Reasons Birmingham City should choose Frank Lampard for their next manager
The Keep Right On Podcast has talked about Frank Lampard’s suitability for Birmingham City’s open role.
Frank Lampard is someone who Birmingham City could want to take into consideration during their managerial hunt, as not many of the applicants have really excited fans.
Early in his coaching career, Lampard had great success. Working under the directive to develop young players and save expenses, he led Derby County to the Championship play-off final in 2019—a match they lost to Aston Villa—and finished in the top four with Chelsea.
It must be said that his time at Everton didn’t go well, and his brief return to Chelsea as interim manager didn’t help his standing either. Lampard may have to accept a position that is unfit for his status as a player if he wishes to go back into management.
Despite being in League One the following season, Blues management is still very demanding and has affluent, aspirational owners. On the most recent episode of Keep Right On Podcast, which featured Richard Wilford (RW) of BBC WM, Alex Dicken (AD), and Brian Dick (BD), Lampard was mentioned as a possible choice.
AD: “I believe Frank Lampard is a credible candidate. I know he’s been out of work for a time, but the early portion of his career, with Derby County and then his first season at Chelsea, was rather good. I think he did well to get that Chelsea team into the top four, and I know it didn’t go as planned the following season, and Thomas Tuchel ended up winning the Champions League, but Lampard, out of the guys in that England team, including Steven Gerrard, I just think Lampard has more to offer as a manager. And if he wanted to get back into it, I don’t think he’s beyond Birmingham City in League One.
RW: “Don’t underestimate Tom Wagner and Garry Cook’s sales abilities. Someone like Lampard, 46 years old, and it’s taken him a while to get back in; it’s all about ego in the end, right? If he can swallow his ego – and I don’t think he’s rich in that way – and think, “I can carry this club from League One to the Premier League in the next five years,” it might be appealing. His track record outside of Everton is fairly great, and that spell when he took over at Chelsea towards the tail-end of last season when we could have possibly earned the same record as him because it relied on whether the players could be bothered with
BD: “I’m not against it. at my brief exposure to him at Derby at press conferences and matches, I thought him to be very personable, articulate, and approachable, especially given his profile. It’s not about finding the guy you like the most, but I believe we’ve identified someone with some experience, a profile, and has so far played some decent football. I didn’t anticipate to come on his program and meet someone, but I’m quite comfortable with that, I must say.”
