Frank Lampard

[Corner 456]

The United talk is probably just a way to put pressure on our board imo..

It's a way to get people to buy newapapers.

[Styles 9,790]

I saw this posted somewhere else and this person apparently has some insider knowledge/source (although to me it just sounds like someone who has kept up with the news and has a good memory):

Afternoon all,

Over the past few days it has become quite tedious to see every link mentioning Lampard posted and taken as gospel, regardless of their often wildly contradictory contents. I shan't be discussing the probability of Lampard (or Terry/Cole for that matter) being re-signed to a new deal. As many of you know I am privy to more information than most but there is no need to be a 'Chatty Cathy', I'd like to think that I've never steered you wrong though

On to business, let us begin with Frank Lampard. I wrote a detailed response the other day to a thread in /r/soccer (found here) regarding the situation as it stands. I get the impression many of you aren't totally familiar with the history behind this current impasse. We should begin roughly 4 years ago, as Jose Mourinho took charge at Inter Milan. At this stage, Lampard was at his peak and was continuing to set the example by which other midfielders were measured. His salary at the time was generous even relatively speaking but he wanted more. Through a series of media rumblings, 'quotes' and vague allusions made by both Frank and his agent, Steve Kutner, it became obvious that he was holding the threat of a move to Inter Milan over the head of the club. This situation resolved itself by a bumper deal for Frank taking his salary to £150k a week and the top of the Chelsea pay scale. Frank also lead the anti-AVB theatrics that plagued his reign. Whether one agrees or disagrees with AVB's methods, he was shown a complete lack of respect by Lampard and others which made his position untenable. A small detail for most fans but a terminal error in the eyes of the hierarchy of the club. Twice now he has essentially held the club to ransom, once to increase his salary and the other time to guarantee his standing at the club. These transgressions have not been forgotten, or forgiven and are seen as a dangerous symptom of the oft-mentioned player power that has been present at the club since Abramovich took charge. Unless something extraordinary comes to pass, the stance of the club is to no longer indulge the whims of the players, regardless of reputation or past glories. This is to say nothing of Frank's demands (I can't believe people took the £100k pay cut nonsense as truth) or the club's future plans with regards to a pay structure. Locking up £15m over two years on a 35 year old midfielder is terrible business, and before anyone cites Ryan Giggs or Paul Scholes do bear in mind that both of them took rolling deals at massively reduced pay to help out United when required, not start every game. They made their feelings clear and declared they would serve whatever role was needed until Fergie could do without them, respect is due for that

There is a lot more I could say about Lampard but I shall refrain. His agent and him have tried to work and angle and the club has basically called their bluff. If anything, it is the duo that is souring what is probably his last few months at the club, unlike Didier. I cite him as an example of the complete opposite, a man who served with unquestionable loyalty. I told you all here that he was leaving before it was announced, we had that discussion. However you should all know that had we not won the Champions League, he would have stayed on a rolling deal to 'do a Giggs/Scholes'. He left with everyone's blessings and reputation larger than ever, aided in no small part by the fairytale ending with his last kick of the ball for Chelsea. He knew when it could get no better and knowing when to walk away is an underrated aspect of a footballer's career and how we perceive it later on. All this negativity about the club is being fed to a voracious media from Frank's management and to be honest it leaves a sour taste in the mouth. The same media who slated us for having old players on big money are now demanding we give whatever it takes to keep a 35 year old until he's 37. Hypocrisy that should be admired for it's bravado

John Terry also pulled a 'Lampard' some time ago. He wanted a pay increase and threatened a move to City to get it, the same exact thing Wayne Rooney did. Now, he never came out and said he wanted to move but just like Rooney he kept silent and let the agents put the stories out there to pressurise his current club. He never went so far as putting in a transfer request but the intention was obvious. Again, the club relented and bowed to his demands but his card was marked. His situation has been dealt more blows after the Wayne Bridge/Vanessa Perroncal incident and the Anton Ferdinand case. He is now seen as a hinderance in terms of reputation to the club and is no longer untouchable as he was for so many years. He has another 18 months to go on his deal, do not expect him to be playing for Chelsea after that

Ashley Cole is the one that I disagree with (most), currently there is no replacement available in the marketplace nor is Ryan Bertrand anywhere close to his ability, attacking or defensively. I believe the issue here is down to length of contract and Ashley's desire to try his hand abroad. We can't do much about that, if Cole has said that he doesn't want a new deal then there is no point negotiating. I would love to see him stay though, more so than Lampard he is a crucial part of our team

