"Go and sit down fat boy!" - Frank Lampard reveals how West Ham fans tormented him

It's not true. I was so tense for that game I was either useless or the opposite and scored. I used to get tense and up for it because they always used to hammer me. And that affected you? Yeah, I got too pent up. My first years going back there I wanted to do so well to prove them wrong because they were giving me so much stick that I didn't produce and then I scored a few years in and then I sort of lost the shackles and scored pretty regularly. I suppose it makes it worse if you want to do well and you don't then the next time you play them it's even worse, isn't it? Try too hard. I always thought the West Ham fans were going out of order for that. For one of their own players to come through the system the way Frank did and love West Ham. His dad played there, been there all his life and for them to turn it the way they did. You could say that was a compliment though because they'd seen him go on and be so successful. Yeah, but you don't do that to one of your own. No, but they are. Listen, I got on told stick whenever I played West Ham. They probably warranted it from you. I don't think I ever lost there either. Their fans, the banter with those fans. The West Ham fans are brilliant. I loved playing for West Ham. I had a great relationship with the fans. Genuinely, because people look at footballers and don't see them as human beings sometimes. How much did it hurt? It hurt me more when I played there and they used to give me stick. When I went back I didn't mind because it was then seen as a compliment in a way. Especially as years went on. Did you understand it when you were still playing there and you were getting stick? Yeah, I understand it retrospectively that my dad was there. They thought there was some nepotism but no I don't. I was a West Ham boy and my dream was to play for West Ham. I used to get told to sit down when I was warming up. Go and sit down fat boy. I just trundled back to the bench. How old would you have been then? From 17 to 20. You look back now and you can make sense of it. When you're 17 you're a kid. It is character building. That's what I always say to any young kids. When you do these talks or go to schools or talk to young players. You talk about characters and people that have got a strong mentality to get them to the top. Frank, I always use him as that example. You had to leave that club didn't you? Eventually. It was hard. Frank had to leave there to go and make his name. Yeah. You won in the end. I don't know. Other people can say that. I'll say that for you.