Coventry City owner Doug King drops Mark Robins claim | OneFootball

Doug King has revealed his thoughts on former boss Mark Robins after Coventry secured Premier League return

Coventry City are officially a Premier League side once again after a 25-year hiatus from the English top-flight, with the Sky Blues now looking to go up in style by clinching the Championship title in the final three games of the season.

It has been a truly unforgettable year for Coventry supporters, who will have the pleasure of watching their side play in the pinnacle of English football once again after a quarter of a century outside the top flight.

Many Sky Blues supporters won't remember the last time their side played in the Premier League, but for those who do, promotion will be all the sweeter, especially when considering the rocky journey they have endured in that time.

Coventry dropped as low as the fourth tier in 2017, at which point they decided to re-appoint Mark Robins at the helm; a decision which will go down as one of the greatest the club ever made.

Robins helped to guide the club from the depths of League Two to the Championship, winning the EFL Trophy, taking Coventry to the brink of an FA Cup final, and just a penalty shootout away from the Premier League against Luton Town.

He'd be dismissed in November 2024 after nearly seven years in charge, and has since joined Stoke City, whilst Coventry have appointed Frank Lampard, and, well, the rest is history.

Following promotion, Coventry owner Doug King has revealed some of his thoughts on his former boss.

Doug King 'loved working' with Mark Robins and highlights his key role in Coventry's success

It's been quite a journey for Coventry and Doug King.

King agreed an 85% purchase of Coventry back in late 2022, which was then approved by the EFL in January 2023, and he has also since bought the CBS Arena back into the Sky Blues' possession.

His leadership of the club has been integral to the club's recent success, and following their promotion, he was quick to recognise the legacy left by former boss Robins.

In an interview with Sky Sports, King said: "There were a lot of people who questioned that because they knew what Mark had done, the depths they had been to and the work he had done to drag them from those depths. He did an incredible job. He knows that because we had some good times together.

"He spoke to the media (on Friday) and was really generous and he knows I loved working with him.

"We made a change. We felt we had a change of bit of direction after the coaching team sort of changed and we moved in with Frank and here we are.

"I’m sure Mark will get his moment with Stoke. It’s a great city, a great football club but this is our time, our moment and he started that and we finished it."

Indeed, Coventry's journey back to the Premier League has been made possible by a collective effort, and not solely by one person. But Robins laid much of the groundwork for this success, and although he won't be formally recognised as having taken Coventry back to the top-flight, Sky Blues supporters, as well as King, will never forget his role in the journey.

With over 380 games managed with Coventry in his second spell at the club, and over 400 in total, it's fair to say that the former striker will be remembered fondly for his time with the Sky Blues.

Certainly, things didn't end the way he or Coventry supporters would have hoped, as though he didn't get his fairytale ending, the Sky Blues have, as they are set to embark on their journey into the top-flight.

Robins will be hoping to replicate that feat with Stoke, but will no doubt be keeping one eye on his former sides' progression, and will almost certainly be proud of their success.

Doug King's risky decision to replace Mark Robins with Frank Lampard at Coventry has paid dividends

When King decided to dismiss Robins in November 2024 and replace him with Lampard, eyebrows were not only raised among Coventry supporters but across the footballing world.

Whilst the Sky Blues found themselves towards the foot of the Championship at that point, many had assumed Robins had enough credit in the bank to be given the opportunity to turn things around, but King thought otherwise, and whilst many would have held their breath, he didn't, and that decision has proven to be a masterstroke.

Lampard has, literally, taken Coventry to the next level, and many Sky Blues supporters will be lauding his brave decision now after the success they have endured.

Whether Robins would have turned things around or been able to replicate what Lampard has done will never be known, though it's the current Stoke boss who laid the foundation for this success, and Lampard will also be eternally grateful to the former boss for his previous work, as the EFL is set to say goodbye to Coventry for now.