According to Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard had too much to handle off the pitch during their time at Everton, making it perhaps an ill-timed move for them to take on their roles at Goodison Park, as reports the Metro.
Cole worked as part of the coaching staff at Everton for less than a year before Lampard’s dismissal in January, and Sean Dyche replaced him.
It was a challenging period for the two Chelsea legends early in their managerial and coaching careers. However, Cole maintains that it has not discouraged him from pursuing a career in coaching.
He is presently working with the England Under-21 team and admits that it was only after leaving Everton that he realized the challenges Lampard faced at the club beyond simply coaching and managing the team.
Cole said (via the Daily Mail): ‘I learnt a lot that I probably can’t mention to you, to be honest,’
‘But I think it’s put me in good stead. It’s certainly not put me off. It’s certainly made me very aware of how tough the job is and how tough managers have it, in terms of the Premier League. Frank would have had a lot of challenges that us, as coaches, weren’t aware of and stuff that was above us. How he has to manage up and manage the staff around him, of course it’s going to be difficult.
‘Maybe it was a transitional period for the club, (so) it was always going to be hard. It’s a humungous club. We wanted to do better for the club, but was it just that we were there are the wrong time?’