Paul Lambert was today introduced as the new head coach at Wolves, with the club making a clear distinction between coaching and managing.
The 47-year-old Scot has had a mixed record in management but two outstanding periods at Colchester United and Norwich City have earned him the trust of the Wolves board.
Lambert is most recently remembered as visibly ageing while fire fighting at Aston Villa, with that job coming to a halt with a parting of the ways that seemed to suit all concerned with Tim Sherwood handed the baton of saving Villa from the drop.
As a player, Lambert never surfaced in England but did achieve the rare accolade of being a Brit abroad that lifted the Champions League trophy.
In 1996, with the advent of the Bosman ruling, Lambert caught they eye of Ottmar Hitzfeld at exactly the right time. Within a year of leaving Motherwell he was picking up a Champions League winners medal as Borussia Dortmund beat Juventus 3-1 in the final after seeing off Manchester United in the previous round.
To say that that season was life changing is an understatement. Being repositioned as a holding midfielder, Lambert’s eyes were opened to the tactical side of the game in a way he’d never have imagined.
The Dortmund days came to a halt when his homesick wife dictated a return to Scotland where Celtic boss Wim Jansen used his know-how to end Rangers’ nine year monopoly of the title.
After varying spells in management, Wolves offers Lambert a fantastic challenge – the chance to build on his early glory days and erase the memories from Villa Park.
So here’s a look at Lambert’s managerial career to date…
LIVINGSTON
After picking up his coaching badges in Germany, Lambert was thrown in at the deep end with Livingston at the start of the 2005/06 season and it didn’t go very well.
Five wins in 32 games led to a parting of the ways with Livi going on to pull off a great escape with former Rangers skipper Richard Gough in charge.
It was certainly a learning experience for Lambert as he dealt with the sharks and snipers looking to topple a big name. With hindsight bringing in an older head rather than St Mirren pal Norrie McWhiter would have given him a greater chance of survival.
WYCOMBE WANDERERS
The Martin O’Neill connection opened the doors to English football for the first time as the former Scottish internationalist took charge at Adams Park.
Two full seasons with the League One club gave him a proper insight into the managerial business with the highlight coming in the League Cup where Wycombe lost out to Chelsea in the 2007 semi-final.
The following season Lambert took Wycombe into the play-off’s but after failing to deliver promotion he fell on his sword and resigned.
COLCHESTER UNITED
Lambert’s record at Wycombe was enough to earn him the manager’s job at Colchester United off his own efforts.
Like Wycombe, it was a hands on roll that allowed him to fully embrace the demands of the English game.
After one steady season that saw a bid to reach the play-off’s tail off, the 2009/10 season started spectacularly with a 7-1 win at Carrow Road that ended the reign of club legend Bryan Gunn, with Lambert taking over.
NORWICH CITY
After that win for Colchester, expectations on Lambert were sky high – and he delivered.
Making the most of Grant Holt and a committed group of players, Norwich enjoyed back to back promotions to land in the Premier League with survival achieved.
The end of that Premier League season ended in controversy when Lambert quit for Aston Villa, a move that, in hindsight, he must regret.
ASTON VILLA
Hopes were high when the dynamic young Scotsman arrived, especially when it meant the departure of ex-Birmingham boss Alex McLeish.
The early enthusiasm soon fell by the wayside as Villa continued their slide to where they are today – Championship rivals of Wolves.
A Wembley appearance looked a possibility but Bradford City put paid to that idea, with Lambert’s appearance transformed by the time he quit Villa Park.
BLACKBURN ROVERS
This turned into another fire fighting gig but much shorter lived than at Villa.
As many other managers have discovered, life under the Venky’s is rarely dull, predictable- or stable.
Lambert kept Blackburn clear of relegation but after an end of season meeting to discuss budgets he decided to move on, with Owen Coyle inheriting the problems of Ewood Park – and looking a prime candidate for next up in the Championship sack race.
