Coventry City may now have a distinct advantage over Middlesbrough in the race for Premier League promotion, and it includes Frank Lampard.
Lampard’s Sky Blues have emerged as the Championship’s team to beat this season, leaving other teams in their trail as they overcome the sorrow of a play-off semi-final defeat to reach new heights of competitiveness.
After 15 matches, the Sky Blues are five points ahead of Middlesbrough in second and two points behind Stoke City in third, putting them in a strong position to compete for automatic promotion.
They have scored 40 times so far, considerably exceeding the division’s total. Ipswich Town and Hull City follow with 26 each, demonstrating how powerful Coventry has been.
When Southampton decided to remove Will Still of his managing duties, concerns arose that all of this hard work would be for naught. When the shortlist of contenders to replace him appeared, Lampard was allegedly high up on the list.
Following John Eustace’s successful transition from play-off-chasing Blackburn Rovers to relegation-battling Derby County last season, Coventry’s manager may have felt tempted to gamble.
Southampton may offer a stronger prospect of long-term success, and Lampard has recent experience improving a Championship side’s season, having done it with Coventry last season.
Coventry City now have a promotion advantage over Middlesbrough following Frank Lampard’s decision.
Despite Southampton’s interest in Lampard’s talents, it appears doubtful that he will be headed to St Mary’s, or any other position for that matter, right now.
Tonda Eckert is expected to take over as manager of the Saints on a permanent basis, as leaving Coventry never felt like a feasible option for the former Chelsea manager.
After what could have been a disastrous situation for the Sky Blues, they now have a possible promotion edge over Middlesbrough.
Boro had also spent several weeks at the top of the table this season and appeared to be able to compete with Coventry until May under Rob Edwards’ management.
However, when Premier League club Wolves were looking for a new manager, Edwards chose to quit his position at the Riverside and return to top-flight management.
This infuriated Middlesbrough supporters and has put them in a state of uncertainty.
According to recent speculations, Kim Hellberg will be the guy to lead Middlesbrough ahead. Despite having a solid name in Sweden, the 37-year-old has never coached in English football before.
Naturally, the Swede will need some time to adjust to the Championship, and there will be learning experiences over the balance of the season, as every manager does when moving to a new league.
However, this will undoubtedly have an impact on Boro’s promotion chances, as consistency is the most crucial aspect in sustaining a long-term promotion campaign, and this may become an issue if Hellberg experiences some teething troubles in the second division.
With Lampard retained, Coventry can continue to play in their current style and will continue to accumulate points as a result. Boro will face a difficult task with a new manager, giving the Sky Blues a clear advantage in the promotion race.
In such a tight and difficult league, any advantage might be critical come May, and Coventry now has one over their nearest rival.
Frank Lampard’s Coventry side can’t get ahead of themselves; Boro could be reinvigorated under new manager.
Although Coventry now hold an advantage in the promotion battle, they must not overestimate their chances.
There is still plenty of football to be played this season, and clubs have lost leads at the top of the table after starting in far better situations.
Lampard must keep his squad focused on the task at hand and not let Middlesbrough’s managerial situation distract them from winning football matches.
The Coventry camp must be pleased with Middlesbrough’s current situation, since any disruption to one of their promotion opponents benefits them directly.
However, they will have witnessed the outrage and felt the warmth of the fire that has now been lit under the Teessiders following the Edwards debacle, and will be fully aware of the possibility of Boro becoming an even greater threat in the promotion race with a galvanised fanbase and playing squad at the Riverside.
Simply put, Coventry can’t take their eyes off the ball, because if they got too caught up in external variables at this early point of the season, it could wind up having a negative effect on their performances.
xz
