1998–99 Coventry City F.C. season

Coventry City
1998–99 season
Chairman	Bryan Richardson
Manager	Gordon Strachan
Stadium	Highfield Road
Premiership	15th
FA Cup	Fifth round
League Cup	Third round
Top goalscorer	League: Whelan (10); All: Whelan (13)
Highest home attendance	23,098 (vs. Tottenham Hotspur, 26 December)
Lowest home attendance	6,631 (vs. Southend United, 16 September)
Average home league attendance	20,773
	← 1997–98 1999–2000 →

During the 1998–99 English football season, Coventry City competed in the FA Premier League.

Season summary

Coventry City finished 15th in the Premiership – four places lower than last season – but were never in any real danger of being relegated, despite the loss of key striker Dion Dublin to local rivals Aston Villa.^[1]

The biggest news of Coventry's season was the announcement of a move to a new 45,000-seat stadium at Foleshill, which was anticipated to be ready by 2002. Manager Gordon Strachan then signed Moroccan international football star Mustapha Hadji, knowing that it would be important to have a top quality team to match the forthcoming new home.^[2]

Final league table

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
13	Newcastle United	38	11	13	14	48	54	−6	46	Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round^[a]
14	Everton	38	11	10	17	42	47	−5	43
15	Coventry City	38	11	9	18	39	51	−12	42
16	Wimbledon	38	10	12	16	40	63	−23	42
17	Southampton	38	11	8	19	37	64	−27	41

Source: Premier League
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Notes:

^ As Manchester United qualified for the Champions League, their UEFA Cup place as FA Cup winners defaulted to Newcastle United, the runners-up.

Results summary


Overall								Home						Away
Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
38	11	9	18	39	51	−12	42	8	6	5	26	21	+5	3	3	13	13	30	−17

Source: 1998-99 FA Premier League table

Results by round

Round	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	37	38
Ground	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	H	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H
Result	W	L	D	L	L	L	D	L	W	L	L	W	W	L	D	L	L	D	D	L	W	L	W	D	L	L	W	W	D	L	W	W	L	L	L	W	D	D
Position	2	8	10	16	18	19	19	19	19	18	19	17	15	16	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	16	16	17	18	17	15	15	16	15	15	15	16	16	16	16	15

Source: 11v11.com: 1998-99 Coventry City results
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Results

Coventry City's score comes first^[3]

Legend

Win	Draw	Loss

FA Premier League

Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Scorers
15 August 1998	Chelsea	H	2–1	23,042	Huckerby, Dublin
22 August 1998	Nottingham Forest	A	0–1	22,546
29 August 1998	West Ham United	H	0–0	20,818
9 September 1998	Liverpool	A	0–2	41,771
12 September 1998	Manchester United	A	0–2	55,193
19 September 1998	Newcastle United	H	1–5	22,656	Whelan
26 September 1998	Charlton Athletic	A	1–1	20,043	Whelan
3 October 1998	Aston Villa	H	1–2	22,654	Soltvedt
18 October 1998	Sheffield Wednesday	H	1–0	16,006	Dublin
24 October 1998	Southampton	A	1–2	15,152	Dublin
31 October 1998	Arsenal	H	0–1	23,040
7 November 1998	Blackburn Rovers	A	2–1	23,779	Huckerby, Whelan
15 November 1998	Everton	H	3–0	19,290	Froggatt, Huckerby, Whelan
21 November 1998	Middlesbrough	A	0–2	34,293
28 November 1998	Leicester City	H	1–1	19,894	Huckerby
5 December 1998	Wimbledon	A	1–2	11,717	McAllister (pen)
14 December 1998	Leeds United	A	0–2	31,802
19 December 1998	Derby County	H	1–1	16,627	Whelan
26 December 1998	Tottenham Hotspur	H	1–1	23,098	Aloisi
28 December 1998	West Ham United	A	0–2	25,662
9 January 1999	Nottingham Forest	H	4–0	17,172	Huckerby (3), Telfer
16 January 1999	Chelsea	A	1–2	34,869	Huckerby
30 January 1999	Liverpool	H	2–1	23,056	Boateng, Whelan
6 February 1999	Tottenham Hotspur	A	0–0	34,376
17 February 1999	Newcastle United	A	1–4	36,352	Whelan
20 February 1999	Manchester United	H	0–1	22,596
27 February 1999	Aston Villa	A	4–1	38,799	Aloisi (2), Boateng (2)
6 March 1999	Charlton Athletic	H	2–1	20,259	Whelan, Soltvedt
13 March 1999	Blackburn Rovers	H	1–1	19,701	Aloisi
20 March 1999	Arsenal	A	0–2	38,073
3 April 1999	Sheffield Wednesday	A	2–1	28,136	McAllister (pen), Whelan
5 April 1999	Southampton	H	1–0	21,402	Boateng
11 April 1999	Everton	A	0–2	32,341
17 April 1999	Middlesbrough	H	1–2	19,231	McAllister
24 April 1999	Leicester City	A	0–1	20,224
1 May 1999	Wimbledon	H	2–1	21,200	Huckerby, Whelan
8 May 1999	Derby County	A	0–0	32,450
16 May 1999	Leeds United	H	2–2	23,049	Aloisi, Telfer

