And Coventry’s badge, which has been reimagined through several different iterations, reflects the trials and tribulations of the club over the past three centuries. But what does the badge’s distinct iconography reveal about the history of the Sky Blues?
Meaning of Coventry City Badge
Action Images / Michael Regan
Central to the badge’s current design are three animals that represent Coventry’s links to symbolic mythology.
Elephant and Castle (on the ball)
Derived from Coventry’s Civic Coat of Arms, the elephant symbolises immense strength and resilience. Carrying a castle on its back, this structure represents the formidable medieval Coventry. Legend suggests that St George, famed for his dragon slaying, was also mythologically tied to the city. In medieval times, the elephant was the nemesis of the dragon.
On the Coventry City badge, the elephant balances precariously on a football, reimagining the emblem to tie in with the city’s sporting heritage.
Eagle of Leofric
Located on the left side of the shield, the eagle represents Leofric, Earl of Mercia. During the 11th century, Leofric ruled the region, with his wife, Lady Godiva, at his side. She remains one of Coventry’s most celebrated historical figures.
Phoenix
Located on the right side of the shield, the phoenix represents Coventry’s knack for rising from the ashes. Added to the civic arms in 1959, it then represented the incredible rebuild of the city following its decimation during the Blitz in World War II.
Coventry City Badge History
Action Images/Ed Sykes
Since the club’s inception in the late 19th century, the badge’s changing identity has reflected Coventry’s evolution over the years and decades.
Initially founded as Singers FC in 1883 by workers at the Singer bicycle factory, the club’s crest was a far cry from the elephant and ball of modern versions. The badge instead reflected the industrial ties to the factory.
Moving into the mid-20th century, and before Coventry adopted the Sky Blues moniker, they were known as the Bantams — a nickname notably used by Bradford City, reflecting the bird on that club’s badge (a bantam is a small chicken). During the interwar and postwar periods, the club simply embraced the traditional civic arms as their badge.
The era of iconic manager Jimmy Hill in the 1960s led to the Sky Blue revolution and two promotions. The change to the sky blue colour scheme also coincided with the decision to include the elephant and ball in match day programmes. Following the elephant’s introduction, the resilient creature eventually forced its way onto the club’s badge, appearing on the team shirts in the 1970s.
The badge remained largely unchanged until the club’s move from Highfield Stadium to the CBS Arena in 2005. The club’s decision to rebrand in preparation for the move resulted in the unveiling of a stripped-back badge design that drew widespread criticism from the supporters. A poll by the Coventry Telegraph at the time showed that 98 per cent of the votes cast were against the new badge. Thankfully for those fans, Coventry’s board listened and abandoned the new design, reverting to the classic badge that the club is well known for.
Newcastle United have reportedly opened talks to sign former Chelsea forward Christopher Nkunku, as Fabrizio Romano provides all the details.
The Magpies have endured a difficult summer transfer window so far, losing some of their key players, including Sandro Tonali, Anthony Gordon and Bruno Guimaraes.
Newcastle have primarily replaced them with young talents from around Europe, but they might be looking to add some more experienced heads to the squad.
According to Italian journalist Romano, Newcastle are in direct contact with AC Milan for a deal to sign Nkunku this summer.
Hull City’s return to the Premier League commences on Saturday afternoon when they host Manchester United at the MKM Stadium.
The Tigers won promotion in unlikely circumstances last season, snatching a place in the top flight after dramatically beating Middlesbrough in the play-off final at Wembley. Sergej Jakirovic’s side will be looking to defy the odds and retain their Premier League status this season, and they have a blockbuster opening fixture to look forward to.
The Bosnian’s outfit take on a United team on the up, buoyed by an impressive second half of the 2025/26 season under Michael Carrick. The Red Devils will need to balance the additional fixtures that come with qualifying for the Champions League this term, whilst they look to mount an unexpected charge for the title.
GIVEMESPORT has taken a look at the team news for both sides and how they could line up on Saturday…
Hull City Team News
Jakirovic is already up against it this season with the squad at his disposal in comparison to the rest of the league, and his task will be made even more difficult by a growing list of injury problems. Hidemasa Morita, Cody Drameh and Matty Jacob all face late fitness tests to determine their availability for the United clash, while Joe Gelhardt, Oscar Zambrano and Charlie Hughes have already been ruled out until early September.
On top of this, the Yorkshire club have a number of long-term absentees. New signing Jack Butland is out until November after undergoing surgery on his arm, Darko Gyabi is expected back in the same month with a groin issue, and Eliot Matzo won’t play until the new year as he works his way back from an ACL injury.
While not delving into specific players, Jakirovic told Hull Live ahead of the season opener against United that the injury situation he’s dealing with is ‘incredible’.
