I APPRECIATE the sentiment but pardon me for not feeling flattered by Frank Lampard's tribute to Wanderers for the part they played in Daniel Sturridge’s development.

I’d love to see Sturridge establish himself in the England squad, just as Jack Wilshere managed to do after returning to Arsenal from his loan spell under Owen Coyle's wing at the Reebok “finishing school”.

But from a purely selfish standpoint, I’d rather he didn’t enhance his burgeoning reputation at Wanderers’ expense – as he did when he scored twice in Sunday’s 5-1 drubbing that left his old teammates bottom of the Premier League pile.

To coin an oft-used phrase uttered by many a manager down the years, I want points not plaudits.