Speaking to BBC Radio Sheffield, the Blades’ manager Wilder believes his career will be defined by what he has done overall, with the 54-year-old doing a magnificent job at the Coventry Building Society Arena.
During his previous spell at Coventry, Robins spent seven-and-a-half years in charge, guiding them from League Two to the Championship and almost taking them to the Premier League after reaching the second-tier play-off final in 2023.
Unfortunately for them, they lost against Luton Town at Wembley in the end, with the Sky Blues penalty shootout defeat consigning them to another season in the second tier of English football.
They may have finished outside of the play-off places at the end of last season, but they had lost Viktor Gyokeres and Gus Hamer after their play-off final defeat and with this in mind, it was always going to be difficult for them to secure another top-six finish.
The Midlands side did, however, secure a place in the FA Cup semi-final during the latter stages of last term. Coming from 3-0 down against Manchester United to take the game to extra-time, they almost won the game 4-3 and would have done so if it wasn’t for VAR.
This season hasn’t been as positive for Robins though, with the club currently sitting in 18th place following a very underwhelming start to the campaign.
| Championship table (16th-18th) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (As of November 22nd, 2024) | P | GD | Pts | |
| 16 | Plymouth Argyle | 16 | -11 | 17 |
| 17 | Oxford United | 15 | -1 | 17 |
| 18 | Coventry City | 15 | -1 | 16 |
Considering the calibre of their squad, Coventry would have been expected to be much higher up the table.
Earlier this month, the decision was taken to dismiss Robins, and it was a decision that caused a lot of controversy.
Chris Wilder’s claim on Mark Robins after Coventry City departure
Robins can argue whether his dismissal was fair or not, but he can’t argue with the fact his start to the 2024/25 campaign with the Sky Blues was extremely poor.
Wilder, however, doesn’t believe Robins’ managerial career should be defined by what happened during the latter stages of his time at the Midlands club.
He told BBC Radio Sheffield: “I would like to pay tribute to Mark Robins and his work that he did at that football club. I’ve known Mark for a long time when he was local at Rotherham as well.
“I think we all understand the journey that he was on in terms of where they were and the financial issues, supporter issues and the tough journey that that club has been on.
“To get them within a penalty kick of the Premier League, within an incredibly tight decision to an FA Cup final and the group that he assembled [is outstanding].
“His incredible batch of work that he’s put into that football club and what he’s done will be recognised by everybody around the city and most importantly everybody at the football club.
“I don’t think in any way his career will be defined by 10-15 games at the start of this season, it will be defined by the bulk of his work, which has been absolutely outstanding.”
Mark Robins can be proud of his work at Coventry City
Robins did a brilliant job in difficult circumstances at Coventry.
Not only were they homeless for a while, but he didn’t exactly have a huge amount to spend in the transfer market either under SISU.
Despite the obstacles he faced, he was able to get over them with his team and guide them to success.
Clearly, this season hasn’t gone as well for the Sky Blues as he would have wanted, but he can still be pleased with what he did at the CBS Arena.
He has left the club in a much better position than he found them in.
Discussion about this post