Frankie Goes To Hollywood

[Nick Bateman]

So Chelsea have parted company with Frank Lampard after a pretty average run this season which the oligarch owner found inpalatable. "Fat" Frankie, as he was once nicknamed after pictures showing his bloated body roasting on a beach while on England duty, should probably never have been appointed, but the whim of Abramovich must be obeyed.

I would say Lamps was unfortunate to be robbed in last year's cup final, when Anthony Taylor became the first and only ref to preside over two cup finals, both "coincidently" between Chelsea and Arsenal with very similar performances. Taylor made sure Arsenal were awarded the trophy, as the FA intended. Perhaps that has cost Lampard his career, as with a trophy behind him one could not see even the potentate Roman terminate this young manager's tenure.

Chelsea I feel, are a team propped up by 'friendly' officials. But when they are not favoured, against the likes of Man.City, Leicester and of course Arsenal, Chelsea struggled. That is where Lampard's lack of experience showed up, rotating the team and not finding a regular style they could rely on. He also failed to get the best out of new signings, although I never rated Timo Werner so one was not surprised about that.

Recently Lampard has been techy, having running arguments on the touchline with a variety of managers and even snapping at a journo who dared to ask him a difficult question. Perhaps that was the last straw, Abramovich so conscious of Chelsea's PR and in particular his own as a Putin-friendly Russian allowed full access to a Western industry does not wish to make too many waves.

Where does Frank go now? It has been suggested to return to football punditry which he briefly did before. Sky have a habit in employing failed former managers to lecture us uninformed supporters with aplomb.