“Yes, it’s incredible. Some of these injuries are old problems from last season, and some of them are new, of course. It’s football, injuries, it’s normal things for us. It’s just that the timing of these injuries is not good. Some injuries that we have now are old problems from last season, so they’re just repeating. What can we do?”
Predicted Hull City XI
Jakirovic may be forced to pick something of a makeshift team for the Premier League opener, due to the depleted nature of his squad. New signing Konstantinos Tzolakis will start in between the sticks, with Lewis Coyle, Semi Ajayi and Ryan Giles expected to be rewarded for their strong Championship seasons with a start in the back four.
Meanwhile, new addition Nobel Mendy will make his Hull debut alongside Ajayi. Midfield ever-present Regan Slater will start alongside Matt Crooks in the middle of the park, with star men Mohamed Belloumi and Oli McBurnie leading a front four that also consists of new signings Jens Hjerto-Dahl and Elliot Stroud.
United head into this fixture with a relatively settled and healthy squad, barring two long-term injuries. Matthijs de Ligt is out with a back problem until early September, while Manuel Ugarte is on the long road to recovery from an ACL setback.
Mason Mount, Tom Heaton and Benjamin Sesko face late fitness tests to determine their availability, while Karl Darlow has been ruled out with an unspecified surgical procedure.
Fees correct prior to summer 2026
All 10 found — excellent!
Speaking to the media, Carrick recently provided an update on Mount, while he spoke on Sesko’s issue towards the end of last season…
“He (Mount) just got a kick. So we just wanted [it] to be a precaution really, to look after him. Ben (Sesko) is not as straightforward as Casemiro. He’s still not 100 per cent with the problem he had. So, apart from that, we’re alright.”
Predicted Man Utd XI
Sesko isn’t expected to start even if he can make the squad, having not featured in any capacity since early May. Instead, Bryan Mbeumo is expected to lead the line, with Amad Diallo likely to fill in for the Cameroonian on the right.
Mateus Cunha has had a limited pre-season but could start off the left in place of Patrick Dorgu, while Bruno Fernandes will form a new-look midfield trio with Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans. Diogo Dalot may be preferred to Noussair Mazraoui, while Harry Maguire and Ayden Heaven are expected to command the centre of Carrick’s defence.
The 2026-27 Premier League season is here, and Chelsea legend John Terry has shared his predictions for the top four.
Before a ball has been kicked is when fans of all teams can dream and teams can be optimistic for the months ahead. With the transfer window still open, plenty can change.
That makes it an extremely difficult task to predict where teams will finish in May. But Terry has taken on the job of at least giving his opinion on how the top four will look after every team has played 38 games.
John Terry Leaves Chelsea Out of His Top 4
REUTERS/Hollie Adams via Action Images
Perhaps most surprisingly, the ex-Chelsea captain has left his old club out of the top four altogether. While the Blues finished 10th last term, there is plenty of optimism surrounding Stamford Bridge in pre-season.
Money has been spent on Morgan Rogers, Maxence Lacroix, Marco Palestra and others, while there won’t be the added distraction of European football. Xabi Alonso is also the man at the helm, with the Spanish coach bringing a big reputation.
However, Terry named four teams he feels will finish ahead of the club he guided to four Premier League titles. He expects his old London rivals Arsenal to retain their title after ending a 22-year drought last season.
He’s made the bold decision to place Manchester United second in their first full season under Michael Carrick. The Red Devils finished third in 2025-26, so it’s not a huge leap, but they will have to contend with Champions League football as well this time around.
Liverpool and Manchester City, who have both won the league in the last three seasons, are the final teams to make Terry’s top four. Andoni Iraola and Enzo Maresca are looking to get the two clubs back into contention for the title, but they’ll have to settle for Champions League places in the ex-England defender’s eyes.
Terry’s Bold Prediction For Chelsea
Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Couldridge
While he doesn’t have them finishing in the top four positions, Terry does expect a fast start under their new manager. On his own TikTok account, the 45-year-old expressed the importance of hitting the ground running.
He said: “For him [Alonso], you really want to get off to a winning start, so you want to win your first game, you can get momentum from that.
“I remember years ago when Jose Mourinho came back, Burnley away we went 1-0 down after 20-odd minutes, came back to win the game with an unbelievable touch and finish and pass from Cesc Fabregas to Andre Schurrle.”
Chelsea will face Fulham, Arsenal and Brentford away from home, while welcoming Brighton and Hull City to Stamford Bridge in their opening five fixtures. Terry expects three wins, one draw and one defeat.
“I think you can only be excited. So I think for him, looking at these first five games, I would be expecting three to four wins and maybe a couple of draws. Off to a great start and Chelsea sitting top of the league after five games is my prediction.”
