Frank Lampard said he believes former high-profile players face harsher criticism as managers, after expressing his excitement at relaunching his career at Coventry having been reduced to “babysitting” Chelsea in his last coaching role. Lampard, who took training on Thursday, has signed a two-and-a-half-year contract to succeed Mark Robins at the Championship club.
The former Chelsea and England midfielder said he is au fait with the scrutiny that will accompany his return to work. The 46-year-old, whose first manager’s job was in the second tier with Derby, has been out of work since departing his role as interim head coach at Chelsea at the end of 2022-23. “I think British managers should be given a chance and sometimes they face even more stringent opinion against them, especially ex-players, if I’m honest,” he said.
“Every situation is about context. I’m not really bothered about people’s opinions about how they want to judge, because as a manager you only know what’s in front of you when you’re working behind the scenes. I don’t want to sit here and say I want to do this to show the world. I am driven, I like to prove people wrong. I did it in my playing career a lot. As a manager you know you’re going to have to prove someone wrong, it doesn’t matter if it’s me or Pep Guardiola.”
Lampard, who also managed Everton in the Premier League, is relishing the opportunity to immerse himself into the job at an ambitious club with designs of reaching the top flight. “When I left Chelsea I went into a job that was a bit of babysitting from me, in terms of going in to tide them over for seven weeks, and I learnt a lot, not in terms of coaching because it was not a coaching job but a holding the baby job while the transition was happening. I learnt if you don’t get the environment right then it’s very difficult to succeed.”
Lampard acknowledged his appointment may split opinion but outlined his determination to prove his credentials to become an elite coach. “We have to live in a world of the spotlight when you’re a head coach, but if you don’t want that then don’t sign up for it and if you’re not brave enough to take that, then don’t worry, sit at home and be an ex-player that decides to do something else. It’s much easier work in the media, to sit at home or play golf. I’m 46: am I supposed to put my slippers on? A lot of people talk about the stresses, but there is also enjoyment in it, getting up and putting yourself out there. It’s very simple to say: ‘Why don’t you just sit at home?’ I want to work.”
While out of the game, Lampard has rejected opportunities to coach overseas and spent time learning from his peers, attending dinners with Roy Hodgson and Gareth Southgate. Lampard enjoyed an hour picking the brains of Guardiola during a visit to Manchester City, for whom he played in the twilight of his career, and also studied Thomas Frank’s work at Brentford. He said he admired the work done by his former New York City FC teammate Andoni Iraola at Bournemouth, as well as the transformations at Ipswich and Aston Villa.
Lampard’s appointment was driven by Coventry’s chairman, Doug King, who acquired the club at the start of last year. King sacked Robins, who achieved a near-untouchable status after taking Coventry from towards the bottom of League Two to within a penalty shootout of the Premier League, having lost in a Championship playoff final. At almost eight years Robins was the longest-serving manager in the division. “Frank was the outstanding candidate,” King said. “He’s putting himself back in the arena, which is always brave to do.”
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Coventry are 17th, two points above the relegation zone. Lampard, whose first match is at home to Cardiff on Saturday, will be assisted by Joe Edwards and Chris Jones, with whom he has worked with previously. In the space of five games from 14 December to 1 January Coventry face four of the seven teams currently below them: Hull, Portsmouth, Plymouth and Cardiff. Lampard knows he needs to hit the ground running. “We have to front-load and try and understand how we can make it better straight away,” he said.
