Looking after Lampard

BBC Radio Five Live's Wright and Bright find out why Frank Lampard is always on the winning team when his father is calling the shots.

Frank Lampard may be enjoying his time at Chelsea, but not having his dad around does have its disadvantages.

For one thing, five-a-side matches at Stamford Bridge are certainly not as easy as they were at West Ham.

It seems that Lampard's side hardly ever lost the club kick-arounds, especially when his dad, Frank senior, was refereeing.

Lampard's father, also a former Hammer, was one of the backroom staff at the club until manager Glenn Roeder was appointed in the summer.

If you scored a 30-yarder and you weren't on Frank Lampard's side, his dad would say off-side

Ian Wright

Frank senior obviously kept a watchful eye over his son while both of them were on the payroll at Upton Park and proved that blood is definitely thicker than water.

Lampard might have to fend for himself these days, but some of his former team-mates still remember when the talented midfielder had it all his own way.

He was put on the spot by another former Hammer Ian Wright during his BBC Radio Five Live show with Mark Bright on Saturday.

"Frank Lampard's dad used to make sure Frank Lampard's five-a-side team won," joked Wright, who donned the claret and blue strip in the 1998-1999 season.

"If you scored a 30-yarder and you weren't on Frank Lampard's side, his dad would say off-side."

Di Canio takes five-a-side as seriously as the real thing

Lampard was not going to be made fun of that easily and got his own cheeky quip in.

"Wrighty, I understand why you're saying that. It's because I did win most games. It's the way I play," Frank junior joked.

But, after former team-mates Rio Ferdinand and Trevor Sinclair joined in with the ribbing on the mid-morning phone-in, Lampard had to concede.

"Frankie's team never had a youth team player on it," Ferdinand pointed out.

But Lampard was not the only player who enjoyed more than his fair share of winning.

Italian striker Paolo di Canio, perhaps unsurprisingly, is famed for throwing a few tantrums when things do not go his way.

"We couldn't give a decision against Paolo because he would walk off," giggled Wright.