I've waffled on long enough here, you can all believe whatever you wish, of course. This is the transition period that has been coming for some time, out go the ageing superstars on huge pay deals and in come younger, hungrier players on half the salary and who have resale value (Torres aside). Cole, Lampard and Terry earn a combined £450k roughly, over £20m a year in combined renumeration. The club feels the money could be better spent elsewhere while achieving a long standing aim of removing the power base of the players and allowing for a more stable management structure. I expect Benitez to oversee the dirty work as the fans dislike him anyway and he is due to leave in the Summer, a new manager can come in with almost a clean slate and shape the future

There is no room for sentiment at the elite levels anymore

[SinineUltra 1,170]

I saw this posted somewhere else and this person apparently has some insider knowledge/source (although to me it just sounds like someone who has kept up with the news and has a good memory):

Spot on

[Changingman_2000 876]

The way the owner and the board (Pass the) Buck, and Gormlessly have acted over this has been absolutely shameful. Some of our fans haven't been any better. This isn't a case of Darren Wood, Gareth Hall or Peter Nicholas running down their contract. This is Frank Lampard, over 500 appearences, over 190 goals, an almighty figurehead in the fabric of our history.

Personally, I couldn't give two fucks about the wedge he is on. Roman caused the sharp increase in wages when he brought in Ballack and Shevchenko on big, big wages, without thinking that Lamps and JT may rightly expect the same.

This man has been class for our club and deserves better from his employer, much, much better. The silence from the club is deafening. Spineless bunch of total cunts. Listening to the radio today, it seems that Man Ure will possibly be on the cards. Personally speaking, Wherever he goes, he goes with my blessing, be that Man Ure, The Arse, Rottenham, you name it. As long as he doesn't do a Cole and Sturridge and start banging on about their new club being the biggest in the world, blah, blah fucking blah. And no badge kissing either please. Lamps is a class act and he wouldn't go down that cheap route.

The club's attitude in recent months has soured the Champions League win for me somewhat. They have been pathetic and brought us down to a laughing stock in the football world. I think Bayen will have Guardiola too, which will leave us with......................FSW, oh fucking dandy ho. Pep would have to be insane to come here. What manager in his right mind would?, which is why we end up with dregs like FSW.

[The only place to be 11,313]

Personally, I couldn't give two fucks about the wedge he is on. Roman caused the sharp increase in wages when he brought in Ballack and Shevchenko on big, big wages, without thinking that Lamps and JT may rightly expect the same.

Based on the information available, both Terry and Lampard earned roughly £30,000 p/w more than Ballack did. Whilst their arrival did help him get such a wage, it was actually the leverage that his agent used of a possible move to Inter that led to such a wage hike.

This man has been class for our club and deserves better from his employer, much, much better. The silence from the club is deafening. Spineless bunch of total cunts. Listening to the radio today, it seems that Man Ure will possibly be on the cards. Personally speaking, Wherever he goes, he goes with my blessing, be that Man Ure, The Arse, Rottenham, you name it. As long as he doesn't do a Cole and Sturridge and start banging on about their new club being the biggest in the world, blah, blah fucking blah. And no badge kissing either please. Lamps is a class act and he wouldn't go down that cheap route.

When does the club ever comment on these types of things?

The club's attitude in recent months has soured the Champions League win for me somewhat. They have been pathetic and brought us down to a laughing stock in the football world. I think Bayen will have Guardiola too, which will leave us with......................FSW, oh fucking dandy ho. Pep would have to be insane to come here. What manager in his right mind would?, which is why we end up with dregs like FSW.

You make a fair point here. If we don't get Guardiola then that's a big blow to our plans and if they appoint Benitez on a permanent basis then all hell may break loose. I actually think there's a lot to attract someone like Pep to this club but that's a point for another thread.

The way the owner and the board (Pass the) Buck, and Gormlessly have acted over this has been absolutely shameful. Some of our fans haven't been any better. This isn't a case of Darren Wood, Gareth Hall or Peter Nicholas running down their contract. This is Frank Lampard, over 500 appearences, over 190 goals, an almighty figurehead in the fabric of our history.

I've actually defended the board on a number of issues, this being one. We're in transition and that pertains to the tactics as much as anything. Put simply, Lampard's position (where he made that history) doesn't exist on the pitch anymore. More importantly, we've done about as well as any club could be expected to replace him with young players with massive potential. Just like when Frank joined the club and Wisey left, we'll move on (yes I'm aware of the difference in quality).

