FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Premier League - AFC Bournemouth v Chelsea - Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth, Britain - May 6, 2023 Chelsea manager Frank Lampard applauds fans after the match Action Images via Reuters/Peter Cziborra/File Photo
(Reuters) - Newly-appointed Coventry City manager Frank Lampard said he was ready to prove the doubters wrong after joining the Championship side on Thursday.
Lampard, who managed Chelsea from 2019-2021 and Everton from 2022-2023, faced criticism when her returned to Stamford Bridge for a short spell as caretaker manager last year when the London club won one and lost eight of their 11 matches under him.
"When I rejoined Chelsea I went into a job that was a bit of babysitting from me, in terms of going in to tide them over for seven weeks," the former England midfielder told reporters.
"And I learned a lot, not in terms of coaching because it was not a coaching job but a holding the baby job while the transition was happening. I learned if you don’t get the environment right then it’s very difficult to succeed.”
Lampard said he believed former players who become managers sometimes face harsher criticism but the 46-year-old was up for the challenge.
"I am driven, I like to prove people wrong. I did it in my playing career a lot. As a manager you know you are going to have to prove someone wrong, it doesn’t matter if it’s me or Pep Guardiola," he said.
"We have to live in a world of the spotlight when you are a head coach, but if you don’t want that then don’t sign up for it."
Coventry are 17th in England's second tier with four wins in 17 matches. Lampard's first game in charge will be against Cardiff City on Saturday.
(Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
