Coventry City Won't Get Promoted… Here's Why

Coventry City will not get promoted this season – not automatically, not through the playoffs, not at all.

You would be forgiven for thinking I've lost my mind to make such an outrageous suggestion, given Lampard's men currently sit top of the Championship by six points and eight points clear of the chasing pack in the playoffs.

But I truly believe there's a lot more substance to this claim than it first appears, so you're just going to have to hear me out.

Overly Flattering League Table

As mentioned, the league table makes for what can only be described as breathtaking reading, if you are a Coventry fan, of course.

But in my expert opinion, the numbers on the board are telling porkies at this stage of the season.

That isn't me trying to push a narrative that Coventry should be nowhere near where they are, because I'm not silly enough to believe that's the case (even if you think my opinion is ludicrous)…

Coventry's patchy form continues. 😬

Defeat at Birmingham City was a second in three games for the Championship leaders.#BBCEFL pic.twitter.com/3Sdhb9MbmT

— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) January 4, 2026

There are the likes of Ipswich, who took a good while to really get going this season but have now begun a charge which has seen them rise up to 3rd and massively close the gap on Coventry.

There is the pair of Sheffield United and Southampton, who have both had subpar seasons thus far but, mainly in Sheffield United's case, have begun to turn their form around and start a push up the table – I know they are still a good way back from Coventry, but anything is possible in the Championship).

Essentially, the point I'm trying to make is that there hasn't been a particularly large amount of pressure on the Sky Blues thus far, leading to a pretty straightforward run to their current position.

But, in recent weeks, when just that little bit of pressure has begun to reach them, we have already seen some faltering.

Cov Hot & Bothered?

It has only been four games, but Coventry's New Year has been anything but happy.

A convincing 2-0 defeat at home to the charging Ipswich at the back end of December marked the beginning of this stumble.

Middlesbrough will be hoping to reduce the gap to Coventry City to three points when they face West Bromwich Albion tonight. 🔜

Beating Southampton 4-0 in their last league outing, they will be targeting back-to-back clean sheets for the first time since August. 🤞#BORO pic.twitter.com/RIUhYFy65v

— The Championship Chat Podcast (@Champchatpod24) January 16, 2026

Now, yes, teams are allowed to go on a poor run of form, and this is the first real sign of struggle we have seen in the ranks thus far, but given that this is the sort of time in the season when leaders often begin to falter, this could be more than just a slight blip.

The Scenario

So, with all that being said, here is how I think the rest of Coventry's season plays out.

I don't see a complete collapse on the cards; they have been too good for that to be the case – but I can see a continuation of the shaky form that has appeared in the last few games for the rest of the season, or at least some of it.

With the form of other sides picking up, like the mentioned Ipswich, and clubs who have already shown good form this season, such as Middlesbrough, likely keeping that up, Coventry could soon see themselves swamped by clubs vying for their spot in the automatics.

If that does occur and they end up dropping into the playoffs come the end of the season, I believe the toll that such a long season will have had on Lampard's men will take over during those games and they will be beaten – whether that be in the semi-final or at Wembley.

There's no doubt it would be nothing short of a failure if this was the way it pans out, and of course I'm not a clairvoyant (as far as I know anyway), but something feels like it's brewing – and not something good for Coventry fans.

Come back to this at the end of the season… Or maybe don't if I'm wrong.