Chelsea have a chance to remake their culture under Frank Lampard as manager, because no player understood and built the club’s recent culture as much as he did.
There are things known and things unknown, and in between are the doors. Jim Morrison, the leader of the band The Doors, said that. Morrison was a culture setter, igniting parts of the zeitgeist before eventually capitulating to it. He will always be remembered for his place and time in that world because he understood it as much as he created it.
The fear of any manager that takes the Chelsea job, a fear shared by any Chelsea fan, is that he is not long for the world of Stamford Bridge. He will come in, win a trophy or two, do the business, and then be discarded when something goes awry. And, like clockwork, it always does. Something always goes awry.
However, in this iteration, Chelsea do not have just some manager, and he is not just some man. They have Frank Lampard, who, along with Thierry Henry, may be the best player in the history of the Premier League. He defined a generation, he defined a country, he defined his position: central midfield.
Central midfielders make football. They set up absolutely everything. Sometimes you just want to watch Mateo Kovacic operate simply for the sake of watching him. No agenda, just joy.
They have the most work to do, have the most responsibility, dictate the tempo and pace – yet they often get the least amount of credit. But being on the ball the most, sometimes pain and pleasure converge within the same exercise. Overall, they do not score a lot of goals. Except for Frank Lampard. He did. A lot.
Lampard scored 274 professional goals as a club player, 234 of which happened during his time in England. Yes, the English goals matter more. He has also been credited with an exceptionally high IQ outside of football, as a regular person. This is not your average man, he is a Special One.
So, the Chelsea fans’ plea to Roman Abramovich and Marina Granovskaia is simple: Give this man adequate time.
Perhaps the youth revolution is overblown and overhyped, but it is undeniably unique around Chelsea. This club normally loans or sells their youth, with the exception of the irrepressible John Terry. But these current times are different and should be treated as a new phenomenon.
There are things known about Chelsea. They win trophies, have great players, and sack their managers.
There are things unknown about Chelsea. The owner has done one English interview, the Director of Football is nowhere to be seen, they are viewed as enigmatic, and the club operates, until very recently with the FIFA sanctions, in the shadows.
No complaints, just facts.
Therein lies the rub. Or, the doors in between. Whatever those doors separate, let’s wish they stop revolving. This time, let those within stay. This time, be still.
If there is one Chelsea player, former or current, who deserves a little extra special treatment, perhaps a little more time, it is Frank Lampard. Roman Abramovich is the boss, the kind and the ruler of Stamford Bridge.
But Abramovich is where and who he is as an owner because of Frank Lampard, and he can repay that by giving Lampard the chance to realize the vision in full. Lampard is not just a culture setter. He is Chelsea culture.