FA Cup


Round	Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Goalscorers
R3	2 January 1999	Macclesfield Town	H	7–0	14,197	Froggatt, Whelan, Payne (own goal), Huckerby (3), Boateng
R4	23 January 1999	Leicester City	A	3–0	21,207	Whelan, Froggatt, Telfer
R5	13 February 1999	Everton	A	1–2	33,907	McAllister

League Cup


Round	Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Goalscorers
R2 1st Leg	16 September 1998	Southend United	H	1–0	6,631	Hall
R2 2nd Leg	22 September 1998	Southend United	A	4–0 (won 5–0 on agg)	6,292	Boateng, Dublin, Whelan, Soltvedt
R3	27 October 1998	Luton Town	A	0–2	9,051

Squad

^[4]^[5] Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
1	GK	SWE	Magnus Hedman
2	DF	SWE	Roland Nilsson
3	DF	ENG	David Burrows
4	DF	ENG	Paul Williams
5	DF	ENG	Richard Shaw
6	DF	IRL	Gary Breen
7	FW	ENG	Darren Huckerby
8	FW	ENG	Noel Whelan
9	DF	BIH	Muhamed Konjić
10	MF	SCO	Gary McAllister (captain)
11	MF	NED	George Boateng^[6]
12	MF	SCO	Paul Telfer
13	FW	ITA	Stefano Gioacchini
14	MF	NOR	Trond Egil Soltvedt
15	FW	JAM	Paul Hall
16	GK	ENG	Steve Ogrizovic
17	DF	ENG	Ian Brightwell
18	DF	BEL	Philippe Clement
19	DF	ENG	Marcus Hall
20	MF	SCO	Gavin Strachan
21	FW	ENG	Andy Ducros
22	MF	BEL	Laurent Delorge
23	GK	AUS	Tynan Scope


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
24	DF	IRL	Liam Daish
25	MF	IRL	Willie Boland
26	MF	ENG	Steve Froggatt
27	DF	ENG	Marc Edworthy
28	FW	AUS	John Aloisi
29	DF	ENG	Sam Shilton
30	DF	IRL	Barry Quinn
31	MF	ENG	Chris Barnett
32	MF	ENG	John Eustace
33	DF	ENG	Mark Burrows
34	DF	ENG	Richard Colwell
35	FW	IRL	Martin Devaney
36	DF	ENG	Jamie Williams
37	FW	ENG	Craig Faulconbridge
38	DF	IRL	Barry Prenderville
39	MF	ENG	Rob Miller
40	FW	ENG	Gary McSheffrey
41	MF	SCO	Craig Strachan
42	FW	ENG	Chukki Eribenne
43	GK	ENG	Chris Kirkland
44	DF	ENG	Craig Pead
45	DF	SCO	Gerard Mooney
46	FW	SCO	Stephen McPhee

Left club during season

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
9	FW	ENG	Dion Dublin (to Aston Villa)
9	FW	SCO	Darren Jackson (on loan from Celtic)


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
13	DF	FRA	Jean-Guy Wallemme (to Sochaux)
22	FW	WAL	Simon Haworth (to Wigan Athletic)

Reserve squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
-	GK	DEN	Morten Hyldgaard
-	DF	IRL	Barry Ferguson


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
-	MF	ENG	Robert Betts
-	MF	IRL	Daire Doyle

Transfers

In

Date	Pos.	Name	From	Fee
4 June 1998	DF	Jean-Guy Wallemme	RC Lens	Undisclosed
1 August 1998	DF	Robert Jarni	Real Betis	£2,600,000
7 August 1998	FW	Paul Hall	Portsmouth	£300,000
26 August 1998	DF	Marc Edworthy	Crystal Palace	£1,200,000
1 October 1998	MF	Steve Froggatt	Wolverhampton Wanderers	£1,900,000
12 October 1998	MF	Laurent Delorge	Gent	£1,250,000
17 December 1998	FW	John Aloisi	Portsmouth	£650,000
30 December 1998	GK	Morten Hyldgaard	Ikast FS	£200,000
13 January 1999	DF	Muhamed Konjić	AS Monaco	£2,000,000
28 May 1999	MF	Youssef Chippo	Porto	£1,200,000

