Coleman sees bright Sky Blue future

Newly-appointed Coventry manager Chris Coleman believes the Coca-Cola Championship strugglers have the potential to be bigger than former side Fulham.

The Welshman was confirmed as Iain Dowie's successor by chairman Ray Ranson on Tuesday after penning a three-and-a-half-year deal at the Ricoh Arena.

He said: "Look at the fan base and look at the stadium. I think the maximum crowd we had at Craven Cottage was 24,000. Here, you are talking about a team in the Championship who have lost a lot of games, playing in the Cup against West Brom, another Championship team, and getting 28,000 fans. That's very impressive, so there's a catchment there for us."

He added: "We need to produce a winning team, we need to give the fans something to shout about, we need to give the supporters around Coventry a team they want to come and support and we can do that together."

But before Coleman can turn his attention to masterminding a return to the top flight, he is well aware of the need to stabilise the faltering form of a side who have lost five of their last seven league outings.

He said: "We are where we are because that's where we deserve to be, unfortunately. We have a fight on our hands and we all know that.

"I'm more than confident that we are capable of staying clear from the relegation battle. A win and three points does you the world of good, especially if you have not been used to that."

With Coleman now their eighth manager in seven seasons, City are a prime example of a club who have embraced the quick-fix culture that has swept the modern game.

However, with the rewards at stake bigger than ever, he insists managers simply have to accept chairmen are not as patient as they used to be.

"That's football nowadays, it's cuthroat," Coleman said. "If you're not winning, it doesn't matter what reputation you've got. I understand that, that's the way it is. This league is a tough league."