Lamps explains Hammers exit

Frank Lampard has revealed leaving West Ham has helped him succeed on his own.

The England international's father Frank Lampard sr. worked as one the coaches at Upton Park, and some felt he was given special treatment.

Lampard believes he needed to leave the East Londoners in order to mature and improve and has realised that joining Chelsea has broadened his horizons.

"I needed to move on because I wanted to go right to the top," Lampard told the Mail on Sunday.

"I didn't want to be just an average footballer. Some of it has been natural maturing, but I did have to take a long look at myself.

"If you are happy and content off the pitch, seeing and doing different things, then you are going to be in a better position to perform on it.

"That started to happen when I came to Chelsea and saw a different way of training, a different culture.

"I thought I would live in Essex forever, but it has been good for me coming to this side of London.

"It was one of the reasons I wanted to leave West Ham, to get away from this 'daddy's boy' thing. It made me grow up more. I learned to be on my own."

Chelsea suffered back-to-back defeats recently at the hands of Real Betis and Manchester United and Lampard believes it will help The Blues in the long run.

Jose Mourinho's side seldom lose a game, let alone two on the bounce, but Lampard thinks it will help reveal which players have the character to respond to a mini-crisis.

"It has been one of those testing periods that every team, every club need," he added. "It's how you bounce back that's important.

"I wouldn't want to call it a crisis or over-exaggerate things but it has been a time for people to stand up and show themselves.

"It comes from an individual and it is all about strength of character. This is when you need your big players and characters to stand up."