Coventry City boss Mark Robins, the English Football League’s longest serving manager, has been sacked by the Championship club.
Robins, 54, was in his second spell as Sky Blues boss, having returned to the club in March 2017 after the sacking of Russell Slade.
His departure in the wake of Wednesday’s defeat by Derby County comes after just four wins in 14 Championship games this season that leaves the Sky Blues 17th in the table and equal on points with Plymouth in the relegation spots.
Robins’ sacking comes just over 17 months since he got the Sky Blues to within one win of a Premier League return, with Coventry beaten by Luton Town on penalties in the Championship play-off final in May 2023.
And it was only in April that Coventry were denied a place in the FA Cup final by Manchester United on penalties after a stunning turnaround from 3-0 down by Robins’ side.
“The club is well aware that this is a difficult moment after over seven very successful years at the helm and this decision is not taken lightly,” Coventry City said in a statement on their website.
“The performance of the team over an extended period, however, has just not been good enough and as such the board of the club has decided to make an immediate change in leadership.”
While defeat by Derby was Coventry’s seventh in the league this season, it was their first in four games – a run that included back-to-back wins against Luton Town and Middlesbrough.
First-team coach Rhys Carr has been placed in interim charge for Saturday’s game against leaders Sunderland.
He enjoyed 171 wins in 420 games at the helm, of which 17 came in his first period in charge between September 2012, when he succeeded Andy Thorn, and February 2013, when Robins left to join Huddersfield.
