Ex-Coventry City star Don Hutchinson tips Frank Lampard to stay even if Premier League clubs come calling

Former Sunderland, Liverpool and Scotland midfielder Don Hutchison thinks that Coventry City boss Frank Lampard is not certain to be tempted by a job offer from a Premier League side, and suggests he may have learned some lessons from bigger clubs.

The Sky Blues top the Championship after an impressive start and remain the only unbeaten team in the division.

In an exclusive interview with Online-Casinos.com, Hutchinson stated that Lampard was “showing what a good manager he can be” at Coventry after tricky spells with Chelsea and Everton.

“I think he can only impress with the teams he gets the chance at,” Hutchinson said when asked if he felt ex-England international would be tempted by the chance to manage in the top flight of English football once again.

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“From what I heard, I think he fell out with some senior players at Everton, and I think that happened at Chelsea too.”

Hutchinson, who played for little under two years for Coventry, believes that Lampard will have learnt from his managing experience in the Premier League.

“I think a young manager can try to stamp their authority, and it doesn’t always work. You can try to create a younger culture, and that doesn’t always work,” he said.

“So Frank might have learned some lessons along the way. He might have learned some man-management lessons at Chelsea and Everton.

“I think he fell out with [Abdoulaye] Docoure and dropped him, sending him to the reserves. Then Sean Dyche brought him back, and he did well.

“If he gets a new job at a bigger club down the line, he might treat the older players differently in the future.”

Favourites

The former Scotland international also thinks that the Sky Blues have positioned themselves as favourites to gain promotion to the Premier League after their blistering start to the season.

“Right now, they look favourites,” he said. “What a job he’s done, into this season and after last year.

“Frank Lampard’s efforts last year were just phenomenal. He got them up out of the bottom three and into contention to go up to the Premier League.

“They’re top of the Championship, record scorers, hitting teams with four, five, six goals, and they’re entertaining everyone. He’s showing everyone what a good manager he can be.

“People might seem to say then that he’s found his level, but you can only work at the teams you are given. He’s been amazing this season, no doubt.”

Hostility

When asked about another of his former sides, Millwall, Hutchison said he expects the Lions to challenge for a play-off place this year.

He said: “I hope they do it. I didn’t have a great time there. I was from West Ham and they hated me for it, and I couldn’t stand it.

“Don’t get me wrong, I don’t blame them at all, but it was the worst move I made in my life. I’ve got no hostility towards them, but that’s just how a career is sometimes.”

Looking ahead, he also praised Alex Neil’s role at the club and suggested that a strong run in the Championship can make promotion achievable for any side.

“Alex Neil, I see him bringing stability. The run of results they’ve been on now mean that promotion is possible,” he added.

“Why not? The Championship is a crazy league because if you put a run together, you shoot up the table.

“If you lose, there’s another game in three days’ time, and you can get three points right away and put the defeat out of your mind. Any side could beat you, but it means that you can beat anyone too.

“So if Millwall put a run together, they can ride it as far as possible.”

This weekend, Coventry hosts struggling Blackburn Rovers, while Millwall travels to face high-flying QPR at Loftus Road.

Read Don Hutchinson’s full interview at Online-Casinos.com.

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