Having arrived at the club in the summer of 2019 with a strong reputation at League One level from spells with Burton Albion and Rochdale, it hasn’t quite felt that Jamie Allen has had the opportunity to demonstrate in a Coventry City shirt what he is all about. An injury that saw him miss around half of last season meant that he had to bide his time to make any kind of impression, by the time that he had, the season was curtailed due to the Coronavirus pandemic. This year has been our longest look at Jamie Allen in a Sky Blue shirt, where he has had to adapt to playing at a higher level from where he has played the majority of his career.
Most of Jamie Allen’s football at this club has been played in a more advanced position than he has been accustomed to. At League One level, Allen’s relentless and direct running with and without the ball made him a huge threat to the opposition goal, whether it was by making runs into the penalty area or playing in his team-mates, Allen was consistently impacting games even as he was finding his feet after recovering from injury. At Championship level, Allen has seemed to lack speed of thought when in possession, which has made him far less impactful.
Allen’s better performances for the team this season have tended to come when deployed in a deeper midfield role where his work-rate and energy levels can help break up opposition moves and he has a little more time on the ball. However, with the team possessing better options for both the deeper and more advanced midfield positions, Allen has struggled to establish himself a regular place in the starting XI. The injury to Liam Kelly should help provide opportunities for Jamie Allen to fight for his place back in the side, but he has to show that he can consistently impact games at Championship level if he wants to secure his place over the longer-term.
Sideways Sammy 