Fan group: Frankly, don’t show Lampard
FRANK LAMPARD WILL take in Saturday night’s New York City FC game as a spectator, still more than three months from his scheduled debut as the expansion club’s marquee midfielder.
But if there were any designs of showing off Lampard on the Yankee Stadium field or big screen while his future teammates face Sporting Kansas City, the president of NYCFC’s biggest supporters club has a better idea: Keep Lampard away from the angry public.
“If I was running it, I wouldn’t (show Lampard to the crowd),” Chance Michaels said. “They put out the story that he’s going to be there. We get a sense that he’s going to support our team, that’s great. I hope he goes into the locker room and does all that. But I would keep him out of sight, out of mind. Until he’s ready to put on OUR light blue shirt.”
Michaels’ suggestion was made more out of mercy and common sense than anger, and he actually plans to cheer Lampard’s next appearance — if only because his son is a big fan. But the Lampard fiasco is a black eye to an otherwise positive introduction to this market for NYCFC, requiring a statement from parent club Manchester City in January that it misled the public by announcing the midfielder as an MLS player (Lampard didn’t sign with MLS originally, agreeing instead to a “pre-contract” that was promptly abandoned by the 36-year-old when Manchester City wanted to keep him for the rest of the English Premier League season).
Lampard, who is visiting New York during a break in his Manchester City schedule, isn’t contracted to play for NYCFC until July.
“I’m a little regretful that this is going to come up as an issue that we have to deal with. Now I think it’s going to happen twice,” said Michaels, whose group, the Third Rail, has about 1,700 members. “I said all along, it’s going to happen — the first time he steps on the pitch, everybody is going to boo him and then he starts playing and everyone is going to forgive him. Now I think he’s probably get two rounds of boos. … I think it’s something people need to get out of their system.”
Still, Michaels clarified that he expects a mixture of boos and cheers, both delivered passionately. There’s also the possibility that Lampard doesn’t want to be shown on a screen, since the club has stated he wishes to keep a low profile during his trip to New York. He has declined all media requests.
“Everybody deserves a second chance. I’m going to cheer,” said fan and former New York State assemblyman Micah Kellner.
Added Tony Larsen, who blames the PR disaster on Manchester City, not Lampard: “Frank didn’t have to come during the break. Being here now still says something about his commitment to the team.” But Daniel Royster isn’t impressed: “I’m gonna boo if they show him on the Jumbotron.”