“The biggest question” – Sky Sports host admits Coventry City uncertainty on Frank Lampard factor
Frank Lampard’s ability to coach is the biggest question surrounding the new Coventry City boss, according to David Jones.
The first game of the Lampard era at the CBS Arena was an exciting 2-2 draw with Cardiff City. Sure, it wasn’t the result that everybody would have been hoping for in his first game in charge, but you could see positive signs in the performance.
There’s a lot of work to be done by the new head coach and his team. They took over a Coventry side that has aspirations of challenging for the top six, but in reality is languishing at the lower end of the league.
David Jones’ Frank Lampard question
The decision to bring in the ex-Chelsea, Derby County and Everton boss was not one that came without some questions.
Coventry’s owner, Doug King, led the charge on the appointment, but was actually advised by other senior members of the club to look at alternatives, according to a report by Mail Sport.
Some of those questions remain, with Jones, Sunderland’s non-executive director and a regular host on Sky Sports, still unsure about the coaching pedigree that Lampard has.
Speaking on the Not The Top 20 Podcast, he said: “My history with Frank goes back to – I was working with him at an event just after he had finished his playing career. He was working out which way he wanted to go and he was having a little bit of flirtation with the media at that stage, and doing his coaching badges.
“I heard him speak at this coaching conference and I thought to myself ‘There is a young man who is going to be a successful football manager.’
“I’ve always been a true believer in intelligence being a very important marker for being a successful football manager, and an ability to communicate. What you also have to possess, depending on what level you go in at and your surroundings, is you have to be a very good coach.
“I think that is probably the biggest question I have about Frank, in terms of his development. Now, I think that Joe Edwards (one of Lampard’s assistants) is an interesting selection to take with him because we’d all say that what we know of Joe is that he is a very good coach, so maybe that is a step in the right direction in terms of Frank’s team.
“He’s also got Chris Jones (another assistant), who I know is a really good operator, a really sound guy, that will be a very important sounding board for Frank, and has been already.”
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