Coventry owner not worried by Lampard links with Chelsea

By Alex Hoad

Coventry chairman Doug King says Sky Blues fans should not worry about "what may or may not happen" after head coach Frank Lampard was linked with a return to former club Chelsea.

Lampard steered the Sky Blues to a top-flight return in August for the first time in more than 25 years after sealing the Championship title with a 5-1 win over Portsmouth on Tuesday night, having earned the point which guaranteed promotion at Blackburn four days earlier.

However the former Blues midfielder has been linked with a third stint in charge at Stamford Bridge following the sacking of Liam Rosenior on Wednesday evening.

Lampard's stock has risen after guiding Coventry to the title in his first full season in charge and King admitted it was inevitable he would be linked in the "merry-go-round" of football.

He told BBC CWR: "He's done a fantastic job, it's been an incredible 18 months for us and for him. I am sure he's in reflective mode. I said to him 'do not underestimate how difficult what you've just achieved is to do'.

"He's done huge things in his playing career but to get out of this league as champions without a parachute payment, from where we've come from, is a huge achievement nobody can take away from him.

"Everybody is going to get linked with everything, it's a merry-go-round. It's a bit disappointing clubs are appointing three or four managers a season.

"We don't want to be in those positions, that means something has gone a little bit astray."

King claimed Lampard was in "a happy place" at Coventry and added: "You can see how emotionally connected [Lampard] is with the city, you can see what it meant to him to get promotion and then the title and I think he's found a happy place at the moment.

"It doesn't mean there's not going to be some staggering bid for him in the summer and he'll have to make his choices, because he's shown his credentials as a high quality head coach, but I'm not going to comment on that, I can't control it.

"I just think he's happy, I'm happy, everybody's happy, we've just got smiles on our faces and we don't worry about what may or may not happen for the head coach."

King also revealed Coventry have been planning for the Premier League for a while but says simply throwing money at the challenge "would be a mistake".

He said: "We've been top of the league since October and were quite a way ahead. We've been having due analysis of what we'd like to do for quite a period of time.

"Everybody wants to know everything immediately – I've been clear - let it sink in.

"We're trying to work out a philosophy. Ultimately we will decide on what our strategy is going to be and then we will tell no one and will try and quietly, stealthily get on with it to try and give us any and every advantage to be successful in the top league."

Asked about the prospects of avoiding relegation in their first top-flight season since 2000-01, King said: "It's taken a long time to get there. Obviously we have beaten two teams who will join us so we have only got to beat one more, if we can beat them again next year, right? If you put it like that.

"I'm embracing it, the team's embracing it, it's exciting, it's a challenge. We had a challenge to get out of the Championship and we've achieved that in a spectacular way and now the next one is to challenge ourselves to see what we can do in the top league."

King said simply throwing "zillions" at signing new players was not the way to approach the Premier League, adding: "People spend money very badly at times, I would say what we do is we look for value.

"A very expensive footballer might still be value, there are lot of footballers who are very expensive but who are not value.

"We will do what we've got to do, but don't associate staying in the league and being very successful just with how much money you throw out of the door, I think that would be a mistake."

King said his current role was more a "party planner" than chairman and hopes Sunday's home game against Wrexham would be a "massive celebration" with the fans.

Plans are in full swing for the We Are Back: Live event with a bus parade through the city on 4 May.

Despite the celebrations he said Coventry would not make it easy for play-off chasing Wrexham on Sunday (12:00 BST), adding: "It would be disrespectful to the rest of the league if we took our foot off the gas against Wrexham.

"They are right in the mix and they have to earn it against us. I know the guys will be set up for that game and the game against Watford the following Saturday."

Coventry secured promotion with a third straight draw at Blackburn, a night King said was "hugely special" after Bobby Thomas' late header ensured the point which sent City up, on a night with no other fixtures.

He added: "To crown it off in that style [against Portsmouth] was great. We really wanted to win the league and to do it like that was really special.

"We put on a show in that second half – it was great to remind everyone we were battering teams for a while until we ground out a little bit and got over the line."

King referred to the club's relationship with Sky Blues fans as "a partnership" and in a message to supporters added: "We couldn't have done it without you. This is your success as it is mine, the head coach's and players' success."