Latest Coventry City news | Are these the best players to represent the Sky Blues since the Premier League era began in 1992.
The Sky Blues enjoyed over 34-year stay in the top flight, and now find themselves in the third tier of English football, striving to make their way back up the leagues…
It’s been over 18 years since Coventry City were relegated from the Premier League.
The Sky Blues enjoyed a 34-year stay in the top flight, and now find themselves in the third tier of English football, striving to make their way back up the leagues.
Many a great player have represented the Sky Blues down the years, in particular in the Premier League era which began in 1992.
So we take a look at some of the greatest players to wear the Sky Blues shirt during the club’s time in the Premier League.
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Goalkeepers
Steve Ogrizovic – The veteran goalkeeper coach has spent 33 years at the club since first signing for the Sky Blues in 1984, spending 16 years as player in which he appeared on 601 occasions before taking up a role behind the scenes following his retirement in 2000.
Magnus Hedman – One of a handful of City players to have featured in the World Cup, the Swedish goalkeeper signed for City in 1997. He went on to make 151 appearances for the Sky Blues before moving north of the border to Celtic.
Magnus Hedman
Magnus Hedman
Defenders
Gary Breen – Gary Breen was a Sky Blues stalwart making 146 appearances between 1997 and 2002. He joined from neighbours Birmingham City for £2.5 million after 12 months at St Andrews. His popularity at Coventry was captivated by the well-known song that was so often belted out around Highfield Road, “We all dream of a team of Gary Breens”.
Paul Williams – The centre-back played 169 times for the Sky Blues under Strachan between 1995 and 2001. He’s often described as a consistent performer at the heart of City’s defence, dominant in the air and is fondly remembered for his 35-yard screamer against Newcastle United.
Mo Konjic – Big Mo is one of the most popular players in the Sky Blues’ recent history. The 6ft 4in central defender, who was forced to fight for his country during the war in his country, was the first Bosnian to play in the Premiership and City’s doctor described him as the fittest player he had ever examined. He quickly made his mark on debut with a thunderous tackle that introduced Stefan Iversen to an advertising hoarding and had Gordon Strachan saying: ‘I wouldn’t like to clean out his cage.’
Phil Babb – Babb spent two years with the Sky Blues between 1992 and 1994, moved to Liverpool for £3.6million – making him the most expensive defender in Britain at the time – before switching to the Portuguese capital where he won the league and cup double with Sporting Lisbon in 2001/02.
Phil Babb playing for Coventry City against Liverpool’s Michael Thomas in 1992.
David Burrows – Ron Atkinson introduced Burrows to the club after his arrival in March 1995. Atkinson said he knew of ‘no better English left back’.
Brian Borrows – The right back signed for the Sky Blues in 1985 from Bolton Wanderers. He went on to make over 400 appearances at right-back and maintained links with the club after his retirement through the Academy set-up.
Roland Nilsson – Big Ron described Roland Nilsson as “the best professional he ever worked with” and he is undoubtedly one of the Swedish all-time greats and in his prime was one of the best full-backs in the world. City paid £200,000 for the veteran Swede and from his first game he looked a bargain with his composed and stylish play.
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For all your latest CCFC news, opinion, analysis and transfer gossip, click here
You can follow our Sky Blues reporter Andy Turner on Twitter, and his email address is Andy.Turner@reachplc.com
Midfielders
Gary McAllister – The midfielder first signed for City in 1996, for £3m from Leeds United, before going on to make 140 appearances in his first spell. After a stint at Liverpool, the Scot returned to Highfield Road where he later went on to become manager.
Mustapha Hadji – The attacking midfielder burst onto the scene after an excellent display for Morocco at the 1998 World Cup. Hadji was a Sky Blues star during the Gordon Strachan reign and played for City between 1999 and 2001.
Youssef Chippo – Signed following his performances for Morocco at France ’98, Chippo was the other half of an unforgettable partnership with compatriot Hadji. Unlike his creative team-mate, Chippo left nothing on the pitch and was the real engine of the team. After the Sky Blues’ relegation from the top-flight, Hadji departed but Chippo stayed for a further two seasons.
Lee Carsley – Carsley earned a reputation as a reliable defensive midfielder during his 19-year career, which included two spells with the Sky Blues. He started out with Derby County before moving to Blackburn Rovers and then Coventry City in 2000. His first spell with the Sky Blues was in the Premiership under Gordon Strachan and the hard as nails midfielder was noted for his bone crunching tackles as well as his calm head.
Gary McSheffrey – Locally born Gary McSheffrey had an up-and-down career at Coventry City before finally convincing the management that he had the class to succeed at first team level. His goalscoring feats for the youth team were a major factor behind two successive FA Youth Cup finals in 1999 and 2000 and at Villa Park in 1999 he became the youngest ever City player at the age of 16 years and 198 days when he came on as a substitute.
