Super Frank Lampard - A Managerial Adventure

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Lampard forced to retire​

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Chelsea and England legend Frank Lampard has today announced his retirement from professional football due to an ongoing injury issue. Lampard, 36, had been scheduled to make his MLS début in America against Montreal Impact for his new side New York City, but an aggravation to a calf strain he sustained earlier this month has forced him to call time on his playing career.

"I would like to thank everybody involved at every stage of what has been an amazing career" Lampard said in a short statement that was released early this morning. "From West Ham, to Chelsea and now here in New York, everybody has been amazing and I would like to put in record my complete gratitude to all the amazing fans who have ever supported me"

Earlier on today, Sky Sports caught up with former Chelsea assistant manager Ray Wilkins who had this to say on Lampard's career. "Frank is perhaps THE model professional. The way he conducted himself on and off the pitch deserves so much respect and I can safely say that he is one of the greatest players to ever grace the Premier League"

Lampard's glittering career started at West Ham United before his £11 million move to Chelsea in 2001 cemented the foundations of his legacy. Lampard would go on to become Chelsea's all time record goalscorer with 211 goals in all competitions in 648 appearances. He was voted Chelsea's player of the year on three occasions, runner up in the 2008 Fifa Ballon d'Or, and lifted 13 trophies during his time at Chelsea including the Premier League, FA Cup, Champions League, Europa League and the League Cup. Lampard also made 106 appearances for England, scoring a further 29 goals and is only one of eight players in history to make a century of appearances for England.

[video=youtube;isJ6ZRcJs7M]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isJ6ZRcJs7M[/video]​
 
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Natalie Sawyer - "We brought you the news earlier today that Frank Lampard has ended his professional football career and retired at the age of 36, and we are just getting ready now to take you live to New York to hear from the man himself at his scheduled press conference. Lampard is of course considered by many to be one of the greatest midfielders of all time and the outpouring of affection on social media has been incredible. Former Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech had this to say on twitter.

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Fans meanwhile have gathered at Stamford Bridge, the home of Chelsea Football Club to celebrate the end of a glittering career.

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Natalie Sawyer - "OK, we can now take you live to New York to hear from that man, Frank Lampard."

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Q - "Hi Frank, this must be a very difficult day for you, can you try and sum up how you are feeling?"

A - "I'm not sure it's a difficult day, but it is certainly a very sad one. I can look back with a lot of pride at what I have managed to achieve but I have been feeling old for a while now compared to the rest of the guys in the dressing room, my knees are not what they used to be.. so I think there was an air of inevitability about it all so it is almost a relief now it is all out and done but I am definitely going to miss it!"

Q - "We have seen a massive outpouring of affection and love from your many fans all over the world, do you have any words for them?"

A - "Yeah of course, I wouldn't have been able to achieve anything without the support of all the fans.. I am extremely touched by all the support and I would like to extend a particularly massive thank you to the Chelsea fans who have had my back for so long. You make Chelsea the greatest club in the world, don't forget it."

Q - "Do you have any plans for the future? are you planning to stay in the game?"

A - "I mean I'd like to, absolutely. Since I was only a nipper I haven't wanted to do anything else and to a certain extent that still stands now. I was lucky enough during my latter years at Chelsea to work with Jose Mourinho and secure some of my national coaching badges which gives me a good platform."

Q - "A move into management perhaps?"

A - "I'm not making any decisions at the moment, everything is still very raw, I need to take a step back and evaluate all my options before deciding on anything"

Q - "But you would like to?"

A - "It's certainly a possibility"

Q - "You were set to make your debut for your new club here, New York City. Do you have any regrets over how this has worked out?"

A - "Yeah of course I do. I signed a contract with New York on the belief that I could contribute here and help start something special. I am bitterly disappointed that my body has let me down and not allowed me to do this and I would like to apologise to all the New York fans out there who were looking forward to seeing me in the club shirt but sometimes things just don't work out the way they were planned."


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Adam Leventhal - "That was Frank Lampard discussing his retirement from football at the age of 36. Interesting that he refused to rule out a management career, I am sure that there are many fans in the country today that would love to see Lampard at their club."
 
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Cellino seeks quick appointment

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Leeds owner Massimo Cellino has stepped up his search to find the next manager for the club. Leeds have been without a manager since the end of last season when Neil Redfearn was relieved of his duties after guiding the club to a disappointing 15th place finish in the Championship. The bookies favourite for the role is Harry Redknapp, with Nigel Pearson and Sam Allardyce not far behind in the market.

