Coventry City: Former manager Mark Robins to receive Honorary Doctorate for helping club come out of 'dark few years'
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Coventry University has announced it will be honouring Robins for his impact on the club and the city. Robins led Coventry City FC back to the brink of the Premier League and secured four visits to Wembley in the past seven years.
He will become an Honorary Doctor of Administration at a ceremony at Coventry Cathedral later this week. Robins returned for a second spell in the top job at the Sky Blues in 2017 and in that time the former Manchester United striker oversaw promotions from League Two and League One, while also taking his side to within a penalty kick of a return to the Premier League.
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Hide AdThe club also won the EFL Trophy in 2017 and reached an FA Cup semi-final last season for the first time since 1987. He parted ways with the club earlier this month. However, Mark’s dedication to Coventry was not confined to the football club alone as he has been involved in various community programmes aimed at strengthening the bond between the club, supporters and the city. These included supporter Q&A sessions and charity events, as well as visiting schools and community programmes to interact with members of the local area and fans, show his support and to share his experiences and insights about football and life.


Professor John Latham CBE, Vice-Chancellor of Coventry University said: “Mark Robins has played a crucial role in helping Coventry City come out of a dark few years and helped restore pride and belief among the fan base. His outstanding leadership and dedication to Coventry stretches further than just on the football pitch and we are proud to bestow this honour upon him for his contribution both on and off the field over the past near decade. It is said that all good things come to an end but it is right that we acknowledge the enormous and positive impact Mark has made here in Coventry.”
Robins was recently dismissed after seven years in charge of the club, with Rhys Carr handed the interim head coach role until a permanent successor is confirmed. Coventry are 17th in the Championship, a point above the relegation zone, after a 2-2 draw with Sunderland.
Doug King, the Coventry owner, has revealed that Frank Lampard is a contender to replace Robins. He told Sky Sports: “We’ve received a huge amount of CVs from high-quality people, of which Frank is one. We’ve done nothing on that process ... but clearly we’re in the international break, we’ll be assessing everything. We’ll work out who’s going to make the shortlist and we’ll go from there.”
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Hide AdRuud van Nistelrooy, 48, has also been heavily linked with the vacancy since leaving his role as assistant manager at Manchester United following the appointment of Ruben Amorim. Van Nistelrooy only returned to Old Trafford in the summer to assist compatriot Erik ten Hag. He is one of several high profile candidates in the frame to succeed Robins alongside current England interim Lee Carsley.
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