FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Championship - Coventry City v Hull City - Coventry Building Society Arena, Coventry, Britain - April 24, 2024 Coventry City manager Mark Robins Action Images/Matthew Childs/File Photo
(Reuters) - Coventry City have sacked the English Football League's longest-serving manager Mark Robins, the Championship (second-tier) club said on Thursday, with the side in 17th place after 14 games.
The 54-year-old Robins' exit comes after Coventry's 2-1 loss at home to Derby County on Wednesday which left them level on points with Plymouth Argyle who are in the relegation zone.
Robins, the third longest-serving manager in the top four divisions of English football, returned to Coventry for a second spell in 2017 and led them from League Two to the Championship.
In 2023, he took Coventry to the Championship playoff final where they lost to Luton Town on penalties and they missed out on an FA Cup final place when they were beaten by Manchester United in a shootout after a stunning fightback from 3-0 down.
"The Club is well aware that this is a difficult moment after over seven very successful years at the helm and this decision is not taken lightly," Coventry said in a statement.
"The performance of the team over an extended period however has just not been good enough and as such the board of the club has decided to make an immediate change in leadership."
The club has appointed assistant manager Rhys Carr as interim boss ahead of Saturday's trip to leaders Sunderland.
(Reporting by Suramya Kaushik in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)
