Frank Lampard Thread

[Drainyoo]

Kreis finally comments on Frank rod.

http://www.goal.com/en-us/news/1110...no-issues-with-lampard-situation?ICID=HP_BN_1

Sounds like it wasn't his choice but he will deal with it. Disappointing that we didn't get anything in return for the deal, which any other club extending a loan would have gotten. basically being a good employee

Holy fucking shit Kreis! He should have just kept his mouth shut. He was the only one in all of this that I felt wasn't buying all this crap, but it seems like they put him inline real nice. Good for the team? He can't be serious with that shit after he said that players who join mid-season aren't helpful. And you knew all along he was coming in July? That's just a flat out lie.

Man, I wish he just kept quiet. I get that he's not going to come out against CFG and NYCFC, but he also didn't have to go say all this. It's clear that he was told to say this stuff. That, or he's really just clueless.

This shit just made me feel worse. If the coach is talking like their robot, then we're just screwed. I hope I'm wrong.

 

[Ike Podell]

WELL FRANKLY, I LIKED IT BETTER WHEN HE DIDNT SAY ANYTHING THAN TO GRANT HIS STAMP OF APPROVAL ON THIS ASS RAPING.

THIS IS HOW I TALK TOO WHEN IT COMES TO INVOLUNTARY SODOMY.

 

[MagnusPax]

Whats Kreis suppose to say? Want the coach to end up like Mike Petke?

 

[NYCFCFan10]

I think you guys need to look closer at what he actually says when he says "he knew all along he's coming in July" he means he's positive Frank will actually come in the summer and not dodge the team again after it was announced he was staying. Not that he knew since signing him.

 

[NYCFCFan10]

Also, its as I feared, he has totally bought into the CFG family thing, while Pellegrini very obviously only worries about his team.

I do like how he says it was a decision by the parent company but that his and Reyna's opinion was taken into account. Right.

At the end though, he mentions his team philosophy which he has never waivered on, "the team is the star" which is why I guessed he'd really be ok with this. Kreis will never rely on one guy. Never.

 

[Drainyoo]

This tweet is very telling.

https://twitter.com/x/status/553756420248985600

 

[mgarbowski]

There was a line for Kreis and Reyna to take that was deferential to their bosses but also respectful to fans. An apology to us about the lie last July is not a poke in the eye of CFG management. They chose to go all in and spit on us by still taking the line that this is in our best interest. That CFG demanded this much obeisance and they rolled over has me all negative again.
MC's acknowledgement of an error yesterday-- half-baked as it was, coupled with the universal public ridicule -- had me thinking we might get something modestly better from NYC on Monday. I won't make the mistake of being optimistic about our guys ever again. I don't know why Kreis is so well respected and considered honorable or feisty. I'm seeing nothing of either.
And I interpet his "knew all along he's coming in July" to mean "We thought he was coming January 1. Wholly contained subsets of that are that he comes February 1, March 1, ... July 1, etc., so we logically believed all of them as well. It turns out now he's coming July 1, so we therefore always both believed and knew he was coming July 1."
Makes him sound like a Vulcan, I know, but he showed the same level of passion yesterday.

 

[BxLio91]

I think he's just as annoyed as us and I assume that CFG briefed everyone on what stance to take so it doesn't seem like everyone is not on the same page. Ultimately if RB fired Petke for putting Austria on the spot even though he's won them a SS, why would Kreis call out CFG when he has nothing to stand on?
BTW anyone else waiting on the extremely popular FmL update courtesy of the NYCFC twitter account?

 

[Midas Mulligan]

BTW anyone else waiting on the extremely popular FmL update courtesy of the NYCFC twitter account?

I've been sharpening my Twitter fangs by practicing snarky quips in front of the mirror.

 

[mgarbowski]

https://twitter.com/x/status/553891090697576448

We knew all along Frank would be here when MCFC is eliminated from all competitions.

 

[Tom in Fairfield CT]

https://twitter.com/x/status/553891090697576448

We knew all along Frank would be here when MCFC is eliminated from all competitions.

