“Different class” – Ally McCoist heaps praise on Coventry City player and fires Man United FA Cup warning

Ellis Simms has found blistering form as of late.

Coventry City have an exciting end to the season ahead of them, and the arrival of summer signing Ellis Simms will undoubtedly help their run.

At first, life in Coventry was difficult for the now-23-year-old. According to the Liverpool Echo, the club signed him from Everton for a fee estimated to be between £6-8 million. Fans were excited after he scored four goals in two pre-season friendlies against League Two sides Forest Green Rovers and MK Dons, but he would not score his first goal for the club until two months after the latter match.

His shooting boots appeared to be back in Merseyside, and faith in him was fading. However, the last eight matches have helped to restore that faith. He has scored ten goals in those games, including two hat-tricks. In his most recent game, he scored twice and assisted the winner to help his team complete a late comeback against Wolves in the FA Cup quarterfinals. City will now face Manchester United in the semi-final at Wembley Stadium in less than a month.

Former striker Ally McCoist watched the FA Cup match and spoke with Football League World on behalf of talkSPORT BET about the young forward.

Ally McCoist delivers Ellis Simms’ verdict.

McCoist stated that the former Everton player’s performance in the quarter-finals caught his attention.

“I tell you what, I was impressed,” the talkSPORT pundit stated. “He had a miss in the first half which, to be fair to him, probably wouldn’t have counted because I think another player was offside. He should have put the ball in the back of the net, but it wouldn’t have counted anyway. But I was really keen to observe how he performed after that, and he was a different class. He got himself in a position to score, which he clearly did, and he took up really good positions.

“I thought that Coventry knocked the ball about really well, and, I’ll tell you something, Man United are going to have to be on their game because Coventry will give them a game, there’s no doubt about it. They’re really solid at the back, a solid enough goalkeeper, and a bit of creativity in the middle of the park, and, of course, Hajji Wright and Simms up top.

“I saw Simms when he was on loan up at Hearts, as well, and I thought that there was something about him, and it would not surprise me in the slightest if he kicked on again, and, no disrespect to Coventry, got another move.”

Ellis Simms’ late-season turnaround vindicated the Coventry decision.

The Sky Blues received a large sum of money from player sales this summer, which they will have been able to reinvest in their squad. Sporting Lisbon paid close to £20 million for Viktor Gyokeres, according to the BBC, and Gustavo Hamer joined newly promoted Sheffield United for £15 million, according to Mike McGrath of The Telegraph. Hamer scored in City’s play-off final.

Simms didn’t start right away, and with the money they had, that’s what Coventry should have received.

He was not completely unknown. He had a successful loan spell with Sunderland last season before being recalled by Everton in the January window. That form did not carry over into the new campaign, but the confidence appears to have returned.

According to The Analyst, the striker is now second best in his team in terms of non-penalty goals, non-penalty xG per 90, and chance creation carries.

Even with these improved performance levels, he is not immune to another slump like the one he experienced at the beginning of the season. However, his last eight games have demonstrated his potential, justifying the club’s decision to keep him.

In other news, Arsenal and Chelsea Gyokeres battle: Coventry City to benefit if transfer goes through