Frank Lampard

[The only place to be 11,313]

Why is he not ready? Because he hasn't played against top competition.

More generalisations about him - nothing specific about his skillset.

You're saying all these wonderful things about him, but it's all based on playing in competition that is vastly inferior to the competition Chelsea face. Nobody is denying he's been a very good player in the Championship but that's a far cry from being good enough for Chelsea.

It's based on watching him over 3-4 years, seeing how he adapts to new challenges and assessing his individual skill set. I've asked a number of times in what ways he isn't ready and all I get are general comments about his age or the type of competition he's faced. So he plays in the PL next year - do we not call him back because he hasn't played in the Champions League?

The Championship is the equivalent of a poor European league. It has no top players, no top teams. How many players come from the Championship and then are good enough to help a top team in the Premier League the next season? It's very rare.

Chalobah is a rare talent. I'm not saying this about Josh. I'm not saying this about Bamford. I'm not saying this about Kane.

Yes Bale went straight to Spurs...to an 11th place side...and the next year an 8th place side. If developing young talent is more important than winning, then by all means, let's recall everyone and try to develop them but that's not even being Arsenal, that's being Southampton . To compete at the level Chelsea want to, Chelsea need to have a team of players who can play at the top level.

It's equally important. We're not going to be able to compete at the top level without doing both and spunking money up the wall like it's 2005 won't work in the future. It can't.

You don't win competitions because you have people that can probably handle playing against the poorer sides. ManU isn't going to win because of Nick Powell. They're going to win because of Van Persie and Rooney and Carrick and Evra, etc...

They're going to win because they've been doing the right thing for almost 20 years. Their success now is founded on their promotion of youth in the 1990s. You mistakenly said that they won with kids in the 1996 season and the fact is United didn't - they won then because they used a mix of young and experienced players, but weren't afraid to throw in youngsters if they felt they were good enough. I think Chalobah is good enough - you point out he hasn't played against top-level folk like Lee Cattermole, Paul Scharner and Luke Shaw.

You are creating a ridiculous false dichotomy which is that either Chelsea brings players straight from the Championship and gives them game time or our youth system is not worth pursuing. It's nonsense. The loan system is about getting players ready to play at Chelsea.

You have a point regarding the way I put that point across. It was frustration.

Lukaku is succeeding in the Premier League, KDB iin the Bundesliga, and Courtois is excelling in La Liga. Those players are all ready to contribute to Chelsea if needed because they've shown the ability to compete at a top level. That is what is required in order to get into a Chelsea side and that's the way it should be.

No, that's one way of it happening. There shouldn't be a prescribed method that every player must adhere to. If a player is good enough, then put him in the team and don't bother sending him out on loan. It's debatable whether KDB needed a loan this season.

Chalobah is not yet at that level and he's young so I don't see the need to rush him either.

Again, no specifics just generalisations. He's not ready how?

It will be better for Chalobah's development to play regularly for a Premier League club. I'd rather he gets 35 games with a promoted Watford (or similar) including matchups against top clubs than to play 15 games with us all against poorer sides.

So when we're talking about Lamps being kept as a squad player, it's perfectly alright for him to get 30 games a season but Chalobah can only get 15 games a season against poorer sides? Why couldn't he get 30 games a season against a range of sides including Champions League experience in the group stages, League Cup games and even FA Cup games?

Oh right, because he isn't ready. Not in any specific way, he just isn't.

We've been through this before with Kakuta and McEachran.

No. Different players, different skill sets, different physical attributes, different mentalities. Again, this is the generalised view of young players smothering an individual analysis of their values.

[Rmpr 8,977]

Lampard is def. not even England's best midfielder, how can he be top 5 in the last 2 decades....... Only people that would say he is top 5 are Chelsea fans, not even England fans....

LOOOOOOL, and I am Bozo!

[Styles 9,790]

He looked about 50 years old out there today. Slow, clumsy, off the pace, outmuscled and overrun. How many times was he dispossessed? I lost count.

