England centurion Frank Lampard would never have reached 100 caps without his "bully" father
England centurion Frank Lampard would never have reached 100 caps without his "bully" father
PLUS: Super Frank admits this is his last England campaign, and he can't face it ending this Autumn
Michael Regan - The FA
The tributes will come to Frank Lampard tomorrow, and deservedly so.
After
all, the Chelsea star will join an elite group of England centurions in
Kiev, while already holding the status as the highest-scoring
midfielder in Three Lions history.
For Lampard, though, none of
that England career would have been possible without the “bully” who
made him what he is, who still gives him an earful if he lets his
standards slip.
“My dad was a hero,” admitted the 35-year-old. “Mind you, when I was a kid, not as much as Frank McAvennie and Tony Cottee!
“They put the ball in the back of the net. My dad was a left-back!
“But he was my hero, day in day out. He put that work ethic in me. He always made me very aware of my weaknesses.
“He’d
praise the good things but he was always on about my pace, about trying
to get in the box and score goals, and have the energy to be able to do
that.
“There was no easy way to get there – he let me know that.
It was extra runs, extra hours practising shooting and finishing, that
became ingrained in me. He probably bullied me into it a bit in my
younger years. I didn’t always like it. But I can’t thank him enough for
it now.
“If you are going to try to get to the top and get 100 caps, it was something I needed to do. I wouldn’t have been able to do this without that.” Frank Lampard with partner Christine Bleakley and his father, Frank Lampard Senior
Or without his own motivation and desire, qualities that
shine from Lampard with the same brightness his eyes demonstrate when he
talks about pulling on the England shirt.
As the Chelsea star
conceded, though, he needed a stiff talking to from Frank Snr when he
considered turning his back on England during the doomed Steve McClaren
era. “I was getting a bit of stick at the time,” Lampard recalled.
“It
wasn’t that I was ringing him up and saying, ‘I’m going to pack up’ but
I was a bit upset about it all; probably not happy with my own
performance.
“He gave me a little jolt on the phone, to make sure I got my head down and got through it.
“It was a difficult time for the squad as a whole. I wasn’t playing my best either.
“You have ups and downs in your England career and that was one of the harder moments.
“But
you don’t get near 100 caps unless you get through those bits. I’ve
stayed in the game. I had a lot of desire to keep playing for my country
and I’ve enjoyed it more as I’ve got older, knowing that one day it
won’t be there any more.
“I’ve managed to have a long career and
I’m pretty proud of what I’ve done. We haven’t won anything but I’m
proud to get near 100 caps because when I began playing I wouldn’t have
believed that. I wouldn’t have believed I’d get past 20.”
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Frank Lampard goals, and career, in pictures
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For 18 months after his debut for Kevin Keegan, against
Belgium at the Stadium of Light, he didn’t get past one while his
team-mates 14 years ago included Kieron Dyer, Tony Adams, Alan Shearer,
Steve Guppy and Gareth Southgate.
“It seems quite surreal, almost
like a different career,” said Lampard. “I remember Gareth having a few
words with me in the dressing-room, calming me down and wishing me luck.
I’ll never forget that.
“And now nearly at 100 caps, I try to do
that with younger players. When I look at a player like Andros Townsend
coming in, or Ross Barkley, I think it’s fantastic for them.
“Ross
playing 25 minutes the other night was a perfect way to try and give a
kid a leg up, tell him he’s doing well, give him a taste of it. We
should be looking to do that.”
Barkley and the other rookies on the flight to Kiev last night should look at Lampard’s work ethic as an example.
As for the midfielder, he is all too aware that the next month is massive for England and his role in Roy Hodgson’s set-up.
Lampard added: “At 35, not too many players play on at international level, so realistically this is probably my last campaign. 99 not out: Lampard in action against Moldova
Clive Rose
“I would hate it to finish this autumn if we didn’t qualify
because I enjoy being with this group of players and have a lot of
respect for the manager.
“We want to get to the World Cup. You want to get there, the fans want to get there so I wouldn’t want to go out like that.
“I wouldn’t say I have a score to settle. You become a little bit more level-headed with age and experience.
“But
I’d love to go to a World Cup and have a more positive impact,
individually and as a team. That would be great because that is what we
all want.”
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