Adi Viveash is a legendary figure in Coventry City that appears larger than life from the outside. The 54-year-old assistant manager will almost definitely be involved if it is starting on the touchline.
The Sky Blues boss has had the former Chelsea youth and development coach by his side for nearly seven years. He is the captain of the team and has been instrumental in the club’s ascent from League Two to become a premier Championship team that is vying for a spot in the Premier League.
Despite their differences, both of them want to see City promoted and compete at the highest levels of English football. The outstanding head coach of Coventry opens up about his relationship with the manager, halftime team talks, formations and how they have changed and will continue to change, as well as how this will impact the club’s summer recruitment drive, in this second installment of CoventryLive’s exclusive three-part interview.
READ MORE: Coventry City injury news, Allen and international returns, and return schedule ahead of Easter schedule
When questioned about his personal goals, he responded, “I get asked all the time, ‘do you want to be a manager?'” No, I have never desired to hold a managerial position. My goal was not to work in the senior game. I was really content playing development football, and I never imagined that I would be employed at Chelsea’s elite level. I was really lucky.
“I advanced through the age levels and matured swiftly. I was pleased with my performance and felt I did a fair job, but things happen and I ended up here when that shifts and there is that bolt. Someone makes a decision, and that is their right. I have spent fifteen years as a head coach. I work in that capacity.
It is obvious that his relationship with Mark Robins, his old Walsall teammate who enlisted him help when his former assistant, Steve Taylor, required time out due to a brain bleed in the summer of 2017, is not a match made in heaven, but it works.Robins recently stated that Viveash can be “difficult,” but it was implied that he is not a “yes” man, which is precisely what he does not want. He is looking for someone who expresses disagreements and offers his own thoughts.
Is the secret to their double-act success that two powerful personalities seem to be feeding off of each other?
He stated, “I do not know if it is because we are two strong characters and that is why it works.” “Yes, the gaffer has stated that I challenge, but one of my main abilities is establishing a tough environment—how to establish the culture, how to organize the training, and how to demand in every session. Yes, I am not afraid to admit that is how I work best, which is why I put in the amount of labor that I did.
Is that difficult? Indeed. Do I confront him every single minute of the day? No. As I have already stated, I have never wanted to be a manager and deal with the issues he does. However, if he questions me about a training session and says he believes a particular player trained well, I would tell him if I didn’t, so if that is difficult…
“He is the manager, as he is stated himself, and it begins and stops there. Sometimes we agree, and other times we don’t. I appreciate his role as manager and the work he has done. I wish him luck and appreciate the work he is put into rebuilding this club. However, I do not believe it makes me tough to deal with.
“I was a very quiet person when I was a young player and I first signed for my home town club, Swindon,” he continued. I am now a very reserved individual. Although I am pretty reticent at home, I am aware that I am not silent on the training field.
haughtiness
But when I was a player, that was interpreted as conceit. “He is a football player, he does not talk much, and he is arrogant,” people would say. And the fact that that is untrue used to really irritate me. I used to stare, watch, and observe all the time. Since I can see and feel the ball’s speed when I coach, I always position myself in the middle. That is how I operate. Many coaches are positioned to the side.
However, I do not believe that makes me difficult. Throughout my tenure here, every single coworker I have worked with in the football department has reached out to me personally, whether it be regarding players or other matters. If you are working with someone who is challenging, you avoid working with them and do not do it.
“They also understand that when I am coaching, I am not the same person as when I am not.”
Regarding the general cause, they are highly similar.
He declared, “We have very different perspectives on life and are very different people.” Although we are not cut from the same mold, we also want Coventry to return to the Premier League. We want to see the team play excellent football and have top players in order for it to be the best version of the club that it can be.
Although we occasionally disagree on personnel and structure, he is ultimately in charge. But I will inform him if he asks for my opinion on a match’s shape. We will watch the opposition separately, like this weekend against Huddersfield, and we will have slightly different perspectives on how to win the game and the challenges we will face. Nevertheless, we will come together and that will manifest itself in training and during the game, which is usually how it goes.
