"You would have thought" - Coventry City: Don Goodman weighs in on Mark Robins sacking with fresh view | OneFootball

Football League World exclusive: Don Goodman reacts to Coventry City's decision to sack Mark Robins

Robins took charge of the Sky Blues for a second stint back in 2017, and guided the club all the way from League Two to the Championship by 2020.

He then took the West Midlands outfit to the Championship play-off final in 2023, and they would make their Wembley return last spring, as they went toe-to-toe with Premier League giants Manchester United in the FA Cup semi-final, but missed out on penalties after being denied a last minute winner by VAR.

However, a 2-1 home defeat to Derby County earlier this month spelled the end of the road for Robins, as Sky Blues owner and chairman Doug King made the decision to sack the 54-year-old just one day later.

Goodman makes Mark Robins admission

The former Sunderland and West Bromwich Albion striker told Football League World, via Gambling Zone: "Nothing should surprise you in football, but this was really sad.

"It's the end of an era.

"You would have thought Mark Robins had enough credit in the bank to be given more time in charge.

"While the expectation was for Coventry to challenge towards the top end of the league, there are still plenty of games to be played and more time for them to turn it around.

"It's sad, really, really sad.

"It's not been an easy decision for Doug King, but he needs to be careful what he wishes for.

"We've seen decisions like this backfire before.

"We just don't know what's happened behind the scenes, but I'm disappointed and surprised.

"Yes, the results haven't been what you would expect, and they're closer to the bottom of the table than they are to the top, but they've been unlucky in a lot of games, it has to be said.

"I've said previously that there should be a statue of Mark Robins outside the CBS Arena.

"That's how much he's done for the club.

"Mark had been at the club for seven years. You must remember where that club was when he took over, what they have done for the club and also, in this case, under many incredibly difficult circumstances.

"They were in League Two and had to play home games at St Andrew's and Northampton.

"Such a divide between fans and ownership is a recipe for disaster, but in the face of such adversity, he performed miracles.

"He took them to within one penalty shoot-out of the Premier League and deserved to have taken them to an FA Cup final just last season.

"Obviously, things change behind the scenes and Adi Viveash left in the summer.

"He was a huge part of the development of the team.

Robins decision was incredibly harsh

Goodman is spot on in describing the credit in the bank that Robins should have had with the Sky Blues, who he had done so much for since taking the managerial reins in 2017.

Frankly, the work that Robins did, guiding the West Midlands side to two promotions, having inherited a club who were in dire financial straits and playing home games away from their own stadium, was at the envy of many other EFL clubs.

However, amid a poor run of form in the Championship, King saw fit to dismiss the 54-year-old from his duties, and the hunt for his replacement is well underway.

The Sky Blues chairman has confirmed that former Chelsea and Everton boss Frank Lampard is among those to have applied for the vacancy at the CBS Arena, but whoever goes on to replace Robins will surely be in the former manager's shadow for a significant amount of time, given the incredible job he did over the years.