If this is a way for them to get me to root for Man City... its working! Come on Citeh! Beat Barca!

Can they join more competitions?

 

[NYCFCFan10]

See? Manchester wants us to root against them.

 

[Tiger Jones]

Just read the Kreis comments, boy did he sure bend over and take it. Whenever something like this happens in the future at least we know what the responses will be: what's good for one is good for all. It really is quite shocking.

 

[Ahab_Flanders]

Just read the Kreis comments, boy did he sure bend over and take it. Whenever something like this happens in the future at least we know what the responses will be: what's good for one is good for all. It really is quite shocking.

It's not that shocking really. What's he gonna say? My bosses are fucking tools and I hate this team I've spent the last year and a half building! Fire me you pricks!

I think he carefully picked his language in that statement so that it can be read to subtly lay blame on MC/CFG.

 

[Tiger Jones]

It's not that shocking really. What's he gonna say? My bosses are fucking tools and I hate this team I've spent the last year and a half building! Fire me you pricks!

I think he carefully picked his language in that statement so that it can be read to subtly lay blame on MC/CFG.

I would like to see SOME disdain for what happened. It's clearly not the best thing for NYCFC despite what he says. I know he has to tow the company line but I just wish he didn't. I suppose I'm not shocked, just disappointed.

 

[Ahab_Flanders]

I would like to see SOME disdain for what happened. It's clearly not the best thing for NYCFC despite what he says. I know he has to tow the company line but I just wish he didn't. I suppose I'm not shocked, just disappointed.

I think he did though. Like I said, it's subtle but I think it's there. Some quotes:

"I think it's been confusing for a lot of people and I'm not sure that I understand why,” Kreis told reporters Friday.

As I said in another thread this could mean he's not sure why it was handled in such a confusing way by CFG.

“For us, we've been certain all along that Frank is coming in July. He's done extremely well, I think probably better than any of us would've thought he would've done and it's a matter of circumstance. These things happen in soccer.

We know that this has not been certain all along. Kreis knows that we know this. He also knows that in reality it was "a matter of circumstance." If we keep in mind that he said he was surprised no news has broken he might be saying they've been certain of this since Claudio came back from Manchester and again he's not sure why it wasn't announced then and was handled in such a confusing way.

“So what was originally going to be he was going to be here from day one of the preseason now changes to July, and in some ways that's a very positive thing for our team, for our group and for MLS in general that we're able to attract those types of players.”

100% toeing the company line here.

“As I said before, the decision was made by our parent company and it was a decision that was made for the best of the entire group, so we support the decision and we move on,” Kreis said. “Through myself and [sporting director Claudio Reyna], it was a decision that was made by the entire group.

AKA this was not our decision. I think he starts to be even more specific about him and Claudio but then backs off and just says it was a group decision, but in case that wasn't clear enough we get:

We have to provide our opinion by what we think and what we want, but we also support the decision. It’s all one group.

AKA this decision was not our opinion, but we also support it, because what else can we do?

“At the end of it all, it's a good thing for us. Obviously Manchester City is benefitting from it right now, and it's a good thing for the league that we can, at the end of the day, say we can attract players like that to come into our league.”

Back to the party line, again he has to be subtle if he doesn't want to be in Petke's shoes.

"It creates a little bit of a challenge for us to think about, in particular, the system that we'll use and how we'll adjust that when he comes in,” Kreis said. “I look at it as almost a good thing, a good challenge that there'll be other players that are going to need to step up and take responsibility, and always look to build teams based on the concept that the team is much more important than any individual piece.
“If that player's name is Frank Lampard or David Villa or Cristiano Ronaldo, I still think that the most important thing is the team. So we move on, and we focus on the team and we do everything we can to put out the best possible team we can to represent the city properly.”

This is a challenge, no denying it. And rather than the party line we get Kreis' view that it is almost a good thing, because of the challenge, but is not really a good thing for us. He can almost view it that way based on the last bit, which has always been his coaching strategy.

“We’re all one family. We’re not trying to negotiate with Manchester City for what they’re going to be able to give us,” Kreis said. “We were part of that decision and, at the end of the day, we understand the decision that was made. We’re not trying to gain anything. That doesn’t make any sense.”

