CoventryLive brings you Coventry City news, including what Sky Blues manager Frank Lampard has said in a fresh new official EFL podcast.
Frank Lampard claims that he “loves” his job at Coventry City, but concedes that he does need a day off now and then after resuming his management career.
The Chelsea legend has made a comeback with the Sky Blues after an 18-month absence from the game. In just three months, he has led the Championship club from two points off the relegation zone to fifth place and play-off contention.
That dramatic transition has reignited interest in Lampard and the club, with media outlets eager to learn the secret to his newfound coaching success after a glittering playing career.
Lampard launched a new podcast, ‘EFL Unfiltered,’ hosted by David Prutton, a former Sky Blues loan player turned TV presenter. Prutton asked Lampard what success looks like at Coventry.
“I certainly enjoy being here,” he stated. “I have always aspired to be a coach, as has my squad. I brought in Joe Edwards and Chris Jones, and the personnel here knew right once that we were ‘in it’.
“I’ve always wanted to be the manager that players look at and say, ‘Yeah, he’s in it’. It’s fantastic to be doing that again as a club. I’ve found the gamers here to be quite receptive, and they make up a great group. Everyone is buying in to everything we do in meetings and on the training ground, which is a delight.
“In terms of the big picture, the team that reached the Play-Off Final two years ago has undergone significant transition. There has been a significant transition, with the FA Cup semi-finals last year and subsequent changes. I don’t get too wrapped up in it; I get it. However, I believe we must accept the situation as it stands. Where we are now, where I came in, and where we have managed to move it as we speak, we have gone forward.
“I think we’ve got more steps to go and we want to try and push towards the Play-Offs now, because it’s now…we think, maybe.”
When asked about his professional drive and whether he sees it in today’s athletes, such as Jack Rudoni, he said: “I have this true professional drive, and if I see something and want to accomplish it, I will. If I can’t do anything, I want to do it. If I’m good at something, I want to improve.
“I’ve always had that, and I’ve carried that into management. It becomes slightly more taxing as you get older. It is a little more tiring. When you’re in your twenties and full of energy, you feel like you’re heading to the moon! Then, when you’re in your forties, you say, ‘I need a day off’.
“But the drive in me still exists. It only changes somewhat, I suppose. I enjoy seeing it in players; some of them have it naturally. Working with Mason Mounty as a young player, I could always tell by the expression in his eyes.
“I sense a connection with Jack Rudoni here. He has a look about him that screams, “I want to train, gaffer; how can I improve?” What can I do? That was me. And I adore it; it’s incredibly contagious to me.
“However, as a coach, I recognise that not everyone is the same. This does not imply that Jack should be my ‘pet’. Everyone requires some form of anything to help them reach their full potential. “(My) job is to support that.”
Leave a Reply