Lampard lashes out

England midfielder Frank Lampard has blasted critics who've been quick to slate his performances at the World Cup finals in Germany.

The 28-year-old Chelsea ace failed to find the net in any of England's five games, before his campaign ended in the worst possible fashion as he missed a penalty in the quarter-final shootout defeat by Portugal.

Despite those facts, Lampard feels his past efforts should have counted for more with some sections of the press.

He said: "I've been a little bit upset that, after what I've done in the last couple of years, I've missed chances and a few people have been on my back.

"I'm upset about that because I've worked my socks off to try to be successful in this World Cup.

"I would have loved to have scored the winning goal and shown a few people what they wanted to see.

"I'm getting criticism from outside and I feel it's a bit unjust and it gets my back up.

"I think I deserve a little bit of respect for what I've done in the last few years, but sometimes people come and want to knock you down."