Lamps feeling defiant

EXPERIENCE: Lampard

by IAN WINROW FRANK LAMPARD insists he always knew there was no easy route to Championship success.

And he says he will draw on his highs and lows as a player to overcome his first major setback as a boss and get Derby back on track.

Back-to-back defeats after an opening-day win at Reading have handed the former England star a harsh reality check.

Lampard, whose side host Ipswich tonight, said: “I was fortunate to have a good playing career and when I look back on a Champions League or a Premier League victory, I remember all the bumpy roads along the way.

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“We’d been potentially at rock bottom, so perspective is good.

“It’s easy to say I have no experience of the Championship – I watch it all the time.

“It’s a tough season over 46 games but the top Premier League teams play 60-odd games. In 2013 I played 70 games at Chelsea.

“What doesn’t change is the competitive nature, we must be focused for every one of those 46.”

But Lampard knows he cannot hide from a disappointing start, adding: “Maybe there’s an impatience from the outside, but for us it’s all about hard work.

“I fear the idea of an excuse – we want to be winning right now.

“But the reality is that when you have nine new players, half your squad is new and fresh.

“We want to get there sooner rather than later but the reality is that there will be bumps in the road. The reaction to that is important.”