Lampard’s last chance? Coventry seems a last roll of dice for him in management

“If you want to get rid of Mark Robins, you have to bring in a name.”

Paul Merson got it right when he spoke on Football Saturday earlier this month.

When Coventry City lost Mark Robins – one of the greatest managers in their history – not many predicted that Frank Lampard would be next at the CBS Arena.

Frankly – pardon the pun – it didn't seem likely that Lampard would get another chance in this country for a while.

His managerial career started reasonably well at Championship level with Derby, where a team built around loanees Fikayo Tomori, Mason Mount and Harry Wilson ultimately missed out on promotion in the play-off final to Aston Villa.

An impressive first season at Chelsea, where he took a young team to fourth place after the loss of Eden Hazard and a transfer embargo, unfolded quickly the following year.

Since then there has been a difficult spell at Everton and a desperate interim return to the Blues.

The 46-year-old has now been out of action for eighteen months. Given the abundance of opportunities elsewhere for a legend of the game, you wouldn't have blamed him for deciding it wasn't worth it.

However, it is clear that Lampard has other ideas. He is determined to succeed.

He joins other Golden Generationers – Michael Carrick and Wayne Rooney – in the second tier. Carrick is currently impressing with Middlesbrough, while Rooney is working hard to rebuild his reputation at Plymouth Argyle – after a disastrous spell at Birmingham last season.

Expectations and critical views will be high. As Merson says, the Lampard name will attract that extra attention.

He will also have to deal with replacing a man who has brought unparalleled success during incredibly challenging times at Robins.

Robins achieved promotion and trophies. He took the club to within a penalty of the Premier League and within a whisper of an FA Cup final.

The bar is so high for Lampard that Coventry might have been better off appointing Armand Duplantis.

An alternative view is that it can help. There is no gray area about what constitutes success for Lampard. The owner, Doug King, has made it very clear in his actions and words that this is promotion or failure.

But one thing is certain for Lampard. A failure, and that may well be the case for him in the management game – at least in this country.

It's a final roll of the dice.

Smith: Lampard has to make this a success

Former Leicester and Arsenal striker Alan Smith on Sky Sports News:

“He's had some challenges, some tough times, you could say he's had some failures. That second spell at Chelsea he might be thinking: 'Why did I take that?' I think it's hard to reject your old club.

“For managers, but also for players, it's so much about joining places at the right time, being able to say yes and no. Frank desperately wants to be a manager, a successful one.

“It's a big call from Coventry, so many fans were not happy with Mark Robins' sacking. They will come up with Lampard, they know about his previous efforts in management. He really needs to get off to a good start, if he does.” appointed. But I wish him the best.

“You have some English greats, Wayne Rooney is trying to make his mark in management after some difficult appointments, now he is in Plymouth. Steven Gerrard is struggling to make a mark in Saudi Arabia, will he be able are to bounce back when he leaves there?

“Lampard must now make a success of this. If he fails in Coventry, it could be some time before he gets another chance.”