Chelsea: Lampard appointment will ‘appease fans’ says Burley
He would train like a greyhound and then, when everyone else was done, go through his shooting drills and free-kick repeats alone. Nothing was left to chance.
For all the temptation of prodigal son status he should apply the same logic to his management career, make the tough call and pass up the opportunity to take charge of Chelsea for now.
Football management is about making choices. Player A or player B? Formation one or formation two? Substitution now or later? A manager makes those calls based upon instinct and experience. After just one season at Derby, Lampard has the former but not the latter.
A coach never acquires 100 per cent knowledge – no-one can - but let us say the best eventually reach 95 per cent. How long does that process take?
The assessment of one experienced manager I spoke to on the subject was as follows: In Year One a coach can move from zero to 50 per cent – a huge leap – but still with a massive amount of growth left in him. In Year Two that goes from 50 per cent to 70 per cent; in Year Three from 70 to 80 per cent and so on.
Chelsea are investing in a 50 per cent Lampard at this stage of his development whether Lampard is able to see that or not.
If Lampard crashes and burns as a novice at Chelsea on such an unforgiving stage so early in his career, it will set him back a long way.
Frank Lampard should question joining Chelsea - it may damage his career (Image: Getty)
Frank Lampard may not be best placed under Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich so early in his career (Image: Getty)
He will have certain advantages at Chelsea with his club legend status amongst the supporter but, for all the affection he is held in at Stamford Bridge, will inevitably be subject to the same whims as his predecessors in the boardroom.
A strong-willed squad is unlikely to cut him much slack because of his playing record either.
Where Lampard’s international pedigree gave him an undoubted wow factor amongst a group of wide-eyed Championship players at Derby, there will be none of that at Chelsea.
He will be judged purely on his managerial abilities. That is as it should be.
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Just because someone cleans a toilet impeccably does not mean they would make a good fit as chief porcelain designer at Villeroy and Boch. The environment may be the same but the job description is totally different.
The limited evidence of one season at Derby, where he took the club to the Championship play-off final, indicates that Lampard will turn into an excellent manager – but only if he makes the right choices along the way.
He would have been much better to pass up the chance with Chelsea for now and add to his managerial acumen with another couple of seasons at Derby. Win promotion next year, dip his toe in the fast-flowing waters of the Premier League the year after and Lampard will be a more complete manager.
It is not as if the Chelsea job rarely comes up. You can set your watch by it. The next time – or the one after - it does, Lampard will be much better equipped.
Marcus Trescothick - over and out, for good (Image: Getty)
Chelsea: Lampard will ‘demonstrate quality of youth’ says pundit
Trescothick's retirement
Marcus Trescothick’s announcement of his retirement from cricket at the end of the season brings with it an inevitable accompaniment of ‘if only’.
Trescothick played in 199 matches in all forms of cricket for England. Had he not stepped away from the international game in 2008 after returning home from the 2006 Ashes tour with depression, goodness knows the sort of numbers he could have clocked up.
Yet his legacy as a sportsman as he prepares to step aside at 43 is much more important than any batting average. He was one of the first to tear down the barriers which surrounded mental illness and open the way for many others to come clean and talk about their issues.
Trescothick may or may not get back into the Somerset 1st XI and be part of what could be their first County Championship-winning side but, regardless, he can walk away head held high.
He was a prolific run-maker, yes, but also probably a life-saver.
Would male referees improve the officiating at the Women's World Cup? (Image: Getty)
Women's World Cup officials
Male referees operating at a female World Cup sounds wrong but if it makes for a better tournament it should happen.
The World Cup has been a successful showcase for women’s football but with better officiating, it could have been even better.
The problems thrown up by referees operating a high-pressure environment with no experience of using VAR because no women’s domestic league employs the technology have been a consistent issue.