Frank Lampard

[Madmax 9,219]

This here is a guy worth 50 mil.

[Pablo 19]

Something that's gone a bit unnoticed is that Frank's 2nd goal today was by no means just an easy tap-in. His positional sense to read the situation and to be at the right time at the right place is one thing, but there is more to it. I've watched it from different angles. Mata's shot had a bit side effet and a lot of power in it, plus it bounced off the ground, then Howard blocked it very well and thus further adding even more unpredictable wild rotation to the ball and then it took another bounce which makes it tough to control. When I was playing as a striker in my teenager years I found myself a lot of times in Frank's position with a wildly rotating ball in front of me where I had to react in the blink of an eye and either a) missed the entire ball, or missed the entire goal or c) failed miserably. What looked like an easy tap-in, required very quick reaction, composure, good touch and execution in general in order to put it under the crossbar because Frank only had the split of a second or so to do so, otherwise he would have missed the ball and then Mata behind him would have had even less time to react. My guess is he would have missed it too and one of the Everton players would have cleared it, probably even Distin with his left leg. To be honest I appreciate this kind of goals much more than the usual screamer from 30yards. The former requires real instinct and touch, the latter can be executed by virtually everybody with a bit of luck. Of course not on a consistent basis but you get my idea.

[TorontoChelsea 4,064]

Something that's gone a bit unnoticed is that Frank's 2nd goal today was by no means just an easy tap-in. His positional sense to read the situation and to be at the right time at the right place is one thing, but there is more to it. I've watched it from different angles. Mata's shot had a bit side effet and a lot of power in it, plus it bounced off the ground, then Howard blocked it very well and thus further adding even more unpredictable wild rotation to the ball and then it took another bounce which makes it tough to control. When I was playing as a striker in my teenager years I found myself a lot of times in Frank's position with a wildly rotating ball in front of me where I had to react in the blink of an eye and either a) missed the entire ball, or missed the entire goal or c) failed miserably. What looked like an easy tap-in, required very quick reaction, composure, good touch and execution in general in order to put it under the crossbar because Frank only had the split of a second or so to do so, otherwise he would have missed the ball and then Mata behind him would have had even less time to react. My guess is he would have missed it too and one of the Everton players would have cleared it, probably even Distin with his left leg. To be honest I appreciate this kind of goals much more than the usual screamer from 30yards. The former requires real instinct and touch, the latter can be executed by virtually everybody with a bit of luck. Of course not on a consistent basis but you get my idea.

I think the most underrated skill in football is positioning. With all positions on the pitch, knowing where to be, how to read a play, is so difficult. This is one of the reasons opposition fans often call Lampard lucky because he often seems to be in the right place. Yes, you can get lucky, but constantly being in the right place shows great instincts.

[RCG 6]

The definition of 'FootbaLL' means Frank Lampard. If this guy leaves us this sport should be called just 'ootba' .

[Corner 456]

The definition of 'FootbaLL' means Frank Lampard. If this guy leaves us this sport should be called just 'ootba' .

I wonder if people called it 'ootba' before Lamps was born.

[super_frank8 186]

You guys are no longer debating; just bickering over semantics.

I've seen and written some shit on this site before, but this is ridiculous.

The point is, Lamps is my favourite of all time but he has to retire one day. I don't want him to leave just yet, I think he has a couple more great years left in him, but saying that the club needs to prepare for life without him, because he can't be around forever; no one can. The sooner the clubs prepares for his eventual retirement/leaving the better, because it will be less of a shock to the club. Same goes for JT.

I only respond to the posts in front of me mate. If I see something that I don't like & don't agree with - then I'm certainly not going to be quiet about it. & yer, so I'm not exactly conservative in my approach, that's just the brutal honesty in my personality shining through; deal with it.

I fully understand the point that you are making, of course he can't go on forever, I don't think anyone has claimed anything to the contrary. However the issue is that even as you have admitted yourself, he is definitely far from done right now. Letting him go in this kind of manner, when he is clearly still one of the best in the world & continues to influence games & inspire our team to success - is utterly illogical in purely footballing terms.

& if he does go this season, that is going to be exponentially more of a shock to the club & leave far more of a hole in our team than if he went once his number was actually up & some of our younger talents had actually begun to mature & reach the same kind of level that he continues to display. Too many of Frank's detractors act as if he is just another aging player on the payroll - but that fact is that he is so much more than that - & is simply irreplaceable both on the pitch & in our hearts.

But I agree, obviously we are going to have make our best stab at doing so soon enough once age actually catches up to him - however that time has not come yet, & it would appear that it won't do for at least the next 1-2 seasons.

