Frank Lampard’s tenure in charge of Chelsea, between 2019 and 2021, was full of ups and downs (more of the latter, in fairness) – but irrespective of his lack of success on the other side of the white line, it’s not unfair to say that he set the tone with a fine list.
During his playing days, the London-born ace – who is widely regarded as one of the greatest midfielders in Premier League history – endeared himself to the Stamford Bridge faithful as, in his 648-outing career, he plundered 211 goals and 146 assists.
Lampard, as a player, was on the books of Chelsea when they were challenging for all manner of silverware and when the likes of the enigmatic Jose Mourinho struck the perfect combination between being a true tactician and a stubborn disciplinarian.
In an attempt to emulate the self-proclaimed Special One’s successful stint at the club, Lampard spared no punches with his difficult-to-follow fines list, which Mason Mount, Cesar Azpilicueta and N’Golo Kante were forced to adhere to.
Lampard’s Fine List During Chelsea Stewardship
The ex-Blues manager's fines ranged from £500 to £20,000
During Lampard’s 84-game spell, which saw him accrue a points per game rate of 1.75, there were eyebrows raised – not just over his team’s performance – but over the fine list that he had hung up in the home dressing room in order to keep his men in check.
Clubs, especially those in England, have become accustomed to creating fine lists over the years – and Lampard, during his time in west London, racked up a list of 12 rules in total. The midfielder-turned-manager signed it off on 27 August 2019.
Starting with the cheapest fine of them all, depending on how late players were to team meetings, Lampard’s men would need to pay £500 per minute for their poor punctuality. Should a player miss half an hour of meetings, they’d be fined £15,000.
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Then, there were three fines that would see the Chelsea squad charged £1,000 for their potential mishaps: if they were late in the gym for pre-activation, if their phone rang during a team meal or meeting and if they reported to team events in the wrong kit.
Fines of £2,500 were set in stone for those who were late for a) matchday/first team departure, b) training, c) any form of treatment and d) medical appointments. As alluded to, it's clear to see that punctuality was a key component of Lampard’s regime.
For not travelling back on the team coach (without giving Lampard 48 hours’ notice) or refusing to turn up for community or corporate duties, players were issued with a fine of £5,000, while £10,000 fines were for those who didn’t report an illness or injury before a day off or 1 hour and 30 minutes before training.
frank lampard chelsea
The biggest fine of all – £20,000 – was for the players who reported late to training. Underneath the exhaustive list of fines, which was framed and hung clearly on the wall for players to look and read over at all times, there was a clear message. In all caps, it read:
ALL FINES TO BE PAID WITHIN 14 DAYS, AFTER WHICH ANY FINE OUTSTANDING WILL BE DOUBLED.
Any and all money collected from players breaking Lampard’s rules – and, as you can guess, there'd certainly be a few over his tumultuous spell – throughout the campaign was put towards a) team activities or b) charitable bodies.
Frank Lampard's Fine List for Chelsea's 2019/20 Campaign
Late for match day/first team departure
Late for report time for training
Late in gym for pre-activation
Late for treatment
Late for start of training
Phone ringing during team meal/meeting
Reporting in wrong attire/kit
Not travelling back on team coast (w/out 48 hours notice to management)
Refusal/not turning up for corporate/community duties
Not reporting illness or injury before day off or 90 mins before training
Late for medical appointments
Five More Rules Set by Lampard
Agents, unless for a meeting, were not allowed to attending the training ground
chelsea frank lampard
Of course, it’s a difficult list to follow – and certainly one that many players failed to adhere to during their entire stint at the capital club, but that’s not where the rules and regulations ended for Lampard’s men, who finished fourth in the Premier League in the ex-midfielder's only full season in the dugout.
Body composition targets needed to be met – and additional fines were given to those who failed to be inside their target range, while players (for doping purposes) were required to inform a member of management of their desire to travel abroad on off-days.
Frank Lampard - Managerial Career
Club
Coventry City
Everton
Chelsea
Derby County
Lampard allowed his players the luxury of having family or guests attend training but, of course, pre-planning was required. The club, and the boss in particular, needed to authorise the visit a total of 24 hours prior to the day.
Although ‘guests’ is a rather loose term, the agents of the players were not permitted to be in and around the training ground unless they were visiting in an official capacity to run over a specific contract or in the case that a meeting had been scheduled. Below, it said:
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE CLUB RESERVES THE RIGHT TO TAKE SUCH ACTION AS IT SEES NECESSARY IF AT THE DISCRETION OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS A PLAYER HAS BROKEN THE TERMS AND CONSIDITIONS OF THEIR PLAYING CONTRACT, AND APPLICABLE CODE OF CONDUCT OR CODE OF PRACTICE IN ADDITION TO THESE RULES.
Lampard, now 46 years of age, is enjoying a much more fruitful managerial spell in charge of Coventry City in the Championship. Appointed in November 2024, he's won the majority of his matches in charge – and, at the moment, is doing a brilliant job guiding the Sky Blues to a spot in the second-tier play-offs.
All statistics per Transfermarkt - correct as of 23/03/2025