LAMPARD LEARNING THE ROPES WITH HIS OLD MATE

FRANK LAMPARD has revealed that he has been sharing text messages of support with Steven Gerrard as both begin their fledgling careers as managers.

‘Steven and I were texting back and forth, discussing the mad life of management and how we both see it,’ said Lampard (below). ‘We are enjoying every minute of it — we are both the same.’

They always were, Lampard and Gerrard, and they still are, but it will be intriguing now to see if their ideas of football management crash hard against the reality of what they are getting into.

That learning process ramps up over the next three days, with Lampard taking charge of his first league fixture as Derby County manager at Reading tonight and Gerrard doing likewise with Rangers at Aberdeen on Sunday.

For both Lampard and Gerrard, it has been something of an ice-water immersion, and that is particularly the case for the former, who was drawn back to the struggle of it all aged 40 after an 18-month break following his retirement as a player.

‘You miss the bug,’ he said. ‘TV work is comfortable — there is pressure because you want to do the job as best as you can, but when you’ve been competitive for a long time as a player, you miss it.

‘Myself and Steven were talking about that openly last year when we were working on BT. It draws you back in and for all the 24-hours-aday talk and the lack of sleep when you’re a manager, you can’t help but love it. Ask me again after a few results and we’ll see.

‘But it was something that I couldn’t not do and I couldn’t settle for that easy life when there was an opportunity to come and do this.’

Lampard has been reluctant to draw too much advice from any one source, lest he becomes too much of someone else and not enough of himself, but the plausible theory is that plenty of wisdom may have passed down.

‘I haven’t asked for advice yet,’ he said. ‘I speak to my dad regularly and Harry (Redknapp). But, to be honest, I haven’t had the time. I haven’t thought: “That’s one for Mourinho, I’ll give him a ring”. I’m busy and I’m learning on my feet.’