Doesn't Deserve the Flak (Frank Lampard)

Member Name: paulie1975

Product:	Frank Lampard
Date:	06/04/09 (3 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great passer and goalscorer

Disadvantages: Sometimes lacks bite in his tackle, takes criticism to heart

One of the most successful footballers in the Premier League, Lampard is supremely under-rated by fans in England. Partly because he is part of a Chelsea team built on money, but he was scoring goals before the money came and continues to score goals on a regular basis. Starting his career at West Ham, his dad's club, Lampard is an all action goalscoring midfielder who can create goals too.

Lampards career record is incredibly impressive for Chelsea and he appears to have won over the England fans again after a great start to his international career.

Born 20 June 1978, his father Frank Lampard Snr and uncle Harry Redknapp were both successful West Ham players, Frank joined the club and worked his way up through the youth ranks and was part of an incredibly successful unit of players who developed under Harry Redknapp and his father as Manager and Coach, this group included Rio Ferdinand and later Michael Carrick, Glen Johnson and Joe Cole. Lampard was always a regular in the West Ham team from 1997 onwards, yet he was never truly loved by the fans, who turned on him fairly regularly and there has been a lasting bitterness between the fans and Lampard ever since. Lampard played 148 games for the club as a Central Midfielder and scored a respectable 24 goals, he was known as Fat Frank in those days as he was at an age where he held a bit of puppy fat, subsequently he has transformed into one of the fittest players on the planet.

Following the sale of Rio Ferdinand and the departure of his father and uncle from the club he moved to Chelsea for £11m in 2000 and has remained there ever since. Lampard has grown with John Terry to epitomise Chelsea, hard-working, never say die, dependable and yet very talented. Lampard has transformed at the club into a box to box player and is one of the best finishers in the league. Renowned for his indomitable spirit, he takes free-kicks, scores from range or from tap-in's, he creates goals and is a fantastic all round player.

Lampard has scored over 100 goals for the club and is widely respected throughout the world, he has 69 England caps and 15 goals and was at one time Englands best player in the European Championships of 2004, unfortunately as Chelsea became more unpopular so did Lampard and he has been barracked unfairly for England, partially because he and Steven Gerrard have failed to gel for country and yet both play astounding football for their clubs and partially because he doesn't rush about as much as Gerrard.

Under Fabio Cappello, Lampard is getting his game back and forming an effective partnership with Gareth Barry, allowing Gerrard to rush on and support Rooney, hopefully he will get his goal scoring knack back and really help England to do something special in 2010.

Summary: A fine example of a really good professional