Boss Paul Lambert knows that expectations will be high going into Town’s first third tier season for 62 years but warns that it’s not a given that his young, frugally-assembled squad will be in the top six, even if he believes they’re "a really good side”.

Asked whether he has a target for where he wants Town to finish in League One the Blues manager confirmed he had one in mind without elaborating any further.

When it was pointed out that most people would see the season as a failure if Town weren’t in the top six at the very least, he added: “Why do people think we’re automatically going to be in the top six? Because we’re Ipswich? Look at the side, the side is young.

"There were 12 academy kids [involved against Paderborn on Saturday], I’m not sure there are going to be as many as that in the whole division.

“What I will say is we’re a good side, I think we’re a really good side. It’ll be really tough but if we keep performing, then let’s see what happens.”

However, he says he’s well aware that there will be expectations among fans: “There will be, absolutely, and there should be because the badge indicates it, the club indicates it, the history of the club indicates it, the support indicates it. That’s fine, it’s totally fine.

“We haven’t spent any money at all — none. If you spend money then I can understand people saying ‘You have to be up there’ and ‘You have to win titles’. I get all that.

“Without money it’s a different project, but the objective is still the same. It’s to try and be successful. But we haven’t spent any money.

“They’re young, there are 12 academy kids, it’s a project, but they’re a really good side. I’m not saying they’re not a good side, I’m saying they’re a really good side.

“They might make mistakes more than will happen with experienced players but if they keep playing like that and they keep doing those things.”

Lambert played down suggestions that keeper Bartosz Bialkowski’s move to Millwall for around £1 million breaking down has impacted upon his ability to make signings and says the Polish international's value has reduced as a result of Town's drop into League One.

“No, because the club has been relegated,” he continued. “If what people tell me is true, that Bart could have gone last season for whatever, £3 million, if you get relegated, no one’s going pay that money any more. It’s not going to happen.

“It never even got that far, that’s the beauty of it all. I’m not disappointed the guy’s not away because he’s a really good goalkeeper. So from that point of view, a selfish point of view I’m glad Bart’s still here.

“As I’ve said, I don’t lose sleep about things until they really affect me then I’ll start to say, ‘OK, what’s going on?’.”

Meanwhile, the Blues squad and staff spent yesterday afternoon paintballing close to their hotel near Meppen, where next Sunday's Interwetten Cup takes place, with team building during their time away in Germany seen as a priority by Lambert.

A spot of paintball for the lads this afternoon! 🔫🎨#itfc pic.twitter.com/OUjDV1edyc– Ipswich Town FC (@IpswichTown) July 7, 2019

Photo: TWTD

ITFCsince73 added 22:18 - Jul 8 RRanger. If you look on oddschecker. All the money currently going on other teams. Gillingham of all teams are currently being backed. This will all change again as pre season games played, transfers made to strengthen etc. Be interesting to see if we're still second favourites on match day 1.
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ITFCsince73 added 22:29 - Jul 8 Londontractor. Hardly done it with no money did he.....paying wages of loan players 15/20k a week. Bringing way below average players in on frees, injury riddled players on frees and giving ridiculous 10k a week contracts to these players....and there was many. And all the while on a £1m a year contract himself. He done ok out of ITFC me thinks.
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Bluedandy added 06:38 - Jul 9 All squads are frugally assembled in League One even Sunderland are cash strapped... Transfers fees are few and far between and with the odd exception are peanuts in comparison to Championship figures. For Paul Lambert a top six finish is the bare minimum requirement... frankly anything short of promotion would be awful.
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algarvefan added 07:51 - Jul 9 I have in over 50 years never failed to look forward to a coming season, you can all argue on here all you like, it won't change a thing! I'm looking forward to the introduction of youth, players nurtured and brought up at the club playing, not some half baked player on loan for stupid fees, that is what has put us where we are. You cannot build a squad on loan players and for years now we have had too many, not given our young players a chance and they have gone on to succeed elsewhere. So bring it on, I see this season as steadying the ship, if we make the play off's or get promoted that's great, if we don't I won't be surprised. Whatever happens people keep smiling and your sense of humour, it's important that we get behind the team from the get go.

