Sky Sports pundit warns Doug King after Coventry City call by using Brentford FC example | OneFootball

The Sky Sports pundit believes that the former Sky Blues boss should have been given more time to turn things around.

Sky Sports pundit, Don Goodman, has criticised Coventry City's decision to sack Mark Robins, claiming that Doug King should have used Brentford as an example of how it can take time for results to come.

The Sky Blues are currently 17th in the Championship table after 15 matches, just a point above the relegation zone, in what has been a very difficult and poor start to the season.

Not many would have predicted the club to be in this position at this point considering their success in recent years, with Coventry finishing in the top half of the league in each of their last three campaigns in the second tier.

Robins was relieved of his duties last week, with the West Midlands club's owner, King, citing a fall out between the now ex-manager and his assistant Adi Viveash as one of the reasons that led to him leaving the CBS Arena after seven years.

Goodman makes verdict on Robins sacking

The decision to sack Robins has been heavily lambasted ever since it was announced on 7 November, especially when his historical performances should be taken into account.

The Sky Blues have not been one of the strongest starters every season, and often take a little bit longer than their rivals to get firing, but when they do get on the right track, it is very difficult to stop them.

Goodman has compared the situation at the CBS Arena to that of Brentford when they first hired Thomas Frank, claiming that Coventry are just underperforming.

"They've created the fifth-highest XG and have missed a lot of chances in key moments," he started. "That's why Coventry have struggled to pick up the points that they have deserved.

"I remember when Thomas Frank replaced Dean Smith at Brentford but only won one of his first 10 games. It would have been easy for their hierarchy to get rid of Thomas Frank but they looked at the performance levels and data... and look where they are now."

Goodman concluded: "There are a few underperforming clubs such as Middlesbrough, who should definitely have more points than they do, Coventry are just another one."

Coventry have been extremely wasteful this season

While their league position would have been a cause for concern, on the pitch, performances have not been terrible. If certain situations had gone in their favour, then there is no doubt that they would be much higher up the table.

Coventry have lost a number of key players in recent years, with the likes of Callum O'Hare, Gustavo Hamer and Viktor Gyorkeres all leaving the club for pastures new, and they are three stars that have definitely been missed.

The Sky Blues have missed the joint most number of big chances so far this season with 27, the same as both Leeds United and Norwich City. They have only had 35 big chances in 2024/25, showing just how many opportunities they are squandering.

As per FotMob, their xG rate of 21.1 is the fifth-highest in the Championship, and although they have scored 20 goals, it is clear that their strikers are lacking at this moment in time, and not much more could have been done by Robins to change their form.