Here's how I feel about Lampard. It might surprise you

I like him - and since he changed his game so much to stay at the top level and really prolong his career, I always have. He's massively intelligent and gets this rep as some sort of wide boy type which isn't fair at all. His reflections on why England failed during his time are really worth watching.

I thought he'd do well at Derby - and up to a point, he did, completely outthinking one of the world's greatest coaches in the playoffs. I was also very pleased for him when Chelsea appointed him, and thought it would work. Which it did in Year 1, but not at all in Year 2: because he's not a world class manager. He's just a good manager, with the potential to become very good and, if all goes well for him, end up as Southgate's successor.

I couldn't care less about what his politics are. He's not even that political in any case! And because of what happened at Chelsea, he badly needs to prove himself somewhere. So working a miracle with us would suit him in that sense. His record with young players and overseeing bright, ambitious football is all good too. But...

... He really WOULD view us as a stepping stone. If he somehow kept us up, he'd be gone as early as the summer I reckon. Everything in the media would be focused on him, not us - and I cannot for the life of me imagine him 'getting' the club, 'getting' all of us. I'd be surprised if he's ever paid us much attention at any point except while at Derby.

It's his commitment I doubt much more than anything else. Which means if it went wrong, he could just do a Harry Redknapp at various places and his media pals would do the rest. "Not my fault guv, I did me best, but the circumstances were impossible".

We don't need someone like that *at all*. We need someone committed for the long term, who really believes in our approach and wants to take it to the next level. If you ask me, Lampard suits the Villa vacancy a lot more than us. I imagine his agent would be pointing him in that direction too.

As for Dean Smith: sorry, but no. He got so so lucky when they scraped survival by the skin of their teeth in 2019-20. Last season was all about Grealish and they've been sliding since January. He fit that club because he's a diehard Villa fan. He wouldn't fit ours in a million years. I think he's a bit of a chancer; he reminds me of John Gregory at times.

Ironic, that - because Lampard doesn't strike me as that. He's had to work f**king hard throughout his career and as a footballer, was a quite colossal overachiever. But I just don't think ours is the right club to get him back on track.

Posted By: thebigfeller, Nov 8, 23:21:55