How Jamie Carragher reacted to Coventry City appointing Frank Lampard - it looks bad now | OneFootball

Jamie Carragher was sceptical of Frank Lampard's decision to take over at Coventry City

Frank Lampard oversaw promotion to the Premier League with Coventry City as a result of their 1-1 draw with Blackburn Rovers last Friday.

Bobby Thomas’ 84th minute equaliser proved to be the goal that sealed the Sky Blues’ long-awaited return to the top flight.

The club haven’t competed in the Premier League since 2001, and Lampard was recognised as the EFL’s manager of the year award as a result.

The former England international took charge of the side in November 2024, taking over in place of Mark Robins.

Robins had overseen promotion to League One and the Championship during his time in the dugout, as well as an EFL Trophy win in 2017.

Coventry also reached the play-off final in 2023, as well as the semi-finals of the FA Cup in 2024 under the now Stoke City manager.

Jamie Carragher’s Frank Lampard claim hasn’t aged well

Back when Lampard was first appointed to replace Robins, there was scepticism from the wider football world about his step down to the Championship.

The 47-year-old had most recently endured a miserable second stint in charge at Chelsea in which he led the team to one win in 11 games, with the Blues coming 12th in the Premier League table. The sacking of Robins was also branded as a harsh call from owner Doug King, whose bold decision has now paid off handsomely.

Jamie Carragher notably questioned why Lampard would be willing to take on the role, citing Wayne Rooney’s troubled stint at Birmingham City as an example of how things can go wrong when a well-liked manager departs.

He claimed that the three-time Premier League winner should have avoided the move to the CBS Arena.

“I was talking to my son about this,” said Carragher, via the Stick to Football podcast.

“It reminds me of when Wayne (Rooney) went to Birmingham.

“When you go in as a manager and everybody’s there saying, ‘That manager should have never lost his job’ and if people are saying that about Mark Robins, you’re on the back foot straight away.

“It would be, ‘Mark Robins got us to the FA Cup semi-final last year’.

“I just think stay out of that one.”

Lampard will be glad he didn’t listen to Carragher on this occasion, as he has rebuilt his reputation as a coach after a difficult few years in the Premier League with Chelsea and Everton.

The 47-year-old is now preparing for a return to the top flight, and has even been linked with a number of jobs off the back of his performance at the CBS Arena.

The Coventry boss has a contract with the club until June 2027, and there are no indications a departure is on the cards at the moment, but him being linked to the likes of Crystal Palace is an endorsement of his job so far.

Coventry City has been the highlight of Frank Lampard’s managerial career

Lampard reached the play-offs with Derby County in 2019, and qualified Chelsea for the Champions League with a fourth place finish in 2020.

However, the promotion success with Coventry is now undoubtedly the greatest success of his managerial career so far.

The decision to take the step down to the Championship has proved a smart one, as he has ended Coventry’s 25-year wait for a return to the top flight.

The team finished fifth in the table last year, but lost to Sunderland in the play-off semi-finals.

And the response from Lampard and his players has been fantastic, and they could now seal a great campaign with the Championship title as well.

That Lampard was recognised as the manager of the year is the cherry on top for the former midfielder, who will now be targeting survival in the Premier League next season.