Publish date: 12 September 2011

The 2011/12 squad is demonstrably weaker than we've been used to in recent seasons, so this year's listing includes a hell of a lot of kids, most of whom we've seen very little of, aside from a bit of pre-season action. Being the opinionated swine I am though, they still get included. They've got a squad number, so that's good enough for me. Everyone must stand before the great Sky Blues Blog inquisition.

As always, it'll prove mighty interesting to see how these opinions hold up over the course of the year.

1 Joe Murphy (Goalkeeper)  

He's no Keiren, but he'll do, won't he. Not the most imposing (although he's got a right gob on him), the basics have been a struggle at times. Made a few good saves, so providing he keeps doing that, people'll be happy.

2 Richard Keogh (Defender)  

My mate Rich is a defender, pure and simple. I took the mick out of him quite a bit last year because I felt he was culpable for quite a few goals, and was generally a bit of a dipstick. Since Thorn has moved him into the centre of defence, he's eradicated most of the madness and is looking twice the player. I know many enjoyed those marauding runs of his, but running 40 yards, only to have a panic attack and give the ball away, weren't really that great. Now he can focus solely on the defensive side of the game, that'll work for him.

3 Chris Hussey (Defender)

I like the idea of Chris Hussey more than I actually like Chris Hussey. He's got a decent left-boot, and when he first broke on the scene, really looked like he could do a job for us, so I am glad he's finally got a chance. My concern is that he's a little indecisive, which for someone who receives the ball as often has he does, can cause us fans some frustration. He's still raw, so plenty of time to learn, but our own Gareth Bale (as I proclaimed so ludicrously last year) - he probably isn't.

4 Sammy Clingan (Midfielder)  

If you look at our squad, it's quite clear that without Sammy in our team; we don't have a team. We have nobody who can do the same job as him. He sets the pace, directs the play, and makes sure all the young lads around him know what they're doing. Has a wand of a right boot, and even if his corners are a bit loopy for my liking, that goal he scored against Preston was so good, I weep nearly every time I see it.

6 James McPake (Defender)

Always injured, not as imposing in stature as you'd like, but he's alright I guess. Been known to make wonder tackles and has decent spring, so there's never too much of an issue with him in the team. Not my first choice though, so not quite sure how he managed that humongous contract extension.

7 David Bell (Midfielder)

One of a selection of players in our team who drive you to the brink of jumping the barriers to batter them, only to then have a good game and make you forget how annoying they are for a few weeks. Bell should be good. He really should be. But consistency and injury problems mean he can never get into his stride, and when he does play, he spends half the game floating around the pitch doing very little. Has a phenomenal strike on him though, and we saw at the end of last season that he can be a very influential player for us when he wants to be. A talented guy - just wish he could implement it.

8 Carl Baker (Midfielder)  

David Bell: mark two. If ever there was a player who was made for coming off the bench, Mr Wriggly is your man. He doesn't know how to be consistent, and isn't as strong as he needs to be, but has nice technique and knows how to beat a man. It's all about confidence with him, so if he can beat a player once, he's likely to do it again and again. 

9 Lukas Jutkiewicz (Striker)

There's unlucky, and then there's Lukas Jutkiewicz. Such a strong unit, he gets little-to-zero protection from referees and has to put up with having his shirt pulled relentlessly throughout every game he plays. Needs to work on his composure in and around the box, as he struggles to get his shots away either down to panic or lack of technique, but there's certainly a good player there and he's going to be particularly important to us this year. No defender will fancy playing him.

10 Freddy Eastwood (Striker)

It's last chance saloon for Fred. He's really very good, with a first touch that puts most of our squad to shame. When he plays up front, he tends to do far better than when he's shoved out wide. Problem is, he (like Baker) is so relient on confidence, it's too noticeable when he's lacking, as he won't run and shies away from the ball. We've a habit at Coventry of going mental at strikers who don't chase every single ball down like a rabid dog. Stern John, Jay Bothroyd, Leon Best. They all got plenty of grief, but were top class and we missed them when they left. Needs our support, because he is class too. Looking forward to his return from fat camp.

