Derby County supporters will watch Frank Lampard, Coventry City developments with interest | OneFootball

New Coventry City boss Frank Lampard guided Derby County to the Championship play-off final in 2019

On Thursday morning, Coventry City officially announced the appointment of former Derby County, Chelsea and Everton boss Frank Lampard as their new head coach.

The 46-year-old had been linked with the Sky Blues for a while, after club owner and chairman Doug King confirmed that the ex-England midfielder had applied for the vacancy over two weeks ago.

Since then, supporters of the West Midlands outfit have been nervously waiting to see who would replace former manager Mark Robins, who enjoyed a largely successful spell in the dugout at the CBS Arena.

But now the wait is over, and the Sky Blues faithful will be keen to see what Lampard, who has not been involved in management since an interim spell with Chelsea in 2023, can bring to the table.

Derby supporters will watch Lampard's Coventry exploits with a keen eye

It would be fair to say that the Englishman has had a mixed career in the dugout to date, as he guided the Rams to the Championship play-off final following a successful 2018/19 season, but his side ultimately missed out at the final hurdle, with a 2-1 Wembley defeat to Aston Villa.

However, Lampard's spell as Derby boss was clearly enough to impress Chelsea, who decided to appoint their former player as boss ahead of the 2019/20 campaign.

He was a legend in his days as a Blues player and he initially impressed on the touchline too, and guided the West London giants to a Champions League spot, despite the fact that they were subject to a transfer ban.

But by January 2021, Lampard was dismissed from his duties as Chelsea boss, as the club sat just ninth in the Premier League table, while his successor, Thomas Tuchel won the Champions League months later.

The former Rams manager was then appointed by Everton in January 2022 and managed to steer the Toffees clear of relegation following a testing 2021/22 Premier League campaign.

However, the second sacking of his career would arrive less than a year after his appointment, when the Goodison Park outfit sat second-bottom in the Premier League table.

Prior to his Sky Blues appointment, his most recent foray into management came during the spring of 2023, when he returned to Stamford Bridge on an interim basis.

While the Englishman has a varied record, it could be argued that his exploits with the Rams in the Championship are the most recent barometer as to how he may perform in his new role.

Following the controversial sacking of Robins, it is evident that Sky Blues owner King demands nothing less than a serious play-off push, which he will now hope Lampard will deliver.

After the Englishman guided the Rams to a top-six finish back in 2019, the Pride Park faithful will be intrigued to see whether he can achieve the same success at the CBS Arena.

Perhaps Derby supporters could be left with a hint of jealousy if Lampard manages to guide the Sky Blues to the Premier League, a feat he so nearly achieved with the Rams.

Coventry supporters will expect a strong start from Lampard

Some of the Sky Blues faithful will still not be over the sacking of Robins, who gave so much to the West Midlands outfit, having guided them from League Two to the Championship, and then to a play-off final and an FA Cup semi-final.

But every Coventry fan will be expecting Lampard to deliver a win during his first game in charge, as his new side take on a struggling Cardiff City on Saturday.

The Bluebirds sit just one point above the relegation zone and are winless in four games, so the Sky Blues will expect to see their side emerge victorious.

If Lampard fails to steer his side to a win on Saturday, it may already raise doubts among vocal supporters as to whether he was the right man to replace Robins.