Lots of interesting takes on Lampard going on here and elsewhere but what kind of legacy has he left at the club?
One thing I don’t think can be argued though is that actually, despite the results over the last 6 weeks, Lampard’s legacy is a massively positive one. Cast your minds back to 2019 and Sarri leaving. The club was divided massively. The academy players never got a look in. The transfer policy was atrocious. Roman seemed disinterested and looked like he might even sell up to Radcliffe.
Fast forward to Jan 2021. Lampard, alongside Cech, has turned this club in the right direction. He has shown future managers that actually you can put your faith in the academy graduates. Mount, Abraham, James and to an extent, Hudson-Odoi have been trusted in important games. They have out-performed their experienced teammates significantly. A complete sea-change from the tenures of Conte and Sarri who refused to give any academy players a chance, aside from Europa League games and the early rounds of cup competitions.
Our transfer policy under these two managers was also confused. Look at the list of players they signed; Bakayoko, Morata, Emerson, Alonso, Drinkwater, Zappacosta. Compare that to the signings under Lampard, who has gone for young, progressive players with high re-sale value and potential to supplement the academy graduates well. It’s an area we have improved in massively since Lampard’s appointment.
He lacked the experience to make things work this season on a tactical level this season, of that there can be no doubt. The fact is that he has left the club in a better state than he found it and that is indisputable. I think we will look back on his tenure in a similar way to the way we look back at Ranieri’s for Mourinho in 2004, if (and it is a huge if) the club can get the next appointment right.
Lampard’s Legacy
posted on 26/1/21
Agreed
posted on 26/1/21
I don’t think it should be forgotten or under appreciated the work he did integrating young players into the squad. It seems easy now because it happened so seamlessly, but that just exemplifies more how we failed so badly with other managers to be integrating our talented youth players into the squad.
posted on 26/1/21
Comment Deleted by Article Creator
posted on 26/1/21
Comment Deleted by Article Creator
posted on 26/1/21
Legacy?
He was barely there 10 minutes.
posted on 26/1/21
Don't worry OP I'll take it elsewhere
posted on 26/1/21
comment by Stretchy Mendy (U1641)
posted 7 hours, 50 minutes ago
I don’t think it should be forgotten or under appreciated the work he did integrating young players into the squad. It seems easy now because it happened so seamlessly, but that just exemplifies more how we failed so badly with other managers to be integrating our talented youth players into the squad.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Exactly, Lamps did something that none of his predecessors in the Roman era were either willing or able to do. Hopefully all our future managers follow his lead and keep bringing through the many top class young players we have at the club.
And hopefully Tuchel actually plays the likes of Mount, Tammy, Hudson-Odoi, Gilmour and James. He damn well better.
posted on 26/1/21
Legacy will be an emotional appointment that went wrong.
posted on 26/1/21
No love lost between my team and Chelsea and Frank has made himself no fans at Elland Road but looking at things objectively, it was a very strange appointment, next to no managerial experience and no track record of coaching a successful side. We have a long history of appointing ex-players as managers, Eddie Gray, Alan Clarke, Billy Bremner, Gary McCallister to name but four and with the exception of Don Revie all have failed, coaches are cut from a different cloth to players.
This experiment was bound to fail.
His future is in punditry never in management.
posted on 26/1/21
Did a great job last term getting us 4th & a cup final
out of his depth now...probably
Always a legend