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Lambert: We Have to Get Through Incredible Injury Situation
Thursday, 28th Feb 2019 15:52

Town go into Saturday’s game against Reading with only two fit senior strikers - Collin Quaner and Kayden Jackson - with Will Keane having joined the Blues' very lengthy injury list. One piece of potentially positive news is that James Collins could be back at the weekend after his hamstring injury.

In addition to Keane, Ellis Harrison has also been sidelined but the Welshman isn’t too far away from a return.

“Ellis is doing OK, his hamstring is getting better,” Lambert said. “He had the virus which I said was going around in the last couple of days but he’s back in this morning. The game is too early for him.”

Given the lack of strikers might he look at the free agent market? “We’re definitely short in that area but if you’re out of contract and tomorrow it’s March, then there’s something seriously wrong with you.

“It’s a dangerous thing to go into that market again, we can’t keep on paying money out. That’s the situation with loans or free transfers. They’re not fit and why are they out there anyway at this stage of the season? It doesn’t add up.”

Lambert is even unable to look at the leading strikers in the U23s squad with Aaron Drinan having been sent out on loan to Waterford in Ireland and Ben Morris (ACL) and Ben Folami (achilles) also both injured.

Asked if the next frontman in line, 17-year-old Kai Brown, who has played senior football previously, albeit in non-league with Grays Athletic, could come into his thoughts for a place on the bench, Lambert added: “There’s no strikers, the two kids are injured, and long term. It’s a horrendous injury list that we’ve got.

“Kayden’s there, in terms of forward players, Gwion Edwards is there, so there are still one or two I can look at so it’s not something which is a major, major concern unless something happened to the other ones.”

He says players - who he wasn’t prepared to name - have been working in training as potential emergency strikers in case they’re required.

“We’re going to have to at certain times, there’s no point in trying to dress it up, we’re going to have to do it,” the Blues manager added.

“I think at certain times that’s important. I think we’re at that stage of the season where it’s not about systems it’s about what’s in your own stomach, how far you want to go and how far you want to work and how far you want to try and achieve something.

“So that for me is important, you have to have the enthusiasm for the game regardless of where you’re playing. And at the minute, since I’ve been at the club, the lads have given us everything.

“There’s not one game really where I’ve come away thinking [otherwise]. Accrington, yes definitely, but most of the games I’ve come away thinking we’ve given it a right go.”


Regarding the strikers who are available, Lambert is confident Quaner can start finding the net, the on-loan Huddersfield man having yet to register for the Blues.

“I’ve got no doubt, he’s a lovely finisher when you watch him in training, great finisher, lovely touch,” he said.

“His run for the goal on Saturday was excellent. I thought it was a great ball by Nolan, a great run from Collin.

“He’ll definitely score goals, Collin. He just needs that one to go in and then hopefully he’ll take-off.”

Asked whether playing in a front two might suit Jackson more than operating as a lone striker, he added: “It possibly could. But it doesn’t matter if you’re playing in a two or you’re playing as a one, your runs are still the same, your hold-up play should still be the same.

“I think Kayden’s done well in certain games and has needed help in certain other games. But I’ve got no downside on Kayden at all. It’s just I pick a team that I think can go and win a game for us and Collin and Will I think were playing really, really well together.”

Does he believe Quaner and Jackson can dovetail as a front pairing? “The two of them have done it at certain times. They play together in training a lot as well. It just depends on who I think goes up there. We’ll wait and see.”

Turning to the players who are unavailable for Saturday in other areas of the squad, Lambert says he talked to Jonas Knudsen, who is suspended for one match, after his dismissal at Wigan.

“I spoke to him afterwards and said that from where I was sitting it looked like a red card,” he said.

“Whether Luke Chambers was on the cover it was hard for me to see that, but if it was up the other end would I have claimed for a red card? Yes, probably I would have done. Did the referee get it right? He probably did.”

Lambert, who will be serving the final match of his touchline ban against the Royals, says Jack Lankester is still out with his back problem.

“He’s going to see a specialist in early March just to see how he’s getting on," he continued.

"He can’t rush that one. That’s a precarious one, a stress fracture in his back, but hopefully Jack will be back before the end of the season, but you can’t rush that.”

