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Lambert: We Need a Cutting Edge Up Top
Saturday, 29th Dec 2018 18:06

Boss Paul Lambert was pleased with his team’s overall performance during heir 2-0 defeat at Middlesbrough but feels they lack a clinical cutting edge.

“I think the performance level was unbelievably high from us,” Lambert said. “I think we came here and played a really good game.

“We had great chances in the first half and the goalkeeper’s made some good saves. Football-wise, I’m absolutely delighted with the way that we’re playing at this minute, we need a little bit of a cutting edge up top but I can’t ask any more than the way they’re playing.”

Regarding Middlesbrough’s first-half penalty awarded after Jordan Spence tangled with Jordan Hugill as they challenged for an aerial ball, he said: “Do you know what, I think Hugill’s nowhere near to getting it. I think the two of them have gone in and I don’t think he’s anywhere near getting it.

“But I understand why the referee gave it but I just don’t think he was ever going to get there.”

Lambert agreed that the first goal was always going to be crucial: “I thought the way we played was excellent. We kept the ball from them for long periods. They’ve probably got one player on the bench who would cost more than our whole team, that’s the difference in the size of squads, that’s the reality of it.

“But the performance level, football-wise, absolutely brilliant they were to play the game I’m asking them to play it. But we’ve got to be more clinical at the top end, and that’s the been the story of the whole season.”


Asked whether he hoped he’d have a better 2019, he added: “If we can get a few in, I think we need a little bit of help, as I’ve always said. But football-wise they’ve been excellent for me, I can’t ask any more.”

Quizzed on whether there have been any developments regarding Middlesbrough striker Rudy Gestede, who is understood to be among the Blues’ targets, although with his very significant Boro wage believed to be a potential stumbling block in the way of any possible move, Lambert said: “No, I don’t know what the situation is.”

Is the Benin international, an unused sub for the Teessiders today, a player he likes? “I like Messi but I cannae get him! I wouldn’t read too much into that.”

Is any help on its way? “We’re trying, we need a few in. There have been names that we’ve tried to get, identified to get. It’s not just one or two, we need a few in to give them a hand.”

Town have crucial home games against Millwall and Rotherham over the next fortnight. Asked how big those games are in the context of the season, Lambert responded: “Every game’s big. The first day of the season was our biggest game, so what’s changed from the first day of the season to now? What’s changed? Nothing.

“Because the way the table is the way results are, the next two games are important. But what happened in August? What happened in September and October? If it was all going great I wouldn’t be sitting here. That’s the difference.

“But the way the lads have been playing has been absolutely brilliant, absolutely brilliant the way they’re playing football, what they’re doing, the movement and the work-rate they’ve given me.

“Absolutely brilliant and there’s one thing for sure, I’ve got their backs 100 per cent because they’re my team, absolutely no worries there whatsoever.

“The crowd are with us, we need a little bit of help, a little bit more experience, lads that maybe know the league as well, I think that’s important.”

Lambert insists the Blues, still seven points plus goal difference from safety, can stay up.

“Yes, the way we’re playing,” he added. “We need a little bit of help, and as I said before the crowd are right behind us.

“Middlesbrough are one of the favourites to go up with the squad they’ve got but we came here and had a right good go at it.”

Middlesbrough manager Tony Pulis was pleased with his team's display but thought they ought to have won more comfortably given the chances they created.

“Pleased with the performance, but disappointed again with the chances that we’ve created and not scored enough goals, or as many as we could have," he said.

”But you can’t fault the players, they worked really hard today and I think they deserved to win the game.”


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HALLSJ added 18:08 - Dec 29
Really, doesn't sound like the report I've just read
3

H1960 added 18:12 - Dec 29
Need to be playing two up front to have any sort of cutting edge, have not seen that this season
4

Erics_size_5s added 18:14 - Dec 29
You need creativity to service the cutting edge, and a defence to protect any lead that cutting edge provides.
5

dannyrr added 18:23 - Dec 29
Unfortunately once we went behind it was over. We have not managed to get anything from a game once going behind.
7

GFH added 18:29 - Dec 29
I'm trying to stay positive as I am sure alot of us have been but realistically who would want to come and help us out now? Most of us wanted MM out he had to go I just wish we'd had got PL in instead of PH. It's a massive ask to stay up now and I hope we do but if we don't I will still love the Town.
6

manualthetisfanclub added 18:31 - Dec 29
No s##t Sherlock, could do with a decent keeper, defence, creative midfielder as well! But not gonna happen, not whileME is in charge! Fair play to supporters travelling to watch that rubbish week in week out!👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
9

Woodbridgian added 18:33 - Dec 29
Actually feel sorry for Lambert probably a decent manager who if appointed at the start of the season and been able to bring his own players in might of been able to do something. But having to work with the disorganised rabble either left from the MM era or even worse signed by Hurst is too big an ask for any manager.
15

hulltractor added 18:37 - Dec 29
We couldnt cut an edge at the moment let alone want one. League One is where we will be playing next season, mark my words. I just hope the January additions are geard towards us getting promotion next season.
2

Mark added 18:40 - Dec 29
Ipswich's cutting edge is cutting elsewhere this season, McGoldrick scoring again today and Garner getting two. Letting them, Celina and Waghorn leave to be replaced by two League Two strikers, a League Two winger and a League One winger was a huge gamble, much as I like to see a few players step up from lower leagues.
11

Lathers added 18:56 - Dec 29
Well if there was ever a time when we find out how much Evans really wants this... IT'S NOW!
14

blueboy1981 added 19:13 - Dec 29
........ of course we do - but at the same time we need to stop leaking goals.

