It’s expected that the large majority will show and sound their appreciation for Lampard before the match, but it’s safe to say that there will be a few mindless idiots happy to show themselves up. Before they consider booing, making banners or shouting obscenities, however, they should remind themselves of exactly what Lampard did for Chelsea Football Club between 2001 and 2014. Nobody would have envisaged, in the days after his surprise £11 million transfer from West Ham 13 years ago, that by the end of his spell with Chelsea, Lampard would have cemented his status as the Blues’ all-time top scorer and greatest ever player. Nobody would have envisaged him helping the club win three Premier League titles, four FA Cups and two League Cups. Nor would anyone ever have imagined he’d play a key role in guiding the club to success in both the Europa League and, for the time time in Chelsea’s history, the Champions League. And that’s just the team awards. The sheer number of individual accolades he’s secured is scary: UEFA Club Midfielder of the Year in 2008, PFA Fans’ Player of the Year/FWA Footballer of the Year in 2005, Premier League Player of the Season in 2005 and 2006, and a runner-up in 2005 for both the Ballon d’Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year awards. The list goes on and on. In 648 matches with Chelsea, Lampard scored a magnificent 211 goals - 147 of which came in the Premier League alone. And in ten consecutive seasons he netted at least 13 goals or more in all competitions - a stunning achievement which deserves so much more recognition that it gets. Chelsea fans must avoid the temptation of going down the booing - particularly in this case. Lampard is a Chelsea legend and deserves to be treated as such, regardless of the fact he’s at Manchester City for a few months. And even if Lampard scores the winning goal against his former club this season - don’t expect any Adebayor-style length-of-the-pitch celebrations, by the way - it shouldn’t take anything away from the fact that he will always remain a Chelsea hero. Chelsea fans must treat Lampard exactly how they treated Didier Drogba, another contender for the title of the Blues’ all-time greatest player, last season. The Ivory Coast international, who is now back in Mourinho’s squad having re-joined the club in the summer, was given a fabulous reception by the Blues’ faithful at Stamford Bridge. In the end, they effectively killed Drogba with their kindness. The veteran striker was rubbish and Chelsea sailed through to the Champions League quarter-finals with a 3-1 aggregate victory. The Chelsea supporters can do the same thing with Lampard this weekend. Booing him will only infuriate and encouraging him to make as big an impact as possible. And, even worse, it’ll end up leaving a nasty taste in the mouths of everybody. It’s just not worth it - and any Chelsea supporter who does choose to boo Lampard this weekend ought to feel thoroughly ashamed of themselves.
Posted on: Fri, 19 Sep 2014 22:41:55 +0000
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