"If I'm honest" - Frank Lampard reveals Coventry City surprise | OneFootball

The Sky Blues boss has revealed that he didn't expect to see his side pick up form quite as quickly as they have.

Frank Lampard has revealed that the Championship play-off places felt "a long way" from being a realistic target when he first walked into his new role as Coventry City manager.

The footballing icon took over the helm at the Coventry Building Society Arena in late November, following the shock departure of long-time boss Mark Robins.

Coventry were sitting 17th in the Championship upon Lampard's arrival. As such, the immediate challenge for the former Chelsea manager was to stop the club from sliding even further towards a relegation battle.

However, the 46-year-old is now masterminding a Sky Blues play-off push heading into the final weeks of the season, which is something he didn't expect to be doing when he walked through the door.

"I didn't see the place brimming with confidence" - Frank Lampard reveals the mood in Coventry City camp upon his arrival

Speaking via The Athletic, Lampard has confessed that his Coventry City players were in the midst of a confidence crisis when he took over as the club's new manager, but says that he always retained belief in the squad that results would turn.

Following a 3-2 victory away at Oxford United last weekend, his side have now won their last four Championship games on the bounce, with two further favourable fixtures against Stoke City and Derby County respectively up next.

“If I’m honest, (the top six) felt a long way when I came in," he said.

“The first few weeks were inconsistent and I didn’t see the place brimming with confidence. Did I see this coming? Not necessarily. Did I have belief in the group? Yes.

"I felt we could get results if we kept working, but I didn’t think with this consistency this quickly. But we just have to continue.

"We say the same thing every week: the moment you rest on a good feeling, it becomes difficult in this league.”

Lampard is loving not having same amount of media scrutiny that he endured during Chelsea, Everton spells with Coventry

Being one of the biggest and most recognisable names in world football comes with the caveat of added pressure when stepping into management, with huge amounts of scrutiny placed on Lampard to succeed during his time as a Premier League manager with Chelsea and Everton.

However, naturally so given Coventry's place as a Championship club, that isn't as much of an issue to contend with in his new job - something Lampard is relishing.

“It’s (Premier League) at the real cutting edge of the game,” he continued. “You want that scrutiny.

“But I read about Chelsea every day, story after story, and I know how surreal it is when you’re in the job because I was that man in that seat. To be honest, it’s nice to be able to do your day-to-day job and be able work without the dramatic opinion that follows every result.

“It just feels like you can work with a bit more consistency. You don’t feel like you have to react too much. I like that. I’m quite private. I like just working away, if I’m honest.

"I’m not saying working in the Championship is easier than working in the Premier League; it’s not. Every job has its challenges — Premier League, Championship, League One, League Two, wherever — and I’m enjoying the different challenge of this.

“And yes, (the smaller media interest) might be one benefit in terms of getting on with your job, but I want attention to be on me and the club because that will mean we’re doing well. If we keep working well here, more attention will come, more scrutiny will come. That’s a good thing.”