STAR COACH JOE HUNGRY TO REINVENT STALE LIONS

JOE Edwards may be a mystery to many Millwall supporters, the new Lions boss can point to a vast array of but illustrious alumni as proof of his coaching credentials.

- Chris Dunlavy

Lamptey, Tariq Reece James, Fikayo Tomori, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Mason Mount, Billy Gilmour, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Tammy Abraham were all nurtured through their formative years during Edwards' 20-year stretch as a coach at Chelsea.

"Joe was a huge part of my growth at the club," said Abraham, now at Roma. "He told me when I was wrong, he pushed me to the max and I will always respect him for that."

Speaking recently about Edwards and Jody Morris, longtime colleagues at Stamford Bridge, Lamptey described a culture of constant improvement.

"They always got the best of me on the training pitch and always pushed me to be the best I could be," said the Brighton full-back. "You couldn't have days when you strolled around. If you didn't train hard, you didn't play.

They prepared you for the mentality of first team football." Mount, meanwhile, credits Edwards with his transformation into a regular goalscorer from midfield.

"The work I did with Joe really opened my eyes to my potential," said the Manchester United and England man.

Coaching and managing are different skills, of course, and scepticism is inevitable when any club gambles on a youthful novice.

Yet the 37-year-old spoke with maturity and authority following his appointment on Monday and is, in many respects, typical of the managerial profile increasingly sought by EFL clubs.