Frank Lampard says it is his pure and enduring love of football and hard work that attracted him back to the dugout as Coventry City’s new head coach.
The 46-year-old former Chelsea and England midfielder was named the new manager of the Sky Blues on Thursday morning.
“I had a long career,” Lampard told BBC Sport at the opening of his CBS Arena later that day.
“Some people might think I don’t need to work, I guess financially. But I wanted to go back to work because it’s what I love to do.
“I love training players. I love working with players on the training pitch.”
Lampard has taken on a tough job on two fronts: firstly, trying to lift the Sky Blues from 17th in the Championship, just two points above the relegation zone.
And secondly, trying to step into the shoes of his predecessor Mark Robins, who became a club legend in his successful seven and a half years in charge.
Lampard also has the challenge of improving on his first four spells as manager, which brought him comparative success in taking Derby to the Championship play-offs, creating a young and exciting team in Chelsea and keeping Everton up, but also It led to his dismissal twice when the time and patience of the owners and fans ran out.
“It’s a very consuming business,” Lampard said. “But I’ve had a good period out of the game: valuable family time and time to see things from the sidelines.
“It’s easy to sit at home and play golf, but I like to work.
“I’m motivated. I like to prove people wrong. I did it in my playing career.”