Team discussions at halftime
When asked about the dynamic surrounding half-time team talks, which provide a small 15-minute window of time to highlight team accomplishments or swiftly address issues during a game, it became evident that the culture had evolved over time. The days of a manager getting furious and sending tea cups flying across the dressing room are long gone.
He disclosed, “It is changed over time, so those League Two team discussions were probably more men, should we say, where we could try to get a response.”
Mark Robins, the manager of Coventry City, and his assistant Adi Viveash lead the way.
This is a relatively new group that operates a little differently. Has the temperature in the locker room risen much on a few instances this year? Yes, in my opinion, but I also believe that the players’ frustration with the direction a particular performance was taking had a role. However, I usually wait if the gaffer talks and goes into detail about how to improve this or that. When I take notes during a game, I try to concentrate on three things: ideas that can advance our play, problems we need to overcome, and unresolved set-piece issues.
But you have to be aware that 15 minutes is not much when it first starts. There are moments when I remain silent. This year, there have been a few instances where the first half has been excellent even though we might not have been winning. We were behind by a goal in one particular game, but we simply kept going and ended up drawing.
However, it is your experience as a coach, and you must get to know each person since not everyone needs a shoulder to cry on. However, circumstances have evolved. It used to be possible to approach players in a group and inform them their performance is not up to par. You now have to walk them around the corner on your own. One of the abilities is to work people out, not all of them, but you have to work people out and they have to work you out.
This year, there were a lot of changes, and they need to adjust to my working style. Players who arrive from other places typically talk about the intensity of the job. We put in a lot of effort in our training because we aim to meet the same standards as in a game. However, I am as generous with compliments as anyone. Both when they do it and when they don’t, I let them know.
Telling children when something is excellent is necessary because you also tell them when it is bad. We have players here that could easily play in the Premier League, so you have to demand those standards to ensure they achieve those levels. If they don’t, I see that as a failure on our part.
This season, an undesirable regulation change has limited access to the technical area at the pitch side, where Viveash was frequently spotted prowling and yelling orders at Robins’ side. However, it is no longer the case. How, then, has he handled that?
“Due to two-way communication with the players, it is not easy,” he remarked. “The gaffer follows a set procedure; he or she stands in the technical area and watches, but occasionally players need information or messages need to be sent quickly.
Bugged
We have been attempting to make minor adjustments to it lately. When we went to West Brom, we noticed that four of them were always standing up, which bothered us a little because we seem to be pulled up on it every time we do it. Since that is not how we have operated, it was really challenging to begin with. However, you operate in a distinct manner. I therefore probably watch more of the film from the bench screen, and I probably display more clips than I talk when you arrive at halftime.
“I usually show a couple of players on the side if something is not quite working right at halftime.”
Every fan finds formations to be fascinating, and over the past seven years, City’s have altered and developed. When asked if it is more about recruiting specific players to fit a style or formation the manager and himself want to use, or if it is more about choosing the systems to suit the players they already have, he responded, “I think it is a bit of both really.”
For instance, this season began with a back three and wing-backs before moving to a back four and wingers. He responded, “I think we played 4-4-1-1 when we were in League Two and I think the gaffer’s team at previous clubs were pretty similar to that,” when asked if that developed naturally or if they intentionally set out to change it. When Jodi (Jones) was playing, we had two wingers and a 4-3-3 formation.
“The players were brought in for a 4-3-3 formation in League One, with a wide player on the right and (Wes) Jobello and (Gervane) Kastaneer rolling in from the left. However, you were aware that you had enough center backs to play a three if necessary, and we spent the preseason working on both.
The manager and recruitment department discuss player types, so if you can acquire utility players—who right now are a lot like Joel Latibeaudiere—you can maybe switch up your formation if necessary, he continued. Have you got enough skilled midfield players to play a box, a flat four (which we have not done yet), a diamond midfield, or you may play three and use one of them as a second striker, similar to how Callum O’Hare or Kasey Palmer would go up with a striker?
