Frank Lampard's first ever press-conference as Chelsea manager (uncut)

Okay, who'd like to start things off? Moose. He's everywhere. Welcome to Chelsea. In terms of seconds and minutes, how long did it take to say? Well, not seconds and minutes, because I think it's important to address the fact that I was fortunate enough to have a really good opportunity last year at Derby. I'm very thankful to the opportunity, Mel Morris first and foremost, but for the whole club, for the fans, for the players, the staff, everybody there, that welcomed me. So it wasn't an easy decision on that behalf, because we had a really good year and I enjoyed it. So the reason I suppose the decision was not minutes and seconds, but pretty quick, was because it was this club. This is the one club that made the decision. Again, not easy, but a decision that is a club that I've played for 13 years, a club that I don't probably have to sit here all afternoon and tell you how much I feel about it, but I do. So the possibility, the opportunity to manage, having played here, having felt the club, to manage this place, this club, these fans, these players, it was huge, it was huge. I know you're really excited, but is there also a little bit of apprehension? I think apprehension is the wrong word. I'm very aware of what a job of this size means in football. Having played here, I felt the pressure was high because of expectations, because of pressure I put on myself. Having been a manager for one year at Derby, I realised that on this side of the fence, the pressure is much more whatever club you're at. And of course, when you come to a club like Chelsea, who have expectations, who have standards, who are competitive year in, year out, I understand that. So I can't hide away from that. So I wouldn't say apprehensive, I'm a realist. I understand what's wanted from me from within the club and I'll try and deliver. And finally, I was here last October when you brought Derby here and you won the League Cup. I saw what you did to this stadium and I felt the way that you stood on it. The vibe you gave the stadium. I mean, you must be a couple of good footballers and you're either way the Super Cup or the game here against Leicester in your first home game of the Super Cup. Are you receptive of it again? Yeah, I am. I am and when I came back with Derby, it was surreal to have a moment as an opposition manager, but to have the support I had from the fans, it was incredible and it was emotional. And I really, really appreciated it. And now I'm here, of course, I mean, I don't want it to make... I don't want to dwell on emotions too much. Any manager, any player has a tingle, has a feeling when fans sing or when they appreciate you. So, yeah, of course. And I am looking forward to Leicester. There's going to be a lot of time in there. We've got a lot of work to do to prepare. But when that comes around, then there'll be a special moment. But more than anything, we want to win that game. Sorry. Yeah, go ahead. Do you believe you've got the experience to be able to carry on? I presume that question will come quite early. And I would say that... I've thought about it a lot because I know that it's an obvious question. And I understand it because in one year in professional management and you get the Chelsea job, that doesn't come around very often. And I think football is probably littered with stories of inexperienced managers who do really, really well. Some spectacularly well and some that don't. And probably really experienced managers that some do really, really well and some that don't. So I think really I'm not too... I don't want to go before and start saying I'm worried about this. I'm worried about that. What I do believe in is that in my playing career, I played under a lot of managers, fantastic managers, things I learned along the way that I've tried to mould into being myself. So I think that stands to be in good stead. I've had one year at Derby where I think I learned a lot in one year. And also, I think I know a lot about this club and feel this club and know how it works. So I have to prove that. Simple as that. People will question it. I'm ready for that, completely ready for that. I believe in myself completely. And I want to show that I'm ready to manage this club, whether I have one year experience or 10 year experience. What I think will define me and define my time here will be my work ethic and what I put into it to try and bring success. Thanks. Ian Bolton. Frank, is this the dream job? Lovely headline, that one. It's a lovely headline. And I think I kind of answered that, Ian, with the first answer when asked how long it took me to to take the job. And of course, everyone knows my links to the club. I don't want to call it the dream job. Everybody knows how I feel. I don't have to give it a name, give it a title. But I love this club and I want to do my best for this club. And and if we can be successful, then you can ask me again when that happens. You talked about being a realist. What is the club expecting from you? What do you want to deliver? Well, I played here for many years and I know that there are standards and there are probably there's a baseline of definitely being competitive. And I was fortunate enough to be in an era of a club where we were competitive and to stay competitive in the Premier League is a big ask because we know it's the most competitive league in the world. But it doesn't change the fact that we should be there or thereabout. So I think the expectation, quite rightly, is that we remain competitive. Of course, there are variables at the moment. We know