An excellent World Cup for the Republic of Ireland catapulted Phil Babb to the attentions of the football world in 1994 and in turn enabled Coventry City to enter the ranks of the big spenders at long last.
Liverpool paid a British record transfer fee for a defender when splashing out £3.75m for Babb’s services and within days, Sky Blues boss Phil Neal had broken his own club’s transfer record with a £2m deal for Dion Dublin.
Having made his name at Cambridge United, Dublin had earned a move to Manchester United but a serious injury sustained just weeks into his time at Old Trafford and the arrival of Eric Cantona meant he was surplus to requirements.
Dublin made his debut at QPR in September 1994 with City bottom of the league and made an immediate impact with a late equaliser in a 2-2 draw.
He continued to score regularly throughout the season but by the end of the campaign would have a different manager.
Ron Atkinson’s arrival meant more big-money arrivals and a sudden sharp change in City’s media profile.
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