Trevor Steven: Strong character Lampard is a positive choice for Everton
As an Everton supporter, I am optimistic and excited about the appointment of Frank Lampard as manager.
Lampard is a strong character. As the son of a famous footballer and a player for Chelsea and England, he has been in a hot-seat of sorts for most of his life.
For Everton, having not seemed clear about what they wanted, they have arrived at what I think is a positive choice.
Lampard comes with no baggage after a promising start to his managerial career.
He had a good year at Derby County which could have been a great one if the Championship play-off final had gone differently.
He then enjoyed a brilliant first season at Chelsea but a sticky spell halfway through his second term was all it took to set the alarm bells ringing with Roman Abramovich.
As a great player, there was always going to be plenty of scrutiny and expectation on him when he made the switch to the dugout.
Just as he did in his on-field career, Lampard also puts a lot of pressure on himself so no one will be more keen to prove themselves.
In the early days of his management career, Steven Gerrard made clear that it was not about him but what he could bring to a job in terms of experience.
It is the same for his old England team-mate Lampard, who spent most of his playing days at the very highest level.
Another thing I was really pleased to see is that Lampard has made Paul Clement part of his backroom team.
Paul is a friend and a lovely man but more importantly he knows his stuff and has had a fantastic coaching career at some of the world’s top clubs, including Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain.
Lampard has started out by saying all the right things, such as acknowledging the passion of the Everton faithful.
The fans at Goodison Park can be very vocal – and rightly so – and that has to be reflected by the players in the effort and commitment they put in.
Everton supporters want to see their team play on the front foot and putting opponents under pressure. If they do that, the roof will come off; there is nowhere else like it.
It won’t be an easy task: confidence in the ranks is still low and there is a lot of dead wood in the squad.
Lampard has also had only limited opportunity to get players in. Reshaping the squad will have to wait until the summer.
But it’s all about the here and now for Everton, who are in a bunch of teams battling to avoid relegation.
I’m glad Lampard’s first game, at home top Brentford on Saturday, is an FA Cup tie because it will allow him to get one under his belt before the Premier League resumes. From then on, every point will be like gold dust.
Currently four points above the bottom three, realistically the best that Everton can hope for from this season is to finish in mid-table.
If Lampard manages that with some encouraging performances that keep everyone at the club looking up the table rather than down, then fans will be happy.
In the longer-term, if he can do this job right then it could prove to be something special both for Everton and for himself.
And once a Blue, always a Blue, or so they say – so at least he’s staying in the right colour.
Trevor Steven is a former England footballer who played at two World Cups and two European Championships. @TrevorSteven63