“Players were recruited to play in a three that summer after Fadz (Kyle McFadzean) went into a three at Fleetwood that year. We always felt bad for Fadz, bless him, and his predicament at the club, moving from a regular to under pressure from the caliber of players in that position, especially since they were brought in this year to play in a three but also knowing that Bobby, Joel, Kitch, and Binksy are fast enough to play in a back four.”He was a fantastic addition to our football team and an amazing player. He is an amazing person, and I had the most fun working with him of any player because, despite his advanced age of 33, he came into the game wanting to learn and get better, and he did so by working hard. And for that, I will always appreciate him, because he could have come here thinking, “Oh, I have already done everything.”
With regard to a system, I believe that change was always going to happen, he revealed, hinting at the intention to move to a four this season. It was just a matter of when, in my opinion, that it will eventually go to a four. The three strikers playing together was exciting when it happened at Preston, but it was evident against Stoke that things were not always going to go as planned. After that, all you do is fiddle around and figure out how. And I believe that is how things will proceed as we approach summer and the upcoming season.
Summer hiring
“I think we will be looking for more choices in wide areas, it is fair to say,” he said, giving an indication of the kinds of locations City will be trying to recruit in the summer.Ephron Mason-Clark has signed, obviously, so we know someone will be there. Haji seemed to take pleasure in performing that role.
“That is no disrespect to Fabio Tavares or Milan van Ewijk, but Tatu probably needs some elite competition, so I imagine that area will be quite important for the club.” After that, you have no idea what will occur. Callum O’Hare’s (our) predicament is one that the team may need to adjust to.
Victor Torp, who is actually an eight rather than a six or ten, might be the person you end up with. To me, he is an eight. He is played all those positions, I know that, but he is an eight. He is a good player who likes to break, plays deadly passes, and shoots.
But it is who he is, therefore in order to play with him, you need a different sort of six. Kasey can play the eight note because he did when he was younger, but how does it get him from ten to eight? It seems to be constantly changing.
However, systems? Good players are capable of playing on any system. They could still play extremely fantastic football, and we could play 4-4-2 with them.
Looking back on the first four games of the season, City’s performance against the Robins was outstanding, but they lost 1-0 at Ashton Gate. This set of games proved to be a turning point for the team’s formation and results.
“That is really interesting because, in my opinion, we played the best 45 minutes of our life at Bristol City in the first half, and we were outstanding,” he remarked. “We dominated that game completely, and if the system had not altered, we might still have Fadz here today if we had been up 4-0. You never know.
The benefit of having a player like Latibeaudiere is that he can play all those spots, giving you versatility, but it also just felt like the appropriate time to make changes.
Of course, formations come and go; they are frequently set by avant-garde managers such as Pep Guardiola and trickle down.
“The Championship has many excellent coaches,” he remarked. “Maresca at Leicester and Russell Martin at Southampton are two outstanding coaches.” He is obviously brought that from his work with Pep. Personally, I do not think rolling in at full-back is appropriate for the guys we have.
“I think we should approach it in a slightly different way. Therefore, you need to come up with a fresh plan of action in order to bring your two best attackers, Ellis Simmons and Haji Wright, onto the field. However, that is not about systems; rather, it is about maximizing Haji’s potential. Given his skill as a finisher and ball header, you want to allow him some leeway on the left but still want him to arrive in the middle. He will never grow into the appearance you desire if he is wide.
“My philosophy revolves around how do we want to play football?” he continued. Would we like to play from behind the scenes? What do you think of that? When the ball is played all the way from the goalkeeper and is moved around like chess pieces, what would the ideal goal look like?
The excellent coach at City, who worked with Jose Mourinho during his prime, says he has never once stolen a practice.
“I have never participated in a training session that I saw someone else complete; I have never copied a session,” he declared. “I was fortunate to witness one of the greatest coaches I have ever seen, Mourinho, when I was a Chelsea player,” the author said.
“His real top sessions, commanding respect, and attention to detail.” He blamed Paul Clement, who went to work with Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid, for his sessions’ failure.
Adi Viveash is a legendary figure in Coventry City that appears larger than life from the outside. The 54-year-old assistant manager will almost definitely be involved if it is starting on the touchline.
The Sky Blues boss has had the former Chelsea youth and development coach by his side for nearly seven years. He is the captain of the team and has been instrumental in the club’s ascent from League Two to become a premier Championship team that is vying for a spot in the Premier League.Despite their differences, both of them want to see City promoted and compete at the highest levels of English football. The outstanding head coach of Coventry opens up about his relationship with the manager, halftime team talks, formations and how they have changed and will continue to change, as well as how this will impact the club’s summer recruitment drive, in this second installment of CoventryLive’s exclusive three-part interview.
READ MORE: Coventry City injury news, Allen and international returns, and return schedule ahead of Easter schedule
When questioned about his personal goals, he responded, “I get asked all the time, ‘do you want to be a manager?'” No, I have never desired to hold a managerial position. My goal was not to work in the senior game. I was really content playing development football, and I never imagined that I would be employed at Chelsea’s elite level. I was really lucky.”I advanced through the age levels and matured swiftly. I was pleased with my performance and felt I did a fair job, but things happen and I ended up here when that shifts and there is that bolt. Someone makes a decision, and that is their right. I have spent fifteen years as a head coach. I work in that capacity.
It is obvious that his relationship with Mark Robins, his old Walsall teammate who enlisted him help when his former assistant, Steve Taylor, required time out due to a brain bleed in the summer of 2017, is not a match made in heaven, but it works.Robins recently stated that Viveash can be “difficult,” but it was implied that he is not a “yes” man, which is precisely what he does not want. He is looking for someone who expresses disagreements and offers his own thoughts.
Is the secret to their double-act success that two powerful personalities seem to be feeding off of each other?
He stated, “I do not know if it is because we are two strong characters and that is why it works.” “Yes, the gaffer has stated that I challenge, but one of my main abilities is establishing a tough environment—how to establish the culture, how to organize the training, and how to demand in every session. Yes, I am not afraid to admit that is how I work best, which is why I put in the amount of labor that I did.
Is that difficult? Indeed. Do I confront him every single minute of the day? No. As I have already stated, I have never wanted to be a manager and deal with the issues he does. However, if he questions me about a training session and says he believes a particular player trained well, I would tell him if I didn’t, so if that is difficult…
“He is the manager, as he is stated himself, and it begins and stops there. Sometimes we agree, and other times we don’t. I appreciate his role as manager and the work he has done. I wish him luck and appreciate the work he is put into rebuilding this club. However, I do not believe it makes me tough to deal with.
“I was a very quiet person when I was a young player and I first signed for my home town club, Swindon,” he continued. I am now a very reserved individual. Although I am pretty reticent at home, I am aware that I am not silent on the training field.
haughtiness
But when I was a player, that was interpreted as conceit. “He is a football player, he does not talk much, and he is arrogant,” people would say. And the fact that that is untrue used to really irritate me. I used to stare, watch, and observe all the time. Since I can see and feel the ball’s speed when I coach, I always position myself in the middle. That is how I operate. Many coaches are positioned to the side.
However, I do not believe that makes me difficult. Throughout my tenure here, every single coworker I have worked with in the football department has reached out to me personally, whether it be regarding players or other matters. If you are working with someone who is challenging, you avoid working with them and do not do it.
“They also understand that when I am coaching, I am not the same person as when I am not.”
Regarding the general cause, they are highly similar.
He declared, “We have very different perspectives on life and are very different people.” Although we are not cut from the same mold, we also want Coventry to return to the Premier League. We want to see the team play excellent football and have top players in order for it to be the best version of the club that it can be.
Although we occasionally disagree on personnel and structure, he is ultimately in charge. But I will inform him if he asks for my opinion on a match’s shape. We will watch the opposition separately, like this weekend against Huddersfield, and we will have slightly different perspectives on how to win the game and the challenges we will face. Nevertheless, we will come together and that will manifest itself in training and during the game, which is usually how it goes.
Team discussions at halftime
When asked about the dynamic surrounding half-time team talks, which provide a small 15-minute window of time to highlight team accomplishments or swiftly address issues during a game, it became evident that the culture had evolved over time. The days of a manager getting furious and sending tea cups flying across the dressing room are long gone.
