Football Daily | Frank Lampard gets back in the game with Coventry City

Congratulations to Frank Lampard for making a remarkable return as the new manager of Coventry City. In a time when there's widespread concern about the state of English managers and the lack of opportunities they seem to face since Thomas Tuchel took charge of the national team, it’s reassuring to see Lampard stepping in to maintain the British presence at the lower end of the Championship. “Frank started his career here and knows what it takes to thrive in this league,” exclaimed Doug King, the owner and leading executive of Coventry. “His experiences at Chelsea and Everton will provide our talented team with a clear understanding of what it takes to succeed at the highest level that we aspire to achieve as a club.”

This means that Lampard could reach out to his contacts at Chelsea to arrange some loan deals in January. Just think about the potential impact of players like Omari Kellyman—who cost £19 million in the summer but hasn't played for Chelsea’s first team yet—or Brazilian Deivid Washington, who is worth £17.2 million, facing teams like Portsmouth, Hull, and Cardiff. This strategy proved effective for Lampard at Derby County during the 2018-19 season, which is his only experience in the Championship. He brought in England internationals like Ashley Cole, Mason Mount, and Fikayo Tomori to join a squad that already included other established players like Harry Wilson and Tom Huddlestone. Lampard's determined team finished in sixth place that season, ultimately losing to Aston Villa in the playoff final.

This isn't to criticize Lampard's tenure at Derby, where he achieved a win rate of 42.7%. It was his first experience as a manager, and while he had some of the top players in the Championship and benefited from the positive reputation of his impressive playing career, that doesn’t necessarily reflect his managerial skills. He did manage to bring the team to within 90 minutes of reaching the Premier League. However, Lampard’s "achievement" happened six seasons ago, which is quite a long time in football. Since then, he has delivered a series of underwhelming performances at Chelsea, Everton, and Chelsea again in an interim role. His most recent managerial position was at Stamford Bridge, where he oversaw 11 matches, winning only one and losing eight, and that was 18 months ago.

A more recently successful manager is Mark Robins, who has achieved two promotions, lost the Championship playoff final in 2022-23 on penalties, and almost knocked out Manchester United in last season’s FA Cup semi-final. Just earlier this month, he was recognized as one of Coventry's "greatest ever managers" but also faced an abrupt departure from the club, indicated by a sign reading “Do One.” After a seven-year tenure that made him a club legend, he received an honorary doctorate from Coventry University last week for restoring joy, pride, and success to the city and its fans. With Hull City having fired Tim Walter on Wednesday, and Plymouth Argyle struggling after a heavy defeat to Norwich under the guidance of a former player who had a short management spell at Pride Park, they might now be considering Robins or anyone else who understands how to achieve success in this league.

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Daily Inspiration: Quote Of The Day

"It's great news for him, his family, and us, as well as for the academy. It's not just about him; both Caoimhín and Curtis also performed exceptionally well. Having three players from the academy succeed like this is a significant acknowledgment of its quality," said Arne Slot, praising Liverpool's Conor Bradley, Caoimhín Kelleher, and Curtis Jones after they triumphed over Real Madrid in the Bigger Cup.

I figured that Richard Moyse Fenning's lengthy letter, which brilliantly described Spursiness in yesterday's Football Daily letters, would have been perfect for a day with no awards—what a hilarious twist that would have been! – Ian Potter.

Regarding Mikheil Kavelashvili, the ex-Manchester City player who is aiming to become the president of Georgia (featured in yesterday’s News, Bits and Bobs, complete email edition), John McEniff mentioned that "there is a precedent."

"I wonder if Wayne Rooney, who was our Quote of the Day yesterday, has been updating his resume. It might require quite a bit of refining." – JJ Zucal.

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