As the sun set in a pocket of Wanstead's leafy urban chic, Frank Lampard's pub was hosting a wake the other evening - and one way or another, he fears he might be attending another one at the Taxpayers Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Down at the Nightingale on the Green, tucked behind the North Circular and Essex's metropolitan fringe, most of the regulars at Lampard's boozer will be hoping West Ham manager David Moyes wins a stay of execution in a massive relegation duel. Normally, Hammers royalty Lampard senior – who played 660 games for the Hammers, including two FA Cup wins five years apart – would relish the contest and catch the highlights on Pie and Mash of the Day.
But when your son is Everton boss Frank Lampard, and sharks will scent the losing manager's blood in the water, for 90 minutes some of his loyalties will be not so much divided as set aside.