about the transfer ban. We know about the situation. We know that Manchester City and Liverpool pulled away slightly last year. I think we all have to be realistic about that. But we should never stop trying to, as Chelsea, to be up there. And I think we should be. So, yeah, I'll work to be there. I don't want to proclaim we're going to do this and we're going to do that. But in my instinct, my instincts are coming to this job. And I think the instinct of Chelsea from above will always be that we are competitive when we start the season wanting to win. How disappointed are you that Eden Hazard has now gone? And how important is it for this club to keep players like Eden Hazard? Yeah, I think the Eden Hazard one, you know, from the outside, I wasn't here at the time, but it seemed like something that was really important to Eden personally. And I think the club respected that, the fans respected that. He left on a very good note. And I think I certainly, as a Chelsea fan and played with him and watching from afar, felt that he gave this club and such pleasure and such great times individually in his input that we are thankful that he was here. It's not one to dwell on now. He's gone. We wish him well in his career. He's a great person as well as a great player and wish him well. And now what's important is what we do, is how we take the club forward. So you lose one great player, of course. But then how do you get around that? You work on the team and you look around at what you have. And what we do have is already a very strong squad. And we've got young players at a really good age that have not just potential. Some of them already showed in the first thing, but have the talent to... I won't say Phil Eden has those boots. That's not the question here. He's very unique. But we have players that in their own way can really be huge players for this club. Some that already are huge players and some that can get even better. And part of my job now will be to try and get that out of them and to develop the great young players that we have here. Carrie. Thanks, welcome. The fans are delighted that you've been appointed. They're also really sick that you're under a transfer ban. They also really want to see you come through. But this is a club that expects to win titles. What have you asked in terms of assurances of your role and what you'd like to do in terms of progress to make sure that this club can really bring you and go on to win titles? Have you asked for patience, understanding and someone to develop it? No, I haven't. I haven't. The word realist and realism keeps coming up. And I am a realist. And the last thing I want to do is ask for any favours going into something. It's not the way I work anyway. We seem very focused on Chelsea and the history and managers and change in the Premier League, in the world all over. As a manager, you understand very quickly that you want to try and be successful now. You can judge success on different levels. All I can do is not get too far ahead of myself and work hard. Work hard with what I have. And I mentioned on one hand trying to develop young players. I think that's really important. And that's something that's going to be one of my first jobs to do, and I'll carry on doing it throughout my time. But at the same time, I want to work with the experienced players, players that have been here a long time, players that fill the club, players that are here who have been here one year or two years. I want players that whether you're 18 years of age or 32 years of age, you feel like Chelsea is your club. You feel like you're not just passing through Chelsea with a means to something else. I want people that are here that feel like Chelsea is where they want to be. I play alongside fantastic players. And I'm not just talking about John Terry, who was Mr. Chelsea, I'm talking about Didier Drogba, Peter Cech, people who came from somewhere and felt the club. So my idea is not to think about just the 18 year old or the 32 year old. My idea is to work with the best players, the squad, to try and get the most out of them and again, to be as competitive as it can be. It's a really, it's a really difficult question. It's a really difficult question. I mean, Chelsea, as I say, we have to start with an intention to win. And if I sat here and said that, then I don't think I should be. I didn't say that. I don't think I should be here because that's how it has to be. We want to be playing Champions League football year in, year out. Yes, for sure. And that's something that should drive us all on, myself and the players included. But it's hard. I can't sit here and say what it is, because I think there are a number of factors this year. Yeah, we want to develop players and we want to be competitive. But I'm not going to start saying league positions or whatever. Again, ask me at the end of the year. Last one, Carrie, please. Yes, we do. Yeah, we do, for sure. There is a lot of competition at the top of the league, but we can lose sight as we talk about losing Eden Hazard, one of the greatest players in the world. Yes, we can understand that. But at the same time, we also have a very strong squad of players. And I don't want to talk down this squad because there's huge talent there. Huge talent, a team that managed to come third last year in the Premier League, managed to win the Europa League. We haven't been decimated. We haven't lost players from everywhere. We still have a very strong squad. And I feel like my job now is to try to push on and be successful. There was a problem with Sarri and his connection with the fans. We've seen more fans