It has been seven years since Mark Robins rejoined the Sky Blues, and what a ride it has been.
The ex-Barnsley and Huddersfield Town boss has turned around fortunes massively at the Coventry Building Society Arena, overseeing two promotions to return the side to the Championship for the first time in in eight years in 2020.
The side have kicked on even further since then, having narrowly missed out on a spot back in the Premier League after playoff final defeat to Luton Town last season.
It just goes to show what stability and patience with a manager can do at a football club, and something a lot of fans would love to see at their own team.
Mark Robins’ Coventry City journey
Robins initially joined Cov back in September 2012 following their relegation from the Championship the previous season, and soon turned around fortunes to have his side bounding up the table before his departure for Huddersfield just five months later.
His time with the Terriers lasted barely over a season, before he spent just as long at Scunthorpe United until he was sacked in January 2016.
After more than a year out the game Robins returned to the Sky Blues the day after previous boss Russell Slade had been sacked – March 6th 2017 – and things have gone from strength to strength since.
The ex-Manchester United man broke a hoodoo of 47 years without finishing in the top six of a division with a sixth-placed finish in 2017/18 as they went up to League One via the playoffs, before romping home to victory in the 19/20 campaign.
Just three defeats all season saw the Sky Blues sit top of the table as the season was curtailed due to COVID-19, which saw City back in the second division for the first time since 2013.
It hasn’t been all plain sailing along the way for Robins and his team though, problems with landlords Wasps RFC seeing his side having to play home matches out of the city.
That promotion winning campaign saw Coventry play their matches at St Andrews – home of rivals Birmingham City – although they didn’t let that break their stride as they topped the table.
The Sky Blues returned to the second level the following season, but Robins continued to toil in the dugout to maintain his team in the division with a good 16th-place result.
Coventry’s improvement in league position over the last five seasons is evidence of what can be accomplished when a manager is given enough time to lead a team to success.
The 54-year-old will go down as one of the club’s greatest managers ever. From a team that looked out of sorts in the fourth division to one that is constantly playing free-flowing football with an attacking intent, as highlighted by a 5-0 victory over Rotherham United on the eve of Robins’ big anniversary.
The Championship’s longest serving managers
In terms of longest Championship manager, Robins has few rivals: Ryan Lowe of Preston North End is the second-longest serving manager at Deepdale, having taken over at Deepdale for barely two years, two months, and twenty-eight days.
Only 13 days separated Kieran McKenna’s appointment at Suffolk Town from Lowe’s, making the two managers the only ones in the league who have remained at their current club for more than two years.
| English football’s current longest-serving managers (top four tiers) | |||||
| Name | Team | Division | Appointed | Length of tenure | |
| 1 | Simon Weaver | Harrogate Town | League Two | 21 May 2009 | 14 years, 289 days |
| 2 | Jürgen Klopp | Liverpool | Premier League | 8 October 2015 | 8 years, 149 days |
| 3 | Pep Guardiola | Manchester City | Premier League | 1 July 2016 | 7 years, 248 days |
| 4 | Mark Robins | Coventry City | Championship | 6 March 2017 | 7 years, 0 days |
| 5 | Thomas Frank | Brentford | Premier League | 16 October 2018 | 5 years, 141 days |
| 6 | Mikel Arteta | Arsenal | Premier League | 22 December 2019 | 4 years, 74 days |
| 7 | David Moyes | West Ham United | Premier League | 30 December 2019 | 4 years, 66 days |
| 8 | Ian Evatt | Bolton Wanderers | League One | 1 July 2020 | 3 years, 248 days |
| 9 | Nigel Clough | Mansfield Town | League Two | 6 November 2020 | 3 years, 120 days |
| 10 | Jon Brady | Northampton Town | League One | 10 February 2021 | 3 years, 24 days |
| As of March 6th 2024, Source: Transfermarkt | |||||
The second longest tenure was held by Carlos Corberan at West Bromwich Albion for 16 months. The only other three managers to hold their positions for more than a year are Michael Carrick, Liam Rosenior, and David Wagner.
Since the start of the season, 12 clubs have had managers change, which only serves to emphasize how unique Robins’ time at Coventry has been.
Despite his sustained success and rumors of interest from other EFL teams, like as Norwich City before to Wagner’s appointment, Wagner has remained devoted to the team and its supporters, who have supported him throughout his term.
If Premier League managers are included, Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp are the longest serving Sky Blues managers, with only Simon Weaver of Harrogate Town having led the Yorkshire team for more than 14 years.
If only more owners would take attention, all four of those managers would have witnessed amazing changes in their teams over the time they have been in charge of operations. It simply goes to show how important it can be to stay at a football club for a long time.
GET MORE NEWS HERE