Canaries risky for a flutter
LAMPARD JOB HUNT GOES ON
FRANK LAMPARD wants to get back into management – but believes Norwich is too much of a risk.
Former Chelsea manager Lampard knows his next job must be right to help him rejoin England’s Golden Generation of blossoming managers.
Steven Gerrard has taken over at Aston Villa and Wayne Rooney, below, is battling the odds at crisis club Derby.
Now Lampard is keen to get back into management, 10 months after being sacked by Chelsea.
But it will mean putting his reputation back on the line – and making the wrong choice could wreck his career.
Clearly Lampard was interested in the Carrow
Road vacancy, as he was interviewed twice before turning them down.
Norwich are bottom of the Premier League, are odds-on to be relegated and there is no huge transfer kitty to spend in the January window.
Norwich are a terrific club, have a good supporter base and the owners have a long-term plan but whoever succeeds Daniel Farke will inherit a club fighting for their lives.
It is a pretty thankless task and one which could quickly undo good work at Derby and Chelsea, where he established himself as one of English football’s brightest young managers.
Lampard did well at Derby and guided them to the play-offs before moving on to Chelsea, where he actually did a great job – no matter what anyone says. He got them back into the Champions League places amidst a transfer ban, took them to an FA Cup final and his name is still sung at Stamford Bridge despite Thomas Tuchel’s success since succeeding him in January.
When you take all of that into consideration, Lampard must have been hoping for a bigger club, a better opportunity and yet his willingness to be interviewed by Norwich shows that he was interested.
He has been in the frame for previous jobs such as Crystal Palace and Newcastle but neither came particularly close.
But now, having lost his job at Chelsea 10 months ago, the danger is that you can often be a long time forgotten.
Lampard was scarred by his Chelsea departure after being ousted at the first sign of trouble. There will be a burning sense of determination to prove a few people wrong. Not least at Chelsea.
Maybe Lampard feels he should be in the frame for a better opportunity having done so well at Chelsea. But it now appears he will have to work his way back up to the top of management again and take it step by step.
He does not need this job, though. He was an incredibly successful player and has a wonderful lifestyle with no stress or strains.
And that is still the biggest obstacle in his return to management. The job and opportunity has to be right.