He disclosed, “It is changed over time, so those League Two team discussions were probably more men, should we say, where we could try to get a response.”
This is a relatively new group that operates a little differently. Has the temperature in the locker room risen much on a few instances this year? Yes, in my opinion, but I also believe that the players’ frustration with the direction a particular performance was taking had a role. However, I usually wait if the gaffer talks and goes into detail about how to improve this or that. When I take notes during a game, I try to concentrate on three things: ideas that can advance our play, problems we need to overcome, and unresolved set-piece issues.
But you have to be aware that 15 minutes is not much when it first starts. There are moments when I remain silent. This year, there have been a few instances where the first half has been excellent even though we might not have been winning. We were behind by a goal in one particular game, but we simply kept going and ended up drawing.
However, it is your experience as a coach, and you must get to know each person since not everyone needs a shoulder to cry on. However, circumstances have evolved. It used to be possible to approach players in a group and inform them their performance is not up to par. You now have to walk them around the corner on your own. One of the abilities is to work people out, not all of them, but you have to work people out and they have to work you out.
This year, there were a lot of changes, and they need to adjust to my working style. Players who arrive from other places typically talk about the intensity of the job. We put in a lot of effort in our training because we aim to meet the same standards as in a game. However, I am as generous with compliments as anyone. Both when they do it and when they don’t, I let them know.
Telling children when something is excellent is necessary because you also tell them when it is bad. We have players here that could easily play in the Premier League, so you have to demand those standards to ensure they achieve those levels. If they don’t, I see that as a failure on our part.
This season, an undesirable regulation change has limited access to the technical area at the pitch side, where Viveash was frequently spotted prowling and yelling orders at Robins’ side. However, it is no longer the case. How, then, has he handled that?
“Due to two-way communication with the players, it is not easy,” he remarked. “The gaffer follows a set procedure; he or she stands in the technical area and watches, but occasionally players need information or messages need to be sent quickly.
Bugged
We have been attempting to make minor adjustments to it lately. When we went to West Brom, we noticed that four of them were always standing up, which bothered us a little because we seem to be pulled up on it every time we do it. Since that is not how we have operated, it was really challenging to begin with. However, you operate in a distinct manner. I therefore probably watch more of the film from the bench screen, and I probably display more clips than I talk when you arrive at halftime.
“I usually show a couple of players on the side if something is not quite working right at halftime.”
Every fan finds formations to be fascinating, and over the past seven years, City’s have altered and developed. When asked if it is more about recruiting specific players to fit a style or formation the manager and himself want to use, or if it is more about choosing the systems to suit the players they already have, he responded, “I think it is a bit of both really.”
For instance, this season began with a back three and wing-backs before moving to a back four and wingers. He responded, “I think we played 4-4-1-1 when we were in League Two and I think the gaffer’s team at previous clubs were pretty similar to that,” when asked if that developed naturally or if they intentionally set out to change it. When Jodi (Jones) was playing, we had two wingers and a 4-3-3 formation.
“The players were brought in for a 4-3-3 formation in League One, with a wide player on the right and (Wes) Jobello and (Gervane) Kastaneer rolling in from the left. However, you were aware that you had enough center backs to play a three if necessary, and we spent the preseason working on both.
The manager and recruitment department discuss player types, so if you can acquire utility players—who right now are a lot like Joel Latibeaudiere—you can maybe switch up your formation if necessary, he continued. Have you got enough skilled midfield players to play a box, a flat four (which we have not done yet), a diamond midfield, or you may play three and use one of them as a second striker, similar to how Callum O’Hare or Kasey Palmer would go up with a striker?
“Players were recruited to play in a three that summer after Fadz (Kyle McFadzean) went into a three at Fleetwood that year. We always felt bad for Fadz, bless him, and his predicament at the club, moving from a regular to under pressure from the caliber of players in that position, especially since they were brought in this year to play in a three but also knowing that Bobby, Joel, Kitch, and Binksy are fast enough to play in a back four.
