Coventry City seemingly aren’t messing around when it comes to appointing a successor to Mark Robins, with Frank Lampard the main frontrunner to take on the reins at the CBS Arena.
Of course, there are many bumps that can come up when attempting to secure a manager’s signature, with nothing set in stone yet that the former Everton boss will definitely be Robins’ replacement until official confirmation filters through.
There are also alternatives for the Sky Blues, with one left-field choice also on the Championship club’s agenda.
Coventry looking at exciting Lampard alternative
As per journalist Tom Collomosse, Coventry are eyeing up Lincoln City head coach Michael Skubala as another face that could take over from the adored figure of Robins, with Blackburn Rovers boss John Eustace also on the ever-growing list of alternatives to Lampard.
Stating further that there have been a mammoth 60-70 applicants for the vacant job post, the Imps manager will believe he is a viable option for the Coventry hierarchy to look at, having guided Lincoln to a respectable seven wins from 14 in League One this campaign.
Also formerly on the books of Leeds United as an U21 coach, Coventry will hope – if they can’t get their hands on Lampard – that Skubala is a suitable second choice, with fans at Sincil Bank no doubt gutted if the popular 42-year-old did end up packing his bags for a major move to the West Midlands.
But, it could be a match made in heaven, with Skubala impressing those in the third tier ever since he made a move to Lincoln a reality, as the Championship now calls out to him.
What Skubala could offer Coventry
Skubala was an instant hit at Sincil Bank when he relocated from Leeds last year, taking the Imps on a mightily impressive 16 game unbeaten run between January and April this year, that saw his new side just narrowly miss out on the playoffs.
Now, in fifth spot in the league, the ex-Leeds coach will hope this time around sees his team compete in the playoffs come the end of the long and gruelling regular season, in a league that is being dominated by the might of ex-Premier League clubs such as Birmingham City.
Skubala’s managerial record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Club managed | Games | Wins | Draws | Losses |
Lincoln | 49 | 23 | 13 | 13 |
Leeds (caretaker) | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
Leeds U21s | 23 | 12 | 2 | 9 |
Sourced by Transfermarkt | ||||
Skubala even took on caretaker duties at Elland Road on one occasion, with his first taste of interim action even seeing the Whites draw 2-2 with Manchester United in a barnstorming contest at Old Trafford.
His Lincoln sides have also been known to operate on the front foot, scoring 73 times across the 39 games he has taken charge of, only leaking 45 in the process.
Whilst Lampard does have an upper-hand on the Lincoln manager when it comes to experience of the second tier, having guided Derby County to a playoff final at the level in 2019, it’s fair to say Skubala is fresher when it comes to his successes in the here and now.
Unfortunately for the frontrunner for the Sky Blues vacancy, his reputation in the managerial game has taken a bruising, having only steered Everton to 12 wins from 44 fixtures at Goodison Park, not far off the number of games Skubala has under his belt now in Lincolnshire.
Lampard does feel like the safer shout as a more household name, but with Skubala also favouring a similar formation to Robins in a 3-1-4-2 set-up, Coventry could fancy going bold as a new era looms on the horizon for the Sky Blues.
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