How Lampard's own revival ended Coventry's 25-year wait

Sahadan kritik gelişmeler geliyor. How Lampard's own revival ended Coventry's 25-year wait Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Frank Lampard has also managed Derby County, Chelsea and Everton By Nick Mashiter Football reporter Published 58 minutes ago 75 Comments By Nizaar Kinsella Football reporter Frank Lampard and Coventry City are back in the big time. Eighteen months at the Sky Blues has allowed manager Lampard to reinvigorate the club - and himself - as they return to the Premier League after a quarter of a century. Friday's 1-1 draw at Blackburn clinched promotion with three games to spare, with Coventry now focused on winning the Championship title.

Lampard's reputation was bruised after a 12-month battle at Everton and a brief caretaker spell at Chelsea, where he won once in 11 games. Previously at Stamford Bridge, he became head coach in 2019 when the club were under a transfer embargo and took the Blues to fourth in the Premier League and an FA Cup final in his first season. Having missed out in the play-offs at Derby in 2019 and failed to establish longevity at Everton and Chelsea, has Lampard now silenced his critics, and what does this mean for his career?

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During his caretaker reign at Chelsea, Lampard was open about picking his next job carefully. As he returns to the top flight it looks like he chose perfectly. How Coventry earned Premier League return after 25 years Published 12 hours ago Coventry promotion special and unique - Lampard Published 10 hours ago Coventry draw at Blackburn to win promotion to Premier League Early arrival and squad breakfasts Coventry had hit the wall when Lampard arrived.

Mark Robins guided them from League Two to the brink of the Premier League, losing on penalties in the play-off final to Luton in 2023. Robins' reign also included an FA Cup semi-final, which they lost on penalties to Manchester United, but Lampard needed to reinvigorate the club. On his first day in November 2024 he gathered the squad and all the staff at Ryton, including the chefs and cleaners, to tell them they were better than the table suggested.

He took over when they were 17th in the Championship, beating John Eustace to the job, with the season ending in a dramatic late play-off semi-final defeat by Sunderland. Lampard's assertions proved correct, but the loss was difficult for the squad to recover from, especially with minimal changes in the summer. Defenders Kaine Kesler-Hayden cost £3.

5m from Aston Villa and Luke Woolfenden arrived from Ipswich for £4m, but only goalkeeper Carl Rushworth has made a significant impact after arriving on loan from Brighton. Players have joined because of Lampard's influence, moving to CBS Arena when they have had other options, to work with the 106-cap former England midfielder. Coventry also kept their best players, rebuffing Sheffield United's bids for Bobby Thomas while Milan van Ewijk stayed despite Wolfsburg interest.

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