“He was a fantastic addition to our football team and an amazing player. He is an amazing person, and I had the most fun working with him of any player because, despite his advanced age of 33, he came into the game wanting to learn and get better, and he did so by working hard. And for that, I will always appreciate him, because he could have come here thinking, “Oh, I have already done everything.”
With regard to a system, I believe that change was always going to happen, he revealed, hinting at the intention to move to a four this season. It was just a matter of when, in my opinion, that it will eventually go to a four. The three strikers playing together was exciting when it happened at Preston, but it was evident against Stoke that things were not always going to go as planned. After that, all you do is fiddle around and figure out how. And I believe that is how things will proceed as we approach summer and the upcoming season.
Summer hiring
“I think we will be looking for more choices in wide areas, it is fair to say,” he said, giving an indication of the kinds of locations City will be trying to recruit in the summer.Ephron Mason-Clark has signed, obviously, so we know someone will be there. Haji seemed to take pleasure in performing that role.
“That is no disrespect to Fabio Tavares or Milan van Ewijk, but Tatu probably needs some elite competition, so I imagine that area will be quite important for the club.” After that, you have no idea what will occur. Callum O’Hare’s (our) predicament is one that the team may need to adjust to.
Victor Torp, who is actually an eight rather than a six or ten, might be the person you end up with. To me, he is an eight. He is played all those positions, I know that, but he is an eight. He plays deadly passes and shoots when he wants to break; excellent play.
r.
But it is who he is, therefore in order to play with him, you need a different sort of six. Kasey can play the eight note because he did when he was younger, but how does it get him from ten to eight? It seems to be constantly changing.
However, systems? Good players are capable of playing on any system. They could still play extremely fantastic football, and we could play 4-4-2 with them.
Looking back on the first four games of the season, City’s performance against the Robins was outstanding, but they lost 1-0 at Ashton Gate. This set of games proved to be a turning point for the team’s formation and results.
“That is really interesting because, in my opinion, we played the best 45 minutes of our life at Bristol City in the first half, and we were outstanding,” he remarked. “We dominated that game completely, and if the system had not altered, we might still have Fadz here today if we had been up 4-0. You never know.
The benefit of having a player like Latibeaudiere is that he can play all those spots, giving you versatility, but it also just felt like the appropriate time to make changes.
Of course, formations come and go; they are frequently set by avant-garde managers such as Pep Guardiola and trickle down.
“The Championship has many excellent coaches,” he remarked. “Maresca at Leicester and Russell Martin at Southampton are two outstanding coaches.” He is obviously brought that from his work with Pep. Personally, I do not think rolling in at full-back is appropriate for the guys we have.
“I think we should approach it in a slightly different way. Therefore, you need to come up with a fresh plan of action in order to bring your two best attackers, Ellis Simmons and Haji Wright, onto the field. However, that is not about systems; rather, it is about maximizing Haji’s potential. Given his skill as a finisher and ball header, you want to allow him some leeway on the left but still want him to arrive in the middle. He will never grow into the appearance you desire if he is wide.
“My philosophy revolves around how do we want to play football?” he continued. Would we like to play from behind the scenes? What do you think of that? When the ball is played all the way from the goalkeeper and is moved around like chess pieces, what would the ideal goal look like?
The excellent coach at City, who worked with Jose Mourinho during his prime, says he has never once stolen a practice.
“I have never participated in a training session that I saw someone else complete; I have never copied a session,” he declared. “I was fortunate to witness one of the greatest coaches I have ever seen, Mourinho, when I was a Chelsea player,” the author said.
“His real top sessions, commanding respect, and attention to detail.” He blamed Paul Clement, who moved to work with Chelsea’s Carlo Ancelotti, for his sessions going to Real Madrid.
It was hilarious because I told him I had not replicated any of his sessions when he asked me once, and he remarked, ‘Oh, that is not good enough for you.’ That is the way he is.
It was hilarious because I told him I had not replicated any of his sessions when he asked me once, and he remarked, ‘Oh, that is not good enough for you.’ That is the way he is.
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