Town boss Paul Lambert admitted that his side’s performance as they were beaten 4-0 at Preston North End was the worst display since he took charge at Portman Road at the end of October.

“We were nowhere near it, we were really really poor, we never turned up, got what we deserved and I’ve got no excuses,” he said. “We never turned up and that’s the worst game we’ve had since we’ve come in.”

Town were already two down at the break, were there some home truths at the break? “Yes, there was that and at full-time. It wasn’t good enough. I understand the reality of relegation and things like that, when that hits you it’s a blow.

“But there are other things you’re still hanging on to, something that you can try and chase but that was nowhere near the level.

“You always wonder how the players will react when reality sinks in but that’s not acceptable. That’s not the way my teams play and it won’t happen again.

“They know exactly my feelings on the whole thing. You can’t play the game of football if you’re going to stand off people and not make a challenge and do the ugly side of the game, when you don’t run and you don’t work. I think we were outplayed in every aspect of the game.”

The Blues manager felt his team was fortunate only to concede four: “Absolutely. I’m not going to stand here and sugarcoat it, it’s not good enough and we’ve had people travelling a long way to watch us play. The game I would say is our worst, without a doubt.”

Lambert fielded a side without any of the loanees, a team which he might be able to select on the opening day of next season, however, he says the display doesn’t worry him looking longer term.

“That one game won’t tell me everything, it’s over the course of the five months we’ve been here,” he insisted.

“You can go through every one of them, they never performed, whereas for the last four or five months we’ve played really, really well.

“That game won’t tell me anything I don’t really know about the team. You get performances where sometimes nothing goes right for you, it’s important you bounce back and thank God we’ve got a game on Monday.”

He reiterated that the display shouldn’t be looked at in isolation and viewed as a big concern.

“No, that would be crazy,” he added. “So I forget every other good game they’ve played? That’s crazy.

“That’s a human nature thing. If you play 19 great games and the 20th’s really poor, people automatically think about the poor one, they don’t think about the 19 good ones you’ve played.

“That’s not going to tell me anything at all. I’ve got a group of young lads who will burst at the seams and be ready to get going and the quicker the season finishes the better.

“We’ve still got three hard games, two we can have a say in who goes up and who doesn’t. That won’t happen again.”

Regarding the next three games against Swansea at Portman Road on Monday, then Sheffield United next Saturday and Leeds at home on the final day, he said: “If we play like that we’re not going to win any of them, that’s the bottom line.

“But if we do what we’ve done in the previous games then we can definitely cause them trouble. You can’t sugarcoat it, that was nowhere near good enough.”

Lambert subbed Josh Emmanuel at half-time, which he says was as the 21-year-old had had a tough first 45 minutes.

“I thought he struggled,” Lambert said. “Again, he’s a young lad who needs working on. The lad will be better, that’s the worst he’s probably been. But it wasn’t just Josh, as a team we weren’t good enough.

“That’s development for you. The lad just came back in January time, it’s development, he’s missed a lot of football. There’s a lot to work with and a lot of hard work to come."

Preston manager Alex Neil felt it was an important win for his team following a run of four successive defeats, the most recent a 4-1 reverse at West Brom last Saturday.

"After the last week it was important we came out and put on a good performance and put things right," the former Canaries boss said. "We played well and got four goals so I’m really pleased with that.”

"I felt we played well. We had good quality at times when we needed it and Callum [Robinson] was involved in all four goals so I think that shows his importance to us.

“He’s a good player, he is one of our key players. What he did today, not every player can do. He had the quality to damage them today.”

Photo: TWTD

blueboy1981 added 20:56 - Apr 19 Evans is the easy target for some who don't / can't / choose not / to see any further - I personally don't blame him because he hasn't thrown money at every failed Manager he has appointed. Consecutive failed Managers have been the downfall of this Club - OK easy option to blame Evans for poor recruitment, BUT most, if not all of YOU, agreed that his appointment/s were correct at the time. Some of you think money is the answer to success in Football at our level - IT ISN'T - but good Management and Recruitment most certainly is. Grieves me to say so, BUT proof is just a few miles down the A140 of my point. There at Carrot Road for ALL to see who are not blinkered.

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dirtydingusmagee added 21:07 - Apr 19 got an ovation from the amazing supporters last week when officialy relegated ,Mick Mills said he hope the players too that on board and remember it next season ................they seem to have forgotten it already, What hope is there going forward with this outfit , Season ticket ? ........pass.
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ITFCsince73 added 21:08 - Apr 19 Blueboy. You must remember Norwich run on a budget much bigger than ours. I think I'm right in saying every Championship club this season bar 1 also had better playing budgets. Next season our budget is likely to be midway compared to other L1 teams. I'm not slating Evans by stating the above. But they are the facts of it.
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blueboy1981 added 21:29 - Apr 19 ITFCsince73 ............... Norwich's budget is irrelevant in this context - just take a look at what they have got, for what littler they have spent. Maybe a Farke could have done likewise for us - they are out there - but mainly in EUROPE, far too far away for us to look it appears ..... !!! Who had heard of Farke before this season ? - obviously someone had, and he ended up at the wrong end of the road.