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rabbit added 08:03 - Jul 9 bluearmy_81 great post from you, insults save answering pertinent questions, well if you consider me to be illiterate fair play but at least I can read a balance sheet, I taught you what asset stripping actually is and I wouldn't need to hide my opinions in a closed facebook group of a few impressionable largely adolescence. Lets have a re-think, in the future you only post what you can knowledgeably back up and you won't need to be called out and look so feeble with discourteous insults.

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woohoo added 08:42 - Jul 9 Many of the negative comments on here are due to people wanting to believe that we are what we were 20+ years ago - a team with quality. What we don't yet understand is the level of quality in the current squad - and we will only see this when the season starts. I believe PL is a good manager and just being honest - not setting ridiculous expectations.
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TBT added 08:59 - Jul 9 Firstly, the club was nearly in administration, not actually in administration but heading that way. The Directors at the time thought that Marcus Evans was the most credible UK investor. The debt of approximately £32m was absorbed by the Marcus Evans Group whilst the club itself cost Marcus Evans £25m. A further amount was given to RK to get us immediate promotion back to the Premier League. It was discreetly rumoured last summer that Marcus would accept £35m and hand over the entity debt free (the debts had reached over £80m by this stage) which made a great deal of sense. Now the club is worth a fraction of the £25m and so Marcus is complaetely stuck. The only thing any businessman does in these circumstances is limit your losses within a failing subsidiary whilst focussing on the profitable parts of the group. The fact that this just happens to be our football club with all of its passion, history and amazing supporters is completely irrelevant to Marcus. The fact that Marcus is an uncaring businessman carrying out logical business practice on a struggling subsidiary is an inconvenient truth that none of us, including me, want to face. The only way he will cut his losses (and sell at a huge loss) is if you vent your disapproval. One more question. Why don't The 300 corporate season tickets count towards the overall total? Do I need answer......

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Razor added 10:51 - Jul 9 Not sure I like his atitude here----yes we are IPSWICH TOWN and should be damn proud of it and looking to get out of this league pronto and telling people so; It is not arrogance but football good sense---like our Swedish friend I think he is getting his excuses in early and Evans now sadly has him in the palm of his hands. I will say this now---if we are not in top six come October 1 the situation should be reviewed.

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ITFCsince73 added 11:11 - Jul 9 Blues1 and rabbit. I think the only ones that are making themselves look doughnuts are you 2. Forever pulling up posters on their comments, when you know nothing about the person, what they do for a living etc. Keeping on doing this makes you look stupid, nothing more.
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Blue041273 added 11:58 - Jul 9 ITFC1973 Total boll***s ME is NOT personally liable for any debts which ITFC have accrued. ITFC operates under a corporate existence. It is structured as a limited liability company. The company is owned by the Marcus Evans Group, not ME personally. Limited liability means that shareholders only have a liability to the extent of the paper value value of their shares. If ME walks away and stops funding the day to day operating costs through his Group of Companies ME will lose his paid up investment but his liability will be ended. Now in corporate investment terms this may not be the clever option. That would be to find a buyer who might meet his valuation of a failing club. Now, as we have heard before ‘BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR'.

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rabbit added 12:46 - Jul 9 Quite correct Blue041273, but why let the truth get in the way of anything, as for ITFCsince 73's comment that I have no idea what other posters do, you are quite right but from your comments I do know you have never been involved with any business at board level. Obviously no problem there but I am afraid you do rather allow this inexperience to show in some of your posts. Nobody that supports ITFC wants them to be in the third tier, I also agree we will be very fortunate to see the team get promotion, I also agree there have been mistakes made, especially bearing in mind the amount of investment put into the business since ME has been involved. Lets be quite clear ITFC invested more in player purchase last season than the eventual Champions did, we were in fact less than circa £500k short of the runners up total. So keep calling out insulting names when you have no ability to come back with any practical or logical responses.

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jayessess added 13:29 - Jul 9 Think PL is very wise to dampen expectations. The players and the supporters need to hear that it's going to be hard getting out of this division and prepare accordingly. No arrogantly assuming we're going to sweep everyone aside without fighting for it, no getting on the players backs every time things aren't going exactly to plan. Personally, I think we've got enough with the players already at the club to be at the top end of the division and if we don't... then even gambling on paying out a handful of modest fees isn't going to change that. Even if we spent all the Mings money on transfer fees, that'd be what? Two more players in the Nolan/Nsiala/Harrison/Donacien/Edwards/Jackson price range? What the hell is that supposed to achieve?

