Coventry City have endured a nightmare opening to their long-awaited return to the Premier League, losing all four of their opening fixtures and failing to score a single goal while conceding 10.

The Sky Blues' struggles deepened on Sunday when new signing Taiwo Awoniyi was sent off against Brighton & Hove Albion, leaving his teammates to battle through the remainder of a match that extended Coventry's goal drought and swelled their tally of goals conceded. Only Tottenham Hotspur share the same goalless record at the other end, though their defensive numbers are far less grim.

King's patience is a deliberate choice

Despite the storm clouds gathering over Coventry Building Society Arena, manager Frank Lampard retains the full confidence of club owner Doug King — and that backing is no accident.

King committed to a new three-year contract for Lampard ahead of what everyone understood would be a gruelling season. The owner has been forthright in stating that he values the club doing the right things in the right way far above short-term results. It is an approach that reflects a clear-eyed appreciation of just how steep the climb is for any newly promoted side in the Premier League.

With 19 opponents all determined to beat them, King appears unwilling to panic and undermine the foundations he and Lampard have spent two years building.

A manager growing into the role

A significant portion of Coventry's supporters share that perspective. While the results are difficult to absorb — particularly the Brighton defeat, which served as a blunt reminder of how brutal Premier League afternoons can be — many fans recognise the scale of the challenge and appreciate the progress Lampard has made as a manager over the past two seasons.

Lampard himself has not shied away from the reality of Coventry's position. No one inside the club is pretending the situation is anything other than difficult. But that honesty, combined with the structural support of King, gives the manager the freedom to work without constantly looking over his shoulder.

On Wednesday, Coventry face Aston Villa in the Carabao Cup at Coventry Building Society Arena — a fixture that will bring together two of the Premier League's bottom sides. Unai Emery commands strong support at Villa on the back of his achievements there. The argument for extending the same patience to Lampard at Coventry is equally compelling.

King's instinct to stand firm now, at the beginning of what could be a long road, is precisely what a fledgling Premier League club needs from its ownership. Removing Lampard at this stage would not fix the results — it would only waste the groundwork already laid.