If I asked 100 fans out there who they would rather hold a place in the England midfield next summer I would wager not one supporter without an ‘SW6? in their postcode would select Lampard over say Tom Cleverly or Jack Wilshere despite the pair only having scored a combined total of six career league goals.
Steven Gerrard has rivaled Kieron Dyer for a poor fitness record over the last two years but again fans and pundits will happily talk about the Liverpool captain remaining first choice next summer, despite only being 18 months Lampard’s junior and without evidence that he can still perform at levels he could in two years ago.
Of course there will come a point where age must give way to youth, however compare the way Lampard’s decreased workload is reported in the press to how Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes were treated when they stopped figuring in every single fixture. The pair were lauded for their longevity and professionalism- Giggs even picked up the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award after three league goals in 2009.
Simply put however, Lampard’s level of performance has not dropped. He has, once again, been the top scoring Premier League midfielder in 2011- sitting behind only Robin van Persie, Wayne Rooney and Demba Ba in those stakes and has netted an impressive six in his last eleven appearances. Not bad for the old codger.
Yet there are those- a high percentage of England fans among them- who are absolutely revelling in the former West Ham man’s decreased role at Stamford Bridge. The dip in form may be apocryphal, yet there must be something about Lampard that people do not respond to.
I can understand, on a personal level, much of the animosity that is directed at Chelsea team mates Didier Drogba, Ashley Cole and John Terry, but what is it about Lampard that causes so much derision?
It is not simply fans either- Fabio Capello showed a near pathological reluctance to give the midfielder the captain’s armband in a number of games over the last 18 months. Despite having an almost immaculate off-field persona and 147 Premier League goals to his name, there appears little respect afforded a man who has, certainly in club football, always come up with the goods when required.
Whilst he sits in the Stamford Bridge dugout this Boxing Day as his team entertain Fulham I would not be at all surprised if the Chelsea stalwart doesn’t feel a little resentment at his current situation. Not because he is currently missing out on selection- every player has to deal with this at some stage- but that so many appear to be jumping on his grave before he’s even six feet under.
For more updates or to see Cameron’s work on sister website ‘BoxingFancast’ feel free to follow him on Twitter. Written by Camerson Sharpe for FootallFanCast.com
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