& we are by no means prepared for life without Frank, or JT or Cole or Cech for that matter, at this current moment in time - & it is likely that we won't be for a couple of seasons until their supposed successors have made themselves fully known. In the meantime though, it's ridiculous to even consider letting that calibre of world class player simply walk away due to age or for the sake of 'evolution', in spite of their clear ability & performance on the pitch - that is the kind of madness you can get away with on FIFA & other fantasy football management games - not in real life.

[Milan 17,853]

Ooops my bad

[Milan 17,853]

Sorry triple post

[Milan 17,853]

Harry on Frank in 1996 - 'I didn't want to say it in front of him but he will go right to the very top, right to the very top. He's got everything that is needed to become a top-class midfield player...'

Frank's look during that

[Amblève. 4,995]

keep Lampard, get rid of Terry.

[The only place to be 11,313]

I think the most underrated skill in football is positioning. With all positions on the pitch, knowing where to be, how to read a play, is so difficult. This is one of the reasons opposition fans often call Lampard lucky because he often seems to be in the right place. Yes, you can get lucky, but constantly being in the right place shows great instincts.

Underrated by whom? It's something that most football fans value immensely and Lamps has an uncanny knack to be in the right position at the right time.

No-one here is doubting his abilities though. I've tried to ask legitimate questions of his and the club's future and some johnny-come-lately cunt has questioned my loyalty to this club and suggested I rape kids. It's a fucking joke in all honesty.

The basic facts are that Lamps performances aren't at the level they were years ago, he costs a lot of money and the club have invested in a number of youngsters all of whom need to be looked at for that position. This isn't just about age because I think Ashley Cole should definitely be assessed differently, just a reflection of the situation as a whole.

[St Abramovich 175]

Wilkins telling United to sign Lampard, he can go fuck himself

[TorontoChelsea 4,064]

Underrated by whom? It's something that most football fans value immensely and Lamps has an uncanny knack to be in the right position at the right time.

No-one here is doubting his abilities though. I've tried to ask legitimate questions of his and the club's future and some johnny-come-lately cunt has questioned my loyalty to this club and suggested I rape kids. It's a fucking joke in all honesty.

The basic facts are that Lamps performances aren't at the level they were years ago, he costs a lot of money and the club have invested in a number of youngsters all of whom need to be looked at for that position. This isn't just about age because I think Ashley Cole should definitely be assessed differently, just a reflection of the situation as a whole.

Underrated by many people who watch football. Nobody makes a .gif of somebody positioning themselves well. Nobody makes youtube videos of someone's instincts. Many people massively overrate skill plays and underrate players who position themselves well..There is a legitimate question to be asked about what Chelsea should do with Lampard and obviously, he's not going to be around forever. However, he clearly still has a lot to give. Even last season when he was pilloried by so many Chelsea supporters, he actually was still one of the better central midfielders in the Premier League. This season, he got off to a poor start, but has been generally very good since then. And as or the youngsters, if they're good enough, they'll play. It's not like Chelsea are bursting with central midfielders anyway. As for the money angle, it's an obscenely small amount of money compared to what we throw at people in transfers. Even 120K/week (which is a lot) is still only 6.2M a year. The difference between paying 80K and 120K a week is about 2M a season. We've spent something like 250M on transfers in the past 2.5 seasons. In the past two seasons, we've spent something like 90M pounds on players who aren't in our regular starting XI or are on loan). Suddenly, when it comes to Lampard, we're broke?

[The only place to be 11,313]

This season, he got off to a poor start, but has been generally very good since then.

He's been good, but he hasn't been at the level he once was. Yesterday he scored twice but his passing wasn't what it once was in my opinion. Fitness-wise he's always going to be up there because he work so hard at it, but I don't know if he's the best fit for what we want to be doing going forward.

It's not like Chelsea are bursting with central midfielders anyway.

Mikel, Ramires, Oscar (the guy earmarked for that position), De Bruyne, McEachran, Luiz and possibly Chalobah. That's 7 players for 2 positions and I'm assuming Essien isn't coming back either.

As for the money angle, it's an obscenely small amount of money compared to what we throw at people in transfers. Even 120K/week (which is a lot) is still only 6.2M a year.

And we made just £1 million profit last year. When you factor in the cost of a new striker and a new manager then it becomes a signifiant amount although I do envy anyone who works in an industry where £5 million+ is consider an 'obscenely small amount'. The reality is that every penny has to be accounted for in a post-FFP football industry.

I'd love him to stay but there are legitimate reasons against that happening. This club has been around before Lampard arrived (hard as it may be for some on here to believe) and it will be around long after he's gone. In terms of replacing what Lamps offers the team I think the board have done as well as anyone could have realistically expected in acquiring Mata and Oscar and at some point you have to trust them to put the club on their back and take us forward.

[super_frank8 186]

Underrated by whom? It's something that most football fans value immensely and Lamps has an uncanny knack to be in the right position at the right time.