Cellino has a history of being extremely trigger happy with his managers which is evidenced by the fact that Leeds have had 5 managers in the last 3 seasons.
 
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Jim White - "We have live pictures now on Sky Sports News of Frank Lampard arriving at Thorp Arch training ground in Leeds. He is with his fiance Christine Bleakley and our sources understand that he is on the brink of signing a deal to become the new manager of Leeds United Football Club. Let me just repeat that for you, Frank Lampard is poised to become the new manager of Leeds United, he is at their training ground and we are expecting confirmation of this deal very soon.

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I walked into Thorp Arch, feeling the familiar knotting in my stomach that signalled the fact I was nervous. I had absolutely no idea how to manage a football team, but what an opportunity this was.

The reception area was large and airy and I was greeted by Cellino himself, dressed in a sharp Italian suit.

"Frank! good to see you! good to see you! please come, my office is this way" He gestured for me to follow him.

"Thanks, its really good of you to see me" I said to him, walking with him until we reached his office. He ushered me inside and we took our places on either side of his large desk.

"Well Frank, I feel you are the man for the job.. call it a gut feeling" Massimo said, pouring himself a drink.

"I'm flattered.. but.. don't you want to interview me? ask me any questions?"

"No.." He said simply "The job is yours if you want it"

"I would" I said, measuring my next words carefully. "I want certain assurances.. that you are at least going to give me a chance to put my own spin on things here."

To my surprise he laughed "Of course! you will have plenty of time! All I ask is that the club is moving in the right direction.. that is all.."

"Then I think we have a contract to sign"
 
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Leeds United are delighted to announce the appointment of Frank Lampard as our new first team manager. Frank will assume his responsibilities immediately and will be available to lead the squad into pre-season. As a football club we understand that the past few years have been extremely difficult for the fans but we now hope that we can move forward as one in our push for the Premier League.

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Awesome, will be following!

Let's just hope there is no tycoon takeover haha ;)
 
Just saw this after suggesting Rotherham. Thats what I get for being late to the party!

Looks good
 
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LIVE Frank Lampard Press Conference LIVE

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Q - "Frank.. Welcome to Leeds United, this must be a wonderful feeling for you?"

A - "Yeah, it's all been a bit of a whirlwind really.. these last couple of weeks have been insane, but I am so pleased to be here now and ready to get stuck in."

Q - "Why Leeds? what drew you to this job?"

A - "Leeds is a truly massive club, you just have to look at the history and the pedigree here to see that they should be playing at a higher level then they are at the moment, it was a no-brainer"

Q - "Did you have any concerns at all when taking this job? Massimo Cellino seems to have very little patience for managers?"

A - "Massimo and me sat down and had a proper talk about the situation.. we both want the same things for the club and agreed on how we should go about doing things, so I dont have any worries there."

Q - "Are you likely to make many changes? Leeds have been under performing for a long time now"

A - "This is only my first day to be honest, I will need to get into the club properly and have a look at how things are being done. I really cant comment on any changes that could be made yet."

Q - "Have you set any targets for this season?"

A - "Not as of yet.. As I said I am going to need to have a proper look at the club and the squad and we will take it from there, but I think a club of this size has to be ambitious."

Q - "You mentioned the playing squad there.. will you be looking to make any additions?"

A - "Again.. I will need to have a proper look but we do have some money set aside for transfers and if the right opportunities present themselves then it is something we will have a look at doing.
 
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I sat down at my desk and looked at the papers spread out in front of me. Martyn Glover our chief scout had produced detailed reports on every single player in the squad to perhaps give me a rough idea of the squad I had at my disposal and in all honesty it wasn't that bad. The first thing I wanted to establish was a young core to build the side around and it looked like these were the guys to do it.

Giuseppe Bellusci ​

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The strong Italian centre back is perhaps the best player at the club. Quick and strong, with excellent leadership and determination he is the man that will lead our back line. Still only 24 years of age and with time to improve.

Marco Silvestri ​

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Another young Italian, Silvestri has the makings of a superb keeper. Only 23 years of age and with plenty of time to improve he will be our first team keeper this season with Ross Turnbull giving him competition for the role.

Lewis Cook​

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At just 17 years old, Lewis Cook is in for a massive future! Fantastic mental and physical stats, coupled with an eye for a pass and strength in the tackle should see this lad function as a midfield playmaker for years to come.

