Football

Derby boss Frank Lampard responds to ‘Stop Crying Your Heart Out’ chant from Leeds fans


Derby lost the first game 1-0 at Pride Park, with Kemar Roofe giving Leeds a valuable lead to take to Elland Road.

The Rams have lost all three games against Leeds this season, with their 2-0 loss in January particularly clouded by controversy.

A Leeds staff member was found sneaking in on Derby training ahead of their clash, which Whites boss Marcelo Bielsa revealed was common practice for his side.

Leeds were fined £200,000 for the incident, dubbed ‘Spygate’, and provoked the EFL into creating a new law forbidding team to watch the opposition’s training within 72 hours of a fixture.

Lampard kicked up a fuss about the incident and United fans did not forget it when they travelled south to Derby last Saturday.

As the match played out, they sang adapted lyrics of the Oasis classic ‘Stop Crying Your Heart Out’.

“All of the spies / Are hidden away / Just try not to worry / You’ll beat us some day / We beat you at home / We beat you away / Stop crying Frank Lampard,” they sang.

Asked whether he took exception to the chant, Lampard replied: “No, of course not, it is good fun.”

The bouncing boss did then have a disguised jibe at the Yorkshire club, though, citing their 15-year hiatus from the Premier League.

“As a Chelsea player, there was a rivalry always with Leeds,” he began.

“We didn’t play them that much because we were in the Premier League, but that comes with it.

“I will take a song all day long. My worry is what the players do on the pitch.”

Speaking about the atmosphere he expects at Elland Road, the 40-year-old added: “It is a strong atmosphere. It is Elland Road. It’s a stadium with history.

“I didn’t play there much myself. I played there a couple of times. But I know it will be a tough atmosphere for the players, but they need to rise to that.

“You need to try and turn that around in a positive for us. There is pressure in this game for both teams no matter what way you look at it.

“This is what the lads, when they were young boys, when they wanted to be football players, were dreaming about – these games, not the mundane ones we can play with a lot more ease. These are the pressure ones which define us.”



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