[Hutcho 8,443]

He looked about 50 years old out there today. Slow, clumsy, off the pace, outmuscled and overrun. How many times was he dispossessed? I lost count.

Yet you don't post how many times hazard was disposessed in the hazard thread. Or Oscar. Etc.

I get that he had a bad game, but so did everyone else he was playing alongside.

[The only place to be 11,313]

Yet you don't post how many times hazard was disposessed in the hazard thread. Or Oscar. Etc.

I get that he had a bad game, but so did everyone else he was playing alongside.

They aren't in the last 3 months of their contract. They aren't players we're looking to replace in the summer and they haven't been poor in numerous other games this season.

[Styles 9,790]

Yet you don't post how many times hazard was disposessed in the hazard thread. Or Oscar. Etc.

I get that he had a bad game, but so did everyone else he was playing alongside.

Hazard had to deal with balls smashed into him that he somehow had to control and then attempt to dribble past 3 defenders.

Hazard created the ONE GOOD CHANCE we had in the ENTIRE game for Benayoun.

[Manuf 1,448]

They aren't in the last 3 months of their contract. They aren't players we're looking to replace in the summer and they haven't been poor in numerous other games this season.

neither was Frankie.

still can recall his words when he said "they only judge you by your last performance"

[Hutcho 8,443]

Hazard had to deal with balls smashed into him that he somehow had to control and then attempt to dribble past 3 defenders.

Hazard created the ONE GOOD CHANCE we had in the ENTIRE game for Benayoun.

Lampard put torres through one on one, and torres layed it off to no-one. There were also plenty of examples where hazard just lost the ball when it was on the floor. So then you should be getting mad at cech and david luiz, who were the main one lumping it up towards torres.

[xPetrCechx 13,570]

Lampard put torres through one on one, and torres layed it off to no-one.

[Korea 734]

Look at these Chelsea homers....

I'm pretty sure if Lampard is in the starting 11 in the pivot role, teams will be dieing to play us in European competition next year.... Knowing how easy it is to boss our pathetic midfield.

[The only place to be 11,313]

neither was Frankie.

still can recall his words when he said "they only judge you by your last performance"

Yeah he has in my opinion. In the last 20 games we've played, how many good performances by him can you think of? Everton? Stoke? Arsenal in the first half?

Am I missing any?

[Bosnian Blue 2,471]

This was one of his worst performances I've seen, but the rest of the team were no better. Frank's a leader of that team even at this age, other players should really question their desire and the fact they aren't responding. I've said it many times, but our best starting XI is the one Robbie played, its the one that does not involve Frank. He would be a very useful player, without having to start week in week out.

[Hutcho 8,443]

They aren't in the last 3 months of their contract. They aren't players we're looking to replace in the summer and they haven't been poor in numerous other games this season.

And that makes him easier to critiscise? Hazard has gone missing in games this season. And lampard has also had several good games. I don't see why his performance is worse because he is coming towards the end of his contract.

[Hutcho 8,443]

Look at these Chelsea homers....

I'm

pretty sure if Lampard is in the starting 11 in the pivot role, teams

will be dieing to play us in European competition next year.... Knowing

how easy it is to boss our pathetic midfield.

Chelsea homers... No idea what the fuck that is lol.

Where has anyone said he should be our starting midfielder next season.

Wern't you the bloke who said that lampard hasn't been a great midfielder when talking about his entire career???

[The only place to be 11,313]

And that makes him easier to critiscise? Hazard has gone missing in games this season. And lampard has also had several good games. I don't see why his performance is worse because he is coming towards the end of his contract.

Hazard is in his first season in the league and has four years left on his contract. He's also been pretty good in recent weeks.

Lampard has been the centre of discussions for months and it's perfectly fine to talk about him when he's playing well and people want to slam the club for not renewing him. Then we can bring up his goals and his importance to the team, and his experience and leadership qualities. He's fair game when he puts in a performance like tonight.