Five against - nil for - last two matches tells it's own story.
4

FreddySteady added 19:20 - Dec 29
H1960

Couldn't agree more. Hurst didn't and Lambert doesn't really seem inclined to either. Have a go!
3

Henrietta_R_Hippo added 19:55 - Dec 29
PL : "The performance level, football-wise, absolutely BRILLIANT..." ???

Paul my man, I'm really trying my hardest to not only believe in, like & support you here and now, but also as the right (& bright!) man for us for the future... and I still do... However please please STOP! insulting not merely my eyesight, deductive reasoning but especially also my overall intelligence by excessively sugarcoating and beyond the actual performances of your INHERITED predominantly crap players and crap team as whole!!!

You did more or less the exact same as recently after last week 0-3 thrashing by OPR as well ...and this is imho getting "old" very very quickly!!! And furthermore also brings back woeful flashbacks to the majority of *objective* ITFC fans here of the toe-curlingly DELUSIONAL-sounding post game stunts by Muck McCarthy, particularly in his last couple of seasons here!

Sure, wishing primarily to instill & keep instilling! morale & hope into your quite possibly highly susceptible to being somewhat dejected relegation-threatened players & team is understandable, aye even commendable I guess ... but not quite the same as acting like one have been granted a "license" to in some degree or another *Telling Porkies* to the public & media post game!

PS: Other than that (and ohhh one day hopefully dropping both "Lionel" Spence and Captain "Calamity" lol) please keep up THE GOOD WORK Mr. Lambert!
5

Dissboyitfc added 20:10 - Dec 29
" But we've got to be more clinical at the top end, and that's the been the story of the whole season.”

Paul, lets be honest here, that is only half the story, need to stop giving goals away, defence not good enough, goal keeper not good enough is the rest of the story!

I personally think we should be looking at quality loan signings, the type of players not getting games with their parent clubs, there could be some Gems out there who want first team competitive football. I dont think we should be looking at knackered journey men or inexperienced youngsters, just saying!
6

Carberry added 21:37 - Dec 29
'But the way the lads have been playing has been absolutely brilliant, absolutely brilliant the way they are playing football...' Sounds like we have just qualified for the knock out stages of the Champions league. I'm not prone to profanity but FFS, this is getting crazy. And for those that didn't know, we just need a little bit of help.
2

runningout added 21:50 - Dec 29
Webster got one too. Doesn't mean to say they are what we are missing. Because they aren't. Someone has said before we are a soft touch. One thing we were not in years gone by. Hopefully we can start our season sometime, as this isn't Ipswich Town football club right now
2

rozeeboy added 21:51 - Dec 29
Jermain Defoe is currently scratching his butt waiting for game time. Peter Crouch has taken a break from podcasting (it's quite good, worth a listen). These are the sorts of players that might fancy 6 months of first team football. Probably also want to load their retirement savings too.
2

ITFCsince73 added 22:14 - Dec 29
1st time I've heard Paul Lambert delph into this subject.
But there one player on the bench costing more than our whole team, shows as a club, what we're up against.
Not only now, but the future also.
3

osseyseleven added 22:18 - Dec 29
Evans is totally to blame for the whole situation at our club. 10 years and 100 million to create the biggest failure in the clubs history. This is actually worse than the John Duncan era........I feel sorry for Lambert he is in an impossible position........Anyone expecting exciting signings in January is a fool , it will be the same old injury prone has been free transfers ......we are going down for sure. I said two years ago that it was the Start of a SLOW DEATH of our club with Evans as owner........ClUELESS in every way.I just can't understand why some people still,want him involved at ITFC
3

geminimustang added 09:33 - Dec 30
The clue is in the scorelines!Cutting edge upfront?Maybe later!!What would Benitez do?Easy,play your best goalkeeper,5 at the back,let the opposition run themselves ragged and don't worry about possession and then counter attack.Lots of draws,the odd win,suddenly same number of points as the others fighting relegation and in with a chance.No way says PL.We're going to play in the same attacking way,play the wrong goalkeeper,play the same back 4 who keep making mistakes and head straight into oblivion,sorry,mean't to say League 1.MM had his faults but he knew how to stave of falling through the trapdoor.
0

geminimustang added 09:35 - Dec 30
Off NOT of,sorry.
0


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