After another round of midweek action, the EFL returns this weekend for a third set of fixtures in the last seven days.
Here are some of the key talking points from the Championship heading into the weekend.
Let’s be Frank, it’s a last chance
Frank Lampard will return to an EFL dugout for the first time since 2019 on Saturday (3pm) when he takes charge of his first match as Coventry City head coach.
The former Derby County, Chelsea and Everton boss has been appointed at the CBS Arena on a two-and-a-half year contract and takes over from long-standing coach Mark Robins, who was sacked at the start of November. Lampard’s previous one-season stint in the second tier with the Rams ended in heartbreak, losing 2-1 in the play-off final to Aston Villa at Wembley.
Out of work for over a year since leaving his role as caretaker boss at Chelsea, the former England star says he feels “refreshed and ready to go” ahead of his first game back in management.
But if we are being honest, it’s something of a last-chance saloon for the Premier League legend. His stints at Chelsea and Everton didn’t end well, and if he can’t get Coventry up the table and into the play-offs then it may be a while before he gets another gig in this country.
Former England striker turned pundit Alan Smith said: “You have some England greats, Wayne Rooney trying to make his mark in management after a few difficult appointments, now he’s at Plymouth. Steven Gerrard is struggling to make a mark over in Saudi Arabia, will he be able to bounce back if he leaves there?
“Lampard has to make this a success now. If he were to fail at Coventry, it might be a fair while before he gets another opportunity.”
Lampard and Gerrard have been inextricably linked throughout their career. Let’s hope he can plough a more successful furrow than his old team-mate.
Rooney out for reaction
Speaking of Rooney, it was a night to forget for the England legend and Plymouth Argyle on Tuesday after a Borja Sainz hat-trick condemned them to 6-1 drubbing at Norwich City.
The result sparked frustration in the Argyle boss’s post-match interview who claimed the club’s youth team would’ve done a better job at keeping the score down.
“I could probably put the under-18 team out there tonight and they wouldn’t concede six goals, so I’m very disappointed, angry, frustrated,” Rooney said following Tuesday’s defeat.
“I have praised the players a lot this season because a lot of the performances, obviously most of them at home, have been very good, but we need to quickly figure out the away form. It can’t carry on this way.”
Plymouth face another away trip on Saturday (3pm), this time to Bristol City, with the result at Carrow Road leaving them just two points above the relegation zone. Rooney’s side are still yet to win an away fixture this season but will be backed by 3000-plus travelling support at Ashton Gate.
“The fans will be there behind the players, I have no doubt about that, and it’s on us to put a performance in,” said the Argyle boss.
Lampard may be under pressure to hit the ground running but Rooney, with the immense spotlight that always shines his way, will continue to draw attention. Argyle had gone three games unbeaten before the Norwich hammering, which inevitably leads to comment about the manager’s ability to succeed in his new career.
The third man
The best-performing former England star-turned-manager in the Championship is the one with the lowest profile. Michael Carrick continues to go under the radar somewhat, but his Middlesbrough side are one of the most pleasing on the eye in the second tier.
Linked with the Leicester City job this week after Steve Cooper’s sacking, Carrick has quietly guided Boro up to sixth in the table, although their charge was dented by a 1-0 defeat at home to Blackburn Rovers on Wednesday. Failing to get on the scoresheet after hitting 11 goals in their previous two games was a blow, but they have a great chance to bounce back against crisis club Hull City on Saturday.
The Tigers sacked their manager Tim Walter on Wednesday, and sit third bottom after four successive defeats. Assistant Andy Dawson will take charge against Boro with Hull’s controversial owner Acun Ilicali in no rush to appoint a permanent replacement. Slavisa Jokanovic and sacked Coventry boss Mark Robins currently head the bookies odds.
The noise around Carrick may be getting louder but Hull players will see this as an opportunity of their own to impress a potential new manager.
Ridiculous for red and whites
The big game in the Championship actually gets under way on Friday (8pm) as two teams famed for their red and white stripes – Sheffield United and Sunderland – go head to head.
The Bramall Lane battle will see the Blades, sitting second, host Sunderland, who slipped to fourth after being held to their fifth successive draw in midweek against West Brom.
Both teams have injury and suspension concerns with the games coming thick and fast. United boss Chris Wilder called the fixture list ‘ridiculous’ as the two sides play their third game in six games. The relentless nature of the Championship shows no sign of abating ahead of a heavy festive period.
Manager-go-round spinning faster
How many managers will still be in jobs come the New Year? One man sitting comfortably this season is Daniel Farke. The Leeds United chief has ridden through some tricky weeks and top the pile after their midweek win over Luton Town.
Leeds will be mindful of Blackburn’s form, however, when they travel to Ewood Park on Saturday. They will watch on to see how Sheffield United and Sunderland fare in the early game, but will put any thoughts of a tough schedule behind them for what is a potential banana skin and Rovers manager John Eustace has already started playing mind games.
“They will be in the top six, probably top two I would reckon, at the end of the season,” he said of Farke’s men. “They have Premier League quality and we will have a game plan as we always do to try and stop that.
“We have to keep believing that we’re a team that can match anyone. We are slowly doing that.”
