We’ve just released our big interview with David Speedie, and as well as tons of great anecdotes about playing for the club back in the 80s, he’s got plenty to say about this current team.
Like everyone, he’s been super impressed by the work Frank Lampard has done since arriving in the summer of 2019:
“I think Frank is a cute cookie. He knows his stuff. He will have learnt a lot from his uncle and his dad over the years. He’s getting the right advice from some really good people. I played for Harry [Redknapp] at West Ham when I was on loan and what a great guy he is. A great man-manager,” Speedie explained.
“[Lampard] did things right by going to Derby and starting off at a lesser club. As soon as the opportunity arose, I thought is it too soon for Chelsea? It is going to be a disaster? No it’s not, it’s been an absolute joy to watch him on the touchline the way he conducts himself. He’s a credit to Chelsea.”
You would be hard pressed to find a Chelsea fan who doesn’t agree with that assessment. Most people felt that Lamps was going to go on to be a great coach, it was just a question of when and how he would get the chance at Chelsea.
As it turns out, he got it far sooner than expected, and in difficult circumstances.
But as Speedie says, he made the most of it, and by starting out at Derby he showed he was willing to grind his way to the top – it just happened that his chance came along only one year later.
Great viewing of Frank Credentials