Some reassuring stats........

[maverick69]

"Lampard v Faurlin. The two duked it out in a match where possession had to be fought for, and Faurlin - our jewel of the South Atlantic - made Frank look exactly what he is: yesterday's news.

While Faurlin won 80% of his tackles, Lampard barely managed 50%; Faurlin won 70% of his ground duels, Lampard managed a paltry 38%*.

And when he managed to hold on to the ball, life didn't get any easier for poor old Frank. Lampard managed a passing accuracy percentage of 68%, which wouldn't have been good enough for QPR: Faurlin (88%), Shaun Wright-Phillips (88%), Esteban Granero (75%) and Ji-sung Park (90%) can all do more useful things with a ball at their feet."

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/blog/_/name/queensparkrangers/id/119?cc=5739#

[HammersmithR]

Lampard is one of the most over rated players of his generation. He has mastered the art of passing a ball sideways. His 'goals' always look good as he takes so many pens and with the way they play he barely has to do any defending so is always on the end of flick ons etc.

Not in the same league as players like Gerrard and Scholes.

[kron-1664]

1. Lampard is a class player, any midfielder that can score 20 goals a season for almost a decade is class

2. Faulin and Granero had him and ramires in their pockets all game long

[DeepcutHoop]

1. Lampard is a class player, any midfielder that can score 20 goals a season for almost a decade is class

2. Faulin and Granero had him and ramires in their pockets all game long

This.

Lampard may be on the decline now, but he's been a goal-scoring machine for years.

[theblackmafia.]

Not a big fan of fatty Lampard but his record speaks for itself. Every player has a duff game or two. Let's not get too carried away.

[e8 ranger]

Would say 30% of his goals are pens

[W12hoops]

Lampard is one of the most over rated players of his generation. He has mastered the art of passing a ball sideways. His 'goals' always look good as he takes so many pens and with the way they play he barely has to do any defending so is always on the end of flick ons etc.

Not in the same league as players like Gerrard and Scholes.

Spot on, top top post.

[kron-1664]

Spot on, top top post.

95 england caps
160 odd career goals from midfield
1 champions league
3 premier leagues
4 fa cups
2 league cups

yeah this bloke is s h ite really

[MattyRangers]

1. Lampard is a class player, any midfielder that can score 20 goals a season for almost a decade is class

2. Faulin and Granero had him and ramires in their pockets all game long

This. Dont particularly like Lampard tbh, and he is certainly just past his best, but he is a top top player. His record speaks for itself.

Weve got ourselves some gems in Ale & The Pirate though, they will be a top top pairing and I cant wait to see them perform against some of the "weaker" sides in the league once theyve gelled.

[QPR_NW10]

i think there's a difference between claim Lamps is "s*it" and/or "useless" and claiming he's over rated.
The man has won a lot, he was worked hard to get to be an england player and has seen a lot of success in his career.

but i don't think he is as valuable as is making out to be. he is not the be all and end all of the top clubs imo. I think him at him prime - i think there were better midfielders than him. I think he is not in the top 10 PL midfielders of all time (where he is regularly placed by panels and poles). I don't think he is a game changer and I don't think that if chelsea did not have him they would have been with any less silverware.

[sirduncs]

i just hope we see our midfield shape up like they did on saturday, a few more performances like that will give this team an enormous amount of confidence no matter who we play...

[californiahoop]

Lampard is one of the most over rated players of his generation. He has mastered the art of passing a ball sideways. His 'goals' always look good as he takes so many pens and with the way they play he barely has to do any defending so is always on the end of flick ons etc.

Not in the same league as players like Gerrard and Scholes.

A bit unfair mate, he score 20 a season from midfield, nuff said, pens or no pens, they still have to be scored.

[Busheyboy]

Lampard may be past his best but I don't think we'd have complained if he was a Rngers player for the lst 8-10 years. Can't remeber too may seasons when we've had a striker scoring 20 goals let alone a midfield that's done it 8 years running!
Faurlin & Granero had the better of him but that doesn't make him a bad player and his record isn't too shabby is it?

[stanistheman]

This. Dont particularly like Lampard tbh, and he is certainly just past his best, but he is a top top player. His record speaks for itself.

Weve got ourselves some gems in Ale & The Pirate though, they will be a top top pairing and I cant wait to see them perform against some of the "weaker" sides in the league once theyve gelled.

I agree. To call him shi'te is bowlocks. His career stats (Premier League and England) speak for
themselves. So what if a lot of his goals have been pens. They still have to be converted.

Didnt hear many complains about Helguson's goal record for QPR. Probably 50% were pens, but the point is they have to be scored. Bad players miss a lot of pens, Lampard keeps a cool head and converts them, many of them late in the game.

[hoopsididitagain]

Calling Lampard over rated or useless is ridiculous. He's one of the best midfielders of his generation and has scored over 20 goals a season for much of the last ten years in a chelsea side for which he often had to take on the mantle of chief goal-getter in both the pre-drogba years and also during the strikers fluctuations. The negative perceptions of Lampard all seem to stem from West Ham fans, a team he left for a vast some of money rather than see his contract run down and leave for nothing as others have done since, which is also ridiculous as he was a fine player for them in his youth and also the 'ING GER LAND' brigade who blame him for a mediocre international team not winning the world cup year in year out. He may play for a team we don't like and a lot of people see him as John Terry's cohort which doesn't help him, but people on here finding fault with the most influential player at a club who have achieved so much (who unlike Steven Gerrard has not dramatically declined in the last three years) is just plain daft. Saying all this though, it is of course massively encouraging that Faurlin on his return from nine months out managed so well against him and I thought we dominated the midfield on Saturday, again testament to our own personnel.