Copy linkFacebookXPinterestEmailShare this article 0Join the conversationFollow usAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleNewsletterSubscribe to our newsletterCoventry City couldn't have asked for a worse start to their first season back in the Premier League.The Sky Blues have played four, lost four. New signing Taiwo Awoniyi was sent off against Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday, leaving his teammates to see out a match that took the number of goals they've conceded to 10.Frank Lampard's team are yet to add a single goal to the other side of the ledger. Only Tottenham Hotspur can say the same, and their defensive record is only half as bad.Frank Lampard has earned the backing of Coventry owner Doug KingThere's no shortage of doom and gloom on Coventry's behalf, and justifiably so. History shows that promoted teams who start with four losses tend to end the season in the Premier League's relegation places.Lampard is under external scrutiny on the basis of results alone, but a sizeable proportion of Coventry supporters are aware of the harsh reality of Premier League promotion and appreciative of Lampard's work away from the mainstream spotlight. You may like Exxclusive: Harry Redknapp evaluates Frank Lampard's task after Coventry's promotion Coventry City fought valiantly to make it back to the Premier League, but will surviving the drop prove to be an even greater task? - Coventry City 2026-27 season preview If you've written off Frank Lampard as a Premier League manager, you're in for a shock Pick the ultimate 4-4-2 line-up from players in FourFourTwo's definitive Top 100 ListSure, times are tough. The results aren't where they need to be. The Brighton game was a brutal reminder that some afternoons are going to be hard to stomach. Nobody is sugarcoating any of that, least of all Lampard himself.But the supporters are largely keeping their heads and the same should be true of Sky Blues owner Doug King. Nothing in football is forever, but Lampard can operate freely in the knowledge that his chairman is his biggest advocate in the game.Get FourFourTwo NewsletterThe best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.There was no hiding from the difficult season ahead when King and Coventry committed to a new three-year contract for Lampard.King has been crystal clear that he'll stand behind his manager, explaining during the summer that he's more concerned about his club doing the right things in the right way than surface-level results.It's a self-assured outlook and shows a surprisingly enlightened understanding of the sheer size of the challenge for new Premier League clubs. What to read next "It was a season where most of what we touched turned to gold" Matt Grimes and Gordan Strachan on how Coventry City ended their 25-year Premier League exile Coventry City are set to break their transfer record for Carl Rushworth theyll need to do it again New-look Aston Villa are in for a long season but Unai Emery is the continuity that matters most There are 19 other teams that want to beat Coventry and King appears to be reluctant to risk cutting off his nose to spite his face.That's the element that's likely to be missing from the wider discussion in the weeks and months ahead. King should be tapping into the beginnings of his patience reserves, not the end, because Lampard has earned that faith.In FourFourTwo's opinion, now is not the time for flapping. Coventry are in a miserable spot but King and the Sky Blues supporters seem largely aware that avoiding that is no guarantee. Failing to avoid it doesn't undo the positive evolution of Lampard as a manager in the last two years.When Coventry kick off against Aston Villa in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, it'll be the bottom two teams in the Premier League on the pitch at the Coventry Building Society Arena.Emery has a broad base of support at Villa because of his achievements. It shouldn't be any different for Lampard.TOPICSPremier LeagueChris NeeChris is a Warwickshire-based freelance football writer specialising in West Midlands football, the Premier League, the EFL and the J.League. He is the author of the High Protein Beef Paste football newsletter and owner of Aston Villa Review. He supports Coventry Sphinx.
