Friday 11 December 2015 09:06, UK
Paul Lambert has revealed he took advice from Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti during his nine-month break from management.
The Blackburn manager, who is unbeaten in his three games in charge of the Championship club, was sacked by Aston Villa in February, but admits the break was the best thing that happened to him.
Speaking on the FL72 Podcast, Lambert says he had offers to go abroad before taking up the Rovers job, and that the skills he gained watching Bayern Munich and Real Madrid train were invaluable.
"I had offers to go abroad, but this one felt good. I never actually missed the game when I was out of it," Lambert said.
"I enjoyed the time off, it was the best things that happened to me while I was out of the game.
"I went to watch Bayern Munich train with Pep Guardiola, I met Carlo Ancelotti when he was at Madrid too. Roger Schmidt at Leverkusen too. I did so many great things in study, so I never really missed it.
"I wanted to see different people working, and Ancelotti actually said to me the next seven or eight months you're out the game will be the best thing that happened to me, and he was right."
Nine Championship managers have been sacked already this season, but while Lambert admits the short-term thinking in football at present is "ridiculous", he realises his job is in a results business as Rovers look to return to the Premier League after being relegated in 2012.
"It's ridiculous, shocking the way the managers come in and out. It's not good for the club or the manager, I don't see how that works. If that's the lifespan a manager has got, how do you actually build things?" he said.
"The owners have been really good, but we also know we have to get results. We just have to continue."
Lambert's Blackburn take on Rotherham on Friday night at Ewood Park, sitting five points off the play-off spots having won two and drawn one of his three games in charge.
But the Scot says it would be a big task for Rovers to reach the top six, and revealed they will look to get more players in the January transfer window.
"It's still a big ask for us to make the play-offs, but we're doing really well at the minute," he said.
"We need a few players to come in in January if we can, that would be great. We can't spend millions and millions, but what we have done is given this club a good feeling of winning games."