On-loan Leicester left-back Callum Elder has also joined the ranks of the injured, which includes long-term absentees Emyr Huws (knee), Tom Adeyemi (achilles), Grant Ward (ACL) and Freddie Sears (ACL), although is not expected to be out for too long.

“Callum was in a tackle, he’s getting better, but he’s out. As I said before, any loan player you get you’re getting him, they need games, they’re not featuring for their clubs.

“I think Collin Quaner in about six or seven months had played less than a hour and you’re trying to get him up to speed and you’re trying to throw him into three games in a week and that’s what’s happened with them all. That’s not an ideal situation that.”

There is more positive news regarding veteran centre-half James Collins: “He’s doing OK, we’ll see how he is come Saturday, I maybe need to change certain things from last week due to Jonas’s situation. I might look at changing the system depending on personnel and who we’ve got fit.”

And Teddy Bishop is back in contention having missed out on a place in the 18 last week having been unwell.

“He was ill, it was bizarre, he had sickness and diarrhoea,” Lambert added. “I said to you before that there was a bug going around, which is still there because Ellis has had it, James Collins has had it, Trevoh Chalobah’s had it.

“The lads were going away from training and all of a sudden the physio would tell you that they can’t come in because they’ve had sickness and diarrhoea.

“Bishop was the other one that had it the other week. He came in on the Friday and trained but I just thought he didn’t look that great even though he trained a little bit.

“He still felt dizzy and if you’re dizzy when you’re playing a five-v-two in a box, to ask you to go and play in a game was going to be too much for you.

“He’d have played because he’d been playing excellently for us in the last few games. But he’s back fit and he’s back training, so he’ll come into my thinking.”

Reflecting on the overall injury situation, he added: “The club’s got a lot of long-term injuries. Freddie’s surgery went well. Wardy’s went well, Tom Adeyemi’s been out for a long time, Huws has been out for a long, long time. The young kids, Folami and Morris, they’re all long term, they’re not just three or four weeks.

“I’ve never known it, for players to be 15 months out, that’s incredible. But it is what it is at the minute, we have to get through it.

“Allied to that we’ll have to get the loan lads up to speed. It’s a big ask for them because you don’t have them in pre-season, you don’t have them fully fit and you’re taking players from other teams that either their club wants them to go and play games because they’re not getting games or they’ve been injured and they’re trying to get them up to speed.

“And I think that’s why Will has probably hurt his hamstring, which is a blow because he’s been playing really well.”

Does Lambert feel there might be the need to look into potential reasons for the volume of injuries? “I don’t know because I’ve only been here three months. Emyr obviously hurt himself before he came in. Tom Adeyemi hurt himself before he came in. Jon Walters, obviously hurt his achilles, Will’s is his hamstring.

“Will’s hamstring is the only real one where he’d really kind of pulled up. But I don’t know what Will did in pre-season, I don’t know what he’s done prior to coming to us, we can only see in the short space of time.

“But we don’t have time, we have to try and let the guys hit the ground running, we don’t have time, we have to throw them in and get them fit when they’re playing their games.

“That’s why you need a pre-season and that’s why you have to try and stop loans coming into your club. If you don’t have loan players, all these situations don’t happen.”


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Mullysplace1 added 16:16 - Feb 28
How much longer is PL going to say he has only been here 2 or 3 months and get away with that as his get out clause for everything ? He has been here at least 5 months now, but every week he tells the press its 2 maybe 3 months !
-11

tractorboybig added 16:22 - Feb 28
pl the points and results have not been rolling in since you came, have they?
-2

cartman1972 added 16:29 - Feb 28
Let's be fair we're getting relegated and it might actually do this club well, many a great side now have sat in league 1. The summer project is effectively to reduce a squad of mediocre players and the same consistently injured ones to be released..... Huws was great when he played but obviously has issues as does adeyemi...... Build a team around Judge, Bishop, get someone like carson- vickers in and allow Jackson, Harrison to play next year.
2

RobITFC added 16:34 - Feb 28
Can we expect Jordan Spence up front Saturday?
1

blueboy1981 added 17:01 - Feb 28
Lambert fits the bill for this Club, in so many ways - the Manager / Club has to be right for each other - the more I see and hear of Lambert the more I am sure this was meant to be.