Out

Date	Pos.	Name	To	Fee
8 July 1998	MF	John Salako	Fulham	Free transfer
16 July 1998	FW	Viorel Moldovan	Fenerbahçe	£4,000,000
15 August 1998	DF	Robert Jarni	Real Madrid	£3,400,000
2 October 1998	FW	Simon Haworth	Wigan Athletic	£600,000
5 November 1998	FW	Dion Dublin	Aston Villa	£5,750,000
30 December 1998	DF	Jean-Guy Wallemme	Sochaux	£400,000

Transfers in:

£11,300,000

Transfers out:

£14,150,000

Total spending:

£2,850,000

Statistics

Appearances and goals

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		Premier League		FA Cup		League Cup
No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Goalkeepers
1	GK	SWE	Magnus Hedman	42	0	36	0	3	0	3	0
16	GK	ENG	Steve Ogrizovic	2	0	2	0	0	0	0	0
Defenders
2	DF	SWE	Roland Nilsson	30	0	28	0	2	0	0	0
3	DF	ENG	David Burrows	28	0	23	0	3	0	2	0
4	DF	ENG	Paul Williams	26	0	20+2	0	2	0	1+1	0
5	DF	ENG	Richard Shaw	43	0	36+1	0	3	0	3	0
6	DF	IRL	Gary Breen	28	0	21+4	0	1	0	2	0
9	DF	BIH	Muhamed Konjić	4	0	3+1	0	0	0	0	0
12	DF	SCO	Paul Telfer	37	3	30+2	2	0+3	1	2	0
17	DF	ENG	Ian Brightwell	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
18	DF	BEL	Philippe Clement	16	0	6+6	0	1+1	0	1+1	0
19	DF	ENG	Marcus Hall	6	0	2+3	0	0	0	1	0
27	DF	ENG	Marc Edworthy	23	0	16+6	0	1	0	0	0
29	DF	ENG	Sam Shilton	8	0	1+4	0	0+1	0	1+1	0
30	DF	IRL	Barry Quinn	8	0	6+1	0	0	0	1	0
Midfielders
10	MF	SCO	Gary McAllister	33	4	29	3	3	1	1	0
11	MF	NED	George Boateng	38	6	29+3	4	3	1	3	1
14	MF	NOR	Trond Egil Soltvedt	33	3	21+6	2	2+1	0	0+3	1
20	MF	SCO	Gavin Strachan	1	0	0	0	0	0	0+1	0
25	MF	IRL	Willie Boland	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
26	MF	ENG	Steve Froggatt	26	3	23	1	3	2	0	0
Forwards
7	FW	ENG	Darren Huckerby	39	12	31+3	9	3	3	2	0
8	FW	ENG	Noel Whelan	36	13	31	10	3	2	2	1
9	FW	ITA	Stefano Gioacchini	3	0	0+3	0	0	0	0	0
15	FW	JAM	Paul Hall	11	1	2+7	0	0	0	2	1
28	FW	AUS	John Aloisi	18	5	7+9	5	0+2	0	0	0
40	FW	ENG	Gary McSheffrey	1	0	0+1	0	0	0	0	0
Players who left the club during the season
9	FW	ENG	Dion Dublin	12	4	10	3	0	0	2	1
9	FW	SCO	Darren Jackson	3	0	0+3	0	0	0	0	0
13	MF	FRA	Jean-Guy Wallemme	8	0	4+2	0	0	0	2	0
22	FW	WAL	Simon Haworth	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0

References

^ Culley, Jon (6 November 1998). "Football: Villa win race for £5.75m Dublin". The Independent. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
^ "'Detonator' breaks bank at Coventry". The Guardian. 20 July 1999. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
^ "Coventry City 1998-1999 Results - statto.com". Archived from the original on 27 January 2015. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
^ "FootballSquads - Coventry City - 1998/99".
^ "All Coventry City players: 1999".
^ Boateng was born in Nkawkaw, Ghana, but qualified to represent the Netherlands internationally and would make his international debut for the Netherlands in November 2001.

[table_note_res_NEW0.83427697505535-3] As Manchester United qualified for the Champions League, their UEFA Cup place as FA Cup winners defaulted to Newcastle United, the runners-up.

[1] Culley, Jon (6 November 1998). "Football: Villa win race for £5.75m Dublin". The Independent. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 10 February 2012.

[2] "'Detonator' breaks bank at Coventry". The Guardian. 20 July 1999. Retrieved 10 February 2012.

[4] "Coventry City 1998-1999 Results - statto.com". Archived from the original on 27 January 2015. Retrieved 6 December 2014.

[5] "FootballSquads - Coventry City - 1998/99".

[6] "All Coventry City players: 1999".

[7] Boateng was born in Nkawkaw, Ghana, but qualified to represent the Netherlands internationally and would make his international debut for the Netherlands in November 2001.

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