2001–02 Coventry City F.C. season

Coventry City
2001–02 season
Chairman	Bryan Richardson (until 30 January); Mike McGinnity (from 30 January)
Manager	Gordon Strachan (until 10 September); Roland Nilsson (player-manager until 16 April); Gary McAllister (from 24 April)
Stadium	Highfield Road
First Division	11th
FA Cup	Third round
League Cup	Third round
Top goalscorer	Lee Hughes (14)
Average home league attendance	15,436
	← 2000–01 2002–03 →

During the 2001–02 English football season, Coventry City F.C. competed in the Football League First Division, following relegation from the FA Premier League the previous season.

Season summary

Despite the signing of prolific striker Lee Hughes from local rivals West Bromwich Albion, Coventry City were unable to make a genuine push for an immediate return to the Premier League and finished well away from promotion in 11th place. Manager Gordon Strachan had been sacked after five games with only one win and Coventry 19th; this heralded the beginning of an eleven-match unbeaten run which saw Coventry top the table with a third of the season gone, but from then three straight losses took them down to ninth. Coventry never regained the form from that unbeaten run, but with seven games left to play they stood fourth and appeared almost certain to gain a playoff place. Unfortunately, Coventry only gained one point from those last seven games and fell down to 11th place.

Final league table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	F	A	W	D	L	F	A	F	A	GD	Pts
1	Manchester City	46	19	3	1	63	19	12	3	8	45	33	108	52	+56	99
2	West Bromwich Albion	46	15	4	4	36	11	12	4	7	25	18	61	29	+32	89
3	Wolverhampton Wanderers	46	13	4	6	33	18	12	7	4	43	25	76	43	+33	86
4	Millwall	46	15	3	5	43	22	7	8	8	26	26	69	48	+21	77
5	Birmingham City	46	14	4	5	44	20	7	9	7	26	29	70	49	+21	76
6	Norwich City	46	15	6	2	36	16	7	3	13	24	35	60	51	+9	75
7	Burnley	46	11	7	5	39	29	10	5	8	31	33	70	62	+8	75
8	Preston North End	46	13	7	3	45	21	7	5	11	26	38	71	59	+12	72
9	Wimbledon	46	9	8	6	30	22	9	5	9	33	35	63	57	+6	67
10	Crystal Palace	46	13	3	7	42	22	7	3	13	28	40	70	62	+8	66
11	Coventry City	46	12	4	7	33	19	8	2	13	26	34	59	53	+6	66
12	Gillingham	46	12	5	6	38	26	6	5	12	26	41	64	67	–3	64
13	Sheffield United	46	8	8	7	34	30	7	7	9	19	24	53	54	–1	60
14	Watford	46	10	5	8	38	30	6	6	11	24	26	62	56	+6	59
15	Bradford City	46	10	1	12	41	39	5	9	9	28	37	69	76	–7	55
16	Nottingham Forest	46	7	11	5	26	21	5	7	11	24	30	50	51	–1	54
17	Portsmouth	46	9	6	8	36	31	4	8	11	24	41	60	72	–12	53
18	Walsall	46	10	6	7	29	27	3	6	14	22	44	51	71	–20	51
19	Grimsby Town	46	9	7	7	34	28	3	7	13	16	44	50	72	–22	50
20	Sheffield Wednesday	46	6	7	10	28	37	6	7	10	21	34	49	71	–22	50
21	Rotherham United	46	7	13	3	32	29	3	6	14	20	37	52	66	–14	49
22	Crewe Alexandra	46	8	8	7	23	32	4	5	14	24	44	47	76	–29	49
23	Barnsley	46	9	9	5	37	33	2	6	15	22	53	59	86	–27	48
24	Stockport County	46	5	1	17	19	44	1	7	15	23	58	42	102	–60	26

Pld = Matches ; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points
NB: In the Football League goals scored (F) takes precedence over goal difference (GD).

Key
	Football League Champions, promoted to FA Premier League
	Promoted to FA Premier League
	Participated in play-offs
	Promoted to Premier League through play-offs
	Relegated

Results

Coventry City's score comes first^[1]

