After the big, bold buildup that accompanied Frank Lampard’s arrival as Coventry’s head coach, awkwardly his first match in charge was in danger of falling painfully flat. “Welcome, Frank,” was the message on the giant scoreboard in the South Stand. “A new era begins,” said the stadium announcer at kick-off, in keeping with the company line.
On Thursday, Lampard’s first day in the job, LED screens and banners around this ground trumpeted his entrance to the stage. In the club’s defence, as the chairman, Doug King, had said, a new manager is a novelty in these parts after almost eight years of continual progress under Mark Robins.
