Lampard hails Chelsea owner Boehly, despite club chaos

Frank Lampard has praised the good intentions of Chelsea owner Todd Boehly and challenged his players to take the club's first step into the future over the final weeks of the season.

Defeat at Bournemouth on Saturday will see Chelsea slip below Gary O'Neil's side, who have battled relegation for most of the season, and they could fall as low as 14th.

Boehly, who has spent almost £600million on signings in the 12 months since buying the club, said this week that he and the hierarchy "very much believe we're going to figure it out" after the team slumped to a sixth consecutive defeat - and possibly their most incoherent - against Arsenal.

It leaves Chelsea yet to break the 40-point barrier with five games to play, and on course to record their lowest Premier League finish in 29 years.

Lampard's team need one more goal to avoid matching the club's all-time lowest tally in a league season, 31, a record which has stood since 1924. The team are still 15 goals short of the club's lowest return for a Premier League season.

Despite the damning statistics, Lampard said he has seen signs of positivity from the owners since he took over as interim manager a month ago.

"It's a good thing to speak so positively," he said of Boehly's comments. "It's what I've found since I've been here, good intentions on where the club is going to be taken.

"That's good, and then from my point of view I'm working with the squad to try and get some turnaround in terms of feeling, performance and then results. It's up to the owners of the club to take those bigger decisions.

"It's not for me to talk about (a vision for the club). I'm here until the end of the season. I don't think my vision at this point is for me to answer."

Chelsea still have to face three of