Super Frank Thread

[Jase 43,479]

Our league form since the November international break...

[Vesper 30,088]

1 hour ago, Fernando said:

I still back Lampard. 

To me this season was always a write off and I had no expectations for top 4. 

As we might still do it is still a miracle for me.

Next season we should improve from this season. 

that logic doesn't hold up at all

as the 'no chance or slim chance at 4th' was predicated on many of the other teams be much improved

now that they have not shown to be that at all

and given that we had a large lead we have now shit away

and given the HORRIFIC loses to pure shit teams, so many

and given our SHIT form at home

Lampard is on very thin ice and if he loses the next 5 games, simply has to be sacked

he has been a very middling manager so far

given our overall results

we are rapidly regressing, not improving

[MoroccanBlue 5,375]

Becoming infuriating hearing his interviews. Just recycled nonsense. 

 

[Special Juan 28,096]

Damn right he is under pressure, and rightly he should be, and is for me.

This isn't a party, this is football management and the simple fact of this is he picks the team and sets them up to play. 

If things do not improve quickly he's gone.

[Iggy Doonican 4,186]

As I've said earlier fans are letting their heart rule their head when it comes to Lampard that table that Jason posted makes horrific reading. Fact is if the last 14 games were the start of the season Lampard would be gone or under immense pressure. Lack of goals and lack of clean sheets if we lose to Spurs who will be out with their two best forwards on Saturday those mumerings will get louder.

[DDA 9,924]

There is no point in speculating over Frank's future until next season. He was given a pass this year. 

[Special Juan 28,096]

Just now, DDA said:

There is no point in speculating over Frank's future until next season. He was given a pass this year. 

The talk is quite real, in fact after last night he is under some serious pressure. This isn't something that can be as simple as putting the head under the pillow, it's happening. I want FL to succeed here but this is football management and if things do not pick up quickly it will not be ignored, I promise you.

[Iggy Doonican 4,186]

5 minutes ago, DDA said:

There is no point in speculating over Frank's future until next season. He was given a pass this year. 

No such thing I'm afraid even for Lampard. Spurs is massive on Saturday and could be a pivotal point in the season. None of us are expecting to beat Bayern Munich just hoping it's not a caning like Spurs got.

[Tomo 21,751]

1 hour ago, Jason said:

Writing off a season is one thing but improvement needs to be shown. The manager and players shouldn't just get a free pass.

Earlier in the season, we saw good things but since the November international break, we have been hopeless. All the good things that we did in the early months of the season have gone out of the window and the same problems have persisted for months, with little signs of improvement.

I want Lampard to succeed as the manager here but given our problems this season, those that he can control and fix, have continued for ages, it's worth wondering whether he's just out of his depth. If our poor form continues till end of the season, don't be surprised if the board just pull the trigger on him. Unfortunately for Lampard, he doesn't have previous success like Klopp/Guardiola to get some benefit of the doubt. Lampard needs to earn the patience between now and May if we are to continue with him. 

I still think we've had some good games during this poor run.

Outplaying Tottenham, Arsenal away (after half hour), Burnley home (should have been 6), Arsenal home (yes it was a fucking ball ache to blow two points Vs ten men but we absolutely dominated the game in terms of terrortory that was probably the most dominant we've ever been against Arsenal at home bar the 6-0).

There has to be season by season progression (ie if next season is the same results and especially performance wise I will have no defense against calls for his sacking infact I'd likely be on that train myself) but I think overall we've been given enough encouragement to go on despite a wretched run of late.

[Iggy Doonican 4,186]

16 minutes ago, Tomo said:

Arsenal home (yes it was a fucking ball ache to blow two points Vs ten men but we absolutely dominated the game in terms of terrortory that was probably the most dominant we've ever been against Arsenal at home bar the 6-0).

Oh come on if you can't dominate territory against ten men then you're all kinds of shit. Having possession of the ball means fuck all if we lose out to champions league by two points it will be little comfort saying oh well at least we dominated possession against Arsenal. We should have slaughtered them bottom line is we didn't.

[Jase 43,479]

13 minutes ago, Tomo said:

I still think we've had some good games during this poor run.

Outplaying Tottenham, Arsenal away (after half hour), Burnley home (should have been 6), Arsenal home (yes it was a fucking ball ache to blow two points Vs ten men but we absolutely dominated the game in terms of terrortory that was probably the most dominant we've ever been against Arsenal at home bar the 6-0).

