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Lambert: It's Great to Be Back for Pre-Season
Tuesday, 25th Jun 2019 14:41

Town boss Paul Lambert is pleased to be back at Playford Road working with the squad ahead of the Blues’ League One campaign.

“It’s great, it comes round really, really quickly,” the Town boss said. “The break seems to get shorter and shorter every year, so it’s great because the boredom sets in after a few weeks and you’re itching to get back.

"I’m looking forward to training with the guys and going away [for the training camp in Germany] next week."

He says it’s good to have a fresh start after the disappointment of relegation from the Championship last season.

“I think that’s important because you can’t change the past, that’s a part of it, but we’ve had a chance to regroup with a really young side and we’ve got some really good players here.

“So I’m looking forward to it but it’s a difficult league and we know what’s coming and what to expect with the amount of games you play, so it’s a challenge but it’s a good one to have.”

Winning promotion back to the Championship at the first attempt is obviously Town’s target for the season but Lambert was keen not to heap too much pressure on his young squad at this early stage.

“We’ll try, I’m not going to put any expectancy level on the players, they’re young players who are still learning the game, they still need time to develop as well,” he continued.

“It’s everybody, the staff and the players. We need everybody together. If we have what we had last season and we keep that momentum and start to turn those draws into wins, then we’ll see what happens.”


He added: “We have to try everything we can, and if we’re lucky enough to get back into the Championship then that’s what you want, but the momentum has to be with you, but the main thing is we try.”

He says the next five weeks building towards the club’s first third tier game in 62 years at Burton Albion are very significant.

“They’re massive. I think the important thing is to try and get somebody else in to help the lads and it’s important we try and get them in before we go away,” he reflected.

“Germany is hard and it’s tough, there’s no getting away from pre-season, it is what it is, it’s not changed over the years.

“You have to prepare for that whole season and everybody has to buy into what you’re trying to do.

“If nobody buys into what you’re trying to do then it’s not good, it’s not good for the individual, and it’s not good for the team, so everybody has to buy into it.

“The lads have come back in great shape and I’m really happy with how they’ve come back, and I’m looking forward to working with them and let’s see what happens.”

He added: “Germany is a place I know really well and how they prepare and the life over there. I know the teams, we couldn’t have picked any harder teams, that’s for sure, two from the Bundesliga.

“Paderborn have done fantastically well to get to the Bundesliga, and Dusseldorf have had a great season, so they’ll be really hard games to play in the tournament.

“But it’s a place that I know really well and a place where there’s no real distractions or anything like that. You’re there to work, and you work hard.”

Asked about a possible hangover from last season, he says the campaign ended on a high with the 3-2 victory over Leeds.

“We finished on a high, we finished the season decently with Leeds game,” he said. “For me, we’d been playing well, we just hadn’t got the results and the three games prior to Leeds was a hangover of what had happened with relegation [being confirmed] in the Birmingham game.

“But prior to that we had played so well in a lot of games, we’d dominated a lot of games without getting the rewards. Performance-wise overall, I was happy with the way we played, the results, no, but I thought we played well enough to merit results.”

With the visit to Burton on the opening day followed by favourites Sunderland making the trip to Suffolk, Town could have been handed an easier League One baptism.

“Listen, every game is hard; it doesn’t matter who you’re playing in any league,” he continued. “Whoever we played in the first game was always going to be hard, but I’m really looking forward to getting going and let’s see what happens, we’ll be ready for it, that’s for sure.

“We’re a good side, I’ve got no doubt about that, we’re a young side which I said before is still learning, and they will keep learning over the next six months to a year, but everybody is behind us, and that’s a great thing going into the season."

He says anyone who was out there training, from youngsters who were on the periphery last season such as Tristan Nydam or Corrie Ndaba - although Barry Cotter and Aaron Drinan were with the development squad - to those who were on loan like Danny Rowe or Jordan Roberts, have a chance of being in his team on the opening day and he isn’t anticipating any additions prior to the Germany trip.

“What you see here at the minute are the lads who will come with me to Germany, and the two lads that are not here [James Norwood and Alan Judge].

"At this moment, unless something really crazy happens before we go to Germany, then most of these lads will come.”


Photo: TWTD



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JewellintheTown added 15:48 - Jun 25
I'm a fan of Lamberts managerial style but am slightly concerned I'm still hearing comments like :

“We'll try, I'm not going to put any expectancy level on the players, they're young players who are still learning the game, they still need time to develop as well,”

and

“We have to try everything we can, and if we're lucky enough to get back into the Championship then that's what you want, but the momentum has to be with you, but the main thing is we try.”