First bit is understandable, MCFC wasn't gonna give us compensation and again, Kreis can't just go hauling off on them if he wants to keep his job. But again he emphasizes that he understands the decision at the end of the day, meaning this was not his first choice but at this point he's forced to accept it and move on.

That's just my reading of it, but I think that people reading this statement with outrage colored glasses are missing the multiple points where he subtly lays the blame on MCFC and CFG.

 

[NYCFCFan10]

A great timeline of events supplied to us by Joehooligan from BigSoccer:

July 24, NYCFC announces Lampard signs with NYCFC

July 24, Kreis stats that Villa and Lampard will be with team from beginning of 2015 season and that players that start mid season don't normally do well, "players that enter in the middle of the season are typical fails."

August 6, MCFC announces Lampard will join on a 5 month loan, ending January 1, including an official tweet on twitter

September 15, MLS releases contract information and Frank Lampard is not included but David Villa is (at only $60,000).

September 24, Pelligrini says it is possible Lampard could stay longer

September 25, Kreis denies "rumors" that Lampard may extend stay at MCFC, "there is no truth to that rumor at all." Article

September 25, Lampard says he is contracted to January 1 and that he is on loan at MCFC. (Note - originally I thought the January 1 contract comment was his starting date with NYCFC but maybe it is his loan ending date?)

October 6, Lampard hints his loan could be extended

November 3, Now his loan ends January 7 but Lampard and MCFC have apparently signed an agreement to end the loan at the end of the PL season (note, the blog I got this from says they think the newspaper breaking the story has the date of the end of the loan being 1/7 wrong). NYCFC states they don't know when Lampard will start with them but the plan is for him to be with the club in pre-season

November 20/21, With Ivory Coast in the ANC and MCFC short of midfielders, talk spreads that MCFC will try and extend the loan

November 26, There is now a clause in the loan that says it can be extended

November 27, The clause for a loan extension is mentioned on MCFC's own website by one of its journalists

December 2, Garber says he won't interfere in the loan situation and that it is up to NYCFC to resolve this

December 31, Pelligrini says Lampard could play on January 1 but that a deal has not yet been completed (because, you know, when you have signed a player through June you need to work out a deal to keep him on January 1!)

December 31, Wait, a deal has been completed to extend his loan to the end of the season!

January 4, Garber indicates Lampard will arrive in July

January 8, It's revealed Lampard only signed a "commitment to play" for NYCFC starting January 1, 2015

 

[Midas Mulligan]

I hypothesized early in this saga, that maybe, just maybe, the lies are what we are hearing now and there was some paperwork that NYCFC and MLS were rewarded for losing?

Totally crazy, but not any crazier than believing a multi-billion dollar corporation running the current champions of the financially largest league in the world would willfully deceive fans, all the while either hiding the truth from or convincing two entire offices (MLS & NYC) of FO professionals to go along with their fiction?

Doesn't it fit this timeline and the behavior of all parties to believe that he did sign a pre-contract with NYC back then, but it had to be mutually rescinded (read "destroyed" or "lost" or whatever) in order for Fat Frank to stay on? That somewhat explains all of the misinformation that came out when the extension of the MC engagement occurred. They didn't get the facts straight because the person creating the narrative didn't get it properly vetted for rules compliance. Thus, we get an initial story that is an IMPOSSIBILITY per the rules of the PL/FA.

I'm not convinced this narrative is true. But it is another way of explaining what happened.

And no, we won't ever know. And no, it doesn't matter. And it is really pathetic of me to be wasting these moments typing out this conjecture, speeding the onset of arthritis or other repetitive motion joint issues in my thumbs. #YOLO

 

[NYCFCFan10]

Makes you wonder if the crest thing was also staged. The more ManCity one winning and then of course Melbourne gets a quick copy of it. I doubt it was ever really a question.

Not really important in itself but important in how the owners show a complete disregard for the fans....

 

[BxLio91]

If they do another Lampard presentation event in July, it should be held at the projects in Brownsville.