Yes, I know, Frank Lampard left Chelsea on good terms and after many years of incredible service.
And I know I had plenty of forewarning he was leaving to join another club. He said goodbye in the most wonderful of ways, praising the fans to the highest degree.
But I didn’t know he was going to Manchester City.
And again, I know it’s only on loan for a few months and then he’ll be off to his real destination in New York for a fistful of dollars.
But there’s a nagging doubt that has now appeared. If he’s scored 10 goals by Christmas, for a few dollars, could Abu Dhabi extend his loan to City and before I know it he’s a fully-fledged City player?
Okay, the second part hasn’t happened yet, and probably won’t, but terrible thoughts pop into your head when a legend from your club joins a rival team, even if he is now 36 and has surely earned the right for one last big payday.
And of course he has earned that right, but only in circumstances of my choosing.
Manchester City are not even a historical rival of Chelsea. Before the money came along, they were both clubs with histories marked with brief glories, relegations and long periods of mediocrity. Chelsea always had a swagger but both were only really united in their hatred of well, United.
Both clubs have morphed dramatically with new ownership and new rivalries have been formed.
Chelsea’s traditional rivals, Spurs and West Ham, have been supplemented by new hostilities with Liverpool (think Champions League and Rafa Benitez and Jose Mourinho) and an increasing one with United due to now common footballing targets.
So why should I care that Super Frank is joining City?
Well it’s because I don’t see much else other than the domestic league that my club plays in as really worth caring about. Sure, the ultimate prize is the Champions League, but if Lampard had joined Bayern Munich, Real Madrid or AC Milan, I’d have wished him well.
‘Look at our boy off to rubber stamp his career with one last swan song at one of the great clubs of Europe, says everything about him and us’. Job done.
Off to join Arsenal or Liverpool however? I’d have gone bonkers. And the New York Red Bulls?
For the average Premiership fan who cares little for ‘soccer’ across the pond, it’s like something you read in the Hollywood gossip magazines (they belong to my wife, honest).
It is nothing more than a passing fancy, something to titillate and amuse over your morning coffee. We care little for the USA’s obvious progress at the World Cup, we are far too parochial and self important for that.
If he’d gone to Melbourne I’d have cheered, here would be another shot in the arm for the A-League, linking up with David Villa and bringing an already promising product closer to the boil. Three cheers for Lamps doing his bit for global football.
But joining City?
This is highly petty and all a bit silly. This is far from Luis Figo defecting from Barca to arch rivals Real at the peak of his career, a defection so heinous it still resonates loudly in Catalonia.
Lampard is mainly past it, City aren’t even a proper rival in the truest sense, if we’ve got no history then surely they’re even worse? But there is the rub.
Figo’s defection was a simple one, you burned your number seven shirt, ripped the poster from your son’s bedroom wall and if you got really bent out of shape about it, turned up at the Nou Camp and threw a pig’s head at the bloke. Simple stuff, he was dead to you.
But what do I do about Super Frank?
Many Chelsea fans have taken to Twitter and Facebook to vent their ire, calling him a traitor, wheeling out all the expected clichés and names. Supporters from all clubs would do the same even if in this case it’s a huge overreaction. We are human after all and we are hurt by these infidelities.
Cesc Fabregas has been castigated by Arsenal fans despite Arsene Wenger not wanting him back, the detail and facts matter little in these cases. Except I can’t do that with Frank. To do so would be to besmirch a memory that is too important to me.
I will simply blot out his indiscretion like so many of his fans and Nike did with Tiger Woods. It simply didn’t happen, move on. They are after all similar marital indiscretions, best swept under the carpet.
So Frank, do I wish you well at City? I’m not sure really, I certainly don’t wish you any injury and I hope you are a roaring success at New York.
But I honestly can’t say I want it to work out well in Manchester and I desperately hope you find a convenient thigh strain before we play you at the Etihad in September.
People just don’t realise how tough it is being a football fan sometimes, especially once you’ve found true love.
Rodger K
Guest
fadida, I think you'll find that all of the BPL clubs, need and have a rich benefactor, it's just that some are more rich than others. To point the finger at Man C and Chelsea when many others have done the same is a tad unfair. Not sure what you mean by 'plastic playtoys' and I would like to think that Frank will be kind of nostalgic if he lines up against Chelsea later on, it will definitely be a talking point leading up to the game.
ciudadmarron
Guest
Was going to post something along similar lines woodo! The fact that he publically said he wanted to relegate west ham was what did it for a lot of people... before that though there was a perception that he was unfit ("fat frank") and picked less on merit than for family connections. If it hadn't been for that, then maybe his vitriol would only have been levelled at brown and the club as an organisation; he chose though to speak publically on a few occasions about his dislike for the fans and further fan the flames. I've got mixed feelings myself on the issue, still... I'd known some of the family when I was a kid (not frank) and that was my west ham connection - and I was in London when all of that went down. It was shameful the way Frank Sr was treated, but anyone who had anything to do with that is long gone. But Frankie's petulance has not abated.
fadida
Guest
City and Chelski have both morphed into plastic playtoys of the rich Steve. I doubt Frank will even notice he's not at Chelski ;)
Steven McBain
Roar Guru
Well they don't have to be English, just trained in the UK for 3 years between 16/17 and 21. Club home grown means they have to have spent 3 of those years at Chelsea. Looking at our squad I'd reckon (and am guessing here.........) JT, Schwarzer (why he was signed I think), Cahill, Fabregas, Moses, McEachran. That's all I can figure out and of those, only McEachran and JT would class as 'club' home grown. So I'm guessing you'd have to pad out your squad with U21 players to meet the quota. I need to talk to someone who plays Championship Manager!
