Speaking exclusively to Betway, the former England international striker discusses Coventry under Frank Lampard and Cardiff City's "huge potential".
Former Coventry City striker Jay Bothroyd has praised the job Frank Lampard has done as manager of the Sky Blues, and believes his former team can now find form, in the Premier League after a crucial win prior to the international break.
Coventry opened the season with a 3-0 away defeat against champions Arsenal, and then lost their next three games against Hull, Manchester City and Brighton.
Lampard’s side are favourites for relegation in the Premier League betting, but did pick up their first points of the season in their last game before the international break, a 1-0 away win over Nottingham Forest.
Speaking exclusively to Betway, Bothroyd – who played 83 games for Coventry between 2000 and 2003 – says they will take confidence from that important first win and will find life easier in the Premier League once their attacking players adapt to life in the top tier.
“Frank Lampard has done a fantastic job, and I’m delighted to see Coventry back in the Premier League,” Bothroyd said. “Recruitment in the summer won’t have been easy for Frank, because proven Premier League players come with a price tag, and Coventry don’t have the capability to go and spend 60-70 million on a player, so you’re taking a bit of a chance on players who haven’t yet proven themselves at that level.
“They have some very technically good players, though, and it might just take some of them a bit of time to adapt to the demands of the Premier League. It’s not easy to make that step up from the Championship as a player, particularly as an attacker. As a defender or a midfielder, it’s a bit easier to have an impact on games because you’ve got to make tackles, and you’ve got to win balls, but as an attacker, you’re being asked to go and win games.
“You probably won’t get the same number of chances in the Premier League as you did in the Championship, in fact, you might not even have a shot in some games, so when you do get those chances, you really have got to be clinical.
“I know everybody at the club would like to have picked up a few more points early on, but they’ve had a really tough start to the season, playing both Arsenal and Manchester City away already. The game they should have won was Hull at home, but that win at Forest just before the international break will give them a lot of confidence, and hopefully they can now kick on from that.”
Coventry face Newcastle at home on Monday 12 October in their first match after the extended international break, followed by an away fixture against Tottenham Hotspur a week after.
Bothroyd also discussed the fortunes of another of his former clubs, Cardiff City, who are currently 21st in the Championship.
The Bluebirds have taken seven points from eight matches so far this season but remain outsiders to go down according to the Championship betting, and Bothroyd is certainly looking up the table rather than down when discussing his former team.
The England international says Cardiff have the potential to climb to the top of the Championship table if they are able to improve the depth of their squad under manager Brian Barry-Murphy.
“Cardiff are a huge club with huge potential, and they’ve got a very good manager in Brian Barry-Murphy, so hopefully they can build something and return to the Premier League,” Bothroyd says. “They’ve got some quality players, but the Championship is relentless, with 46 league games in amongst cup games and everything else, so I just wonder whether they have the depth to be competing at the top end of the table right now.
“As I say, they have some very good players so it’s up to the ownership to invest, allow them to keep the players they have, and add a bit more depth to that squad.”
Cardiff are currently operating without a Director of Football or Sporting Director, and there has been speculation that the club may be looking to hire a former player in such a role to work with Barry-Murphy. Stephen McPhail has been linked with the club and was pictured in the directors’ box at the Cardiff City Stadium earlier this season.
Bothroyd believes McPhail would be a “great acquisition” for a role leading the club’s football operations.
“I know there’s been some talk of a Director of Football, and I always think if you’re going to go down that route, it’s worth having an ex-player and somebody that knows the club and has been successful there,” he says.
“First and foremost, Stephen McPhail was a great player and very technically gifted, so no doubt he’d be looking to bring in players with similar attributes. He’d be a great acquisition as a Director of Football because he was there for some of the great years that Cardiff have had, and having that knowledge and experience for the manager to lean on would surely be a positive thing.
“One of the players Cardiff have to try and keep hold of is Dylan Lawlor, and I know there’s already been interest from a number of big clubs, but I believe he has all the attributes to be a top defender. He reads the game well, for someone so young, his distribution is good, and he’s aggressive, so I’m sure he has ambitions of playing in the Premier League, and as I say, he has all the attributes to make it there. It’s not easy to turn down those Premier League offers when you’re in the Championship, but it would be great if Cardiff could keep hold of him for a few more years, and who knows, maybe he’ll fulfil those Premier League ambitions with the Bluebirds.”
Jay Bothroyd was speaking after appearing as a guest on Head 2 Head From The Clubhouse, presented by Betway.