Sam Byram ​

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Another huge prospect is young Sam Byram. The right back is only 20 years old and already looks like a Premier League quality player. A big season for the young lad who will be looking to keep the more experienced Gaetano Berardi out of the side.

Alex Mowatt ​

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Alex Mowatt is a very similar player to Lewis Cook. Only 19 years old but with some very promising stats. Is likely to be in direct competition with Cook for a starting spot.

Casper Sloth​

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The young dane looks a natural fit for the attacking midfield option. I have visions of this lad playing in behind the striker with solid stats for passing, technique, first touch and vision he can hopefully unlock some doors in tight matches.
Having looked at the squad and the Sky Bet Championship as a whole I had decided that a 4231 would be the right tactic to try and implement. When the core of young players is added in the side starts to look a little something like this.

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From there it was a case of looking through the rest of the squad and seeing who was good enough to compete for a first team place. Experienced centre back Sol Bamba seems a natural choice to slot in alongside Bellusci in the heart of the defence with Liam Cooper offering good competition.

We also have some solid striking options up front. Chris Wood is young and hungry and can lead the line with no difficulties. Mirco Antenucci offers us something different and is also more than capable of slotting in on the right hand side of the three behind the striker. Once they are added in it leaves us with something looking like this and also exposes our weakness.

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That left hand flank is in desperate need of attention. Young Charlie Taylor is capable of putting a shift in at left back but as talented as he is I am not sure he is quite ready for a full Championship season in the first team. Liam Cooper is also capable of playing left back but doesn't quite have the pace for it. We will need to dip into the transfer market.

Left wing is the other area in need of some TLC. Our best option here is Stuart Dallas who can provide some pace and determination but again I dont want to rely on him for the whole season. Dutchman Jordan Botaka is also capable of playing here but is somewhat of an unknown comodity. I will be keeping a close eye on him in pre-season but it is highly likely we will be spending here as well.

According to the Email that Cellino had sent me, we had about £5 million to spend in the transfer market and about £10,000 in spare wages with which to improve the squad. If we wanted anything more than that, we would have to sell to buy.

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Two in for Leeds

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Leeds United have today announced the signings of Chris Eagles and Joseph Mills. Chris Eagles joins on a free transfer after being released by his previous club Bolton at the end of the season. Mills, a natural left back, joins in a deal worth an estimated £1.2 million from Oldham.

New Leeds manager Frank Lampard has moved quickly to secure his first recruits and had this to say. "We have the makings of a really good squad here, we have lots of young talented players who are champing at the bit to prove themselves. Chris is a player I took a very long look at, he has great experience and technique and I feel he can be a really positive influence in the squad. Millsy is younger and has a lot of talent, he will have a excellent battle with Charlie for the left back place."

Lampard has been in charge of Leeds for a couple of weeks after retiring from football.
 
Pre Season Round Up​

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A very mixed pre season although it served its purpose and gave some of our younger players a chance to impress. The win against Burnley was the highlight of the pre-season as we got better as time passed.

Key players in pre season​

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Stuart Dallas only played two games but absolutely leapt at his chance. A goal and an assist in his two games with an average rating of 8.3 has all but assured his place in the team for the start of the season.











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Charlie Taylor had an excellent time of it, with 4 appearances at an average rating of 7.38. Mills is already under pressure for his place!












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Casper Sloth has played extremely well in his 4 appearances with a goal and two assists and an average rating of 7.57, expecting big things from the Dane.
 
Good to see you using Chris Wood! He is a good target man. Hope he does well for your side.
 
A half decent start​

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And so came our first match of the season and my first game as a manager. Derby County are probably on of the tougher teams in the league and we held our own! exactly equal shots and possession tell the story of a really good match which we probably just shaded but all in all a good result. Mills was unfortunate to score an own goal via a cruel deflection on a debut where he performed very well. The real star of the show was Doukara however! with Wood carrying a slight knock and not fully fit, he got his chance and took it with two excellent finishes to grab a brace and a place at the forefront of my mind when it comes to selection in the next game.
 
Davey Jones said:
Good to see you using Chris Wood! He is a good target man. Hope he does well for your side.
Click to expand...

I really like and rate Wood, but I cant see him lasting very long. He is on 20k a week with us, which is more than double anybody else in the whole side. He is going to need to score an absolute shed load to justify that.
 
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