Football Season Guide

Coventry's horrid financial situation cost the Sky Blues the opportunity to realistically fight for promotion last season, as the ten point deduction that they received late in the season for going into administration effectively ended their top six hopes. To make things worse, the people running the club have had a long-standing dispute with the owners of the Ricoh Arena ground, and the conclusion of the saga is that Coventry have moved away from the Ricoh and have made a deal with Northampton to share their Sixfields Stadium. The distance between Northampton and Coventry is relatively short, but there is little doubt that playing away from their home town can only harm the Sky Blues, especially as the majority of fans is furious with the current owners. To add to the woes, the club's financial situation is such that no signings have been made during the off-season. At the same time, manager Steven Pressley performed the trimming of the squad that he talked about in May - four fringe players were allowed to leave, while the only significant departure is the one of central defender Richard Wood, who went to join Charlton. To sum things up, Coventry have a squad of almost identical strength to their last season's one, but the bad atmosphere surrounding the club and the fact that they will not play their home games in their own town can only go against them.