Robins and Viveash partnership key to Coventry’s great revival
MARK Robins and his batman are converging on Wembley again for the second time in 11 months.
Robins and Adi Viveash, both 54, are a remarkable pair who met up for a season playing for Walsall and are now leading one of the most remarkable revivals in English football.
Robins has spent most of his 17 years in management scuffling around the lower end of the Football League. He’s been so successful with Coventry that he is currently the longest-serving manager in the EFL at seven years and eighteen days.
Simon Weaver has been at Harrogate longer, but 11 of his 14 years were outside the Football League.
In the Premier League, there’s Jurgen Klopp, eight years and finished with Liverpool, he says, this summer. And Pep Guardiola who says there is more Manchester City life left in his tank after eight years.
Robins is almost up there with them in longevity and could be facing Guardiola in the FA Cup final.
There’s enough on his plate with the day job at the moment, trying to take Coventry into the Championshiphip play-offs for a second successive season, to be caught up in the hype this early.
But, if he beats chester United, 15 minutes Manfrom the family home in Ashton-under-Lyne, where his football career began 40 years ago, in the semis, it could be Guardiola next.
And 6ft 3ins white-haired Big Adi, his assistantstant and first team coach, will be by his side.
Robins’ best description of Viveash is “the guy that paints the pictures on the training ground”.
In other words, he is key to how Robins wants Coventry to play. Robins sayss what he wants, Viveash gets it done. The latter arrived after a highly regarded spell coach- ing the young players at Chelsea to replace Steve Taylor. Cov had won the EFL Trophy at Wembley in 2017, beating Oxford, three months prior to Viveash getting there and the good times were just beginning to roll.
“A lot has happened and it’s been mostly up times as well,” says Robins. “The atmosphere has changed beyond all recognition. There have been some tough times but some really good times as well.
“There’s been great assistance from the support I have had from everyone at the club, the staff, players, owners and the supporters.
“I am grateful to everyone that has played a part.”
Grateful
Back in their Walsall playing days, Robins, left, and Viveash, right, were team-mates rather than best friends.
They were together one season playing in Division One (second tier) in 19992000. And it finished badly.
The league was strong with a bunch of Midland clubs West Brom, Birmingham, Wolves and Nottingham Forest to deal with. Sheffield United, Norwich, Blackburn, Fulham, Ipswich and QPR were also in there.Plus, would you believe it
