Frank Lampard milestone rekindles spirit of 66

Frank Lampard has called for schoolboys to receive more skills-enriching coaching, for the Premier League to consider quotas on foreign players and for the present England squad to draw more inspiration from the legends of '66. Sir Geoff Hurst will join Frank Lampard senior in presenting Lampard with a golden cap at Wembley tonight to mark his recent 100th international appearance. Lampard captains England in the friendly with Chile and his daughters are mascots.

If his eyes moisten at the prospect of such a special, emotional occasion, the 35-year-old midfielder still has a clear-eyed view of England's strengths and myriad flaws. "Coaching with the kids is the single one thing we may have fallen behind on,'' said Lampard, talking at The Grove after training.

"The FA Commission have to look at that. I know they are. We need to coach our kids to receive the ball, to be aware of what's around them, to maybe get a little bit better technically. If we can do that then we may find ourselves where we want to be. "But I do get fed up about people who want to criticise everything about our team. We've got a very good, exciting team at the minute.

Look at the good academies we have now. The style of football, the coaching has improved. There were a few dinosaurs in my day, wanting us to knock the ball over the top and for us to push up. That's certainly changing, and we're seeing signs already. But we want more.

"There is certainly room to look at quotas. Looking at the model of Southampton, you see young English players getting the chance. If we can encourage teams to bring through English players, then it will help us and the manager.'' After Chile, Germany are next up at Wembley on Tuesday for the first meeting since the 4-1 thrashing endured by England at the 2010 World Cup. "As an England player in that squad, that probably was as low as we've been against such a great rival, and the emphatic loss in the end. We took a bit of a beating when we came home.

The nation expects and we didn't do it. We look at ourselves and agree with that. "It's about coming back from those sort of knocks. As a group, with the help of the young, exciting players coming through into the squad, we've brought ourselves back into a pretty exciting position. We know there's a long road before we're successful in Brazil, but that was a big low. "Germany are a big rival. There'll be an edge like a derby game at club level. That'll always be there but not too much 'revenge' talk." Chile first. Frank senior, capped twice by England, usually prefers to avoid the limelight but will join Hurst in making the presentation. "It's the sort of thing he'd normally shy away from but with a bit of pressing he's managed to get out there,'' Lampard said. "I think he will be a proud dad hopefully when he does.''

His father was a good friend of Bobby Moore's. Lampard himself knows Hurst and Martin Peters through West Ham and found that 66 connection "an inspiration". Roy Hodgson has been talking to his squad about Sir Alf Ramsey, Moore, Peters, Hurst and the rest of that fabled side. "The manager was saying there were a lot of ups and downs en route to winning that tournament,'' Lampard continued.

"The manager and certain players took a bit of stick in the build-up to those finals, so nothing's changed! "I was fortunate enough to get quite close to Bobby Moore when he was alive and to Sir Geoff and Martin Peters, all West Ham players who carried themselves so well and wore the fact they were World Cup winners very well. That's something I always looked up to with great respect. That's why I was pleased when the FA wanted Sir Geoff to be involved. We can only use that as an inspiration.'' Lampard continued his reflections on the legends of 66, referring to "Sir" Bobby Moore.

"It wasn't Sir Bobby but should have been. Stories of Bobby were part of the moulding of my character; my dad showed me his class as a man, his quiet leadership - not loud, banging-his-chest leadership - and just his class as a person and as a player. If we all look up to that and follow that route, we won't go far wrong." At 35, Lampard contemplates the immediate future as well as the distant past. He knows he has to deliver consistently stellar performances with all this young talent like Jack Wilshere, Ross Barkley and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain pushing for World Cup places.

"If I walked around thinking my 103 caps would get me on the plane, I'd probably be on the beach, because that means you're taking things for granted. We all have to be on top form. I understand that when you see the young players coming into the squad and pushing you. You have to react.'' He will make a decision on his international future next summer "before, during or after the World Cup - hopefully after a World Cup when we have all won and can all retire happily! I'd be 36''. Next summer also brings the expiry of his Chelsea deal. "At my age I understand it's not four or five-year contracts it's one-year extensions and I'm very happy with that. "I love playing at Chelsea.

I'd love to do that at Chelsea for as long as they want me and for as long as I feel I'm contributing there." He would be prepared to consider dropping down a division. "Again, if the time came where Chelsea said 'thanks very much for your service', I'd have to look at that one. I'd like to play for a few more years.'' In this country? "I'm not sure about that." The MLS looks likelier. Age stalks players once called the "untouchables" by Jose Mourinho at Chelsea. Mourinho even dropped Ashley Cole for the past two games. "I don't think he's lost form,'' Lampard replied.

"I think it's modern times at Chelsea. We all have to take it on the chin, being on the bench. We all know Ash is a top-quality player.'' Yet Leighton Baines challenges Cole strongly to be England's first-choice left-back. The clock is ticking, making tonight even more precious for Lampard.