Coventry City: Doug King hailed for Frank Lampard "masterstroke" as Mike Ashley stadium claim issued | OneFootball

Football League World's Sky Blues Fan Pundit has weighed in on Doug King's ownership of the club.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Coventry City have had a whirlwind last two years or so under the ownership of Doug King, with two trips to Wembley in that time - and possibly a third come the end of May.

Defeats in the Championship play-off final in 2023, as well as the FA Cup semi-final to Man United in 2024 saw Sky Blues supporters go on somewhat of a rollercoaster, and if they are to make it into the play-offs at the end of the current campaign, then they will be hoping for less heartbreak.

Frank Lampard has been an incredible hire for the West Midlands outfit, and he has taken the club from the relegation battle into the play-off fight in just a matter of months and he must be commended for the job that he has done.

The decision to sack Mark Robins was a surprising one, and Coventry supporters were disappointed back in November, but Doug King looks to have made the right choice as the clock ticks down on the 2024/25 campaign.

Verdict issued on Doug King's ownership of Coventry

King bought into the club back in January 2023, acquiring 85% of the Sky Blues before becoming the sole owner just a few weeks later after purchasing the remaining 15% from Sisu Capital Limited.

During this time, the Championship side have reached the play-off final, the FA Cup semi-final and are on course to finish in the top six once again. However, it has not been all plain sailing, and he has had to hold strong with some of his decisions.

Football League World has asked their Coventry Fan Pundit, Chris Deez, if he believes his team's owner has the club's best interests at heart.

However, if Coventry want to be come a big club once more, Deez believes that King needs to strike a deal somehow with businessman Mike Ashley in order to secure the ownership of the CBS Arena.

Chris told FLW: "Doug King is somewhat of a mystery.

"We don't know a huge amount about him. He was very much a public figure at first when he first bought the club, as expected. He came in and saved us from the torture and just the nightmare years of Sisu’s ownership.

"So, he was always on the front of the newspapers and all that stuff. All the headlines were about King and what he was going to come in and do and how he was going to change the club and back the managers.

"He's made some very good decisions; he's made some very controversial decisions.

"Obviously getting rid of Mark Robins, changing all that around and bringing in a big name, but somewhat unproven, Frank Lampard. It has obviously turned out to be a masterstroke, but at the time it was quite controversial.

"I think he does have the club’s best interests at heart. The decisions that he's made, although they've been unpopular, I can see why he's done them, because a lot of them are money-generating and he's clearly happy to back Lampard financially because he gave him £3.5m to spend on Matt Grimes very late in the transfer window."

Chris continued: "So, we're likely to have more money coming in from Viktor Gyokeres through his sell-on clause and percentages. Depending on what happens with us and promotion or staying in the league, there's going to be money coming in from sales.

"We’ll have to see how serious he is about Coventry being a team that can push up their leagues, a team that can push for promotion and try and stay in the Premier League. Or is he happy for us just to tick along, make a little bit more money every year, and then sell the club on?

"Eventually, a big indicator will be if he tries to buy the stadium one day from Mike Ashley. That's a really big one for me.

"I think the only way that we can possibly become that big club and take that next step is to own our own stadium and to get all the revenue that comes from that. We can't keep paying rent to somebody. We can't keep having a landlord."

Doug King has proved his worth to Coventry City with Frank Lampard appointment

The start of this season was incredibly disappointing for Coventry, and Robins struggled to replicate the success that he has had in the past with the club, ultimately paying the price by losing his job.

Lampard, a manager who had been out of work for just over a year, had the incredibly tough task of following a fans' favourite in the dugout, but he has done a sensational job in such a small amount of time.

If Coventry narrowly miss out on the top six, then they will be in good stead for next season, but they could prove to be a tough opponent for the other three sides in the play-offs and they may just be able to end their 24-year wait for Premier League football.

King's choice was fantastic, and he is reaping the rewards as an owner for this new-found success on the pitch that could result in a return to the top flight.