When 'Lampard' meant West Ham
'Lampard' is a name written in bold in West Ham United's history and DNA. The one responsible for this is Frank Lampard Senior, a stalwart of the Hammers lineup in the 1970s and '80s.
Frank Lampard Sr. had been a player at the East London club for more than twenty years. From 1964 he played in the youth teams, and three years later he made his debut in the first team. Between 1967 and 1985, he played a total of 670 matches in the claret and blue shirt.
This makes him the second most capped player in the entire history of West Ham United (the record is held by Lampard's teammate from the same era Billy Bonds with 799 starts for the Hammers).
Frank Lampard Sr. won the FA Cup twice with West Ham (1975 and '80). These are among the greatest achievements in the history of the club. Frank Lampard Sr. became a true club legend.
He returned to the Hammers later as a coach. From 1994 to 2001 he served at West Ham as an assistant manager under Harry Redknapp, his brother-in-law.
When Lampard hurt the Hammers
When Lampard Sr. was the assistant coach, his son Frank Lampard Jr. joined West Ham as an apprentice in the youth team in 1994, signing a professional contract the following year.
Lampard Jr. made his debut for West Ham in January 1996 at the age of 17. Hammers fans expected a lot from the prodigy, the son of a legend. Frank Jr. really excited the fanbase.
He became a cornerstone of West Ham's lineup over the next five seasons, in a total of 187 matches for the Hammers he scored 39 goals, but then that successful partnership went awry.
In May 2001, the Hammers manager Redknapp left the club by mutual consent after seven years in the role. Also, his assistant, Frank Lampard Sr. left the club and Frank Jr., under the pressure of being known as 'Frank Lampard's son' and the poor treatment of his father by West Ham, decided to move to another club as well.
Lampard left West Ham for Chelsea in June 2001.
As Frank Lampard Sr. became a West Ham legend, Frank Lampard Jr. became immortal in the club based at Stamford Bridge. He played 648 games for the Blues and ranks fourth in the club's all-time list.
What's more, he is Chelsea's all-time top scorer with 211 goals. Against his former club, he made 22 appearances in the shirt of their West London rivals and scored seven goals.
For Hammers fans, the 'Lampard' name has changed from one of proud heritage to a bitter thorn in their side.
Blues with West Ham blood
At Chelsea, a man who played more matches than Lampard is their former long-term captain John Terry. He made 717 appearances for the Blues, the third-most of anyone. He joined the club at the age of 15 in 1995. Terry made his debut in the senior team in 1998 and he played for the Blues for almost his entire career. His last match for Chelsea was in 2017.
However, even John Terry has a past at West Ham. He was active in the Hammers youth system before moving to Chelsea as a teenager. And on top of that, his entire family consists of fans of the East London club.
A well-known story, which is also documented with a photo, shows a moment when Terry's own father and uncle showed him rude gestures and shouted abuse at him from the stands during a match between their team and Chelsea.
Another famous player who was brought up at West Ham but later shone in the blue shirt of Chelsea is Joe Cole. But unlike Terry and Lampard, Joe Cole later returned to the Hammers for a while.
What would be the fate of West Ham if all their promising youngsters stayed in the club? We will never know, but it is certain that in West London at Stamford Bridge especially Lampard and Terry will always be remembered as great players and legends, while in the east of the city, at West Ham, they will be forever seen as traitors.
