 The inexperience of the side and the poor finances at the club, which were made worse by the withdrawal of Talbot's sponsorship deal, meant that once more the bookmakers had Coventry amongst the favourites for relegation.Despite supporter and pundit expectations, Coventry performed quite well in the first half of 1983–84, rising to fourth in the table by December through a run which included a 4–0 win over champions Liverpool.But once again their form deserted them after the new year, and after a run even worse than the previous season's were saved only through a last-day win against Norwich, Birmingham being relegated instead as they failed to beat Southampton.