Frank Lampard wants homegrown managers to be shown more respect
Frank Lampard has called on homegrown managers to be shown more respect after becoming only the second Englishman to manage in two Champions League campaigns.
Chelsea’s manager believes his compatriots deserve increased opportunities at the highest level after he followed in the footsteps of Sir Bobby Robson, who took charge of Porto, PSV Eindhoven and Newcastle in the competition. The four other English coaches to have managed in the Champions League since its revamp in 1992 – Ray Harford, Gary Neville, Harry Redknapp and Craig Shakespeare – only did so for one campaign.
“I don’t feel a responsibility of the English managers’ union or whatever you want to call it,” Lampard said. “But I was surprised by the stat when I was told it last week – the great Bobby Robson to be the only Englishman who’s done it.
“I used to hear towards the end of my career about English managers who get jobs in the Premier League and there’s a merry-go-round and all this sort of thing.
“But I actually think it’s slightly different. I think we’re sometimes seeing English managers showing their qualities in the game, throughout the Premier League, throughout the Championship, throughout the leagues, and hopefully there are more opportunities for them. With the brilliant invasion of great quality coaches and players into the Premier League, sometimes I think our eyes go to that and it becomes very new and trendy.
“And rightly so with managers that achieve so much. But also sometimes I think we have managers at home who can do the jobs as well. I’m not thinking of myself being anywhere near the standard bearer for it because there are