Legend

Win	Draw	Loss

Football League First Division

Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Scorers
11 August 2001	Stockport County	A	2–0	9,329	Hughes, Carsley
19 August 2001	Wolverhampton Wanderers	H	0–1	22,902
24 August 2001	Bradford City	A	1–2	15,085	Bothroyd
27 August 2001	Nottingham Forest	H	0–0	18,467
8 September 2001	Grimsby Town	H	0–1	14,980
15 September 2001	Sheffield United	A	1–0	16,168	Delorge
19 September 2001	Manchester City	H	4–3	18,804	Pearce (own goal), Konjić, Hughes, Thompson
22 September 2001	Portsmouth	H	2–0	18,303	Bothroyd, Carsley
25 September 2001	Barnsley	A	1–1	11,692	Martínez
29 September 2001	Gillingham	A	2–1	9,435	Martínez, Chippo
14 October 2001	Walsall	A	1–0	7,515	Thompson
17 October 2001	Rotherham United	A	0–0	6,582
21 October 2001	Crewe Alexandra	H	1–0	15,788	Hughes (pen)
24 October 2001	Wimbledon	A	1–0	5,883	Thompson
27 October 2001	Sheffield Wednesday	H	2–0	17,381	Safri, Hughes (pen)
31 October 2001	Preston North End	H	2–2	15,755	Thompson (2)
3 November 2001	Millwall	A	2–3	15,748	Martínez, Bothroyd
17 November 2001	Burnley	H	0–2	16,849
25 November 2001	Birmingham City	A	0–2	18,279
28 November 2001	Crystal Palace	H	2–0	13,695	Delorge, Mills
1 December 2001	Wimbledon	H	3–1	17,303	Hughes, Mills, Thompson
9 December 2001	Watford	H	0–2	13,251
12 December 2001	West Bromwich Albion	A	0–1	22,543
15 December 2001	Norwich City	A	0–2	17,889
23 December 2001	Bradford City	H	4–0	14,977	Hughes (2, 1 pen), Thompson, Joachim
26 December 2001	Grimsby Town	A	1–0	7,568	Hughes
29 December 2001	Nottingham Forest	A	1–2	22,706	Chippo
13 January 2002	Wolverhampton Wanderers	A	1–3	21,009	Bothroyd
19 January 2002	Stockport County	H	0–0	12,448
29 January 2002	Crystal Palace	A	3–1	16,197	Bothroyd, Hall, McSheffrey
2 February 2002	Gillingham	H	1–2	14,337	Bothroyd
6 February 2002	Rotherham United	H	2–0	12,893	Konjić, Hughes
9 February 2002	Crewe Alexandra	A	6–1	7,835	Delorge (2), Hughes (3), Thompson
16 February 2002	Walsall	H	2–1	13,736	Thompson, Chippo
23 February 2002	Barnsley	H	4–0	15,092	Chippo, Thompson (2), Mills
26 February 2002	Portsmouth	A	0–1	12,336
3 March 2002	Manchester City	A	2–4	33,335	Mills (2)
6 March 2002	Sheffield United	H	1–0	12,963	Thompson
9 March 2002	Norwich City	H	2–1	16,744	Hughes (2, 1 pen)
16 March 2002	Watford	A	0–3	15,833
24 March 2002	Birmingham City	H	1–1	17,945	Healy
29 March 2002	Sheffield Wednesday	A	1–2	21,470	Healy
1 April 2002	West Bromwich Albion	H	0–1	21,513
6 April 2002	Preston North End	A	0–4	15,665
12 April 2002	Millwall	H	0–1	15,335
21 April 2002	Burnley	A	0–1	18,751

FA Cup


Round	Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Goalscorers
R3	16 January 2002	Tottenham Hotspur	H	0–2	20,758

League Cup


Round	Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Goalscorers
R2	11 September 2001	Peterborough United	A	2–2 (won 4-2 on pens)	5,729	Thompson, Carsley
R3	9 October 2001	Chelsea	H	0–2	12,582

Squad

^[2] Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
2	DF	ENG	Marc Edworthy
3	DF	ENG	Marcus Hall
4	DF	ARG	Horacio Carbonari (on loan from Derby County)
5	DF	IRL	Gary Breen
6	DF	ENG	Richard Shaw
7	MF	ENG	David Thompson
8	MF	WAL	Paul Trollope
9	FW	ENG	Lee Hughes
10	FW	ENG	Julian Joachim
11	DF	MAR	Youssef Chippo
12	FW	ENG	Lee Mills
13	GK	SWE	Magnus Hedman
14	DF	IRL	Barry Quinn
15	MF	ENG	John Eustace
16	MF	IRL	Keith O'Neill
17	FW	PER	Ysrael Zúñiga
18	MF	SCO	Gavin Strachan
19	MF	HON	Iván Guerrero
21	FW	ENG	Jay Bothroyd
22	DF	BIH	Muhamed Konjić


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
23	GK	DEN	Morten Hyldgaard
24	DF	SWE	Roland Nilsson (player-manager)
25	FW	HON	Jairo Martínez
26	DF	ENG	Calum Davenport
27	MF	MAR	Youssef Safri
28	MF	BEL	Laurent Delorge
29	FW	ENG	Gary McSheffrey
31	FW	NOR	Runar Normann
32	MF	WAL	Lee Fowler
33	GK	ENG	Gary Montgomery
34	DF	SWE	Richard Spong
35	MF	IRL	Colin Healy (on loan from Celtic)
36	MF	ENG	Robert Betts
37	MF	SCO	Craig Strachan
38	FW	SCO	Gary McPhee
39	MF	SWE	Andreas Dahl
40	DF	ENG	Thomas Cudworth
41	MF	ENG	Craig Pead
42	MF	IRL	Barry Ferguson