at Derby. We've also seen the backroom staff have been so involved in their training as well. Are we going to get the bounce here? And what are you going to be? Jose Mourinho calls himself the special one. Well, in terms of the bounce, that was something that was very Derby. And I can't say I didn't buy into it because I was bouncing a lot at different times of the year when we had some good times. But no, I don't know. This is a different story now. Things change and things start again. And I'm not going to ask for anything. And in terms of a name, I'm not going to ask for a name. I think self-proclaimed names or nicknames are not my style. So you can come up with your own one of those. Gentleman there, please. Frank, Andy Swiss, BBC News. I mean, obviously, you've experienced so much as a player, whether it's Champions League finals, Premier League finals, World Cup for England. Would you say this is the biggest challenge? Yes. Yeah, I would. Because my playing career is done. So it's great memories, great challenges along the way. And I always loved the challenge. Coming here 19 years ago was a challenge because I remember driving home and I had the radio on and some people were questioning whether I should be here for 11 million pounds. I worked really hard to try and put that right as a player. And now I'm in a position where I'm going to work really hard to be successful as a manager here. And when I started out in management one year ago, I felt last year was a huge challenge because you start a game. I don't want credit for my playing career. I think it will last five minutes. And I understand that it should last five minutes because I should be judged on what I do here and what I do going forward. So, yeah, the challenge is for me here at a club like Chelsea to show that now going forward. Thank you. Duncan. I'm Duncan White, Sun Online. You mentioned about the realism, but have the club said to you, it's top four, this is what we need from you? Is that the pressure they've got on you to deliver the top four for this season? No, no, they haven't said that. And I don't think they need to say that, because I think it's very clear that we are a club that generally are in a couple of seasons in recent years and a lot of recent years have managed to be in top four or winning titles or winning whatever. So I don't think, you know, one of the benefits I say is that I know the club. I know the standards and what is expected. So it wouldn't be a conversation I would need to have. I understand that that's where we should be. Fans call you super great. Are you worried that you might get time if things don't go right? I'm not and I don't want to sound naive, because I understand that fans want success. My playing career is gone. So that's now what I want to deliver. But if I wanted to go away for the rest of my life and look back on my career and protect it and say, I'm so pleased that I had a good career at Chelsea, I could have done that. I didn't want to do that. I don't see this as a risk. I just see it as something that I am the type of personality that likes challenges. I'm not fearful of the challenge. I'm not fearful of the downside. I'm ready to stand up and accept that side of it. And I want to be successful. So no, I'm here to not be worried about that. One of the big issues for the fans is the position. Do you have any idea where you'll play? Yeah, I do, thankfully. Will you put him back in the position that he was in before? No, I am. No, I'm not going to sit here and talk about how we're going to look next season, because we're starting pre-season tomorrow and the players are coming back. I think, and I've said it before out loud, that Kante is one of the greatest midfield players in the world. In the last few years, his performances are outstanding. One of the pleasures of me getting this job is that I'm able to work with players of that quality. And my job would be to find the best position to get the best out of them in the team. And I'm fortunate to have a player like him, so yeah, it will work. But I know the qualities, the attributes he has, and I'll try and get the most out of him. Alison. Frank. Sorry, Alison. Thank you. A lot has been made of your backroom staff who have come to join you, and also there's lots of rumours going around about various Chelsea legends who might be returning to the club. Obviously, Peta and Sambo have already been announced, but can you tell us a bit more about your backroom staff? Yeah, I can. Jodie Morris is coming with me as an assistant head coach. We have a really close relationship from our playing days, a friendship, like-minded in our thinking of how we think about football. He obviously has a great link with the academy here and was very successful, which is obviously a huge strength for his from within the club. But more than that, he's a fantastic coach and I worked with him for a year. And we have a huge loyalty between each other, which I think is important when you work day-to-day. Chris Jones, similarly, was at Derby with me and worked many years at Chelsea to great success with different managers. So he'll be here with me as a coach. Again, the trusting and how we work, we know each other very well. Joe Edwards will move up from working with him in the 23s. Again, he's had great success, saying the same thing again and again, but he has, and I have a good relationship with him. And trust how he works on the training ground. He's fantastic on the training ground, as is Jodie, as I said. And Eddie Newton will be working with us in the first team staff. Again, I've worked with Eddie. He worked with Robby