John Terry, speaker of truth

Frank Lampard is on a fun mission to overhaul Bobby Tambling as Chelsea FC's all-time top scorer, but his incredible chase is being overshadowed by the club's reluctance to offer the 34-year-old a new deal. Now John Terry is wading into the fray:

He has got so much more to give, and he is an inspiration to everyone at the club. For him to get that many goals, kids can look at that and think ‘He is just in the right position’, but it takes a lot of hard work before and after training, working on his strengths and his weaknesses.

He has been an inspiration for everyone since he arrived at this club. You can see he has always been very fit naturally. We all hope that it is here, but if not he has got years ahead of him.Still, at his age, he is the best trainer by a million miles. He works so hard.

-Source: Independent.

Terry's right. Chelsea would be insane to want Lampard out no matter what, although there's obviously the matter of cost to be taken into account. The fact that this is an ongoing saga which appears to pit the fans and players against senior management beggars belief. If Lampard's leaving without screwing the club over -- which it doesn't look like he is -- treat him like a departing hero. if he wants to stay, figure out a sensible way of keeping him around.

No, I don't think Lampard's a reliable everyday starter for Chelsea anymore. That doesn't mean he can't play a game a week and make a huge impact when he does get on the pitch. The man's scored nearly 200 times for the club, and his recent form demonstrates that he's just as potent as he's always been. Nobody can see the logic of the Blues trying to shove him out of the door, and Terry's just trying to make Roman Abramovich and company see sense.

My bet is that it's not going to work.