11 Gary McSheffrey (Striker)

Ah Gary, every now and again you put in a performance that takes us back to the days when you were ripping apart the Middlesbrough defence for fun in the FA Cup. Wonderfully low centre of gravity, with a deceptive drop of the shoulder and natural eye for goal, Sheffers was brought back to life by Thorn in the few games he played under him last season, and it seemed we had our main man back. Pre-season didn't quite continue in the same vein however, and he was anonymous through many of the early games. Vital that he regains the form as he's our best link between midfield and attack.

12 Gary Deegan (Midfielder)

Oh, crumbs. Always injured, so unfair to make much of a judgment on his ability as a footballer. Showed he was capable of nicking a goal in his first season, even if his eagerness to perform often led to making a bit of a mess of the simple things. Stood out in periods during pre-season, before yet another injury sent him back to the treatment room. Reasonably young, so we'll have to wait and see if he can finally shake the back luck and get some games for the club before gaining a clearer opinion. 

13 Chris Dunn (Goalkeeper)

Not seen a lot, so difficult to say. Big chap, interesting kicking technique, fetching helmet. Back up.

14 Cody McDonald (Striker)

Our saviour, based on little more than the desperation for that to be true. Had a very impressive season for Gillingham last season, scoring goals from all sorts of situations. Nippy, without being blistering, he's proved himself to be surprisingly adept in the air, and will always find himself in goal-scoring situations. Whether he can convert these chances at Championship level remains to be seen. He'll need some time to gain some sharpness at the beginning of the campaign, as he's barely had a pre-season, but looks set to develop a useful partnership with Jukey.

15 Martin Cranie (Defender) 

My favourite. He is so quitely effective, he's rarely seen a man of the match award, but Martin Cranie seldom puts a foot wrong. For quite a while, I saw him as a right-back, even if he wasn't as keen. I see now why managers rate him so highly in the centre-back role. He marshals the line with a solidity and reading of the game that is unrivalled by our other defenders, and glides over the pitch in full control of what he's doing. He's not a beast by any means, so being out-muscled is sometimes a concern. But what he lacks in physical dominance, he more than makes up in metronomic consistency.

19 Roy O'Donovan (Striker)

Royboy loves to run. And he runs well. Has started the season in relatively good form, and seems to be providing us with much-needed options up front. It's clear that he's more of an Andy Morrell character than anyone who is genuinely riddled with class, but seems to have enough in him to grab the occasional goal, so is probably not quite as crap as Boothroyd had us all believe. When fit, he's behind Juke, Cody and Freddy though. They're just better and provide more potential as attacking outlets.  

22 Clive Platt (Striker)

Big Clive is a nice fellow, but the more he plays, the more I worry about just what level he really should be at. I recall his 20 minute cameo against Watford last season when he single-handedly dragged us from the doldrums and back into that game with his bullying and surprisingly energetic pressure on the defenders. Then he became the focal point of a despicably long ball team and we realised just how one-dimensional his game is. Might be needed in do-or-die situations, but in a team that lacks quite a bit of pace already, his inclusion in the line-up would serve very little purpose.

23 Daniel Ireland (Goalkeeper)

Had an iffy time with injuries, so is rarely available for selection (it seems). Should be at the stage in his career when he is making the step up to first team football. With Murphy and Dunn ahead of him, he'll do well to stay around too much longer, especially if he's offered games somewhere else..

24 Richard Wood (Defender)

You know what you're getting with Woody. I have no qualms with him ever being in the starting line up, as he offers a composed voice along the back, and solid basis for our defensive unit. He's actually not too bad at left-back, if required, but with someone that size, you'd rather he was in the middle challenging the big centre-forwards rather than attempting to combat the speed merchants on the wing. 