DiMatteo and won the Champions League and brings a great experience, a quality of coaching, a continuity to us as a group. So I think from what I've said there, you can see that it's a very Chelsea orientated team. But what I want to make clear is that this is not an old boys club. What I'm trying to put together in the staff is talent. And yeah, it's fresh talent in my eyes. We are relatively young, but we're not inexperienced at all. I may be in one year of management, but in Jodie and Joe and Eddie, and we have many years, and Chris, we have many years of coaching within us. And when you mention about Petr and when you mention about the talk of Didier and McEleady, I think what we're trying to do, and this is not just me, this is the club, is to bring in, not just bring in players that play for the club because they play for the club. I think you're trying to bring in people that feel the club. Yes, first and foremost. Yeah, that's nice. But people with an incredible work ethic. The reason Petr checks here is because he's got an incredible work ethic that I've played with him, and I know that. And he has a real desire to be positive for this club. That's the first talent or attribute that you need. So that's how I see it. That's how I see what we're trying to build. It will be one of the things we'll look at strongly, but I think the integration thing, I think sometimes it can be slightly misconstrued. We have a first team building. We have an academy building. And the one thing I'll say is that, as I say, with the beauty of having Jodie and Joe in there, is that we know a lot of the players from a very young age and how they are. And what we're saying is that that small path between the buildings, you can cross it, but you have to prove yourself to cross it. And our eyes will be on that side of the building. And if you prove yourself that you can come over and mix it with the first team, try and get yourself into the first team, get yourself training regularly, get yourself playing, then you have an opportunity to bridge that gap. I think that's the important thing that any young player needs to know. And the academy have been doing great work for years here. So it would be a miss for me to come in and say, I'm not going to look at that. It's something that I'm going to look at. It's important for us. Just finally for me, just a more personal note. We knew you were here, obviously, last night, late into the night, signing and all the rest of it. How did it feel? What was the first thing that you thought when you woke up this morning, knowing that you were manager of Chelsea Football Club? Well, we were here quite late because we were talking, and I think it was great for me to have time here and talk because I have to talk about what my vision, I don't like that word, but, you know, my ideas and I want to feel that back from the club. So those talks have been ongoing for the last week. But I have to say, I've been quite cool about it. But I have to say, when I woke up this morning, it was official. It felt good. It felt really good. And I'll have to get over that. It's a nice emotion now to get to work tomorrow. But I'm not going to lie, it felt really good this morning. Liam? Hello, Frank, you're on to a really nice point. You worked really well with Tamori and Mason out of Derby last season. Are those two players in particular part of your first team plans Yeah, they were great for me last year, both of them. And I appreciated that they were pivotal in the team. And they come back now with a very clean slate, as does every player, young, old, been on loan at the club, whatever they are, to prove in preseason that they have a chance to be in the squad going forward. So they're the same, the same for Tammy Abraham, the same who I played against in the final, players like that who have been there, been on loan, come back and know that what they can show in preseason will give them opportunity. Now, we have a big squad. Not everybody's going to be able to stay. For the development of certain individuals, the path will be chosen, whether it's with us or the loaners. We see the loan systems work very well in different cases. So that's the next month's probably assessment to see how we, how I and we together fools the squad. And just finally for me, when Roman took over the club in 2003, there were people questioning at the time whether you were ready to step up and be a leading player in the new Chelsea. Do you see similarities maybe in this situation, where again, a group of professional midfielders ready for this chance and feel the same hunger now that you were there to prove yourself? I feel it even more. I felt it as a player. And I think there's nothing better in football. And nobody has an easy road, as far as I'm concerned. There's always marks or steps in your career where questions are asked of you, no matter who you are. And as a player, I really like that. I like the challenge of it. And yeah, I'm getting that again, and it's not a problem. OK, I think we're going to have one more question at the back. And then we're going to begin with Reuters. Last one, please. Frank, you mentioned all the managers you played under here. Have you spoken to any of them or do you plan to call any of those guys for some advice? No, I haven't spoken to any of them. And as it stands, I don't plan to call them. As I mentioned before, I try and take bits of them throughout my career and as I've tried to become my own person. If I felt the need to pick up the phone, there are many numbers I could call, but as it stands, no. OK, thank you very much. Good afternoon. Thanks all.