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Gcon added 13:39 - Jul 9 Without money it's an impossible project. It is the reason we are where we are. And, of course, when it suited Evans he made all the right noises about supporting Lambert - until he mugged 12,000 season ticket holders and the truth is now coming out. No surprises. No ambition.
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Blue041273 added 13:58 - Jul 9 Rabbit Please explain! I have not insulted anyone! I tell it as I see it and believe me I do have a little experience in finance/ legal matters. Please tell me what I have posted that has offended you.
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rabbit added 18:31 - Jul 9 Blue041273 my first point was to agree with your post, I also marked your post with an up arrow, I hope if you can be bothered to read again you will see I was clearly not referring to you. None the less if my post is ambiguous in some way I unreservedly apologise for any misunderstanding. However just to clarify I totally agree with you and you have written the facts extremely clearly. Again apologies for any misunderstanding.

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Blue041273 added 19:02 - Jul 9 Thanks Rabbit! Re-reading your post I can understand the confusion. Keep posting my friend! One day the penny might drop!
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ITFCsince73 added 20:26 - Jul 9 Blue041. Lol. Calm down. Where have I said ME personally.....
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ITFCsince73 added 20:28 - Jul 9 Rabbit. You know all the facts....why don't you launch a takeover. Or the very least, some sort of consulting roll...
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Blue041273 added 20:43 - Jul 9 73 Your post 22.05 Jul 8 stated ‘If he walks he's liable for club debt that might be left behind'. How much more personal do you need it to be?
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ITFCsince73 added 21:14 - Jul 9 Blue041. Marcus Evans is financially responsible for the affairs of his company. His business comes in many forms, last time I looked I think it was 25 different companies he controlled all with the ME name. All headed by Marcus Evans uk holdings ltd.....which incidentally if you look on companies house the annual accounts are due.... It would then appear this company is run under the guidance of Marcus Evans IOM holdings ltd. Being a registered Isle of Man company. All of which brings me to, Marcus Evans is the sole shareholder in his group of companies. Although there is instances where he owns 75% of a company in his name, and another company in his name owns the other 25%. He shares his empire with no one.

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Blue041273 added 22:19 - Jul 9 73 But sorry he is NOT personally responsible for any operating debt that the ITFC company might accrue. The name of the company in legal terms is just a label, ie meaningless for anyone other than ME. You might lay the blame for all our ills on ME ( and believe me I can't absolve him fro a litany of past errors) but he is propping up the club. Without his support we would already be doomed. All companies are constituted so that investors have a degree of protection. In times past they were all set up as ‘Limited' companies which ensured that the shareholders in the company had their liability limited to the nominal value of the shares. Nowadays companies are set up as PLCs (public Limited Companies) but investors still enjoy the same limited liability protections under corporate law. Do you think Philip Green has any personal responsibility to the shareholders, customers or staff of BHS. He doesn't! All perceived disadvantaged stakeholders have to claim against any remaining corporate assets. In our case, other than the football staff there are none. So lobby all you can to get ME to give us a better deal. Just bear in mind what the ultimate price might be.

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rabbit added 07:20 - Jul 10 ITFCsince1973 you must be joking, launch a takeover to own a footgall team irrespective of any financial situation I am or ever will be in; it would never happen. The sheer and utter ignorance of some fans that have little perception of the requirements of owning such a business make it utterly unedifying.
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rabbit added 07:44 - Jul 10 Blue041273 again well explained but don't expect a reply, it is too dis-pleasing for some posters to let the facts affect them.
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ITFCsince73 added 09:56 - Jul 10 Sorry rabbit. The way you come across. I thought you had some connection to a large company....you seem to have the answers. Or think you do.
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ITFCsince73 added 10:06 - Jul 10 Blues042. As I've said. There is no shareholding. You cant compare to a Debenhams, or a Mr Green. Marcus Evan's isn't PLC. Marcus Evan's has no partners or shareholders. If one arm of the business needs assistance, elsewhere within the organisation will assist. In simple terms the buck stops with Evan's. He is the sole proprietor. If you look at the eyewatering profits made across the group, itfc are in a good place. Or should be.

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