Lampard's mentor recalls time at West Ham: He was a 'quiet, shy' teen

WHEN Frank Lampard arrived at West Ham as a 12-year-old boy in 1990, football's most influential figures were already moulding him.

Harry Redknapp, his uncle, was the first-team manager while his dad Frank Lampard Snr was assistant coach at Upton Park.

But it was Tony Carr, one of English football's best developers of young talent, who helped Chelsea's new boss excel through the academy.

Lampard has been announced as Chelsea's new manager - and he has come a long way from the quiet young teenage at West Ham.

"Young Frank wasn't a loud boy or up front, he was quite shy and just got on with his work and what he had to do,” Carr, 68, told SunSport.

"He wasn't the sort of leader of the gang, he just quietly got on with training with his dad trying to push him and improve him."

Photographs of Carr's alumni are seen across the walls of his home in rural Essex, from Joe Cole to Michael Carrick and Jermaine Defoe to Rio Ferdinand.

IRONED TOGETHER

"Frank struck up a friendship with Rio Ferdinand very quickly at West Ham and they were together quite often," Carr recalled.

"Rio was the joker in the pack, a bouncy lad, and Frank would rub off on that but not as loud as Rio.

"They were two very good players and inspired each other, grew off each other: whatever Rio was trying to do, Frank would try; whatever Frank was trying to do, Rio would try."

In 1995, England manager Terry Venables called Redknapp and asked for two of his best youngsters to go and train with the Three Lions at Bisham Abbey.

"Rio and Frank went. They were 18 years old but it didn't faze them," Carr said.

"They were confident about it and excited. The challenge and the kudos of training with the England team inspired them.

"I remember Terry Venables coming back and saying they were two excellent players and that they'd go a long way in the game."

That fearlessness is something Carr believes will help him in the Chelsea dugout.

And given Lampard's imminent return to Stamford Bridge, there is one story in particular that stands out.

Lampard was a 17-year-old playing for Hammers Under-18s when Carr's team reached the South East Counties League Cup final. Chelsea were the opponents.

“The final was over two legs,” Carr recalled. “We lost the first leg 5-2 at Upton Park, so one would have said the game was over.

“We went to Chelsea and they scored in the first minute. We were 6-2 down on aggregate. From that point on, for the rest of the 89 minutes we were terrific.

TALK TO FRANK

“Frank and Rio were outstanding on the night and we pulled it back to 6-6. The game went to penalties and Frank Lampard scored the winning one for West Ham.”

Another quality Carr sees in Lampard is mental strength, which he showed from a young age at Upton Park. Hammers fans accused Redknapp of nepotism when Lampard was brought into the first-team.

“The fans at that time were very unfair to him and I think a lot of young players would have gone under after that,” Carr remembers.

“He grew strength from it, believed in his talent and proved them wrong. And he did it in bucket loads when he came back to West Ham and scored against them.”

Earlier this year, Carr travelled to Derby County's Moor Farm training base to see Lampard and assistant Jody Morris in action.

"Frank was on the pitch with Jody and they were working on team shape, preparing for games," Carr said.

"Frank was saying his bit, he wasn't demonstrative or shouting. He would stop the practice, say his piece and Jody would chip in as well.

"I think he will have ultimate respect when he goes in at Chelsea. He's not a shouter or a horror, you can see that on the touchline at Derby.

"Frank is very calm about the game. He's a thinker. He'll make comment, point a finger but he's not running up and down the touchline and putting his head in his hands.

"He looked quite at home, it looked natural to him so I've no doubts he'll make a success of it."

Carr insists Lampard's history at Chelsea will help as he attempts to guide the club through a transfer ban over the next two years.

“It's a massive challenge but he'll think deeply about it and do everything in his power to make a success of it,” he said.

“He won't sit on his laurels and his reputation. He will want to build a new reputation: one as a Chelsea legend as a player and one as a manager.

“He knows the club inside-out, knows the standards, is a fan-favourite and all the cards have been turned up trumps to say, 'Frank, this is your time.'”