Rodger K
Guest
Agreed Steve, not sure what the UEFA criteria is for home grown or locally trained players, I think it's 8? I'm struggling to name our 8.
Steven McBain
Roar Guru
Melbourne would have sat much better with me also Rodger!
Woodo
Guest
It was to-and-fro. One of the main reasons why he left was that his dad had just been sacked by the club which is fair enough; I'd hate to imagine having to play for the club that just sacked my old man but I don't think the majority of supporters agree with that opinion, most thought it was an excuse to move to greener pastures. Many former Hammers have moved on while still being held dear by the Upton faithful but I think Frankie took the circumstances of his father's sacking to heart in a big way. He did once say he wanted to score the goal that got West Ham relegated, I think once things get to a situation where someone is saying that there's no turning back unfortunately. It sucks that Frankie said that but I'm more than ready to say that it was shameful the way Frankie Snr was treated in the end so I can't hold it against him too badly.
Rodger K
Guest
Sorry, not trying to be disingenuous at all. Chelsea paid good money for what we all thought was a true talent, but for whatever the reason it didn't work out. Some people could say that Man U have done the same thing with Luke Shaw and we don't know how that will work out, but if it doesn't I wouldn't blame Man U for getting an obvious talent for a spot they need to fill. They did the same with Rooney and that worked. The big clubs some times buy the potential and things don't work out. Can we blame any club for doing that. But getting back to Frank going to Man C, they aren't buying any potential they have got the complete package and we all thought he wasn't going to play again in the BPL, so to see him turn out at City will be hard to take, but we'll get over it. He is still a Chelsea legend and will continue to be so regardless of where he plays. Just wish it was for Melbourne City that's all.
Steven McBain
Roar Guru
Bondy spot on, that's been reported widely in the English press as an additional reason. Would have thought that would have made sense to Chelsea too!
Steven McBain
Roar Guru
I think SWP might have even been 24M Freddie, that was at the absolute height of Chelsea's silly season under Abramovich. There was also quite a bit of bad feeling when Sturridge moved to Chelsea and the row over compensation. The one transfer I would paid to see would have been JT to City which was mooted a few years back in his prime for 45M I think it was being bandied about. Reason being....... that was before the news about him and Bridge's ex missus broke. Would have loved to have seen the City dressing room with the two of them together when the story broke. No doubt JT was the one in the wrong but Bridge would have been the one that had to make way..... same happened with the England squad.
Steven McBain
Roar Guru
Woodo, I think Hammers fans have suffered enough over the past few years for you to guys to deserve the odd dig here and there, would not begrudge you that at all! On a serious note, I've never completely understood exactly why Lampard is just SO unpopular at Upton Park. He doesn't seem a bad lad to me and Joe Cole was welcomed seemingly easily enough. Was there something sour in the way that he left the club or just one of those things, fans didn't like him and that was that?
Freddie
Guest
City's not my club, but I think you're being a bit disingenuous there. Phillips cost Chelsea 21m, and he was really flying at City at the time. Could have done anything. That's what the big clubs do though, they sweep up all the talent, especially English, as its at a premium.
Steven McBain
Roar Guru
AZ, we're Chelsea fans, how could anything be Mourinho's fault!? Perish the thought..........! On a serious note, I honestly think the way that Chelsea handled the situations with Cole and Lampard left a lot to be desired. Compare that with the likes of Scholes and Giggs and United. Not the best in my book.....
Bondy
Guest
Frank could also be going to City to fill their English player quota set out by UEFA for the year, apparently they're struggling somewhat in that department ...
Rodger K
Guest
Appreciate you taking the opportunity we don't let the good ones get away too often. Yes it would have been nice to see Rooney in a light Blue shirt, that really would have brought the haters out.
Woodo
Guest
Don't worry mate I'm just taking the extremely rare chance to stick the boot in :p While it's a bizarre and surely disappointing turn of events for Chelsea fans I think it was the right decision to let him go and realistically it isn't like he's going to add anything to City other than a little more depth for a few months. It does spin your head out though to see THAT name on THAT jersey, makes me wonder what it would have been like if Rooney had gone to City back in 2011(?) I think people would have fainted in the street seeing that!
Rodger K
Guest
My apologies Woodo, London geography was never a strong point with me. Yes he did join us and his dad was a legend for the Hammers. I understand about the other clubs in London but atm only 2 [or maybe only 1] with any real chance of going the whole way this up coming season. No disrespect intended to the others but it's been a hell of a long while since another London club has won the League, other than the Gunners or Chelsea. I think Spurs did the double way back in the early 60's with Dave McKay in charge, so my dad told me.
Rodger K
Guest
Well you are right in a way Freddie, but SWP was never going to be an England capt, or a Man C legend but he was a useful player for some 15 odd games in 5 years. Never really cut the mustard at either club. So a little different to this current situation. I hope Frank does well for you, even scores the winning goal against Man U in the 96th Minute....lol
Woodo
Guest
Close Roger, but no cigar. There are other clubs in London than the Gunners and the Blues. Besides Arsenal are north London anyway so actually not close at all and this isn't the first time Frank joined "the enemy"!
Freddie
Guest
I reckon City fans probably had the same feelings when Chelsea nabbed Shaun Wright-Phillips a few years back when he was in his prime, and sat him on the bench for about five years.