This is what happens in football. It's what makes it great. Players become legends and then move aside. It happened with Osgood, it happened with Dixon, it happened with Zola and it will happen with Lamps. But they'll never stop being part of the Chelsea family.

[Changingman_2000 876]

You make a fair point here. If we don't get Guardiola then that's a big blow to our plans and if they appoint Benitez on a permanent basis then all hell may break loose. I actually think there's a lot to attract someone like Pep to this club but that's a point for another thread.

I am capable of the occasional worthy point, you know, now and again.

And I thank you for your candid and forthright responses though. Just a thought, we do need to tread carefully. It's going to be very dull if we start agreeing with each others posts

[Belgiannutt 3,201]

The way the owner and the board (Pass the) Buck, and Gormlessly have acted over this has been absolutely shameful. Some of our fans haven't been any better. This isn't a case of Darren Wood, Gareth Hall or Peter Nicholas running down their contract. This is Frank Lampard, over 500 appearences, over 190 goals, an almighty figurehead in the fabric of our history.

Personally, I couldn't give two fucks about the wedge he is on. Roman caused the sharp increase in wages when he brought in Ballack and Shevchenko on big, big wages, without thinking that Lamps and JT may rightly expect the same.

This man has been class for our club and deserves better from his employer, much, much better. The silence from the club is deafening. Spineless bunch of total cunts. Listening to the radio today, it seems that Man Ure will possibly be on the cards. Personally speaking, Wherever he goes, he goes with my blessing, be that Man Ure, The Arse, Rottenham, you name it. As long as he doesn't do a Cole and Sturridge and start banging on about their new club being the biggest in the world, blah, blah fucking blah. And no badge kissing either please. Lamps is a class act and he wouldn't go down that cheap route.

The club's attitude in recent months has soured the Champions League win for me somewhat. They have been pathetic and brought us down to a laughing stock in the football world. I think Bayen will have Guardiola too, which will leave us with......................FSW, oh fucking dandy ho. Pep would have to be insane to come here. What manager in his right mind would?, which is why we end up with dregs like FSW.

Don't get why your so angry with the board. He's a 35 y old player who doesn't fit into the team anymore and isn't good enough to start. Why on earth would we want to give him a new deal with the same wages as if he were a starter. He has a contract and it's running out at the end of the season. The club decided to not renew it. The board didn't do anything wrong. This is actually a very sensible decison.

Also you criticise the board for being silent but for me it's crystal clear what's on their mind. "We don't wanna renew his contract" so why would they have to come out and say it when it's clear for everyone what they want ?

[zolayes 14,489]

Don't get why your so angry with the board. He's a 35 y old player who doesn't fit into the team anymore and isn't good enough to start. Why on earth would we want to give him a new deal with the same wages as if he were a starter. He has a contract and it's running out at the end of the season. The club decided to not renew it. The board didn't do anything wrong. This is actually a very sensible decison.

Also you criticise the board for being silent but for me it's crystal clear what's on their mind. "We don't wanna renew his contract" so why would they have to come out and say it when it's clear for everyone what they want ?

an excellent post but it won't make you popular ..suggest you put body armour on

[Rmpr 8,977]

Also you criticise the board for being silent but for me it's crystal clear what's on their mind. "We don't wanna renew his contract" so why would they have to come out and say it when it's clear for everyone what they want ?

It is not clear to anyone what the board wants.

They could be silent because they could still be evaluating if they will offer him a new contract or not, or even if it will be a recuded one. How would they realse any statement on something they don't already know?

You don't have any facts to prove it is crystal clear that the board does not want to renew. The odds are strongly in your favour, but you can't claim it yet.

[Bosnian Blue 2,471]

Funny how the board wants to save money on one of the greatest players and persons ever to have played for this club while Torres keeps his huge wages. Nevermind the fact Lamps still is very useful and one who actually contributes to the team.

Money has absolutely nothing to do with this. I'm 100% sure.

This is Roman Abramovich personally dealing with problems only he sees. Stubborn and stupid, if you ask me. But the club is his toy anyways, so nothing more to be said really.

Just hope I'll be alive when a better person and player plays for Chelsea than Frank Lampard.

[Styles 9,790]

It is not clear to anyone what the board wants.

They could be silent because they could still be evaluating if they will offer him a new contract or not, or even if it will be a recuded one. How would they realse any statement on something they don't already know?

You don't have any facts to prove it is crystal clear that the board does not want to renew. The odds are strongly in your favour, but you can't claim it yet.

