and misses from the past January windows click here:
Barrett delivers this exciting message to Coventry City fans
New Coventry City loan signing Josh Barrett admits he’s only 80 per cent fit but can’t wait to show the fans what he can do.
The 19-year-old gave a few Sky Blues supporters a glimpse of what he’s capable of when he rattled off a hat-trick in his first start for the club’s Under-23s who blew away Crystal Palace 6-1 at the Alan Higgs Centre on Monday afternoon.
He made his senior debut for Mark Robins ’s men when he was handed the last 15 minutes against Exeter City at the weekend but soon hopes to be making a first team impact from the start.
“I had a little illness which put me out of training for a little while but it was nice to get back out playing and get a hat-trick, and hopefully I can take that into Saturday,” said the versatile forward who has joined City from Reading until the end of the season.
“I’m not 100 per cent yet. I feel around 80 per cent but it is a work-in-progress and I have to perform in training and gradually get better and be flying for the games. And hopefully I can help Coventry get promotion this season.
“I want to bring scoring and creating goals to the team. I can’t wait to get in and prove to everyone what I can do, and show the fans what I can do as well.”
Barrett started the development game wide on the right but asked what is his favoured or best position, he said: “Preferably on the left side but I can play on the left or the number ten role; wherever I get told to play I will be happy.”
Asked for his first impressions of the squad, he said: “I feel we have a good team and I think when we play well and do the right things we can beat anyone.
“I’m excited to get into the team and win games together.”
Barrett joined City at Christmas time and was due to be available for the FA Cup game against Stoke City until he had to have a few days in hospital to be treated for a non football-related medical matter.
“Missing out on the FA Cup game was frustrating and I have to work hard to get in the team, impress the manager and enjoy myself,” he said.
As for his debut in the 1-0 defeat at St James Park at the weekend, he said: “It was nice to play but I feel we should have won the game.
“We had enough chances in the first half and we kept pushing in the second. The keeper made some good saves but it was nice to finally get out there and start playing.”
Asked what he wants to get out of the loan spell, he said: “I want to learn. Being at a Championship club is a lot different but coming here I want to get as many games under my belt as I can and hopefully get promoted.
“It is a massive club and needs to get back into League One and I feel we have a good chance at doing that this season.
“We have some good players and I feel I am starting to gel well with the squad. They have helped me settle in really well and I feel we can beat anyone, which was proven against Stoke.”
Farndon assesses new boy
Under-23s boss Jason Farndon agrees new lad Josh Barrett needs to work on his fitness. Asked what he thinks of the player on first viewing, he said: “I haven’t seen too much of him to be honest but he can play in any of the front four positions.
“He’s got himself a hat-trick but I think he needs to up his work-rate and fitness, and that will come.
“Josh picked up a slight injury over Christmas, which knocked him back a couple of weeks, so we gave him some minutes today and he played longer than we thought, which is a positive for the first team.
“We can see his quality and I think Josh benefitted from a relentless team performance and he seemed to be in good positions when we won the ball back, which is the sign of a good player, and he finished the chances off.
“He is a nice finisher and that was on a difficult pitch. He has played a lot of Category One Under-23 football but playing against a Premier League side with some good players, we strangled the life out of the game and stopped them getting any rhythm.”
Bobby's emotional tribute to Cyrille
Two times Coventry City manager Bobby Gould has posted an emotional massage about Cyrille Regis - the striker he brought to Highfield Road.
Gould - a Sky Blues legend in his own right for his goal scoring exploits at his home town club as a player - signed Regis from West Bromwich Albion for £250,000 in 1984.
And on hearing of the sudden death of Big Cyrille at the age of just 59, Gould took to Twitter to express his sadness.
The family of the former Coventry and West Bromwich Albion No.9, meanwhile, have paid tribute to him today.
He was also part of the legendary ‘Three Degrees’ along with fellow black team-mates Brendan Batson and the late Laurie Cunningham whose influence changed the game forever.
Today, the Regis family wrote on Twitter: "Thank you for the love & support you have shown us.
"Every comment & tribute is so precious to us & we will be sure to read every one of them.
"We appreciate the calls & messages, we ask that you bear with us whilst we try to come to terms with losing Cyrille.
"The Regis Family x"
Royal tribute from Prince William
Prince William has today paid tribute to a Coventry City legend, during his visit to the city today.
The Royal spoke of his sadness at the passing of Cyrille Regis, who died aged 59 over the weekend.
While meeting with crowds outside Coventry Cathedral alongside his wife, the Duchess of Cambridge, William was heard discussing the news of Regis' death, describing it as "very sad".
Though Cyrille Regis was best known for his spells at West Brom and Coventry City, he would later move to Aston Villa - the club that Prince William supports.
Speaking to an attendee outside the Cathedral, the Prince said: "Well I was wondering if anyone was going to bring up Cyrille Regis today, because he was a great Coventry player.
"It's very sad, and of course he was at Villa as well."
