Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard formed the central pin of England teams for years. They both were heroes of their respective club teams, Chelsea and Liverpool and it was widely expected that both would make the transition into management. Few people would have been able to predict that they would take the first steps into first team management at the same time.
Great players move into management
Steven Gerrard was recently announced as the next Glasgow Rangers manager and shortly afterwards Frank Lampard was appointed as the new manager at Derby County. Their playing careers were closely intertwined, with constant comparisons of who was the better midfielder of the two. Lampard’s goalscoring records were outstanding for a midfield player and Gerrard’s ability to drive his team to unlikely victories like the famous Champions League final in Istanbul helped them to secure legend status. Gerrard’s mission is clear – to take Rangers back to the pinnacle of a Scottish league that has been dominated by Celtic in recent years.
The biggest challenge of Lampard’s career?
Lampard’s task is quite different. After Midlands rivals Leicester City won promotion and went on to miraculously win the Premier League, the dream is now seen as a reality. There is a long way to go before that though. Other Midlands rivals, Wolves ran away with the Championship last season and Derby County fans will be hoping for Lampard to help replicate their pathway to the Premier League.
Source: itv.com
Lampard certainly knows what it takes to be successful in the top flight. He has a trophy cabinet of proof. However, negotiating Derby’s way out of the Championship may turn out to be the biggest challenge of his career to date. Having just qualified for the playoffs in sixth place and then losing to Fulham, Derby fans will be hoping for better next year.
Back to the big time?
County have a long and illustrious history in English football and spent 65 seasons in the top flight, but recent years have seen them struggle. Since their disappointing relegation in the 2003-04 season, they only managed to achieve promotion once, playing in the Premier League for the 2007-08 season before going straight back down. The Rams supporters will be hoping a manager with a winning mentality, huge playing experience and vast technical knowledge will be the missing piece of the jigsaw. It will certainly be interesting to see how he fares.