Nilsson to be offered City job
Tuesday, 9 October 2001 08:21Coventry City will unveil Roland Nilsson as the club's permanent player/manager within the next day or so following his success since stepping into the role after Gordan Strachan's departure last month. Club chairman Bryan Richardson has confirmed that the popular Swede, who has won four and drawn three since taking charge, would be rewarded for his unbeaten start with a full-time contract.
Speaking to Radio 5 Live, Richardson revealed: "The situation is very clear now. We sat down yesterday and talked and I would think within the next day or so we will announce that Roland is to be the full-time manager."
Nilsson's appointment was widely expected to be a stop-gap measure, but such has been the success he has had, Richardson decided to look no further for the club's new manager. He added: "I wanted to see if Roland would be successful. I thought he always could do that role particularly well and I'm delighted to say he's made that choice easy.
Richardson refused to lay any blame at Strachan's door for the faltering start. He insisted: "We've had a very good relationship with Gordon and he had been with us for six years and was very hard-working. But sometimes you just need change for change's sake. It's a strange thing that happens so often, you make a change and people brighten up and feel a bit fresher about things. I've always felt we've got enough players to do extremely well in the First Division."
Filed by Shane Murray