26 Jordan Clarke (Defender)

Still umming and ahhring about this guy. On the one hand he has shown that he can perform to a solid level, but there's still a part of me that isn't entirely comfortable with him in the team. He's still young, so has to be given the benefit of the doubt, but I don't see him as a first team player yet.

27 Shaun Jeffers (Striker)

While some of the young players are really coming on, I don't sense the same level of expectation or excitement about our young striking options. Needs to work hard, and do all he can to impress when he gets on the pitch. Has made little impact in his minutes for the first team thus-far. Can't be afraid to get involved. Understand he is a useful finisher, so will be good to see evidence of this when he's given time on the pitch - which given the size of the squad - I'm sure he will be.

28 Callum Wilson (Striker)

Got plenty of opportunities during pre-season, so should be feeling more comfortable around the first team squad. Has quite a few ahead of him at the moment, but if injuries hit, and the boss fancies trying something a little different, Callum should be able to come in and provide the opposition with something to concern themselves with. Would be good if he had some pace, but haven't seen him really stretch his legs yet, so we'll have to see if he's got that in his locker.

30 Nathan Cameron (Defender)

Had such and impressive start to his career, then went through a terrible patch (helped in no small part by the Boothroyd regime) and really began to concern me. Distribution is very hit and miss at the moment, so unsure how he can fit in to a team that's based on "building from the back", but in terms of defending, he has a lot of the attributes; strength, spring, presence, which he can build on.

31 Cyrus Christie (Defender)

Had one of the most impressive beginnings to a career we've seen at Coventry since.. well since Nathan Cameron. A pacy and strong right back with tremendous engine - he and Bigirimana have settled amazingly well on the right-hand side of the team, and this boy in particular is making a real impression on games. I've a tendency to immediately compare our young guys to a more notable player who I feel they could emulate. In this case, it's obviously someone like Glen Johnson or even Kyle Walker, if you're looking a better comparison. His final ball was a little lacklustre in the opening games, but there were soon signs that he had worked on that and has begun to whip some absolute gems into the box. An exciting prospect.

32 Conor Thomas (Midfielder)

You don't get courted by Liverpool if you're not a good player. Very much looking forward to seeing Conor develop, and I'm delighted that for whatever reason he didn't make the permanent move to Anfield. From what I've seen, he's a cultured midfielder who always has his head up, and is keen to play the best pass in that situation - whether it's a 5 yard pass backwards, or a splitting ball through the middle. That's what we need to see. For too long we've see the Robert Betts syndrome take over our young players, as they refuse point blank to show any adventure in their game. I'm sure Andy is the right man to help young Conor grow, and he'll be getting plenty of game time to only further accelerate his progression.

33 Lee Burge (Goalkeeper)

I have literally no idea, just yet, I'm afraid. The lad's still growing so it'll be unfair to make any comment at this point. He seems taller than Michael Quirke though, so that's got to go in his favour.

34 Gael Bigirimana (Midfielder)  

Wooo. Biggy. The Bigmeister. Bigginho. What a guy. 17 years old, and he plays the game like a little maestro. I love his technique, his pivots, his sleight of foot, his ingeniuty. So refreshing to see. Has gone about his job quitely, but don't underestimate just how good this little guy is. I'd prefer to seem him further forward, as he's shown signs that he has the vision to unlock defences in a similar way to Luka Modric. Seems to be a sweet boy too - praying at the beginning of the game, and that look of sheer delight following the win against Derby on the tele. What a lovely lad. Very excited by his potential.

35 Joshua Ruffels (Midfielder) 

Has made a brief appearance against Palace so far, and acquitted himself reasonably well. Very early days, so little to say this season, but with players like Gael and Cyrus making the first team - you couldn't ask for a greater motivation to knuckle down and prove you're worthy of being included in the squad too. 

36 Aaron Phillips (Midfielder) 

Haven't the foggiest right now, I'm afraid. Sure he's proud to have a squad number. Sure he's earned it a bit more than Sky Blue Sam too.