Graeme Souness has acknowledged that he supported Frank Lampard over Philippe Clement for the Rangers position.
After Michael Beale was fired, Souness, who was a huge Lampard supporter, helped the club identify the next guy for the position.
He later acknowledged that the fact that his wife, Christine Bleakley, is from Northern Ireland was one of the things that was working in his advantage.
After the interviews, the Ibrox great was batting for the Chelsea icon, but ultimately, it came down to choosing between Clement and Kevin Muscat.
According to the Mirror, former Rangers player Lampard is getting close to taking over for Mark Robins at Coventry.
The 46-year-old is reportedly higher on Sky Blues owner Doug King’s list than Wycombe manager Matt Bloomfield, who was a favourite among early bookmakers.
According to the source, the former manager of Derby County and the Blues may even be in the dugout for Coventry’s upcoming match against Sheffield United following the international break.
After six years as manager, Robins performed a fantastic job of moving the West Midlands team from League One into the Championship and keeping them there.
However, he was fired last week after his team lost half of its games and was in 17th place in the second division. Since his short tenure as Chelsea’s manager in 2023, Lampard has remained unemployed.
In the past, he managed Derby in the Championship and nearly got them promoted through the playoffs. Why Lampard was coveted by Souness for the Rangers After participating in the interview process, Souness believed that Lampard and Clement were the best prospects for the Rangers position.
He had an advantage because his wife was from Northern Ireland, which was thought to help him get used to life in the west of Scotland.
“We spoke with roughly five or six of them,” Souness stated. “I stated that it’s between Lampard and Clement.” Frank’s knowledge of the West of Scotland is the only thing that gives him an edge over Philippe, in my opinion.
His wife will undoubtedly understand what it’s like because she is from Northern Ireland. As for his resume, Philippe, it is as impressive. He performed admirably in Belgium before travelling with Monaco to the south of France.
He briefly played for Coventry, but nothing there prepared him for life in the West of Scotland, including a career in football management. It is a different kind of struggle.
Later, the former Gers manager provided talkSPORT various justifications for his preference for Lampard. “There were two exceptional candidates, Frank and Philippe, who were hired,” he stated.
“I didn’t have the last word. This gave Frank the advantage in my opinion. In terms of management, Frank has a lot to give. Analysing his decision to accept the Chelsea position at that time, I believe it was always going to be extremely challenging.
“I believe it would be a disaster to accept the Everton position. Since Frank’s departure, have they gotten better? Not at all. Therefore, I wouldn’t be too hard on Frank.
Simon, I understand that you were critical of him, but I really believe that he is a football man at heart. “What inspired me about Frank when I first met him was his desire to succeed as a football manager, his will to do so without financial assistance, and his interest in the Rangers position.
It’s a challenging location to work in Scotland’s west. Luckily for me, things went smoothly, but I am aware of how challenging it may be.
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