No-one here is doubting his abilities though. I've tried to ask legitimate questions of his and the club's future and some johnny-come-lately cunt has questioned my loyalty to this club and suggested I rape kids. It's a fucking joke in all honesty.

The basic facts are that Lamps performances aren't at the level they were years ago, he costs a lot of money and the club have invested in a number of youngsters all of whom need to be looked at for that position. This isn't just about age because I think Ashley Cole should definitely be assessed differently, just a reflection of the situation as a whole.

If anyone is doubting his abilities, it is you - & later in your post you only continue to pose an extremely generalised detrimental rhetoric towards him - that is as far from a 'basic fact' as it could possibly be.

You want the basic fucking facts? Well here they are:

& yet here you are, still claiming that he is not good enough & needs to be replaced by youth players?

Seriously, if scoring two goals in an extremely tough game to actually give us a very real shot at what were completely forgotten title hopes is your idea of a lack of performance - then you are only proving how blinded you are by your desire for a younger team, which seems to be purely for the sake of some puzzling ideal of youth itself rather than any actual genuine benefits at this point.

You are quite literally like the guy who starts up footy manager or a career on FIFA & sells off all of the players over 30, regardless of any other factors, & buys/promotes all of the best players under 20 - that is exactly what your radical beliefs & everything that you have stated on this site has personified & suggested so far. I hate to break it to you, but that shit doesn't work in real life mate - not if you want continued success throughout our evolution, as opposed to the hope & possibility of it years later.

& regarding these 'cunt-like accusations of paedophillia' that you seem to take to heart for some peculiar reason - what you fail to realise are that these 'kids' that I have supposedly suggested you like to rape (lol really?) - are all 17-22 year old players who would legally be classed as young adults. & it was said in pure jest, without any literal connotations in mind. I really don't quite understand how this wasn't completely obvious to you...or maybe it was but you are choosing not to acknowledge it for some reason that is truly beyond me.

So in actuality, it is you who seems to be the fucking joke here because you're still continuing to mention this at any chance you get as some kind of depserate defense & appeal against the fact that you still haven't responded to any of the legitimate statements that I have made regarding the actual situation being discussed - all of which have satisfied your own questions & qualms completely; & I guess that is why you have resorted to this peculiar behaviour.

All this shows that you are terribly ungraceful in defeat, simply because you are too proud to accept that you may just be wrong about this particular issue & are slightly misguided in your perplexing ideals of having a team almost entirely composed of youngsters winning trophies.

[Rmpr 8,977]

Frank Lampard's saga discussion is really irritating by now...

[Henrique 9,133]

It was funny some months ago, people really believed Lampard wasnt needed anymore, and some people even said that the scenario would be worst with him, while we had 7 games in a row without a single win.

[Corner 456]

If anyone is doubting his abilities, it is you - & later in your post you only continue to pose an extremely generalised detrimental rhetoric towards him - that is as far from a 'basic fact' as it could possibly be.

You want the basic fucking facts? Well here they are:

& yet here you are, still claiming that he is not good enough & needs to be replaced by youth players?

Seriously, if scoring two goals in an extremely tough game to actually give us a very real shot at what were completely forgotten title hopes is your idea of a lack of performance - then you are only proving how blinded you are by your desire for a younger team, which seems to be purely for the sake of some puzzling ideal of youth itself rather than any actual genuine benefits at this point.

You are quite literally like the guy who starts up footy manager or a career on FIFA & sells off all of the players over 30, regardless of any other factors, & buys/promotes all of the best players under 20 - that is exactly what your radical beliefs & everything that you have stated on this site has personified & suggested so far. I hate to break it to you, but that shit doesn't work in real life mate - not if you want continued success throughout our evolution, as opposed to the hope & possibility of it years later.

& regarding these 'cunt-like accusations of paedophillia' that you seem to take to heart for some peculiar reason - what you fail to realise are that these 'kids' that I have supposedly suggested you like to rape (lol really?) - are all 17-22 year old players who would legally be classed as young adults. & it was said in pure jest, without any literal connotations in mind. I really don't quite understand how this wasn't completely obvious to you...or maybe it was but you are choosing not to acknowledge it for some reason that is truly beyond me.

So in actuality, it is you who seems to be the fucking joke here because you're still continuing to mention this at any chance you get as some kind of depserate defense & appeal against the fact that you still haven't responded to any of the legitimate statements that I have made regarding the actual situation being discussed - all of which have satisfied your own questions & qualms completely; & I guess that is why you have resorted to this peculiar behaviour.

All this shows that you are terribly ungraceful in defeat, simply because you are too proud to accept that you may just be wrong about this particular issue & are slightly misguided in your perplexing ideals of having a team almost entirely composed of youngsters winning trophies.

You do realise it is still illegal to rape someone even if they are above 17 years old?