Of all his skills, there is one that Frank Lampard perhaps excels at better than anyone.
A year ago in his first match in charge of a career-defining Coventry City tenure, every camera inside his new home ground was trained directly at the Championship’s latest star dugout attraction. Yet there he was – three-time champion of England, 106 caps for his country, husband of a well-known television presenter – resolutely exuding nothing but tranquil normality.
“I’m a low-key person,” he earnestly explained, exhibiting the deftest of dismissive touches after that game, a 2-2 draw with then fellow strugglers Cardiff. “That’s how I am.”
If Lampard ever felt the pressure during those early days, he did a good job of concealing it; the nonchalance of a sliding doors moment between a resurgent managerial career and a life consigned to punditry. A year on, his path seems assured.
So big is the 10-point lead that Lampard’s Coventry – as they must be called – have at the Championship summit that they could afford a defeat or three and still lead the charge for the Premier League. On recent evidence, chance would be a fine thing.
Yesterday’s 3-1 win over Charlton – Josh Eccles and an Ellis Simms double completing a comeback after conceding in the 13th minute – means they have now won 11 of their last 12 games. The latest three goals takes their tally to 50 in just 18 matches.
“It’s been a good year for us, results and performance-wise,” said Lampard. “It’s testament to everyone working in the same direction. We find ways to win games. It’s great that we’ve had this year, but I’m pleased that the year celebrations can end.
“I get a lot of messages saying ‘We’re flying’, and I always temper it. There’s part of me that says I should embrace it because it’s not always the case. I am absolutely happy, but I have been around long enough to know that if we drop our levels it can change. The fans can be excited.”
Not all of them were a year ago. When the proclamation over the stadium’s loudspeaker excitedly heralded “a new era” ahead of Lampard’s first match, such unbridled enthusiasm was a rarity.
If the sacking of club legend Mark Robins was one tricky thing to stomach – having led the club to within penalty shootouts of the Premier League and an FA Cup final – the surprise identity of his replacement was quite another.
Before then, Lampard’s managerial career had been littered with mitigating circumstances, certainly during his time in the Premier League. At Everton, he inherited a club in chaos; in two stints at Chelsea, he first dealt with a transfer ban and then he endured a wretched “babysitting” gig in a return he should never have countenanced. It is easy to forget how close he had come to guiding Derby into the top flight in his first job.
Taking charge of a Coventry side just two points above relegation, he oversaw the club’s best period for 55 years, winning nine of 10 games between mid-January and mid-March as they surged towards the promotion places. A fifth-place finish then preceded a heartbreaking 122nd-minute play-off semi-final defeat by Sunderland.
Captain Matt Grimes and goalkeeper Carl Rushworth aside, their success has largely been built on the personnel Lampard inherited; an all-round squad lacking in stars, but now exhibiting the same fearless approach their manager routinely deployed during his playing days.
“His ability to improve players has been one of his best attributes,” said Simon Lillibury, host of That Cov Pod. “They are playing with a level of confidence we’ve not seen before.”
That much was evident twice this week. First, when pushing for two late goals in a thrilling 4-2 victory over fellow promotion chasers Middlesbrough on Tuesday night. Then with their swaggering dominance even after unexpectedly falling behind against Charlton.
“He obviously gets thrown in with Golden Generation players who have failed as managers, but that’s unfair,” said Lillibury. “It would be easy for him to have a bit more arrogance. I am so impressed by how he’s keeping his feet on the ground. He’s a celebrity, but he is also a really good manager, and that’s what he’s proven time and again since he’s been here.”
For so long, the accusation aimed at Lampard is that his opportunities were afforded owing to a celebrity status far outweighing his managerial ability. Such belittling can surely soon be consigned to the past. And, anyway, why must fame be a negative? Coventry City are full members of the Cult of Frank Lampard.
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