GMF exclusive interview: Lee Carsley

Lee Carsley is back on familiar ground in Coventry, eight years after he left the Sky Blues for Everton where he enjoyed a successful six year spell before joining Birmingham in 2008.

Having played virtually all of his career in the top tier of English football, Carsley has no qualms about dropping down a division to help his former club become a driving force once more….

Q: You recently re-joined Coventry after being released from Birmingham. Are you pleased to be back?

A: Yeah, definitely. I took my time making the decision that I came to in the end. I had a good look around at what was on offer and decided to sign for Coventry so it was a good decision in the end.

Q: Was it an easy decision to make?

A: Not really. I put myself in a position where I had a few options and it was just a matter of choosing the right one.

Q: And you had no qualms moving out of the Premier League?

A: Definitely not. I am 36 now so I know I have perhaps had my better days but I still feel I have a bit to offer. I didn’t leave the Blues thinking I would go to another Premier League club, I just knew I had to make the right decision and Coventry was the right club for me.

Q: And you have been named as captain – how do you feel about that?

A: It is a massive honour to be made captain but it won’t affect my game either way to be honest.

Q: And they have a fantastic young manager in Aidy Boothroyd, what has it been like working with him?

A: It is early days yet but I have been really impressed with what he has done and what he has been like. I am looking forward to having a successful season with him.

Q: And he has brought the likes of Gary McSheffrey and Lukas Jutkiewicz in as well. How are the new signings looking so far?

A: Obviously Gary has been there and done it and Lukas has got a point to prove, being a young lad, so they are two great signings to add to what is already a decent squad.

Q: You will be wanting to move Coventry away from another relegation scrap. Do you have any aims for the season?

A: Not really, but we have to do better than last season. Obviously top six would be a good finish but I am not stupid and we know everybody is after the same prize – to get into the Premier League. If we all stick together and pull in the same direction we have as good a chance as anybody, I mean look at Blackpool last season.

Q: Your first game of the season is at the weekend against Portsmouth. Are you looking forward to the challenge of facing a team with the quality they have?

A: They still have a lot of good players but we are not worried about it. As long as we can look after ourselves we will be fine. We are looking to get a good start and we know how important our home form is going to be this season so we will see how it goes.