FRANK Lampard insists he respects ‘every bit of work’ Mark Robins did during his time as Coventry City boss ahead of welcoming his predecessor to the Coventry Building Society Arena this weekend.
Lampard replaced Robins in the CBS Arena dugout in November and has taken the Sky Blues from 17th in the Championship table up to fifth.
Coventry sacked Robins earlier this season, bringing an end to his near eight-year stint at the helm of the Sky Blues which included two promotions, a Championship play-off final and FA Cup semi-final.
The club’s supporters reacted strongly to the decision to sack Robins with Coventry owner and chairman Doug King calling a fans forum to address concerns the fans had regarding the sacking.
Robins has since taken the reins at City’s Championship rivals Stoke City following his appointment as Potters boss on New Year’s Day.
And with Robins set to make his first return to the CBS Arena since his sacking this weekend, Lampard appreciates the nature of the occasion.
Lampard said: “Mark will clearly get an amazing reception from our fans, and I completely understand that, and I’ll be involved in that.
“You can’t disrespect the opposite number. You have to respect every bit of work that he did at this club.
“I think he is a great football person who has always carried himself well, we’ve crossed paths a few times, and everybody will be appreciative of his time here, so I think that becomes a story of the game.
“But it’s 90 minutes on the pitch and the important thing is that we, as a group of players and staff, focus on the game in hand.
“For sure, when the game starts our fans will know who they are supporting and will get behind us as they have done since I’ve been here.”
Coventry head into the game off the back of four straight victories and have won eight of their last nine league games to move into the play-off places.
And Lampard admits his team must change their mentality to reflect their new position in the league table.
Lampard added: “I’m very happy with the run. I have belief in the players and the work that we’ve done in the short period of time, that doesn’t always translate into results.
“We’ve found different ways to win games. I’m really pleased because moving up the table means better feeling, better confidence.
“But it’s always tempered by don’t get complacent, keep working and keep doing the right things because the minute you relax those performance and wins will stop coming.
“Now we’re in a different position, I think the mentality of a team that sits fifth has to be different to a team that is 17th.
“We have to now be more resilient and more ruthless about the good things we’re doing. We’ve made big steps, but the biggest steps are to come.
“Like we’ve moved up the table quickly, it can go in reverse. Our mindset has to be just focused on ourselves.”
Coventry host Stoke on Saturday, March 8 with kick-off at 12.30pm at the CBS Arena.
