Lampard sent 'insane' new message after being told to forget Coventry loyalty

The most recent of those spells came just a few months before taking over at Coventry and guiding them back to the Premier League. The Sky Blues won the Championship title with a win over Portsmouth, and Lampard has received plenty of plaudits for his work at the CBS Arena this season.

His brilliant work has unsurprisingly seen Lampard linked with a return to his former club following Liam Rosenior's sacking, but Cole says the 'insane' lack of control at Chelsea means he should stay well clear and focus on Coventry City.

FOLLOW ON FACEBOOK! Get more Coventry City news and analysis via our FB page

Speaking to Paddy Power, Cole said: "Frank should stay away from it. The temptation for Frank, because he loves the club, would be to come back and give it another whirl.

"He’s done a fantastic job at Coventry. Nobody would have backed Coventry for promotion at the start of the season.

"He’s got a real challenge keeping them in the league next season. All of his focus and mental energy now should be about recruitment. He should be identifying five, six, seven players he wants [for Coventry].

"If I was him, I wouldn’t go to Chelsea. In any job, you’re being judged on your results but [at Chelsea] you don’t have full control over what you can do. That’s insane."

Those comments follow on from former Sky Blues player Tim Sherwood warning Lampard not to show too much loyalty to the players who got the Sky Blues back into the Premier League.

"He's got to look after himself," he said. "Coventry City have a fantastic fan base. I've been there as a player at the back end of my career, and they've had 25 years out in the wilderness.

"He has gone back there with the foundations that Mark Robins put in, and Frank has seen it over the line. He's done a brilliant job.

"It's really important that not just Coventry, but any team that gets promoted, can't be too loyal to the group that got promoted.

"You've got to forget loyalty, unfortunately. There'll be a lot of those Coventry players who celebrated the other night at Ewood Park who won't be there next year, who are not capable of being there next year.

"There'll be a few who are, but I think they need some surgery to be able to stay in the Premier League."

The Coventry Telegraph has produced a stunning special edition marking the achievements of Frank Lampard and his men.

And to celebrate, the Coventry Telegraph has produced this stunning 48-page special edition marking the achievements of Frank Lampard and his men.

Since relegation in 2001, the Sky Blues have gone through many well-documented lows, but a quarter of a century later, free-scoring City have earned promotion in emphatic style.

And our bumper special edition is the perfect souvenir to remember that fantastic achievement by.

We'll have match reports, pics, and reaction from every kick of City's journey back to English football's promised land.

It's all here... the avalanche of goals pre-Christmas that made promotion look nailed on, the brief wobble that followed, and the revival under Lampard to consolidate their position at the top of the table.

Plus, Sky Blues writer Andy Turner will have pages and pages of in-depth analysis on the title-winning season, manager Lampard's success, key players, and what lies ahead for the club in the top flight.

Club historian Jim Brown will also share his fact-filled take on promotion, while there will be pictures and reports from the Sky Blues' joyful promotion celebrations.

Get the latest Coventry City news sent straight to your phone by joining our Sky Blues WhatsApp group. It's a free service. You just need WhatsApp on your phones to participate. To join, just click here, select 'Join Community' and you're in. If you later decide to leave our community, you can do so by clicking on the name at the top of your screen and clicking 'Exit Group'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. If you are curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.