Peter Martin in ‘filled with dread’ Frank Lampard verdict at Rangers
Presenter Peter Martin said if he were a Rangers supporter he would have been “filled with dread” at the prospect of Frank Lampard taking over as manager.
Graeme Souness this week told talkSPORT that he would have fired former Chelsea and Everton boss Lampard over Philippe Clement.
Gers legend Souness advised the Rangers board with the hiring process and is being tipped to be hired in a consultancy role at Ibrox.
However, Martin – speaking on the PLZ Soccer Show (27 October) – was nonplussed at the fact Lampard would have been a preferred candidate for the for job.
“I have to be honest with you Rougie (Alan Rough), I can understand the connection with Graeme Souness, but I can’t understand that he would prefer Frank Lampard I just don’t get it,” he said.
“If I was a Rangers fan I’d be filled with dread at the thought that Frank Lampard was – no disrespect to Frank Lampard – but as a manager that Rangers were looking for he was not high on a list.”
Right to swerve it
No one can discredit Lampard’s achievements in the game as a player. He, of course, had his main success with Chelsea where he won every major honour going – bar the Club World Cup.
He is the Blues’ all-time leading goalscorer and also racked up over a hundred caps for England. In short he was an absolutely top talent who rightly won admiration for his ability to play.
As a manager…well, he doesn’t stack up quite as well. He did a decent job with Derby County but ultimately lost in a play-off final after heavy financial backing and in reality probably took over Chelsea too soon in his career.
His first stint as boss at Stamford Bridge was decidedly mixed and his time at Everton was spent mainly fighting at the wrong end of the table. The less said about his temporary return to the Chelsea hotseat the better.
Ultimately, Lampard deserves another crack in management but probably not at a club the size of Rangers, especially with the job that needs doing at Ibrox. It was the right decision to swerve this one.
In other Rangers news, Neil Lennon has given his verdict on the potential Graeme Souness appointment.