Frankly, lay off Lamps

PRIOR to Chelsea’s win over Crystal Palace on Saturday, the absolutely absurd suggestion that Frank Lampard is on borrowed time at Stamford Bridge is why social media can be a depressing place at times.

The club have recruited superbly this summer, bringing in the right players at the right age to work under a fantastic young manager.

They will compete for trophies in the coming years. It will take time, because that’s just how football works.

Alas, so many youngsters have dined on immediate returns, immediate trophies that I fear already we’ve driven enough young managers out of the game, leaving a void filled gleefully by the same old managers offering so very little to the game.

So I’m telling those wavering Chelsea fans straight — if you drive Lampard out you will extinguish the best chance your club has had of winning trophies in an exciting and vibrant style for a long, long time – and that’s taking into account the last 15 years have been trophy-laden.

He’s that good, so leave him be.

THE worst thing you can do to a fellow pro is go out of your way to severely injure him, the second is to spit in his face and the third is to deliberately try to get him sent off.

So Erik Lamela’s reaction to being clipped by Anthony Martial alone should have been enough to earn a red card because it was s***housery of the highest order.

Lamela should get a retrospective red card because if he doesn’t raise a hand then neither does Anthony Martial.