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Kirbmeister added 21:36 - Apr 19 Confirmation that next season we'll do well to finish mid table. Watched Sunderland earlier. Very good side and still not in top two. Afraid to say they are a much better side than us, even in a league lower.
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pennblue added 21:49 - Apr 19 The sooner we hit non league the better. We are going down again next season and then surely Evans will sell up
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blueboy1981 added 22:19 - Apr 19 Pennblue - How do you sell up to anyone who diesn't want to buy ??? - get real, there's NO potential buyers.
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ITFCsince73 added 22:21 - Apr 19 Blueboy. They have spent little on recruiting. But they still pay a squad average of 20k per week. All their foreign players are on lucrative contracts. There playing budget compared to ours is very much the context of it. Although he's had a crap season, Jordan Rhodes has cost 30k a week. There budget dwarfs ours.
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Carberry added 22:31 - Apr 19 PR Paul, you speak in riddles. For the last 5 months we have played really, really well have we? Same old, same old. We can see through you. I'm afraid you are a charlatan, spinning a story each week. The reality is you have made no difference however much you talk up your imagined abilities while patronising us with this glib adoration. Another relegation for your collection.

2

blueboy1981 added 22:42 - Apr 19 ITFCsince73 ...... whatever you feel about our Club ownership the fact remains that you can sell nothing to a non buyer - and we clearly do not have anyone interested anyway. It is what it is, we gave what we have, but personally after today especially I would rule absolutely NOTHING out between now and August. We have to believe that Evans will turn our current demise around - there is currently no other choice. Evans hasn't been on the field, or in the dugout - we know who have, and these people haven't performed.

0

Cloddyseedbed added 22:44 - Apr 19 Underfunded for years and a continued decline. Our older players are past it and our younger players when given the chance have shown they are the answer, to lightweight and for me overrated. What teams in div. 1 can anybody see us beating? Div. 1 is a very competitive league and I for one can't see the changes and the funding being made available for us to look forward with any optimism. We are light years away from getting back to the championship, can't believe we are amongst the bookies favourites. When you see how other teams play with passion, skill, movement and attitude it makes me sad as to how far we have fell behind since our owner took over. Even teams in the lower leagues have players that can score, create and defend! I have supported the club since the 60's and will continue to but my god can't see anything to get excited about from what I've witnessed this season. I also go to watch the U23's and the so called stars of the future. I just wish people would not keep building ordinary players up to be superstars. One or 2 might make it, but the vast majority will not. Investment is needed for div. 1. We ain't gonna get any.

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Dolphinblue added 06:17 - Apr 20 Another day....same old moaners...fans on twtd out..
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Saxonblue74 added 08:24 - Apr 20 Disappointing, yes. But unimportant. First convincing defeat of a season for a team who are to finish bottom of the league. Let's see what response there is on Monday before any knee jerk reactions and defeatist attitudes toward next season....it hasn't started yet!!!
0

Saxonblue74 added 08:30 - Apr 20 ....I'm sure there are some on here who love a bad result, they love a bit of negativity to feed off!!! Don't need to name names, you know who you are! One bad performance and next season is written off already!
2

RegencyBlue added 08:56 - Apr 20 blueboy1981. The difference between Norwich and ourselves is very clear. They have an owner who is a fan, who has invested in the club on and off the pitch and who has seen to it that the club takes a leading role in the local community. Everything we used to do in fact! We on the other hand we have Evans, a wide boy chancer who thought he saw an opportunity to make money out of owning a football club and who, once he realised that wasn't going to happen, neglected us to the point where we now find ourselves in League 1 for the first time in over 60 years. Evans owns this mess completely and is slowly killing the club. After nearly twelve years he has no one to blame but himself!

2

Saxonblue74 added 09:25 - Apr 20 Why compare us ro Norwich? What is the relevance?
1

shakytown added 09:42 - Apr 20 You are so far off the mark it is incredible lambert. These fifth rate losers would not even have the commitment of a bottom of the table under 12 girls team who have lost their boots. As for your abysmal team selections and tactics it goes beyond belief how bad you can be. We probably need a 90% clear out of staff and that includes you.
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Cheshire_Blue added 09:48 - Apr 20 Oh dear! Having got rid of Mr McCarthy (who would have kept us in the Championship) Everyone is now turning on Paul Lambert. As for Mr Evans not spending, how many of the moaners would be prepared to spend their own money in the present circumstances. Evans is putting in millions just to keep us afloat.
3

MichaelRockyLavelle added 10:15 - Apr 20 Play 442 diamond ffs How bleeding obvious does it have to be. Judge is best in a CAM role. None of our strikers can play as a lone striker. None of our fit players are natural wingers (except Edwards) Lambert is really starting to annoy me with this 4-3-3 rubbish
0

BobbyBell added 10:28 - Apr 20 What worries me is the players didn't seem up for this game. Ok so we're down but surely that have the self respect to preform at their very best for the fans who have been truly awesome. Come on boys show some passion and fight or play to empty seats next season.
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runningout added 10:32 - Apr 20 staring League 2 in the face.. If no one thinks that, think again. Off to Sheff utd next week hoping amongst hope our players can read a game and show us what to expect next season.
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raycrawfordswig added 10:59 - Apr 20 If you are going to play kids play them in the right positions.
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Dolphinblue added 11:56 - Apr 20 WHINGERS!!!!!!!!!!!
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Bert added 14:07 - Apr 20 So much for the players saying they must reward the fans. A repeat of the performance on Monday will see the goodwill evaporate and ST sales diminish. It's in the players hands now.
4

blue86 added 14:29 - Apr 20 dont rise to dolphin blue, he is a budgie in disguise..... a very obvious one at that.
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