Veteran midfielder Gary McAllister waved goodbye to Highfield Road today after completing a free transfer move to Liverpool - and left the City faithful with a message of hope.

The 35-year-old has signed a one-year deal with the Merseyside giants after speaking at length with former France boss Gerard Houllier.

McAllister has told the Coventry fans that the opportunity was too good to miss at this stage of his career but stressed that the Sky Blues have a lot to be optimistic about.

He said:

"I leave Coventry with lots of feelings for the club.

"Although in my four years there the club has not been highly successful I felt in the last year or 18 months there was big improvements at the club.

"The standard of play and the stature of the club has gone up and I see it as a bit of success to have kept Coventry in the Premiership and helped them to have that opportunity.

"I don't take the credit for that. That is where the manager comes into play and I think since I joined the club has made great improvements and the fact that I have had a wee bit to do with that makes me thoroughly happy."

And the former Scotland skipper believes that his departure will not signal the end of Coventry's march toward becoming a top ten outfit.

"The truth of the matter is that if we had won three or four away games last season we would have been a top ten team easily so there is not a lot wrong.

"At Highfield Road Coventry are as good as anybody in the country and capable of beating anyone."

The man who moved from Leeds United to Highfield Road for £3 million in 1996 admits the calibre of players attracted to Coventry recently surprised even him.

"The arrival of the two Moroccans was a great thing and a lot of credit to Gordon and the chairman for getting them, and then of course the big thing was landing Robbie Keane.

"I don't think two or three years ago a club like Coventry would have been able to get Robbie Keane."
   

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