The wages are nothing to do with it, He was paid the going rate for a person of his abilty/standard in his chosen profession. It dont matter if he a footballer earning 175k per week or a office worker earning 25k per year.

He did play in the Liverpool game before Roman bought us when as far as he was concerned and most of the team he would more then likely be out of a job after the game, Although he would have got another club this was not the Frank Lampard that came into his own at Chelsea and came one of the best midfielders we have seen, This was a Frank Lampard who had a great season for us but none of the top clubs would have come in for him even on a free. For all he knows he could have been injured in that game. Same as he played again against Liverpool in a massive game at the Bridge that put us in to the Champions League final not long after burying his mother, Even take a very important pen for us.

Yes Lamps has earnt money from Chelsea but no more then any player of his standard but he has also put in more then alot more then other players who have passed though Chelsea's door and for that he deserves extra credit and treated accordingly

I simply cannot agree. There is no loyalty and love lost in football. Not even for the "legends" of the clubs.

Do you think that Lampard would not play for Manchester United given the chance? Terry was courted by city, even gerrard was going to join the blues.

Chelsea owe Lampard nothing. He should not be rewarded because he is a model professional and suddenly a media darling. As has been pointed out, its not 12 months since the media were panning him, saying he should be nowhere near england, saying he doesnt provide for his daughters and taking the pee out of his celebrity girlfriend.

Just because the media want (need?) to paint CFC in a bad light they are jumping all over the Lamps bandwagon. If the owner didnt sign Drogba up after winning the CL, that tells you everything you need to know.

Lampard did very very well for the club, and in return they paid him the very very top wages of the profession. Thats it.

Dont know what the Media have to do with anything, Have little or no intrest in what they have said or say, In fact have read very little of their comments on the matter.

Not giving Drogba a new contract a new contract was the right call as we was moving away from the type of football we needed to play to suit him, Buying the type of players we are currently looking at would be a waste of money if we kept Drogba, He was little or no value to us.

The Lampard contract is different, He does contain value to us. He is playing a different type of role for us then he has in the past and doing a very good job for us, Ask some of the younger players at Utd how useful Scholes and Giggs etc have been to their careers at OT. A young player will look around at the treatment of players who have gone before, We keep saying big players wont go to Arsenal because they sell their best players, What does our current treatment of players say to players who want to come to Chelsea? Over lets say Utd treatment of players?

You seem caught up with how much he has been paid at Chelsea in the past and the media views, Nether have anything to do with it, 150k or £500 per week the press for or against it none of it is important, The important issues about this like any business decison are are their more plus points then minus points? also when dealing with employment and contracts you look at the persons work history, Thats if it a fork lift driver or a footballer, Its all the same.

It dont matter if it football or any other line of work when you handing out contracts to workers

I cannot see that he is doing a different role that he has done in the past, i would be very interested in hearing your views on it.

I suppose in the past you could say he was a box to box midfielder, and he certainly is not that anymore.

He is also not a holding midfielder - in fact he is getting forward at most opportunities and is not tackling back.

He is also having fewer completed passes, and he has more shots than any other player.

When Oscar is making twice as many tackles as you are as a midfielder, questions should be asked.

It is easy for the media to gloss over things and say that Frank is scoring goals (yes he is) but i also want a midfielder to complete passes, make more tackles than Oscar and have fewer shots than the strikers.

again you bring the media into it, Whats this media obession you have? The media this the media that. You seem to take everything from the media.

I dont really care who has more shots, as long as someone is scoring the goals, We are not playing a system where the striker needs to score, We are playing a system where goals are coming from across the pitch, Oscar,Lamps,Mata,Hazzard,Marin,Cahill,Ramires,Dave etc. Not checked but out of the top teams in the league i would say we have more different goalscorers then any other the others and thats very important

Yes it good if we have a striker banging them in but not vitial for the system we playing.

He is sitting back further then he has done in the past but due to our counter attacking tactics where everyone gets forward he is also doing his fairshare of going forward.

Im bringing the media into it, as the Lampard contract is being used by them as a stick to beat chelsea with. Last year they were all over him, now they are his biggest champion. We even have rival fans saying "sign him up"!

Lampard is a midfielder, he HAS to tackle, he has to complete passes. Its just not good enough to take a shot every time, and 1 in 20 go in.

As much as i love frank (and would like him to stay) he IS the most selfish player on the pitch at the moment. He cannot just hang around the box and try and strike on goal - thats what we have mata, hazard and oscar for.

