The Sunday Times Sport - UK (2021-11-14)

12 November 14, 2021The Sunday Times 2GS

Football

Purrington struck

for Charlton in

a fiery victory

away to Burton

after, Ben Purrington’s

glancing header put

the visitors in front to

continue Johnnie

Jackson’s audition for

the manager’s job. He

has won three of four

undefeated games

since becoming

caretaker.

Two goals each for

Scott Twine and Max

Watters helped Milton

Keynes Dons to a

4-1 victory against

Cambridge United.

Sam Smith replied.

Ipswich Town and

Oxford United drew

0-0, just as in three of

the past four games

between the sides.

Sheffield Wednesday

took their unbeaten

league run to seven,

but five of those have

been drawn, including

yesterday’s 1-1 with

Gillingham.

LEAGUE ONE

Plymouth Argyle’s 4-

win away to Accrington

Stanley was a 16th

league game without

defeat and returned

them to the top of the

table (Peter Wilson

writes).

The home

side were blown

away by Ryan

Lowe’s team in

his 100th league

game in charge.

Ethan Hamilton’s own

goal gave Plymouth

the lead which was

doubled by Jordan

Houghton. Tommy

Leigh pulled a goal

back, but Ryan Broom’s

long-range strike and

Ryan Hardie’s close-

range effort completed

the rout.

The Plymouth

goalkeeper,

Mike Cooper, has

reported being

subjected to

homophobic slurs by

some home fans

during the game.

Portsmouth’s 1-0 win

away to Wycombe

Wanderers extended

their unbeaten run to

six games. It could

have been different

had Joe Jacobson’s

poorly taken first-half

penalty not been saved

by Alex Bass. Marcus

Harness made him pay

17 minutes from time.

Burton Albion’s

1-0 home defeat by

Charlton Athletic came

alive early on with two

red cards after most of

the 22 players got

involved in a mêlée.

Charlton’s Jayden

Stockley and Adedeji

Oshilaja of Burton were

both dismissed. Soon

FOOTBALL

LEAGUE

FOCUS

the leaders Forest

Green Rovers came up

against a resolute City,

who went a fifth game

without defeat. James

Wilson fired the hosts

in front, but Lee Angol

headed the equaliser.

Joey Barton says his

Bristol Rovers side are

improving, and so they

are. They came from

behind to beat in-form

Northampton Town,

who had won their past

four league games

without conceding a

goal, 2-1 despite having

Glenn Whelan sent off

in the 67th minute.

Mansfield Town

made it four wins in a

row in all competitions,

2-1 at Stevenage.

A dithering defence

allowed Isaac Olaofe

to score in Sutton

United’s 1-0 win away

to Tranmere Rovers.

LEAGUE TWO

The Devon clubs are

like the cat that got the

cream. Exeter City have

joined Plymouth Argyle

in not knowing how to

lose in the league: their

2-1 win against Oldham

Athletic was a club-

record 14th league

game without defeat,

and lifted them to third.

Matt Jay scored for a

sixth straight league

match to put Exeter

ahead. Jevani Brown’s

first for the club made

it 2-0 before Jamie

Bowden struck.

Port Vale’s winning

and scoring spree was

ended with a 1-1 home

draw against Bradford

City. Darrell Clarke’s

side had won four in a

row, scoring 17 goals in

the process, but their

hopes of moving above

1/

Rochdale’s Alex

Newby scored in the

first and 90th minutes

in his side’s 2-2 draw

at home against

Leyton Orient

Jay scored for sixth

league game in a row

I

t often jarred when they played

alongside each other for

England, but for their clubs

Frank Lampard and Steven

Gerrard embodied an elite form

of engine room, where they

brought energy and passion but

also leadership, creativity and

consistency. They held the sort of

role you do not need to have filled

twice in one midfield.

Their club contributions were so

impressive that speculation as to

what kind of managers they would

become was never far away. One day,

we agreed, they would take charge at

Chelsea and Liverpool respectively —

except the landscape of football

management was changing, with a

certain antipathy towards the

concept of the anointed one. It is not

enough to be a living legend — you

have to earn the right to become the

head coach.

Lampard adopted the blitzkrieg

approach. His first job as a manager

was with Derby County, a club who

believed they were on the cusp of a

return to the big time and were

prepared to take a risk on an

unproven coach — albeit one who

spoke well, dressed immaculately and

came with a Hollywood-style aura.

Lampard’s first competitive match in

charge followed the script, with a

stoppage-time winner for Derby.

From that moment it felt inevitable

Lampard would end up at Chelsea

sooner than anyone had imagined.

From the west London club’s

perspective, the appointment of their

former midfielder was a stroke of

genius. They were grappling with a

transfer embargo and needed a

coach who could get the best from

their youngsters. As luck would have

it, one of them, Mason Mount, had

been on loan at Lampard’s Derby. For

as long as the spotlight was on the

young players Lampard fielded, his

tenure at Stamford Bridge felt logical

and goodwill cascaded from the

stands. But as soon as Chelsea could

splash some cash, the mood changed.

Roman Abramovich’s club have

never placed too much emphasis

on sentiment. Maurizio Sarri had

annoyed the fans by not giving youth

a chance and Lampard rectified that,

but perhaps the board never really

saw him as a long-term prospect

within a model where managers are

short to medium-term appointments.

If becoming manager of Chelsea

represented Lampard’s ultimate

ambition, then he took the job too

soon and he will now be defined by

efforts to rebuild his reputation

Alyson

Rudd

Lampard took Chelsea job

too soon. Gerrard — with

sound advice from

Klopp — has a better

chance of success in

‘anointed one’ role

elsewhere. He must have realised the

uphill task at Norwich City was not

the best way to darn the holes.

Gerrard deliberately began

coaching away from the spotlight

thanks to the advice he took from

Jürgen Klopp. He worked at the

Liverpool academy, then took charge

of the under-18s, but you cannot be

Gerrard and hide under the cones

and bags of balls for ever. Rangers

was the dive into the deep end, but

he had time to acclimatise and then

bring the club sufficient success for a

Premier League club to entice him

Rangers held talks with

their former midfielder

Giovanni van Bronckhorst

in London yesterday as

they seek a replacement

for Steven Gerrard, who

joined Aston Villa as head

coach last week.

Van Bronckhorst,

who played for Rangers

between 1998 and 2001,

is one of the candidates

the Scottish champions

are interviewing over

the weekend in the hope

of having someone in

place before they host

Hibernian in the Scottish

League Cup on Sunday.

Van Bronckhorst, who

is at present without a

club, won 106 caps

for Holland and led

Feyenoord to the Dutch

Cup and league titles

in successive seasons.

RANGERS

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