Lampard – Simply the best (Again)
By dixon9
April 21 2009
Frank Lampard seems to be finally receiving the recognition commensurate with a player of his ability in the media this week. Shackled with the labels of a lad who has had it all too easy, nepotism, public school attendance and of course, the worst offence of all, playing for the devil’s spawn of football in Chelsea Football Club, has led the plebeian masses to refuse to accept his ability.
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“Fat Frank” is the typical nickname given to him from the beer-swilling, pot-bellied rival fans going back from his days as a heavy-set youth player at West Ham United, when the truth is that he has a body that wouldn´t look out of place in an Old Spice advert.
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The irony is that the taunting and jealousy has probably served to make Lampard more determined than ever over the years and helped deliver the kind of performances and stats that we are almost guilty of taking for granted.
Best season to date
“I think, personally, it has been my best season. Over the course of the season different things have cropped up and, as a group, we’ve had some ups and downs, as you have seen.
“But, personally, I’m very pleased with the way I’ve been playing - Hopefully my 30s can be my best years.
“I’m more experienced, more aware of how to play the game and how to manage myself in between games. I’m very pleased with the way I’m playing.”
Can´t be played down anymore
Yes, Lampard appears to have slowly bludgeoned the media into submission. Earlier this season Setanta surprisingly produced a slot on the midfielders performances, comparing him to current and contemporary midfielders such as Gerrard, Scholes and Keane – Lampard was top to the pile of course and I could only imagine rival fans watching silent and begrudgingly – even pretending that what was on the screen before them wasn’t really there. One can only imagine what recognition he would have received if he played in red.
In 49 games this season he has notched up 19 goals and has 11 direct assists and twice as many goal-scoring chances as his next rival with a premiership record of 131 in all competitions compared to Gerrard with 70.
The desperate accusation of some rival fans is that Lampard has it easy with Makalele and Essien in midfield with him – yet in a season with no Maka and largely no Essien he continues to deliver.
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20 goals again
“I’ve got 19 goals so far and hope to get 20-odd again. But I’m getting more assists, for sure.
“In the last few games the manager has given me a licence to play much nearer Didier Drogba.
“That gives me much more opportunity to slip him and other people in — and also get into the box myself. And that’s what I mean when I talk about experience.
“People used to joke about me hitting shots from all over the pitch and when you’re younger you do try a lot of things. But now I’m looking for the right moment to slip people in and the right moment to score.
“I’m pleased with the way I’ve been assisting people. If you can make two assists — like I did at Wembley on Saturday against Arsenal — you don’t get the glory of scoring the goal.
“But you DO get the glory of winning the game.”
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PFA farce
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So Lamps is again heading for yet another 20 goal season but incredibly, is not even in the short-list for the PFA Player of the year whilst Giggs for example, with 8 full appearances this season, figures on the list with Gerrard and four other Man Utd players.
“I’ve not really thought about the PFA shortlist. “A lot of people have said they’re surprised but I think when the nominations are done players pick with the right idea.
“They don’t pick for political reasons and they are done early in the season — and that’s a fact.
“I would happily give away any PFA nomination for a bit of silverware in terms of winning the Champions League or the FA Cup. That’s how any player thinks.
"As long as I am playing well and pleasing my team-mates, pleasing the manager and pleasing the fans then I’m not too worried about it. I have won one or two awards over the years.”
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"It is born out of hypocrisy and fundamental insecurity. There have been two kids on the block for the past 12 years. Suddenly, there is a third and that one is threatening to be more successful than the others and they don’t like it." P Kenyon.
Disgraceful that he isn't in the PFA nominations, but Paul McCarthy from the NOTW said he is right up there in the Football Writers nominations.
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