Coventry City’s decision to appoint Frank Lampard as their new manager in November triggered plenty of scepticism in football circles.
Lampard arrived in Coventry after underwhelming stints at Everton and Chelsea, and he looked to be a busted flush as a manager.
However, he has guided the Sky Blues into contention for the Championship play-offs following a hugely impressive run of results.
While Coventry fans can now dream about winning promotion to the Premier League, they should avoid getting too carried away.
Lampard cannot afford history to repeat itself
Replacing Mark Robins at Coventry was never likely to be easy, but Lampard has quickly managed to get the fans onside.
The initial negativity about the decision to dispense with Robins’ services has subsided, and Coventry fans are now fully behind Lampard.
Given how he has transformed the club’s fortunes, it may seem churlish to sound a cautionary note to the people who claim he has redeemed himself as a manager.
The former Chelsea midfielder already has one failed promotion bid on his CV, having blown a golden opportunity to guide Derby County out of the Championship in 2018/19.
If Lampard can take Coventry into the Premier League, talk of managerial redemption will be wholly justified. Until then, keeping a lid on the hype would be sensible.
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