If the club wanted to give Lampard an extension it would have been sorted by now. He's leaving. I just hope he and his agent don't sour his final months at the club because what they're doing now is disgraceful.

[Rmpr 8,977]

If the club wanted to give Lampard an extension it would have been sorted by now. He's leaving. I just hope he and his agent don't sour his final months at the club because what they're doing now is disgraceful.

I am saying what if the club does not know what they want to do yet. Where have I said they want to extend?

[Styles 9,790]

I am saying what if the club does not know what they want to do yet. Where have I said they want to extend?

What you're saying doesn't make any sense. Of course the club knows what it wants to do. Their silence is deafening. Players are given extensions long before they enter the final few months of their deal. If you remember Lampard and his agent began leaking stuff to the press about a new deal early last season.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/chelsea/8959725/Chelsea-manager-Andre-Villas-Boas-reveals-that-Frank-Lampard-has-asked-for-a-contract-extension.html

The club wasn't interested then and they're quite clearly not interested now. If you want to keep a player you don't let him enter the final few months of his contract without offering him a new deal.

[Rmpr 8,977]

What you're saying doesn't make any sense. Players are given extensions long before they enter the final few months of their deal. If you remember Lampard and his agent began leaking stuff to the press about a new deal early last season.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/chelsea/8959725/Chelsea-manager-Andre-Villas-Boas-reveals-that-Frank-Lampard-has-asked-for-a-contract-extension.html

The club wasn't interested then and they're quite clearly not interested now. If you want to keep a player you don't let him enter the final few months of his contract without offering him a new deal.

Have you ever heard of doubt?

They could very well not know what is best and they could be waiting to give a final review of Lampard in the end of the season, giving a final word (positive or negative) afterwards.

I am working on assumptions and trying to find hope. On the other hand, you post like you know for sure what Roman wants...

[Styles 9,790]

Have you ever heard of doubt?

Yes but there is clearly no doubt here. This decision was made a long time ago. What you're not accepting is that players usually sign new deals with 12-24 months left on their contracts. If Lampard was going to get a new deal he would have been given one a LONG time ago.

[Belgiannutt 3,201]

an excellent post but it won't make you popular ..suggest you put body armour on

Thanks Zolayes. Yeah i know i tried to stay away from this topic and refrain myself from posting but It annoyed me to no end how some fans seem to think that not giving a renewal is some sort of insult or attack on Frank Lampard's legacy.Or that this club will cease to exist when Lampard leaves.

[Changingman_2000 876]

Don't get why your so angry with the board. He's a 35 y old player who doesn't fit into the team anymore and isn't good enough to start. Why on earth would we want to give him a new deal with the same wages as if he were a starter. He has a contract and it's running out at the end of the season. The club decided to not renew it. The board didn't do anything wrong. This is actually a very sensible decison.

Also you criticise the board for being silent but for me it's crystal clear what's on their mind. "We don't wanna renew his contract" so why would they have to come out and say it when it's clear for everyone what they want ?

Well, for a start, a reason why they don't wish to renew his contract. If it's money then let it be known. If it's because those footballing experts Buck, Gourlay and Abramovich have decreed that he isn't good enough any more then, let us know. It can't make them look any more pathetic than they do already. Every ex player/manager and his dog are expressing surprise that the club are acting like this, and they are right to be. As I said, this isn't some fucking journeyman player. This is an iconic figure who has excelled in his 500+ games and deserves better.

Something nagging away at me with regards to all of this, maybe going back to last season. Knowing Roman's fucked up thinking, I wouldn't be surprised he he binned AVB and appointed RDM, thinking that RDM would fail and the fans calling for AVB's head would be proved wrong. RDM only went and won the FA Cup and the Campions League, putting RA in a difficult positon, so he waited for the first available opportunity and binned RDM. There is every chance he hold's both Lamps and Ash at least partly responsible for the demise of AVB, given the fact that they were both regularly benched by AVB.

Anyway, I veer off somewhat, but my opinion in any case.

[Corner 456]

Something nagging away at me with regards to all of this, maybe going back to last season. Knowing Roman's fucked up thinking, I wouldn't be surprised he he binned AVB and appointed RDM, thinking that RDM would fail and the fans calling for AVB's head would be proved wrong. RDM only went and won the FA Cup and the Campions League, putting RA in a difficult positon, so he waited for the first available opportunity and binned RDM. There is every chance he hold's both Lamps and Ash at least partly responsible for the demise of AVB, given the fact that they were both regularly benched by AVB.

The last thing we need in this discussion is conspiracy theories.