Lambert: We Were Fantastic Wednesday, 13th Feb 2019 22:57 Blues boss Paul Lambert was full of praise for his side after their 1-1 home draw with Derby County from which they probably deserved more than a point. “I thought we were brilliant, bar 60 seconds of the game,” Lambert said. “I’m proud of them, I’m proud of the supporters. “We were well in the fight, if we keep showing that, we’re well in the fight. If we play like that and have that desire and fight, then I don’t think anybody can ever point the finger.” The Blues boss admitted he had a feeling of déjà vu when Derby, like Norwich on Sunday, went ahead after two minutes. “We started well and then from their first attack [they went in front], it took a deflection I think. “If you look at the team it was really young but it’s the way forward for the club. Young players sometimes make mistakes but what you do get is incredible honesty and desire and I thought we were fantastic.” Blues nemesis David Nugent almost grabbed a second Derby goal at the end with a header which Matthew Pennington deflected against the bar but Lambert felt a Rams’ winner would have been wholly undeserved. “There was only one team that was going to win it, it was ourselves,” he insisted. “We were relentless against a really good side, who have so much resources, better than us, all those things that go with the game. But the performance level, from start to finish, I thought we were very good.” Jon Nolan scored Town’s goal, his second of the season, within two minutes of coming off the bench but Lambert says it wasn’t an inspired tactical decision on his behalf. “There’s been a bug going around the club,” he explained. “Trevoh had it before the Norwich game, Cole Skuse has got it, I think last night. “Flynn I think has got it, he had stomach cramps which was hurting him so we had to take him off. “We were going to do it at half-time but he said he wanted to try it and then Nolan pops up with a great goal. “I only left Nolan out because of the work-rate he did on Sunday, but the boy’s got a goal in him.” Lambert had praise for strike pair Collin Quaner and Will Keane, as well as number 10 Alan Judge: “They were excellent, the two of them, Keane and Quaner. Keane’s been playing really well, led the line really well. I thought Quaner was why I brought him in really, that presence as a centre forward. “Judge is getting better [with every game] and his delivery, on the ball, the timing, you can talk about bravery, tackling and being aggressive. “Bravery is when you take the ball anywhere on the pitch and the wee man certainly does that, he’s brilliant to work with.” Lambert was also pleased with Jonas Knudsen’s display at the centre of the defence: “He did great. I put him in only because of the left foot balance. “I thought he did really, really well, he’s got a left foot that can get you out of trouble at certain times on that side of the pitch. That’s why I decided to go with Jonas. “The team was really young. I thought Teddy Bishop was outstanding and I think Bishop will get better and better.” Bishop, who signed a new contract last week, was seen with ice on his ankle following the final whistle. Lambert says a performance like that gives encouragement that Town can still avoid the drop. “Absolutely, if we keep doing that and keep playing, we’re not going away, we’re not dwindling or anything,” he added. “We’ve incredible support behind us and if we keep doing what we’re doing, let’s keep doing what we’re doing and let’s see what happens. But there are a helluva lot of games.” Despite some fans suggesting Town ought to already be looking to next season, Lambert says he’s not ready to throw in the towel. “Never give up,” he said. “I told you I’ll pick a fight! I’ve never given up in my career and I won some really high honours, trophies in that, but I never won one for being Mr Nice. “I’ve got a nasty streak and a great desire and hopefully that transforms to everybody else. The support have got it, the players should certainly have it, the staff have got it, we just have to make sure we never give up. As long as it’s possible, anything can happen." Lambert was unsure whether the likes of Luke Chambers (foot), James Collins (hamstring) and Cole Skuse (illness) will be back for Saturday's home game against Stoke City. Derby manager Frank Lampard was disappointed his team didn’t build on their early lead. "After a start like that, against a team that - no disrespect to Ipswich - are bottom of the table, that gave us the perfect start to go on and try to control the game ," he said. "But if you give possession away too frequently, too easily, you can't control any game. We breathed life into their team, hence the result. "Our quality in terms of possession was disappointing. We gave it away far too cheaply, far too many times, sometimes under no pressure at all. We went back into areas when we should have come out of areas. "I think we should be very thankful to the two centre-halves [Richard Keogh and Fikayo Tomori], who I thought were very good. "As a team, we need to keep the ball much better than that. We've got aspirations here to try to get in the play-offs. We're trying to get higher up the league. “If we play at 60, 70 per cent, then it's difficult wherever you go in this league , because you have to respect everyone. "The last 10 minutes, it was us that were pushing and we had some good chances. Really, we should have scored one of them to win the game. But the team performance wasn’t good enough."
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