Coventry opt for Adams as saviour

Micky Adams, who began the season with high hopes of leading Leicester City back into the Premiership, has the contrasting priority of keeping Coventry City in the Championship after being chosen as manager of the struggling Sky Blues in succession to Peter Reid.

Coventry plumped for the 43-year-old Yorkshireman after Gary Johnson, manager of the League Two leaders Yeovil Town, declined an invitation to discuss the post, saying he had "an important job to finish at Huish Park and my priority at this moment in time is to try and lead the club into League One". Adams will be confirmed as the Midland club's sixth manager in little more than three years at a lunchtime press conference today.

Adams' appointment marks not only his return to front-line duty but also to Highfield Road. He played for Coventry for two years from 1985, having been bought for £75,000 by Bobby Gould from Gillingham.

Within 10 weeks of leaving, he was in the Leeds United side beaten by Coventry in a dramatic FA Cup semi-final in his home city.

Having previously had charge of Fulham, Brighton & Hove Albion, Brentford and Swansea City, Adams has been out of work since leaving Leicester in November. He enjoyed his greatest success at the Walkers Stadium, overcoming the problems caused by Leicester's plunge into administration to guide them to promotion to the Premiership at the first attempt in 2004. Last season, however, they were relegated again.

He was linked with the vacancies at Wolverhampton Wanderers and Nottingham Forest, yet will now pit himself against both clubs in the fight to avoid relegation to League One.

Coventry, who move to a new stadium next season, operate on a shoestring and currently stand 20th, three points ahead of the highest-placed team in the relegation zone, Gillingham.

Adrian Heath, Reid's assistant, steered Coventry to victory over Crewe in the FA Cup and a 3-2 defeat at leaders Ipswich Town as caretaker manager.