Frank Lampard called 'desperate' by Paul Gascoigne in brutal put-down

Frank Lampard has been labelled “desperate” by Paul Gascoigne for his decision to take over as manager of Coventry. The former Chelsea midfielder agreed to return to the dugout last month to embark on his fourth permanent spell as a manager.

Lampard took Derby to the Championship play-off final in 2019 during his first role in management but left the club to take charge at Chelsea.

He was sacked by the Blues in January 2021 and was appointed Everton boss a year later. But he only lasted 12 months at Goodison Park before being given his marching orders. He returned to Stamford Bridge for a stint as caretaker boss in April 2023 and remained at the helm until the end of the 2022/23 campaign.

Lampard had been out of work for almost 18 months before he was appointed Coventry boss.

The Midlands club sacked Mark Robins at the start of November, despite the fact the former striker had taken them from the bottom of League One to the Championship play-off final and had also guided the team to an FA Cup semi-final showdown with Manchester United.

And after being asked for his verdict on Lampard’s new role, Gascoigne told Card Player: “Yeah, I seen that. I started laughing. I said, ‘He must be desperate for a job.’

“Years ago when I was playing, I was asked to see if I wanted to do an interview to be the manager of York.

“And I said, ‘Oh York, I don’t live far from there’, because I’m from Newcastle. And I said I’d think about it. He said, ‘Well I need to know because there’s 80 managers wanting that job. I said, ‘I’ll just leave it mate, not interested.’”

Lampard’s first game at Coventry ended in a 2-2 draw with Cardiff last weekend. And ahead of this weekend’s trip to Millwall, Sky Blues captain Ben Sheaf told BBC Coventry & Warwickshire: “It’s been enjoyable.

“New information, good new energy, positive energy around the place. Hopefully we can take that into the game.

“Like every change, there’s going to be a few bits and bobs that are different, but sometimes change is good, and it can give some a kick up the backside.

“You look at yourself in the mirror and think, ‘What can I do differently?’ It’s a positive change.

“We’re conceding too many goals and really poor goals at that. You’ve just got to do the work out on the training pitch, and hopefully we can change that record.”