Those lines aren't from the Sir Alex Ferguson book of winning, are they? About time he says to them all what he expects from them in no uncertain terms, sets his benchmark high, cracks a few heads and gets them to grow up, no excuses. We need them all to raise their games this season as penance for the disastrous last one.
4

TractorRoyNo1 added 15:53 - Jun 25
perhaps Sir Alex would have had s different philosophy if he could only deal with bosmans, freebies and kids
4

Cookycrew added 16:09 - Jun 25
Agree TractorRoyNo1. We have no money, we have kids & freebies.
Lambert is not going to work miracles with what he has at his disposal.
Lambert is being very sensible, as I feel the expectations from our fans are currently way too high.
If we aim for 6th and reach the play-offs next season that would be a far more sensible target IMO.
3

TimmyH added 16:37 - Jun 25
Looks like the bar of expectancy is being lowered already before a ball has even been kicked before even pre-season...
0

WhoisJimmyJuan added 18:00 - Jun 25
I think the most important thing is a top 10 finish, lots of goals and some real talent coming through the academy. I free with TractorroyNo1 but Lambert has to start delivering results to some extent this Autumn. So far PL has got everything right but the results. I like the guy, and I believe in him, but August is the time for the talking to stop and the goals start flowing. We need it to be like Burleys days after relegation in 1995.
0

WhoisJimmyJuan added 18:00 - Jun 25
Agree not free!
0

muccletonjoe added 18:42 - Jun 25
Wants to get players in before they go to Germany.
Then says it's not going to happen.
He will be gone before Christmas.
-1

Saxonblue74 added 19:47 - Jun 25
Personally think we have one of, if not the best squad in lge 1. Anything other than automatic promotion will be a very disappointing season.
2

ITFCsince73 added 22:38 - Jun 25
If we stay out of a relegation dogfight, that will be a good 1st season in L1.
0

ITFCsince73 added 22:40 - Jun 25
We have a playing budget or a par with Southend.
They will be happy to stay up....
0

Gforce added 22:59 - Jun 25
"We've got some really good players here",
Not in defence we haven't !
2

rabbit added 07:59 - Jun 26
Out of interest ITFC73 what is the Southend playing budget?
I can't find anything on-line and obviously nobody gives us an insight into ours.
0

ITFCsince73 added 08:43 - Jun 26
Try the local paper Rabbit.
Southend Evening Echo.
0

ITFCsince73 added 08:46 - Jun 26
Rabbit. I can give you a quick insight into ours....last season one of the lowest in the Championship, hence the embarrassing final league position.
This season....I think that's obvious, even with one brain cell.
0

rabbit added 10:43 - Jun 26
Well I can't find anything to suggest to me what the playing budget is in the Southend Evening Echo, and to be absolutely honest I don't know what ours is.
Presumably I only have one brain cell, so please educate me and tell me what ours and their's is and where you obtained that information.
Quite a simple question.
0

ITFCsince73 added 13:04 - Jun 26
As your so keen to know Rabbit, and whatever I say, you would question.
Why don't you ask both clubs direct....s short note with a 1£ coin will hopefully give you the info you crave.
0

ITFCsince73 added 13:14 - Jun 26
Rabbit we are a club run in an appalling way.
Zero investment in the playing squad for many years.
Did you really expect L1 to become different.....
I'm not saying spend millions, but the general idea is to have better than the teams in your league.
Free transfers are all well and good.
But bottom line is any free transfer to us, will mean a player unproven, and or, know one is offering a better wage.
This all means we carry on as normal, in the hope, rather than clear promotion ambition.

1

rabbit added 13:23 - Jun 26
But you already know, so rather than palm off a perfectly legitimate question that you claim that you know the answer to, why not publish it?
Possibly though it is just an opinion of yours?, which is perfectly reasonable, so why not say that, rather than make an outright statement which a lot of readers would take as a fact.

0

rabbit added 13:42 - Jun 26
ITFC 73 I wrote my previous post prior to reading your further post, I do not agree with it none the less but you have a valid opinion which I respect.
However in relation to playing budgets I take it by and large you are admitting this is just an opinion you have, again fair enough you are entitled, but insulting me and calling for me to be banned because I question some statements and facts is simply not in the spirit of a forum, spurious facts bandied about on here are simply unhelpful.
0

ITFCsince73 added 13:50 - Jun 26
A lot of readers would take it as they see fit.
Supporters know how as a club we operate.
I've to convince know one.
Poor to average the investment year on year to the playing staff. That alone tells me not only are we in the same division as Southend but have same ambition and funds also.
And they was 20 mins from relegation to L2.
0


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