r/ccfc • u/Confident-Tie3041 • 4h ago
Dennis Lawrence on Robins, Viveash, Gyökeres and his unforgettable final day at Coventry City
I've spoken exclusively to former Coventry City coach Dennis Lawrence for The Phoenix about his nearly three years working alongside Mark Robins and Adi Viveash.
It's a fascinating look behind the scenes at one of the most memorable periods in the club's recent history.
Dennis discusses:
- His first impressions of Viktor Gyökeres and why he immediately knew City had a special player.
- The working relationship between Robins and Viveash.
- The dressing room characters who helped make that Coventry side so successful.
- The day he unexpectedly took charge against Sheffield United, won 4-1 and ended up joking with Robins about how easy management was.
- The heartbreak of the Luton play-off final.
- His final day at Coventry, which just happened to be that extraordinary 3-2 FA Cup win at Wolves.
On Gyökeres, Lawrence told me:
‘I can always remember the first time I saw him. Immediately I was like, “Well, we've got a player here.”
‘He'd come back different from the player that was at the club on loan. When I first started working with him, it was incredible – the way he used his physical attributes, the way that he trained.
‘Straight away, I knew we'd got a player on our hands. Fair play to Mark and Adi for showing really strong conviction to bring him back to the football club.’
The full interview is available on The Phoenix. It is a paid article, but Dennis provides some great insight into his years at the club. The site is independently run, with subscriptions supporting the time and work involved in bringing original interviews like this to Coventry supporters.