Left club during season

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
1	GK	ENG	Chris Kirkland (to Liverpool)
4	DF	ENG	Paul Williams (to Southampton)
8	MF	IRL	Lee Carsley (to Everton)
12	MF	ENG	Paul Telfer (to Southampton)


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
20	MF	SWE	Tomas Gustafsson (to Copenhagen)
30	GK	SCO	Andy Goram (to Oldham Athletic)
30	GK	ENG	Tim Flowers (on loan from Leicester City)
35	MF	ENG	Carlton Palmer (to Stockport County)

Reserve squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
—	GK	SWE	Per Fahlman
—	DF	IRL	Sean Cooney
—	DF	IRL	Conor Kenna
—	MF	NIR	Ruaidhri Higgins
—	MF	NIR	Mark Magennis


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
—	MF	ENG	Mark Noon
—	MF	IRL	Stephen Rice
—	FW	ENG	Rory May
—	FW	IRL	Roy O'Donovan

Transfers

In

Julian Joachim - Aston Villa, 6 July, part-exchange
Keith O'Neill - Middlesbrough, 8 August, £750,000
Lee Hughes - West Bromwich Albion, 8 August, £5,000,001^[3]
Youssef Safri - Raja Casablanca, 11 August, £700,000^[4]
Andy Goram - unattached (last at Hamilton Academical), 24 August^[5]
Lee Mills - Portsmouth, 1 January, £250,000^[6]
Paul Trollope - Fulham, 22 March, free

Out

Stephen McPhee - released (later joined Port Vale on 24 June)
Craig Bellamy - Newcastle United, 25 June, £6,000,000
John Aloisi - Osasuna, 3 July, £1,200,000
Mustapha Hadji - Aston Villa, 6 July, £2,000,000 plus Julian Joachim^[7]
John Hartson - Celtic, 2 August, £6,000,000^[8]
Paul Williams - Southampton, 31 October, free
Paul Telfer - Southampton, 31 October, free
Carlton Palmer - Stockport County, 6 November, free^[9]
Tomas Gustafsson - Copenhagen, 4 February, undisclosed
Lee Carsley - Everton, 8 February, £1,900,000^[10]
Roland Nilsson - retired, 8 April^[11]
Steve Froggatt - retired
Chris Kirkland - Liverpool, £6,000,000
Andy Goram - Oldham Athletic

Loan in

Lee Mills - Portsmouth, December, one month
Horacio Carbonari - Derby County, 22 March, one month
Colin Healy - Celtic, 29 January, 84 days
Tim Flowers - Leicester City

Loan out

Carlton Palmer - Sheffield Wednesday, 4 September, 46 days^[12]

References

^ http://www.statto.com/football/teams/coventry-city/2001-2002/results
^ http://www.footballsquads.co.uk/eng/2001-2002/d1/coventry.htm
^ "Coventry seal Hughes deal". BBC Sport. 8 August 2001. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
^ "Safri signs for Coventry". BBC News. 11 August 2001.
^ Goram initially signed a month-to-month deal before signing with the club for the rest of the season on 24 October.
^ Tynan, Gordon (1 January 2002). "Coventry sign cut-price Mills". The Independent. London. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
^ "Hadji completes Villa move". BBC News. 6 July 2001.
^ "Celtic sign trio on deadline day". BBC Sport. 2 August 2001. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
^ "Palmer named Stockport boss". BBC News. 6 November 2001.
^ "Carsley joins Everton". BBC Sport. 8 February 2002. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
^ "Nilsson hangs up boots". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 8 April 2002. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
^ Palmer originally signed on loan for three months, but the loan was terminated early.

[1] ttp://www.statto.com/football/teams/coventry-city/2001-2002/results

[2] ttp://www.footballsquads.co.uk/eng/2001-2002/d1/coventry.htm

[3] "Coventry seal Hughes deal". BBC Sport. 8 August 2001. Retrieved 11 July 2013.

[4] "Safri signs for Coventry". BBC News. 11 August 2001.

[5] Goram initially signed a month-to-month deal before signing with the club for the rest of the season on 24 October.

[6] Tynan, Gordon (1 January 2002). "Coventry sign cut-price Mills". The Independent. London. Retrieved 11 July 2013.

[7] "Hadji completes Villa move". BBC News. 6 July 2001.

[8] "Celtic sign trio on deadline day". BBC Sport. 2 August 2001. Retrieved 11 July 2013.

[9] "Palmer named Stockport boss". BBC News. 6 November 2001.

[10] "Carsley joins Everton". BBC Sport. 8 February 2002. Retrieved 11 July 2013.

[11] "Nilsson hangs up boots". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 8 April 2002. Retrieved 11 July 2013.

[12] Palmer originally signed on loan for three months, but the loan was terminated early.

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