A silver lining

Last weekend’s 4-0 defeat at home to Preston may have ended Iain Dowie’s honeymoon period but in the long run it could benefit the new Coventry City boss.

On one level it has succeeded (a little too well perhaps)in dampening down expectations for next season among the fans but it could also lead to the kind of major changes among the squad that City need if they are to be genuine promotion contenders.

We’ve seen all too often players putting in much improved performances when a new manager has taken over only for that level to dip a few months later.

Pulling the wool over Dowie’s eyes in such a way could have led to next season’s squad not looking too much different from the current lot, who have underperformed all season for two different managers.

The only way that the inconsistency of the last few years is going to be eradicated seems to be with big changes in personnel as chopping and changing managers has been proved not too have worked.