Source: FOOTYMAD
City Form Must Be Better
The Steve Carpenter Blog The Sky Blues pre-season is now well underway, with manager Aidy Boothroyd having spent the majority of the summer with his new squad of players, but what changes, if any, have been made to steady the ship and push Coventry City in the right direction.Impressive Summer Signings…After last season's disappointing finish, it was clear the Sky Blues needed to make changes and bring in a few fresh faces this summer. Although not every fan was happy with the appointment of Aidy Boothroyd, may could argue with the way he immediately set out in bringing young, fresh talent to the club, much like Chris Coleman did at the start of his Coventry City managerial reign.His first signing was for the supporters. Gary McSheffrey was a product of the clubs youth academy and after a few years away with Birmingham and loan spell at Leeds, the fans favourite was back with his home town club and he was soon followed by another former youth player Roy O'Donovan, who agreed to a move from Sunderland on a free transfer.Irish left-back Stephen O'Halloran signed from Aston Villa and looks set to have a bright future in the game having earned to full caps for his country and Boothroyd continued to build his Irish contingent by drafting in former Ireland under-21 captain Richard Keogh from Carlisle on a free transfer.Westwood's Future…One man key to Coventry City's future success both this season and in the future is Republic of Ireland international Kieran Westwood. Signed from Carlisle in 2008 for £750,000, Westwood immediately established himself as one of the best young goalkeepers outside the Premier League and his match winning performances last season have unsurprisingly caught the eye.Many clubs have declared an interest in the 25-year-old this summer, including Glasgow giants Celtic and Sunderland, but so far there have been no firm offers, which many Sky Blues supporters will hope to stay the same. But with one year remaining on his current contract, either new negotiations must be completed soon, or chairman Ray Ranson will have to act and sell to make the club some money.Pre-season Form…So the club has secured new talent and has currently managed to keep hold key players such as Kieran Westwood and Aron Gunnarsson, but how has the Sky Blues pre-season gone so far? The summer started with a hugely successful trip to Austria, with Adrian Boothroyd's squad spending a week in the Skiing village of Obertraun.Here the side were given the opportunity to catch up, meet new additions to the squad and most importantly improve their fitness. The squad were put through their paces with three training session's a day and to bring the tour to a close the Sky Blues beat local side VF Gaflenz 2-0 in a low key affair, with David Bell and defender Richard Wood netting both goals in the first half.Back in England, pre-season results have not quite gone according to plan. The return of Coventry duo Gary McSheffrey and Roy O'Donovan has not yet impressed, with Aidy Boothroyd's side playing out two goalless drawing against local sides Nuneaton Borough and Hinckley United. Form must get better especially in front of goal in order to fill the Coventry City faithful with any sort of hope heading the 2010/11 season.
