SLEEPLESS IN DERBY! Bedside Lamps off to a flyer
FRANK LAMPARD admitted he suffered “sleepless nights” before his introduction to life as a manager yesterday.
The former Chelsea and England midfielder got his reign at Derby off to a flier at Notts County.
But Lampard joked: “I don’t know whether I was that chilled, I might have looked it.
“I wasn’t kicking every ball, but I was seeing things from the outside. This is still pretty new for me, let’s make no bones about it, but I’ll improve.
“Thankfully there wasn’t much I had to shout and scream about, so it made it easier – I slept all right before the game, but since taking the job there’s been a few sleepless nights.
“Sometimes you do wake up in the middle of the night and you’re picking your team and your formation, but by the morning it’s changed.”
Winger Luke Thomas bagged a brace with Tom Huddlestone and Mason Bennett also on target, while Kane Hemmings scored from the spot for the Magpies.
Regardless of the result though, all eyes were on Lampard, making his debut in the dugout having penned a three-year deal with the Championship club a little over a month ago.
And having seen former England team-mate and good friend Steven Gerrard get off to a winning start in his first game in charge of Rangers this week, he was keen to follow suit.
Lampard was accustomed to rapturous receptions during an illustrious career with West Ham, Man City, New York City and the Blues. And he was afforded another one as more than 4,000 Rams fans came to support their new boss. But tougher tests are just around the corner – and Lampard knows it.
He said: “There’s still a lot of hard work to do and I don’t know what my style is yet, but hard work does translate on to the pitch.”
Notts County manager Kevin Nolan joked: “He’s going to have a lot more sleepless nights, I can tell you.
“But I think he’ll prosper, he’s determined.
“He was a quality player and I think he’ll attack management exactly the same.”