Ex-Coventry City manager Jimmy Hill could get statue

An appeal has started to raise £150,000 to put up a bronze statue of former Coventry City manager and football pundit Jimmy Hill.

The statue of the ex-manager and chairman will go outside the city's Ricoh Arena if the appeal succeeds.

Mr Hill was responsible for Coventry's promotion to the old Division One in 1967 and went on to become one of the best known faces in television.

Club director Joe Elliott said it was "only right" that Mr Hill had a statue.

"It is only right that we look at putting up a statue to commemorate the wonderful work that Jimmy has done for the club and indeed football at a national and international level," he said.

A deadline of 31 July has been set by which to collect the funds.

Mr Hill, 81, played for Brentford and Fulham before going on to manage Coventry.

He was also chairman of the Professional Footballers' Association and led the successful campaign against the £20 maximum wage.

After becoming Coventry's manager in 1961, he said that, next to playing, his years at the club were the most enjoyable of anything he had ever done.

He took the club from fifth-bottom of the old Third Division into the top flight for the first time in their history before leaving in 1967.

Mr Hill was also responsible for changing the colour of the club's strip to sky blue.

His broadcasting career began at London Weekend Television as Head of Sport from 1967-72 before joining BBC Television as presenter for Match of The Day, making more than 600 appearances on the show.

Mr Elliott added: "Jimmy was responsible not only for shaping Coventry City into the club it is today on and off the pitch, but also (for) changing the face of football.

"This statue would be a fitting tribute to a great man and one of the most important figures in the history of Coventry City."