Coventry City manager Chris Coleman has said he wants his side to pick up at least 16 more points to be in with a shout of finishing the season in one of the four play off places.
If 'City pick up the 16 points Coleman wants, that will leave Coventry with 65 points, which might prove to be the minimum tally required and in all probability at higher total with be needed. An end of season total of 75 points will be likely to be more realistic.
There are eleven games left for Coventry City to play, with 33 points up for grabs and Colman's target of 16 ought to be achievable as 'City have taken 15 points out of 18 on offer in their last 6 games, but with Cardiff, Leicester and West Bromwich Albion among the next opponents, it won't be an easy task.
Chris Coleman said, “Looking at it every year if you are anywhere around the 65-75 mark you have got a chance of having a really good season, but I am not thinking that far ahead. If the supporters want to get carried away, fine."
"My job is to say to the players to keep a calm head because there are a lot of games and points to play for. The fans have been waiting for some time and they have responded to the lads who keep on winning."
"They are doing their bit and we have got to do our bit and the longer that goes on the better it will be for everyone. We have got 11 games left and it is hard to wonder where we will be after those, but we have got to think where can we be on Saturday evening."
“The players we have got are doing everything they can to win games on a Saturday afternoon. They are enjoying each other and working hard for each other and it is no coincidence. There is no secret formula to winning football games. You need good players to work hard and appreciate each other and then you have got a chance, and we are getting that at the moment.”
Coventry City have six home games left in the run in to the end of the season, but the five away games are against Leicester, West Brom, Sheffield United, Reading and Middlesbrough, none of which are likely to be easy to come away with points.
Mr Coleman reassured fans that his team will not ease up, saying, “The good thing is that no-one is resting on what we have done. This is what we have been striving for and hungry for, to put ourselves in this position and now we want to see how far we can push the fancied teams above us.
“How far can we take it to the end of the season? and the longer we keep it going it is a feather in our cap.”
Even if Coventry fail in their late push for promotion, Coleman is sure the team will be in a better potion for next season's promotion challenge. He said, “I said at the start of the season if we can finish mid-table or even top ten then that’s the natural progression for us because we finished fourth from bottom two years ago, 17th last year and whatever we finish this year, it is a progression."
“It was hard to say that to people early doors because they thought we weren’t being very ambitious, but there have been one or two clubs around us who were more ambitious at the start and now they are in desperate trouble."
“We haven’t gambled and we have done it right, so fair play to the chairman he understood the financial implications if we got it wrong. It has been slower but the squad is very good at the minute. We have still got a lot of hard work to do this season."
“We are working them really hard in training this week and there were one or two who were a bit surprised but it is what has got us in this position, hard work on the training ground and unselfish individuals who have put a shift in for the team."
"They have got ability, of course, but unless you do the horrible little jobs first then the other bits don’t fall into place. We have just got to keep it going.”