Terry Butcher believes Frank Lampard’s leadership can help Coventry continue to ‘buck the trend’ of promoted clubs going down.
The former Sky Blues player and manager, 67, has loved seeing the club back in the Premier League and hopes they can follow in the footsteps of Sunderland and Leeds in staying in the top-flight.
Butcher saw his beloved Ipswich Town go straight back down to the Championship two seasons ago but after only Burnley were relegated among last season’s promoted clubs, the legendary England defender has belief.
The Sky Blues currently lie one point adrift of safety and take on bottom of the table Sunderland in a crunch clash on home soil this weekend.
Butcher, who played six times for the club before managing at Highfield Road between 1990 and 1992, said: “They haven’t looked back since I left!
“I’m really pleased they’re back up – Coventry are finding it quite hard at the moment just like Ipswich did two years ago.
“Coventry is a great place and a great club – Frank Lampard has done a great job and you just hope that they stay up.
“Last year, they bucked the trend of promoted clubs going down with two out of the three staying up, so hopefully we can be one of those two, if not one of those three that stays up.
“Hopefully that can be the case.”
Butcher was speaking as part of a Royal British Legion and MatchWornShirt (MWS) campaign to help raise funds for the Poppy Appeal this Remembrance Sunday.
This year’s initiative features Butcher, whose son Chris died in 2017, aged 35, while suffering from PTSD after serving in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
Across late October and November, clubs across the English football pyramid, including the Premier League, EFL and WSL, will wear shirts adorned with the poppy emblem, uniting football in a powerful act of respect.
These unique match-worn shirts will be signed by the players and made available to fans through a series of online auctions hosted exclusively on the MWS platform, with all net proceeds being donated to the Royal British Legion’s Poppy Appeal.
Since June 2024, Butcher has been a patron of Combat2Coffee, a not-for-profit company that supports veterans and their families
Butcher hailed the Poppy Appeal for making such a difference and hopes fans around the country can support it as it continues to go from strength to strength.
“The poppy represents pride and respect to those who have gone before,” he added.
“It’s a renowned and well-loved symbol and a symbol of hope and support.
“It’s something I love and something I have a lot of feeling for – when you look at what the Royal British Legion do and the amount of money they raise, it’s quite incredible.
“The Royal British Legion and their Poppy Appeal raise so much money, which really saves lives and is extremely powerful.”
To help the Royal British Legion continue its vital work, head to the MWS website and get involved in one of the many auctions for this year’s Poppy Appeal: https://mws.com/us/category/royal-british-legion?tab=historical
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