Former England players and landing promotion to the Premier League is not a mix that's proved successful as Frank Lampard takes a second bite at it.
The ex-Everton and Chelsea boss was 90 minutes away when he took his first managerial gig at Derby, but ultimately lost out when the Rams were beaten by Aston Villa at Wembley in 2019. The England icon is among a raft of Three Lions stars currently plying their trade in the second tier.
Lampard has just been announced as Mark Robins' replacement at Coventry and will look to steer the Sky Blues clear of safety with a promotion tilt his long-term objective.
English managers haven't fared well in the Championship in recent years though. Not since 2016 has an Englishman won the title, that being Sean Dyche with Burnley. And when it comes to former England players earning promotion, Scott Parker is out on his own.
The ex-Tottenham man landed 18 caps for his country and has guided Fulham and Bournemouth to the top flight. Fulham via the play-offs and the Cherries automatically.
Wayne Rooney, Michael Carrick and Tom Cleverley are men with England caps to their name who are currently eyeing the promised land with their respective clubs. Cleverley's Watford currently sit fifth, two points ahead of Carrick and Middlesbrough. Rooney meanwhile is looking the other way down the table.
Carrick performed impressively when he arrived at the Riverside Stadium. He guided Middlesbrough to the play-offs in his first season in charge, but that's as close as he's got. For now he remains in the "tried and failed" column.
Another ex-Boro boss with England honours is Gareth Southgate. The former Three Lions manager has accepted that the narrative around him as a club manager is that he got Middlesbrough relegated. He didn't get much chance to put that right as he was sacked in October 2009 despite being one point off top spot.
Dennis Wise and Paul Ince, two men who played for England in the early 2000s, did little to mount any promotion charge. Wise was player-manager at Millwall and took them to an FA Cup final, but did little by way of threatening the Premier League.
Ince meanwhile failed to get the desired results at Blackpool and Reading, coaching his son on both occasions. Whilst he has a League Two promotion on his CV with MK Dons, he couldn't convert that high up the football league pyramid and was in charge for much of the season that saw Reading relegated to League One.
It means that Parker stands alone as the only man to play for England this century and also secure promotion for a Championship outfit. Coventry and now backing Lampard to join him.
They said upon his appointment: "Frank cut his teeth in the Championship and knows what is needed in this league to be successful. His experiences thereafter at Chelsea and Everton will ensure he brings to our talented squad clear understanding of exactly what is needed to succeed at the very top level that we as a club are striving to reach.”
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