While We Sing Together... by Tom Beasley

It's not nice to be wrong. We live in an age of endless, bad-tempered social media debates in which nobody ever changes their mind, while every political admission of error is deemed a “u-turn” and pilloried ruthlessly. So it's very rare today for anybody to confess that they were wrong, and rarer still for someone to do so with a smile on their face. But here goes: I was wrong about Frank Lampard – and I couldn't be happier to say so.

7^th November 2024 felt like a dark day in the history of this city. After another lacklustre start to a Championship season – including one of the saddest performances I've ever seen in person against Derby County – Mark Robins had been let go, leaving the Sky Blues in a state of disarray. For me, this was a mistake. Since he returned to our dugout in 2017, Robins had been a key reason for this club's resurrection and our climb to being within a few penalty kicks away from the Premier League.

But now he was gone and, in his place, I felt sure we'd do something silly and hire a disastrous celebrity manager like Wayne Rooney... or Frank Lampard. This could only go badly.

4^th May 2026 felt like a beautiful day in the history of this city. Tens of thousands of proud Coventrians lined the streets to wave at a team of champions, while tens of thousands more flocked to the Memorial Park to sing themselves hoarse in the presence of those winners. And at the centre of those celebrations? Frank Lampard – the manager who had guided Coventry City to the Premier League for the first time in 25 years – and Doug King – the owner who had made the incredibly brave choice to hire him.

The scale of this achievement cannot be overstated. Teams without the hefty cash boost of a Premier League “parachute payment” simply don't win the Championship. And they don't do so at a canter like this, finishing 11 points clear having scored very close to 100 goals while also boasting the division's meanest defence. Lampard has built a tremendous team, adding flair, hard work, and unquestionable quality to the rock-solid scaffolding built by Robins.

This season, the Sky Blues have been an absolute joy to watch, firing in goals at will – five different players hit the 10-goal milestone – while relying on the brick wall that is Carl Rushworth at the other end. The club's success has evoked a feeling of solidarity and joy around the city, most notably for those of us lucky enough to be in the CBS Arena for the trophy lift after our comprehensive win over Wrexham in the season's final home game. The city of Coventry has been on cloud nine ever since then.

Now, of course, the hard work starts. None of us are deluded enough to sugar-coat how difficult it will be to survive a season in the Premier League but, frankly, being there is more than enough. We'll have a weekly spot on Match of the Day, a four-page spread in the next official sticker book, and a squad available for selection in Fantasy Premier League. Our stadium will play host to the likes of Erling Haaland, Bruno Fernandes, Alexander Isak, and some bloke called Viktor Gyokeres. Where have I heard that name before?

But thoughts of survival are for us to worry about later. For now, we can just revel in the notion of a city united by our football club, by Doug King, and by Super Frank Lampard. I'm still eating a fair amount of humble pie, but it has never tasted as sweet as this.

© 2026 Tom Beasley

Tom Beasley is a freelance film journalist, Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic and podcaster
now living in Coventry. He can be reached at tomjbeasley@gmail.com.