Seven years ago, Frank Lampard earned a promotion when his club did not, with Derby County remaining in the Championship before he took on the job of his dreams at Chelsea.
A lot has happened since. Early promise, two January sackings, an ill-fated caretaker spell back at Chelsea, and then 17 months out of work – until Coventry City came calling in November 2024.
It all means while Lampard is now more than 250 games into management, he has only overseen two full seasons – his first two (2018-19, 2019-20) – and in what is set to finally be his third, the 47-year-old hopes to end it with Coventry’s return to the Premier League.
Promotion would help him prove a point, but those are hard-earned in the Championship. As Coventry stumble into a defining stretch of their title push, so too does Lampard in his managerial career.
These next four months could dictate his next two decades in the dugout.
Few could blame Lampard for accepting the Chelsea gig in 2019 and even fewer were surprised by how it panned out. The club’s thin patience – they are now onto their fifth permanent manager since sacking Lampard in 2021 – was at odds with a young coach still learning his trade (good luck, Liam Rosenior).
What followed left Lampard’s reputation bruised, but in joining Coventry he showed grit, returning to the league where it all began as many of his former England teammates gave up on management entirely.
Lampard’s biggest test
Now, the reward is in sight – and reality is kicking in. Coventry may be top, but a lead that was 10 points in November has been cut to three, prompting the full spectrum of emotions among the club’s supporters.
“It’s pretty nervy right now,” Dominic Jerams, who runs the Coventry City fan website Sidewayssammy.com, tells The i Paper.
Josh Shale of the All Things Sky Blue podcast adds: “We are still in very high spirits. We have full belief that Frank Lampard will take us to the promised land.”
Coventry supporters are right to feel nervous and hopeful at the same time. It has been 25 years since they were last in the Premier League, relegated the same summer Lampard joined Chelsea as a player.
Since then, they have experienced life in League Two and more recently two painful defeats in the Championship play-offs – the final under Mark Robins in 2023 and then the semi-finals under Lampard last season, when a goal in the 123rd minute of the second leg sent Sunderland to Wembley.
And from a foregone conclusion after 18 games – when only Wrexham had beaten them – a nerve-jangling campaign has transpired, with four wins, three draws and four defeats quietening talk of records.
Still, Coventry remain the country’s most potent attacking side – their 62 goals unmatched in the top four tiers – but it is in defence where worry is creeping in.
“Whenever we lose the ball, you just close your eyes,” adds Jerams. “The defensive line is so high up the pitch and the midfield is wide open.”
End game: promotion and a stepping stone?
In the past two seasons, 91 points were enough for automatic promotion, and Coventry are currently tracking slightly above that pace – on course for 92.
Middlesbrough are not far behind, but with the prospect of silverware driving Lampard on, he will know the importance of how these final 17 games pan out. His reputation depends on it.
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It is also clear what this potential success might bring. Promotion would earn Lampard recognition and once again turn heads elsewhere.
That, Jerams says, would be a “fair trade-off” provided Coventry get to mix it with the big boys first, with supporters understanding that progress comes with consequences.
That said, Lampard is exactly where he needs to be, and one hopes he sees value in taking this stepping stone slowly. Another giant leap could spell curtains, especially when there is still so much to gain at a club who gave him this shot at completing his redemption arc.
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