Let's hope he proves me right, and he's here for a long time.
8

alfromcol added 17:08 - Feb 28
Forgot about Spence, surely not at RB on Saturday. Hopefully JE will get a start?
2

muccletonjoe added 17:22 - Feb 28
I get the feeling if Quaner did start putting one or two away , he would very quickly be added to the injury list as well.
2

ArnieM added 17:31 - Feb 28
We've had an “ injury crisis “ at this club for nigh on 4 seasons now. Why? It can all be down to bad luck? Perhaps it's linked to our historical use of loanees? The players no one wants ? Training methods ? Buying injury prone players ? I don't know , but I'm hoping this awful season will soon be at an end . Ive never known a season like this one , where everything and I do mean everything has conspired to go against us.

Whoever is fit enough to wear the Blue shirt on Sat will get my full vocal backing from 0-96 mins . We MUST win this game . So come on North Stand ( SBR), let's suck that ball into the net !
9

ChrisFelix added 17:33 - Feb 28
I am past worrying about must win games. However I don't wish to see Skuse back in the team. Chalabar should be our only holding midfield player
2

jas0999 added 17:34 - Feb 28
Play a youngster. Can't do any worse than this current crop of players, who on the whole haven't performed this season - probably because they aren't good enough. We have afterall only won three all season.

It's come to something when we are bemoaning an injury to someone else's player - who has had an injury ridden career. It's little surprise he's picked up another injury.
5

happybeingblue added 19:05 - Feb 28
interesting at the end when ref young players,obviously not having the right attitude is gonna get you no where with paul lambert,so is young crowe turning up in the flash car then :)
1

dirtydingusmagee added 19:28 - Feb 28
Conspiracy theorists could have a field day, .One thing for sure is if things dont start getting better in Lge 1 ,The proverbial manure will hit the fan .
3

Saxonblue74 added 19:34 - Feb 28
Best thing in my opinion is to play the most attacking midfield we have to counter our shortage of strikers. As for Quaner and Jackson, here's your chance to prove yourselves.
1

Carberry added 22:44 - Feb 28
Sadly when you are shopping in the bargain basement you are going to get players that are injury prone, not match fit or just not good enough. And if anyone suggests Quaner is a Premiership striker they need to wake up.
2

stiffy501 added 22:52 - Feb 28
Why not try playing Edwards up front with Quaner hes got an eye for goal, Can remember back in the day Stockwell playing up front due to an injury crisis and scoring 2 goals lol
2

raycrawfordswig added 01:12 - Mar 1
Quaner and Jackson lethal partnership.
2

BrettenhamBlue added 08:01 - Mar 1
More lethal than Spence up front on his own raycrawfordswig.
0

dirtydingusmagee added 10:06 - Mar 1
raycrawfordswig, i assume that was a tongue in cheek comment !
0

Razor added 10:45 - Mar 1
I would be taking a long hard look at our medical department, if we actually have one.

One or two of the injuries are now actually embarassing and it is not inconceivable that in our eagerness to get players on board we got some already carrying injuries which were just not picked up,for whatever reason.

How about 3 up front tomorrow----no point faffing around and it is a must win game----I will be really unimpressed and angry if we start with a loan striker.
1

BlueySwede added 10:48 - Mar 1
Don´t know anything about Kai Brown, but given our injury situation maybe it´s time to take a gamble? Young enthusiasm can go a long way sometimes.
1

afcfee added 11:46 - Mar 1
Lambert managed to improve the squad even though our position and in January. I can't wait to see what he can do given the whole summer. Hopefully keep Keane Quanar, definitely need defenders. We have Good potential in midfield with Downes Dozzell Bishop hopefully keep them 3 but for me need bit more strength in the holding role to faze out Skuse and also departing Chalobah who's definitely going to go to another championship side at least.
1

IpswichT62OldBoy added 11:51 - Mar 1
Good to see people actually excited about football again, even in these circumstances.
It will have a cup tie atmosphere tomorrow, I imagine the old place will be rocking, even Churchmans.
0

afcfee added 11:53 - Mar 1
Bart
Pennington Collins chambers
Emanunal Bishop Chalobah kenlock
Judge
Quanar Jackson
0

afcfee added 11:53 - Mar 1
3 4 1 2
0

BrettenhamBlue added 03:52 - Mar 2
Bart
Bree, Pennington, Spence, Chambers, Collins, Knudsen, Kenlock
Dozzell, Bishop, Skuse, Chalobah
Judge
Quaner Jackson

7-4-1-2
0


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