Ahead of his first competitive game as a manager, Frank Lampard sat down with RamsTV to begin the start of his obligatory pre-match requirements.
With a packed media room waiting in the opposite room, the Derby County boss sat down with Colin Gibson for an extensive interview to preview his side’s meeting with Reading on Friday, the curtain-raiser for the 2018/19 EFL season.
Below is a full transcript from the interview as Lampard discusses his excitement to get started on the touchline, the next chapter in his distinguished career, what we can expect from his Rams side, imparting his knowledge on the players, who will lead the team out at the Madejski Stadium and, all importantly, whether he will be wearing a suit or tracksuit…
To begin with Frank, how are you feeling ahead of your first competitive game in charge as a manager?
“I’m very excited. This is what we’re here for and this is what I took the job on for. We have worked very hard – day in, day out – but these games are the exciting part for all of us. I certainly feel that as my first competitive game as a manager. It reminds me of the feelings I used to get as a player. I can’t wait. We have prepared as well as we could do, we’re focused on what we want to do and we’re looking forward to Friday night.”
Do you think your playing career will count for anything in this role or do you feel like this is the next chapter for you?
“What I did as a player counts for nothing at this point. Of course, I know the career I had was a factor in me getting the job, but now I am here I am going to be judged solely on what we do, the results and the performances. I have nice memories from playing and I have memories that I hope I can garner from the years I had under good managers, but the only thing I can leave here is results. Hopefully I can get us to where we want to be.”
Do you feel you have had enough time to impart your knowledge on to your players? Do you feel you have got your messages across?
“I hope so. That’s not just me, though, but the staff as well. That’s what I am here for and I have to have an idea of how I want us to play and how I want us to behave. Our basics, on and off the pitch, are driven by the manager and I am hoping that you will see that reflected by the team in the way they play and they way we conduct ourselves throughout the season.”
Do you feel it will be about ‘Frank Lampard’s Derby County’?
“I don’t think so. I think that is a honeymoon period where people are attaching my name to it. Of course, it is a story with it being my first job, at a club at this size, and I get that. I like that, though, and I like the pressure that comes with these moments. It’s something that I think I am used to right from the start of my footballing career, but this club is bigger than all of us. It has been Derby County long before us and will continue to be after us. What we will do whilst we are here is love the club and give everything we can for it, all with the aim of achieving success. That’s what I am trying to do.”
What can we expect in terms of playing style as the weeks and months progress?
“I don’t like to think of it as a style – I like to think of it as a culture that we have. Let’s take tactics away from it, but we will always talk about hard work, we will talk about an aggressive style, energy in our team and we will continue to work on the technical side of it on the pitch. Hopefully that comes together to bring us exciting football.”
Who will be your captain?
“I know that has been quite a fluid story here over the years, but I am fortunate to have two standout captains in Richard Keogh and Curtis Davies. Curtis will wear the armband. If I had two armbands then they would wear one each – that’s not the case – but Curtis will wear it. Both of those players, however, will be the voices on the pitch and in the moments that are difficult, they are the players that will be driving the team. We expect to have captains all over the pitch. Those two, in particular, have two very different personalities. Talking about Richard, what he has done for us as staff since we walked through the door is such a huge amount. When you have a message and new ideas, you need to have players who drive that and he has done that from day one. It’s not just his voice and how he is off the pitch, but how he trains everyday and how he tries to help people around him and push them on to better things. He’s an incredible personality to have around the place. Curtis, in his own way, does exactly the same.”
Are you looking forward to facing Paul Clement – a former coach of yours at Chelsea?
“I worked with Paul at Chelsea for a couple of years and I am obviously aware of his history here. Paul Clement is a good man. I know that. I know Paul very well and I can certainly vouch for that. It will be good to see him on a personal level. Reading are a good club. We can look at last year and say it was disappointing – yes it was – but the year before that they reached the Play-Off Final and were so close to the Premier League. We know it is going to be a difficult game. We’re away from home and we probably would have taken a home game for the first one of the season and play in front of our own fans, so there are definitely going to be difficulties in the game. We’re coming up against a good side and the atmosphere that they will create will help them. We have to focus on ourselves and make sure that we’re absolutely spot on in terms of what we want to do to get the result.”
Final question, are you going to be a suit or tracksuit manager?
“I am going to be wearing some form of a suit. The best answer I can give is that I am going to be formal. I had to answer this question at some point – I have been asked it a lot over the last six weeks. You can wear what you want on the touchline to some degree, but I will be going pretty formal.”
