Former Cov man Ian Carvell takes backroom role with the Lion
By Alan Poole, Coventry Telegraph
November 17 2010
CRISIS club Rugby Lions have received a backroom boost with the news that former Coventry director of rugby Ian Carvell is moving to Webb Ellis Road as non-executive director until the end of the season.And Carvell is confident that there is enough time to pull the Lions back from the brink of a second relegation in two seasons despite Sunday’s derby defeat at Nuneaton.
“It’s probably the toughest task I’ve taken on in rugby,” admitted Carvell, “but what I can tell the fans is that I will give it my very best shot
“With Keith Fairbrother and Graham Robbins I managed to keep Cov in the Championship for 10 years with one of the lowest budgets in the league with only one close call along the way.
“Towards the end we built one of the best sides Cov has seen in recent years and it was only off the field circumstances that stopped us taking them to the Premiership.
“My job description is simple – help Mark Ellis and his team win enough games to stay in the league. We’ve 20 left and we know what needs to be done.
“From what I have seen already the coaching side is not a problem – with Mark, Matt Davies, and Emyr Lewis we have experience and up-and-coming talent.
“It’s just a case of us all coordinating that experience and addressing the issues that have brought such poor results so far.
“I was at Nuneaton, and the game could have gone either way – a few silly errors lost us the game, but overall I was pleased and encouraged by what I saw.
“The chairman, David Owen, and his board of directors are totally committed to improving the clubs playing side.
“My friends the Beresford brothers live and breathe the club, and the officials at Rugby are obviously passionate about their club. All of that has influenced my decision in what will be my last role in rugby and I am very much ‘up for the challenge.’
“There are a lot of young players who just need a bit more time and experience, but many are more than capable of playing at this level and higher. They need time and a few old heads to help them along.
“A few quality experienced players will be brought in to blend in with the existing young talent, and with Mark, and the managers, we will look to streamline our recruitment, coaching, and fitness programmes.
“We will be putting a three-year plan in place, but initially we will be concentrating on nothing except getting the squad winning games,
“Rugby are without doubt a club which should be in the Division One or even the Championship. They have been there before, and with a lot of effort, good support, patience and a bit of luck we will look to do it again.
“The potential for the club is enormous. It’s the birthplace of the game, and the town will increase it’s population considerably over the few years so hopefully with some success the crowd will increase, too.”
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Personally, I always felt he had Cov's best interests at heart and only walked away when KF refused to sell the club back at a reasonable price.
Or, am I just looking back through rose coloured specs ?
Wilkie would have known...