Noel Whelan Full Of Confidence In Coventry Ahead Of Play-Off Final

on May 26, 2023 at 3:59 pm

Here at BoyleSports we caught up with former Coventry City striker Noel Whelan to get his opinions ahead of Saturday’s big game.

Whelan was full of praise for Coventry manager Mark Robins and the job he has done for the club to get them within 90 minutes of Premier League football at Wembley.

The former Sky Blues striker also spoke about how much the Coventry City fans deserve top flight football, what it would mean to the city to return to the Premier League plus his memories at the club.

Mark Robins ‘Incredible’

You’ve got to say the football club has been under a cloud during Mark Robins’ time there and it must have been difficult for him to prepare for football matches with everything that’s going on in the background. To be in this position from where they were at the beginning of the season, not knowing if they’re going to be playing at the stadium again, it is absolutely incredible.

Michael Carrick has done a fantastic job at Middlesbrough as well and you could have argued that either side deserved to be in the final, but Coventry got that decisive goal and what a goal it was, worthy of any winner to get you to Wembley.

The fact is that they’ve not had a massive budget to use. So when you look at everything in one big picture, there’s been controversy off the field and financial issues, but Mark Robins has built a team that’s obviously playing for him. It’s tight-knit, it’s a group of players fighting for one another.

To be sitting bottom, not playing at home for five games and to have to play catch-up is hard work, because you’d rather have the points on the board than have to catch up those points.

So there’s been so much pressure on these players. And in the run-in they’ve been incredible. I don’t think anybody in the Championship could take that away from them or say they don’t deserve to be there, so everyone is praying we just turn up on the day and finish the season on a high.

Coventry bring momentum into Play-off Final

Luton have had a fantastic year as well and it’s made to be a fantastic final – two teams that have gone through some horrific times. It’s a tough one to call. It’s going to be a really interesting match to watch.

But Coventry are going to be going in full of confidence that they can do this. They’ll have a massive contingent of fans going down there to support them as well, showing that continued undying love and support no matter what they’re going through.

Coventry will be under no illusion that this is a one-off game. You’ve got to turn up on the day, you’ve got to manage your emotions and your discipline. You need that little bit of luck at times as well. Hopefully they’re going to bring the momentum with them. There’s fine margins between two sides that have done incredibly well.

Coventry Fans deserve Premier League

Victory would mean everything for the fans, having been pulled from pillar to post from Northampton to Birmingham, not knowing if they’re going to have a stadium again or where the club was going to end up.

They’ve stuck by them through thick and thin and that’s a fantastic fan base. They only wanted it in good hands and now it’s in a much healthier place. And it could be in an even healthier and wealthier place than it’s ever been for a long time.

They’ve gone through some really hard times, harder than what they did when I was there. Fans have always stood by them and fingers crossed for Saturday.

I think the whole city benefits when their football team is in the top flight. The feel-good factor it brings with it and the excitement makes a big difference.

You can feel the excitement before the games when you’re coming into the stadium and when you’re out there after games. Not only because they’ve gone through some difficult financial times, but for Coventry to get back there would just give that bit more life and vibrancy and excitement back to a city that really deserves it. It’s been a long time coming.

Coventry transfer ‘out of the blue’

Coventry were a club that were always in the Premier League and it was a move that came out of the blue for me. I got rung up on a Sunday morning by Howard Wilkinson. I was literally in bed and it was early morning and he just said, ‘I need to speak to you straight away.’

I had a feeling. There’s no shame in it, but I was in tears in bed. I knew what was going on and the transition was very quick. I spoke to Howard that morning, got my boots, and was straight up the motorway at a hotel to meet Big Ron Atkinson and Gordon Strachan. And within hours, the medical was done and I was signed as a Coventry player.

I didn’t really know too much about the football club, but I grew to love it over my five years, the support was fantastic. The club was as friendly a club as you’ll ever get. And there are still people there now that worked there when I was back playing, which is a credit to the club. Going back and seeing the fans and thanking them and catching up with old faces, it’s a real privilege.”

‘Best times of my career’ – Whelan praises Strachan influence

I had great teammates at Coventry and yes, it wasn’t without some years trying to stay alive in the Premier League. But I’ve got to say that playing for the Sky Blues was probably one of my best times of my career. I only have good memories from the time.

Big Ron was the manager and Gordon was the assistant. And it was probably Gordon who went out and brought me in as I played alongside him at Leeds, so I had a lot to thank for Gordon for.

It didn’t go without controversy when I came to the club, I was lively on the pitch and probably just as lively off it at times. When you move away at a very young age, leaving family behind in Leeds, and go somewhere completely brand new for the first – it is a very, very short turnaround.

When I wasn’t playing. I wasn’t one that could go home and relax and play FIFA. I was a bit more energetic than that. When I got a little bit too energetic and I really needed some help and guidance in my life away from the football, Gordon was kind enough to bring me to stay in his house and put me on the straight and narrow again.

He helped me live that little bit better, get a little bit of discipline back in my life that I needed. And I don’t think there’s too many or managers that would have helped me that way. So a lot of credit and a lot of thanks goes to Gordon because that was a time when I played some of my best football.

We didn’t just have a manager-player relationship, I think we had a friendship there as well because we played together at Leeds. I still got myself in a tiny bit of bother when I was living with him, but it wasn’t as bad.

He could see I was struggling a little bit with life and trying to deal with certain things and that I needed to change to make me a better player. That was the whole aim really, to get the best out of me on the field, which was ultimately going to help him and the team.

Highfield Road memories

Our squad was better than what our position suggested at times. When you look through the internationals that were in our side, from Magnus Hedman, Sweden’s number one goalkeeper, to Robbie Keane. We had excellent players but we also had a massive togetherness. We all got on really, really well. I think that helped in the fight for survival during a couple of years, at least.

I loved Highfield Road, I really did. Everything you’ve got now is the mod cons and the new stadium is a stage for a Premier League team, it really is, it’s got everything that you would want. But for me, Highfield Road just had that feel to it, a good old-fashioned stadium.

You could feel the energy and support from the fans, there was a real good atmosphere and away teams hated coming to a stadium like that. I scored on my home debut, in a 2-1 win against Everton, so it holds a lot of good memories.

For a full breakdown of Coventry v Luton Town check out our Play-Off Final preview post.

Click Below For All Our Coventry City v Luton Town Play-Off Final Odds