New Coventry boss Frank Lampard begs for chance to prove himself as he likens doomed Chelsea spell to 'babysitting'

Lampard was announced as the new man in the Coventry dugout on Thursday and as the replacement for the hugely popular Mark Robins. The former Chelsea, Everton and Derby boss has pleaded with fans for time to prove he can match the lofty expectations at the Championship club and avoid replicating fellow big name and ex-teammate Wayne Rooney's dire spell in charge of Birmingham last season. The last time Lampard managed in the second-tier of English football, he made the play-off final with Derby before losing to Aston Villa and he believes he can replicate that strong showing.

After his appointment, Lampard said: British managers should be given a chance and sometimes they face even more stringent opinion against them, especially ex-players.

"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's most recent permanent job was at Everton where he lasted less than a year, leaving the Toffees fighting relegation. He was then handed a second spell in charge of Chelsea as caretaker manager where he took over from Graham Potter to see out the closing stages of the 2022/23 season. Despite relative success in his first tenure at the club, his temporary role was disastrous, picking up just one win and suffering eight defeats in an 11-game stay. However, Lampard is adamant he could do little more in that time.

He said: "When I rejoined 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 learned 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 learned if you don’t get the environment right then it’s very difficult to succeed."

Hoping to prove his critics wrong straight away, Lampard's Sky Blues host Cardiff City at the Coventry Building Society Arena. After seven years of Mark Robins in the dugout, Lampard will have to earn the support of the Coventry fans quickly if he is to prove his worth as a manager.