There has to be season by season progression (ie if next season is the same results and especially performance wise I will have no defense against calls for his sacking infact I'd likely be on that train myself) but I think overall we've been given enough encouragement to go on despite a wretched run of late.

I know we have had our struggles against the smaller teams this season but adding Burnley in there seems rather generous. We dominated Arsenal because they played over an hour with 10 men and even then, I hardly recalled seeing us create much from open play or Leno had to make spectacular saves. It also got all rather desperate in the end when Lampard had to throw Batshuayi in late on and not to mention, both of our goals came from set pieces (which seems to be the only way we're ever gonna score these days). 

That leaves only Spurs and Arsenal away for me. And as much as there's some good things seen during this bad run, there's also the bad things seen in this period. As games go by, the negatives are outweighing the positives and that's not a good thing.

[Henrique 9,133]

3 hours ago, Fernando said:

I still back Lampard. 

To me this season was always a write off and I had no expectations for top 4. 

As we might still do it is still a miracle for me.

Next season we should improve from this season. 

Mediocre season in terms of overall quality, home defeats to Southampton and Bornemouth, losing to Newcastle in the last minute after dominating the game, failing to beat 10 men Arsenal at home.  It doesnt matter if you didnt expect a top 4, it was on the sight and he had to win those games.

Poor squad management and lack of clear direction. The only positive thing about Lampard right now is having the balls to bringing young players. 

[Laylabelle 9,534]

30 minutes ago, Jason said:

I know we have had our struggles against the smaller teams this season but adding Burnley in there seems rather generous. We dominated Arsenal because they played over an hour with 10 men and even then, I hardly recalled seeing us create much from open play or Leno had to make spectacular saves. It also got all rather desperate in the end when Lampard had to throw Batshuayi in late on and not to mention, both of our goals came from set pieces (which seems to be the only way we're ever gonna score these days). 

That leaves only Spurs and Arsenal away for me. And as much as there's some good things seen during this bad run, there's also the bad things seen in this period. As games go by, the negatives are outweighing the positives and that's not a good thing.

Agree that's the problem I have with the Arsenal game. We dominated.. that's lovely. Except they scored 2 goals with 10 men. They scored with both chances. We looked clueless in parts. It's a pattern that has become familiar. 

I'd rather not dominate the game and win! Which is what teams keep doing. Less shots.. less ball but oh theyve won.

[Atomiswave 6,117]

4 hours ago, Tomo said:

The start of the season, people took the piss out of our squad, laughed at any thought of even a top four challenge and claimed we'll be lucky for top half (with most saying/implying they would be quite content with that aslong as youth were playing and there were some signs of encouragement to build on, a vow which has surprise surprise turned out to be bullshit).

Its never that easy, never will be. Progress must be made in order to asses if its woth it or not. And none of us believed all our rivals will be just as crap, we though they were gonna be better, the landscape has changed since then. Getting top4 was well reasonable since the start imo, thats how shit our rivals have been. That gap is gone now, we have been practically in top4 all season, and if we lose it its thanks to us not our rivals. We are better than this, we have been in relegation form for so many months now, same mistakes keep happening no matter wha they are. Sorry this is not good enough. I would happily have him here if I could see Progress, or at least the mistakes being remedied. He may just still do it but its not looking likely.

[Superblue 6,372]

5 hours ago, Iggy Doonican said:

Not one of our managers has given a toss about bringing through young players Lamps had no choice in the matter. I can't see our next manager being anything but a pragmatic, experienced safe pair of hands.

Whilst I wouldn't try arguing that this wouldn't happen, because previous history by the board suggests there is a good chance of that, I think it would be a huge mistake if we took that step.

We've spent the last 2 seasons buying players and trying to change a philosophy and style of play from a more defensive, pragmatic brand to a more open and offensive style.

If we move back to a more pragmatic manager, he'll be left with a team split in half of young players more suited to an offensive brand and the other half of older heads clearly in decline who suit a defensive brand. We'll be back to square one again and another couple of years away from getting near the top teams. A big summer window that allows us to bring another four or five players suited to this style of football and ship more of the deadwood out will be huge.

If Lampard was to go, then the next manager has to be of a similar ilk to Lampard and Sarri with regards to philosophy and identity, and also be prepared to continue coaching and developing younger players as around a third of our first team squad now is players aged 22/23 and younger.

I don't rate him as highly as some do on these forums but as an example if Lampard was sacked, and it was a choice of somebody like Poch or somebody like Allegri or Simeone then I'd go with Poch 100% because he'd be the most suited to try and follow through with what the club has already started over the last couple of seasons.