Team talks, fist pumps and psychometrics: Inside Frank Lampard’s Coventry City dressing room

It is easy to forget now, looking back through the lens of promotion, that Frank Lampard was not universally popular when he first arrived at Coventry City . It was less to do with his mixed managerial record and more because Coventry fans, and many players, felt it was their destiny to reach the top flight under the guidance of Mark Robins. Supporters were “devastated” and “sickened” when he was sacked in November 2024.

Robins had almost single-handedly revived the club from their darkest days in League Two , earning two promotions and reaching the Championship play-off final in 2023, where Coventry lost to Luton at Wembley. He had come so close, giving blood, sweat and tears over seven years, and surely it was his right to take the final step. But Coventry’s new owner, the businessman Doug King, felt the dressing room needed a new voice and he made a bold, risky decision.

Perhaps he also sensed a commercial opportunity in appointing one of the world’s most famous footballers as manager. On his first day at the club, Lampard gathered everyone in the gym – players, staff, chefs, cleaners – and told them to start believing the sky is the limit for Coventry. The club has not looked back, and 18 months later they are heading back to the Premier League .

One staff member told The Independent Lampard’s “relentless drive” has been at the heart of Coventry’s promotion season. His determination was a trait of his playing career and the stories of him staying behind as a young player to work on his speed and finishing are well worn. So perhaps it is no surprise that the word “standards” is used repeatedly by people at the club to describe his impact.