Frank Lampard Says Coventry City’s Championship Playoff Spot Is Just The Beginning

‎Frank Lampard, the manager of Coventry City, said that securing a Championship playoff spot is just the beginning for the West Midlands club.

‎He emphasized that they will not get carried away after their remarkable turnaround this season.

‎Since taking the Coventry job in November, former Chelsea boss Lampard has lifted the club from 17th to fifth in the Championship table.

‎Coventry will now play fourth-placed Sunderland in the two-legged playoff semi-final after beating Middlesbrough 2-0 at home on Saturday.

‎”We came in on the 17th of November, so firstly, I thank my staff because when you come in, you want to make a quick impact. Every day they work, support, they’re good at things that I’m not so good at and all those things,” Lampard told talkSPORT on Saturday.

‎”And then existing staff and players, to do the uplift from 17th to come fifth and get to the playoffs, it’s a big achievement.

‎”But it’s only a start; we’re not over-celebrating here; we’re saying thanks to the fans because they support us all season. To make those strides as a club, I think everyone should be happy tonight.”

‎The 46-year-old former Chelsea and England midfielder also praised his predecessor, Mark Robins.

‎Robins was the third-longest serving manager across the top four divisions of English football before his sacking in November.

‎He returned to Coventry in 2017 and led the club from League Two to the Championship.

‎In 2023, he led Coventry to the Championship playoff final, where they narrowly lost to Luton Town on penalties. They also missed out on an FA Cup final, after being defeated by Manchester United in a shootout following a remarkable comeback from 3-0 down.

‎”Credit to Mike Robins because what he’s done here is build the club up and do things that I can never do here from League Two up here and play a final and FA Cup semi-final. Full respect to that,” Lampard said.

‎Coventry hosts Sunderland in the first leg on Friday, with the second leg taking place on May 13.