Sky Blue focus turns to Brown

Coventry City’s ‘marathon’ interview session for a new manager, which took place in London on Tuesday, has thrown up the name of Phil Brown as the new favourite to succeed Andy Thorn at the Ricoh Arena.

Brown was one of a number of people to be grilled about their potential plans for the club but, together with caretaker boss Richard Shaw, his is the name that the media have been talking about, suggesting that either the man himself or the club have authorised ‘sources’ to make the story public.

Such an appointment would be far from being unanimously popular among supporters although it is probably Brown’s public image rather than his managerial record or any preferred style of football that would make it so.

‘sing when you’re winning’

His perception in people’s minds comes from his association with Sam Allardyce at Bolton, singing on the pitch after Hull avoided relegation from the Premiership (this is the picture of him that the Coventry Telegraph have illustrated their story with on Wednesday) and lambasting his players on the pitch at half-time after a drubbing from Manchester City.

City would be Brown’s fourth permanent post, a spell at Derby lasting only a few months and with his exit hastened by a hammering from the Sky Blues at the Ricoh Arena in early 2006.

Then came Hull City and a remarkable rise from the foot of the Championship to the top-flight. where they survived their debut season and were in with a chance of doing so again before the Tigers placed Brown on ‘gardening leave’ and gambled on ex-Coventry boss Iain Dowie being able to achieve survival (he couldn’t).

Brown’s latest role was at Preston North End, probably doomed to relegation by the time he took over in January 2011 but only in mid-table in League One when he was axed less than a year later.