Davies: Coventry Players Would Respect Lampard as Head Coach

Curtis Davies, a former defender for Derby, expressed his belief that Frank Lampard would earn the respect of Coventry City’s players should he be appointed as the club’s new head coach. Lampard, an ex-England midfielder, is currently considered the leading candidate to succeed Mark Robins, who was dismissed from his position earlier this month. Davies shared with the BBC Sport’s 72+ EFL podcast, “I was his captain at Derby but then got injured quite early so I got to see Frank, I guess, from the outside looking in and standing beside him at times.” He further stated that “If he said something to players, usually they’d take it on board because of the level he had played at.” In 2019, Lampard guided Derby to the Championship play-offs, where they were defeated by Aston Villa in the final match. Doug King, owner of the Sky Blues, is planning to restructure the club’s management framework, which will involve the appointment of a sporting director. Davies is of the opinion that this arrangement would be well-suited for Lampard. He further stated, “I think being a head coach (rather than the manager) would be fine for Frank.” Davies elaborated, “While he’d want the final say on what players are brought in he wouldn’t be offended if they’re going out recruiting players for the Championship because you’re going to have a director of football, who probably knows more about the Championship than Frank currently does.” Subsequent to his comparative success at Derby, Lampard encountered varied outcomes during two consecutive managerial tenures at Chelsea and a single one at Everton. Davies also remarked, “When you carry a name like Frank Lampard you’ve always got that slight chance (of getting another job) so I don’t think this would be his last chance but he wants to be that Championship manager pushing towards the Premier League.” He further stated, “I don’t think he ever envisaged his career being in the lower leagues of the EFL so I think depending on how he does (if he gets the job) it’s more about his motivation to continue doing it if it doesn’t work out.”