Pundit has reacted to Coventry City’s appointment of Frank Lampard

TalkSPORT pundit Simon Jordan has reacted to Coventry City’s appointment of Frank Lampard, who will replace Mark Robins at the CBS Arena after being appointed by Doug King.

The decision to part ways with Robins was met with intense scrutiny from both the Sky Blues faithful and the wider footballing sphere.

Coventry had started the 2024/25 campaign in poor form under Robins despite increased backing and expectation, and he was ultimately relieved of his marching orders following a 2-1 defeat at home to Derby County at the start of November in a decision which felt extremely harsh at the time.

King did, however, later reveal that a souring of the relationship between Robins and former assistant Adi Viveash, which led to the latter’s contentious exit in the summer, was a reason behind the eventual call to conclude his lengthy and much-lauded seven-year stint in charge of the club.

It sparked a managerial search which lasted nearly three weeks, with Rhys Carr overseeing first-team duties on an interim basis as the Sky Blues sounded out candidates before eventually opting with Lampard, who officially sealed his return to management after an absence of nearly a year by signing a two-and-a-half year contract prior to his unveiling on Thursday morning.

The former Chelsea and England midfield star takes over a Coventry side currently placed 17th in the Championship and without a win in the last four matches.

That said, Lampard will make his bow in front of the CBS Arena on Saturday afternoon when his new side host struggling Cardiff City in a fixture which hands him a good chance to make a strong start to his Coventry career.

Simon Jordan’s reaction to Frank Lampard’s Coventry City appointment

While the decision to appoint Lampard has received mixed reaction, with certain supporters believing Lampard represents a poor appointment for the Sky Blues, Jordan believes he’s earned the opportunity after previously impressing at Championship level with Derby County.

The 46-year-old took the Rams to the second-tier play-off final in his first ever season in senior management before controversially jumping ship to rejoin Chelsea, where he lasted a year and a half in the job.

He then joined Everton but didn’t fare too well on Merseyside before returning once again to Chelsea in April 2023, this time on a short-term basis until the end of the season, and he’s now heading back into management for the first time since the conclusion of the 2022/23 campaign.

Speaking about the appointment on talkSPORT, Jordan said: “You know, his first year at Chelsea was okay, but I really thought he should have stayed at Derby.

“I know Chelsea came calling, opportunity comes knocking and all that, but everybody in life that’s had a modicum of success will be given opportunities. It is all about taking the right ones and I felt that he should have stayed at Derby and learned his trade.

“Of course, no-one could forecast what was going to happen with (then Derby owner) Mel Morris a year down the line, so maybe history doesn’t look kindly upon that observation.

“But going to Chelsea, he made mistakes there, especially the second time, and I also felt that when he was at Everton they would have got relegated if they hadn’t have taken him out and put Sean Dyche in.

“So a lot of people are asking ‘Well, how does he get another go? Why is he getting another turn, he’s been a failure in his last few jobs’. But I think it’s reasonable to put him in a Championship club because he’s proven to a reasonable degree that he can operate at that level.

“So, going into Coventry, who’ve got lofty ambitions – they’ve got an owner has been in the play-offs, felt they should have been in the play-offs last year and was ultimately a centimetre away from being in an FA Cup final – you are in a situation where they want upward movement.

“So, you know, I’m not interested in the Frank Lampard show. I’m not interested that the media are alighting on Coventry or Plymouth because [Wayne] Rooney happens to be at Plymouth or Lampard happens to be at Coventry.

“These guys have either got the chops to deliver for these football clubs that have upward only motivations, or they don’t.”

Frank Lampard will have big Coventry City pressure as he’s replacing Mark Robins

Although a lot of Sky Blues supporters are currently getting behind Lampard, there’s no denying the scarce margin for error he has. That’s because, unfortunately for Lampard, he has huge shoes to fill following the departure of Robins, whose influence at the club was iconic.

The ex-Manchester United striker took Coventry from the depths of League Two to within one penalty kick of an improbable Premier League promotion in May 2023, which they were denied of by Luton Town. Fairly or not, that’s ultimately what Lampard will be measured up against.

King was widely slammed for sacking Robins and while supporting context was dropped behind the decision, losing the modern-day Coventry legend is still a sore spot for a huge chunk of fans, who will need Lampard to hit the ground running quickly in order to stay onside with him.