Fans not to blame for change

Speaking on Talk Sport on Monday in the wake of Iain Dowie's sacking, former Coventry City striker Mick Quinn felt that the mentality carried by Sky Blues' fans from their days in the top-flight has made the managers post at the club a high-pressure one.

It's an easy charge to lay and yet one that is almost entirely incorrect.

These are the same supporters who applauded Gary McAllister and his side on a lap of honour around the pitch after the final game of the 2002/03 season, a campaign that contained just one victory between Boxing Day and the summer and an FA Cup defeat at Rochdale.

The fans were prepared to be patient then and were again with Iain Dowie just as they enjoyed the football that Eric Black had the team playing despite inconsistent results.

We never asked for the move to a 32,000-seat stadium just as we never asked for 'Operation Premiership' after Micky Adams had guided the side to an unexpected 8th-place finish in 2005/06.

The club's new owners obviously want instant success and it is their right to sack the manager if they want but the pressure for this change has not come from the fans, who can distinguish between someone who is not up to the job (Kevin Kyle) and someone who deserves more time and a fair crack of the whip before being judged.