But why are you so bothered what the media think and write? Jesus Christ you are upset now about their reporting of Chelsea, Go back a few a years and see what they used to beat us over the head with and you either be having a heart attack or hanging yourself. Todays newspapers is tommorows fish and chip wrapping. The media can say we are to blame for half the murders in the world for all i care

Of course fans are taking the piss, Jesus christ if i was not a Chelsea fan i would take the piss, It one of if not the most crazy decison made under the Roman years


If Lamps is taking the spotlight from them then they need to step up and take it from him. You dont get given chances you take them, You dont wait for the player to go and then grab it, you take it from him.

We need to play as a team, and it looks like Frank is playing as an individual to get the scoring record at the moment.

Yes and fans are the 12th man yada yada yada yada and all that other "soundbites" that people talk about football.

Some of teams greatest players have been selfish C U Next Tuesdays (not that i agree with you about Lampards).

All i care about is who is the best person for the job TODAY, Yes you have plans for the future but you need to get the job in hand today done (thats why i alway been one to take every game and every cup seriously) at the moment Lamps is getting the job done at the moment, Now until someone says right I the man to get the job done and not have it handed to them like you are seeming to want then I say carry on Frank

What if they all said

1) im not tackling
2) im not completing many passes
3) im shooting at every opportunity

How far would we get?

Its all about balance, Lampard scores goals so is a vital part of the team. So beside him you need players who prioritise other important things like keeping tackling (Ramires or Luiz in your case I'm guessing). Your front 3 I'm sure can also keep the ball well enough so you an afford to have a luxury player like Lampard in the team while he's scoring.

Well if they was scoring as many as Lamps has scored then it would not be so bad

Lets look at Oscars and Franks passing.

Avg passes per game. Lamps 44.4 Oscar 40.6 success rate Lamps 81.6 Oscar 84.2 not alot of difference really

Now if you look at defensive play as a whole (not just tackling as you have to look at whole picture) thats tackles inceptions, off sides won, clearences etc Lampard is ahead of Oscar

If you also taking in to account that Oscar has played more then Frank this season the facts mean they are quite close to each other in terms of what they bring to the team apart from the fact thats Lamps has scored more goals

Good to see that Piazon started, and played well, for Malaga at the weekend. He doesn't sound too happy with us, though.

http://www.sambafoot.com/en/news/431...aga_debut.html

Lampard is still playing a box to box role, he just hasn't got the legs or stamina to do that job like he used to.
He still puts in a lot of work, and remains our best finisher when running on to balls on the edge of the box.

I don't see the point about the money he's being paid, he's either worth that kind of money or he isn't. If you think he's worth it now, he will probably be worth it for another season. It's an obscene amount in my opinion, but in line with comparable players in the squad.
Forgetting any sentimentality about what Frank has done in the past, I sill think it makes cold, hard, business sense to give him another season.
How much would it cost to replace a player like Lampard, and could you be sure they would be as good, or better than Frank ?
This time next year it could be completely different, but right now Frank playing at 80% of his old self is still better than most..same as Scholes and Giggs at United.
I actually think the same was true of Drogba, but that's a different argument.

Looking like we are still the only London team to be Champions of Europe.

Totally agree. And he is still playing very well for us and winning games, and is an influential player on the pitch and off it. Give him an extension!

Chelsea interim manager Rafa Benitez has revealed Frank Lampard and Branislav Ivanovic will sit out Thursday's Europa League clash with Sparta Prague. He said Oriol Romeu was the only injury absentee but said he would not include Lampard and Ivanovic as he sought to avoid burnout.

I'd love to see 2 early goals so we can take Mata off as well, assuming he starts.

Well whilst you lot are arguing the toss about Lamps, I would like to congratulate our Under 19s team.

We beat Barca yesterday, with 10 men...(sound familiar)...and are through to the quarter finals of the NextGen Tournament.

We do seem to be their nemesis, whatever team we put out.


http://www.nextgenseries.com/en/What-Is-NextGen-Series

Great result for them. Jeremie Boga looks a bit special

Fantastic result for the lads! I can't stand Barcelona, bunch of sore losers. Did you see after Boga's goal, Saville and Baker were celebrating (who wouldn't?), then Bagnack kicked the ball at Saville's head! Barcelona make me sick! People say we were lucky to have won against them last year; beating Barcelona is in our DNA!

Wont be at home tonight. Anyone pm me a link to watch on my i-pad please . Would be appreciated

Indeed. Whatever level they are bad losers and as was shown on here last year, some of their fans are as well

Good luck Chelsea for the match tonight. Come on you Blue Boys

Will be interesting to see what team Rafa puts out tonight, surely going to be a heavy rotation given all the games weve had recently, and our 1-0 lead.. playing at home etc.