And yes, he did let Pat Lampard down. Here's what I put on the Chelsea board after I had had it up to my ears with all the pathos after she had sadly died: 

 

Re: A Must Read on Lampard from The Times

Posted by: Simon68 (IP Logged)

Date: 08 May, 2008 16:06

"Oh for f*cks sake!

It's just nauseating.

The bloke lost his mother aged 58. That's sad, of course it is.

But people lose their parents, brothers, sisters, wives, husbands etc. every day and a lot younger.

So Lampard is a professional footballer.

Does that make his mother more important than a mother of a non-footballer?

No, it doesn't.

And if he wasn't in a fit state to play against Liverpool then he shouldn't have played.

But he said he was, so why does that make the scoring of a penalty such a brave act as Martin Samuel seems to think it is?

By the way, Bacary Sagna lost his brother suddenly, aged just 30, back in February.

Didn't see and hear all the over the top nonsense that's been spouted about Lampard's mother dying (did anyone apart from those who knew her actually know her name before this? I doubt half the Chelsea players did, why should they?) these past couple of weeks.

There was dignity in the support Bacary got from his teammates, done privately.

Which is the way it should be."

Anyway, I digress. The reaction to Terry's blubbing for missing the penalty he wasn't good enough to have taken? "It's because he cares so much" or "Captain Courageous for taking the penalty". And the media reaction to Ferdinand's appalling behaviour both on and off the pitch at Stamford Bridge recently? See above "It's because he cares etc." Contrast all that to Gallas' behaviour at Birmingham. He got slated and still is. He is being blamed for Arsenal not winning the league. I'll come on to that later. But is it a coincidence that the first two are England internationals and Gallas is French? 

And would the way the players, plus Ferguson, behaved on Wednesday have been glossed over the way it has been if Arsenal had been involved? Would it f*ck. If we had been Chelsea and Terry was Gallas it would have been 'Disgraceful Arsenal got their just desserts' or 'Arsenal were deservedly beaten' or 'Gallas & Arsenal crumble under pressure'. Or worse. You get the picture.  

The Review

It's the sort of complete crap we've had to put up with all season, which is where I will start talking about Arsenal's season. (I wondered when it would start. Editor)

I'll start from last June. The Preview

Some of you may remember that I said was going to be on the ITV news having been interviewed at Drayton Park by an ITN News man, but this happened:-

"Re: B*stards cut me out

Posted by: Simon68 (IP Logged)

Date: 25 June, 2007 20:08

I must admit that my interview wasn't in the same tone as those others.

Piers Hopkirk interviewed me for 5 minutes and I said that Henry was a great player, but he's gone and we must look forward. And that Dein has gone and it was for very good reasons and we must look ahead.

That people were worried when Wright declined, but we got Anelka. Then Anelka went and we got Henry. I said we will have another great player and that I think it could be van Persie.

I said we have about a dozen players who would get into most Premiership sides but can't get in our first team.

I told him that I think Arsene Wenger will stay as we have got the youngest squad we've ever had and why would Wenger leave with the job half done? Why would he go from Arsenal where he has complete control over playing matters to somewhere like Real Madrid or Barcelona where he wouldn't?

I told him the future is bright and there is no need for people to cause trouble where there is none.

From what he was like off camera it is clear he agrees that all the crisis talk is in his words "bollocks", but obviously his Sports Editor wants doom and gloom hence not even a soundbite. Is it coincidence that ITV have just sold their 9.9% share in Arsenal to Kroenke and now they are putting a negative spin on things at Arsenal?

Anyway I must get myself an agent who can actually get me on the telly. I hear Jerome Andersons' got some time on his hands now."

Well, apart from the player who took over where TH14 left off being Adebayor and not RvP I think my optimism was justified, don't you? In fact, barring injury, RvP would have been the man.

And do you remember us being written off by all and sundry for even a top four place without TH14? Of course you do. Some of you were doing it yourselves in a more roundabout way than all those feckwit Spurs muppets, but you were doing it all the same.

Do you remember our great start to the season and yet still not being given credit because "they haven't faced a real test yet."? Do you remember how boring that line became after f*ck knows how many "real tests" we overcame? I hope so because some of you need reminding.

END PART 2

PART 3 HERE

RETURN TO PART 1

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