BEING FRANK
Congratulations to Frank Lampard, who has defied the odds to be named the new manager of Coventry City. In an age when people are losing their collective minds over the quality of English managers and the supposed opportunities they are failing to be presented with in the wake of Thomas Tuchel’s appointment of the national side, it’s good to know that Lampard is keeping the quota up towards the bottom of the Championship. “Frank cut his teeth [there] and knows what is needed in this league to be successful,” roared Coventry’s owner and chief suit, Doug King. “His experiences thereafter at Chelsea and Everton will ensure he brings to our talented squad clear understanding of exactly what is needed to succeed at the very top level that we as a club are striving to reach.”
Which is a longwinded way of suggesting that Lampard might be able to dial up his pals at Chelsea and get a few loan signings in January. Just imagine what Omari Kellyman – the £19m summer signing yet to play a minute of first-team football for Chelsea – or £17.2m Brazilian Deivid Washington could do against the likes of Portsmouth, Hull and Cardiff. At least that trick worked at Derby County in 2018-19, Lampard’s only Championship experience, when England internationals Ashley Cole, Mason Mount and Fikayo Tomori were added to a squad that also contained other senior internationals in Harry Wilson and Tom Huddlestone. Lampard’s brave Rams finished sixth, before losing to Aston Villa in the playoff final.
That’s not to slate the job that Lampard did at Derby (win rate 42.7%). It was his first gig in management, and although he had some of the best players in the Championship and a wave of goodwill based upon his outstanding playing career that had no bearing on his ability as a manager, he did get within 90 minutes of the Premier League. But Lampard’s “success” was six seasons ago, a lifetime in football. Since then, he has brought a multitude of mediocrity to Chelsea, Everton and Chelsea again on an interim basis, with his last job (outside of a TV studio) at Stamford Bridge (played 11, won one, lost eight) coming a full 18 months ago.
Another manager with a much more recent history of success (two promotions, losing the Championship playoff final in 2022-23 on penalties, nearly dumping out Manchester United in last season’s FA Cup semi) is Mark Robins, who was both named as one of Coventry’s “greatest ever managers” and booted through a door marked “Do One” by Sky Blue suits earlier this month. A legend of the club after his seven-year reign, Robins even accepted an honorary doctorate from Coventry University last week for bringing joy, pride, success back to a city and supporters back to the stadium. Hull City – who sacked Tim Walter on Wednesday – or Plymouth Argyle, thumped 6-1 by Norwich and struggling under the stewardship of another legendary former player who had a brief managerial stint at Pride Park, might now be interested in Robins or anyone else who “knows what is needed in this league to be successful”.
LIVE ON BIG WEBSITE
Join Will Unwin from 8pm GMT for hot Bigger Vase minute-by-minute coverage of Manchester United 3-0 Bodø/Glimt, while Luke McLaughlin will be on deck for Tottenham 2-2 Roma at the same time.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
It is nice for him, his family and us but also for the academy. Not only him … Caoimhín and Curtis were outstanding. To have three academy players doing so well is a big compliment for [it]” – Arne Slot waxes lyrical about Liverpool trio Conor Bradley, Caoimhín Kelleher and Curtis Jones after they managed to get one over on Real Madrid in Bigger Cup.
I thought surely that Richard Moyse Fenning’s long letter o’ the day-winning description of Spursiness (yesterday’s Football Daily letters) should have fallen on a day that is prizeless – what a gag that would have been” – Ian Potter.
Re: former Manchester City player Mikheil Kavelashvili trying to be elected as president of Georgia (yesterday’s News, Bits and Bobs, full email edition). There is a precedent” – John McEniff.
I hope Wayne Rooney (yesterday’s Quote of the Day) has been polishing up his CV, though it may take a massive amount of polishing” – JJ Zucal.
Send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s letter o’ the day winner is …. Ian Potter, who lands their very own piece of Football Weekly merch. Terms and conditions for our competitions can be viewed here.
RECOMMENDED LISTENING
Football Weekly Extra is coming in your ears.
You can now get your very own copy of the latest David Squires cartoon. And Big Website’s football bookshop has the latest release from David himself, along with those from Nick Miller, Jon Spurling and Geoff Twentyman.
