Chelsea Fans Should Have No Mixed Emotions on Frank Lampard Return

There was nothing mixed about Frank Lampard's Chelsea career, and there should be nothing mixed about the reception he receives at Stamford Bridge this weekend.

Chelsea's all-time leading goalscorer, the player who captained them to Champions League success in 2012 and served the club with such aplomb during his 13-year stay, should be given the send-off he never got last season.

The King's Road should resemble west London's very own St. Peter's Square come Saturday—a place of worship for a man of divine means.

We're not just talking any player here—the holy one is coming home.

Lampard wasn't a man who divided opinion at Chelsea, nor was he a player who did things by half-measures. He was quite simply brilliant, and Chelsea fans will do well to remember that.

Social media platforms have been in meltdown as the anticipation ramps up ahead of kick-off, with the feeling among Chelsea fans mixed. Some want to give Lampard the hero's welcome he deserves, while others are unsure of how to react when he steps out in the wrong shade of blue.

Players like Lampard come along once in a generation, and when they pass through, fans should cherish them and everything they deliver.

Through a series of unfortunate events, Lampard has wound up playing for Chelsea's rivals. Watching him score the goals that have helped keep Manuel Pellegrini's Manchester City in the title race has been as frustrating as it has been painful for Chelsea supporters.

Alex Livesey/Getty Images

The key factor to remember here, however, is that Lampard was released by Chelsea. There weren't any diva-like demands from him over a new contract—he didn't hold the club over a barrel.

Lampard wanted to remain a Chelsea player, but the club had other ideas. They had Cesc Fabregas in their sights.

And rightly so. Jose Mourinho isn't building this current team on sentiment. He's using far more tangible assets than that, and Fabregas is a better option than a 36-year-old midfielder—regardless of what he has delivered in the past.

With that in mind, plenty were happy to wave Lampard off into the distance. Now that he has resurfaced at City, however, the masses are crying foul.

Well, more fool them.

From the moment Chelsea declined to offer Lampard a new deal, they set themselves up for something of this nature.

Players of his quality don't just disappear into the ether. The abyss doesn't exist for them.

Rather than focusing on these negatives, Saturday's match needs to be put into perspective. It will be Lampard's last game at Stamford Bridge.

It will be the last time Chelsea fans get to see him back on their patch.

Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

Given the way his departure was handled, Lampard didn't have the chance to say goodbye in the way many great players so often do. His Chelsea career ended on a low note—a goalless draw with a Norwich City team that was relegated a week later.

Where was the blaze of glory his career deserved?

Now Chelsea fans have the opportunity to correct that. They have the chance to right those wrongs.

"

@garryhayes although the dishonesty wasn't great, it's not our business where he went once we released him. Greatest cfc player of my life

— Oli Major (@olimajor123) January 30, 2015"

Those who traveled to the Etihad Stadium for September's 1-1 draw between City and Chelsea went some way to doing that. Lampard scored the goal that denied his former team a win, yet he was given a spine-tingling reception by the away support.

Now for Stamford Bridge to replicate it—40,000 voices paying homage to a man who has delivered their dreams.

Because they pay their way at the turnstiles, football fans have a habit of thinking it exonerates them from criticism. It doesn't.

Michael Regan/Getty Images

The relationship between player and fan is a two-way thing. Said player gives them his soul, and in return he is rewarded with eternal grace from the terraces.

If either is missing, it doesn't work.

There isn't a sin Lampard has committed to change that.

By turning their back on their hero at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea fans would be committing the worst sin of them all.

Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes.