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Lambert: We Were the Better Team, Blackpool Will Be Happy With a Point
Saturday, 23rd Nov 2019 18:15

Boss Paul Lambert was happy with the Blues’ display against Blackpool despite the game ending 2-2, believing Town were the better side. The Town manager felt there were questionable refereeing decisions on both Tangerines’ goals.

“I thought we were better team,” Lambert said. “I think Blackpool will be happy with a point, they set out their way to play, I think to hit us on the counter-attack.

“But we had so much of the ball and dominated the ball. I was happy with how we played, we had so much of the ball.

“You can encounter that, that’s probably the first team that’s come here and defended as deep as that. But, that’s what happened.”

He added: “I was really happy with how we played. We dominated the ball, as I said, they defended, they had a lot of guys behind the ball, their front two were dropping right to the halfway line to try and stop us playing.

“We did everything we could to try and get the result. But I was happy with the way we kept going.”

Regarding the first Blackpool goal, Lambert felt referee Stephen Martin ought to have stopped play with Cole Skuse down injured in the Town half.

“Unless somebody’s told me otherwise then I think the game’s meant to stop for a head injury,” he said.

“If there’s a head injury, I think that’s meant to be the rule, unless it’s changed, unless the rule’s changed. But it happens.”


Lambert, who exchanged views with Blackpool boss Simon Grayson on the touchline following the goal, added: “The referee calls it the way he sees it. It’s the way it is.”

The Blues boss was similarly quizzical about the Blackpool penalty: “I think the linesman said to the referee that there was no contact but the referee’s given it. That’s what I’ve heard. But that’s football.”

In the second half, fans in the Sir Bobby Robson Stand felt the ball had crossed the line before Jay Spearing cleared Kayden Jackson’s flick but Lambert was unable to give an authoritative view.

“I haven’t see that yet,” he said. “We make it exciting, that’s for sure. We keep going. Blackpool playing as deep as they did, that’s their prerogative, I don’t have a problem with that, we may have to encounter that, but that’s the first team that’s came and played as deep as that.”

The Blues manager had praise for Janoi Donacien, who made his first League One appearance since August.

“He did great,” he said. “I thought he did great at Lincoln the other night. I’ve been happy with him, he found himself out of the team because of Kane [Vincent-Young]’s form but he’s obviously got back in.

“I played Gwion [Edwards] up at Rochdale because I thought it was the right thing to do and Janoi came in and did great, so that’s what competition does.”

James Norwood, who returned from his groin op and started the two league games before the international break, missed out and Vincent-Young was also not considered ready after his more recent surgery.

“Him and Kane have had roughly the same kind of operation,” Lambert said when asked about Norwood’s absence. “He’s doing really well, the two of them are really well. I just thought this one was a bit early, he hasn’t done much training at all.

“I didn’t want to take a chance and risk it and then he’s out for another three of four games. It was just a precaution thing, I didn’t want want to throw the two of them in too early.”

Will they be OK for Tuesday’s home game against Wycombe? “I’ll see, he’s not done much training. He’ll have another few days under his belt and we’ll see how he is. This one I think was a bit early. And the same for Kane. We’ll see how the two of them are on Monday.”

Blackpool boss Simon Grayson felt the draw was a fair reflection of the match.

“I would say so," he said. "I think we looked threatening, they looked threatening. It was quite an open game, chances at both ends, so yes, I think it was about a fair result. Both teams could have won it, both teams could have lost it.

“We’re the away team, we've come here, it’s a difficult place to come to against a good team, up around the top couple of places, so we’ll take it for sure.”

He added: “You know when you come to Portman Road at it’s a tough place. They start the game very quickly, they get the crowd behind them and we didn’t deal with the first 15 minutes well enough.

“But we showed good spirit to get back into the game. Held our own, looked a threat on the counter-attack and obviously two decisions in the second half could have gone either way.”

Grayson felt there should be no complaints about his side's penalty but thought the Blues' was a decision which could have gone either way.

“Not from our perspective in terms of our penalty," he said. "The lad’s caught Sulley for definite.

"The other one could have gone either way. The ball’s up, coming out of the sky, Joe Nuttall’s not looking at the ball, he’s looking to try and head it and it’s just come down and hit him on the hand rather than hand to ball.

“I think if you were in the Premier League there would be a lot of people debating whether it’s a penalty or not. We accept it, we have to deal with it.

"We showed a lot of good spirit because we withstood a lot of pressure at the back end of the game but we still looked a threat going forward on the counter-attack.”


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jas0999 added 18:27 - Nov 23
Disagree. I thought it was a fair result.

I do however agree that Donacian had a very good game. Best I've seen him play.
7

billlm added 18:28 - Nov 23
One up front against a promotion rival McCarthy Esq, not anti Lambert but that's crap tactics, poor Jackson he deserves better
20

TimmyH added 18:42 - Nov 23
Not really Paul (have to disagree again)...we played in fits and starts, a point about right but was expecting more to be honest after the break.
7

Blue_Moses added 18:44 - Nov 23
Deluded
-1

tractorboybig added 18:44 - Nov 23
No paul..they had a manager who knows what he is doing.
-11

Dissboyitfc added 18:47 - Nov 23
Even first half, we were by far the better team in the second half without a shadow of a doubt!

Poor Officials again, very poor!

Donacien's best game in a town shirt, thought he was immense! My m.o.m goes to Nolan, ran the midfield today! I did feel every player put a shift today especially second half.

The wait goes on for a victory after an international break!
8

StockholmDave added 18:55 - Nov 23
Town were clearly the better team. Penalty was a joke. Ball looked over the line, and we could have had another penalty earlier for a handball. Chambers looked very solid, and Nolan made some important tackles. Wingers both looked good at times, but a lot of the crosses were poor.
4

TimmyH added 19:02 - Nov 23
First 15 minutes we were the better side, thereafter nip and tuck - probably shaded the 2nd half though on clear chances created a draw about right.

Ball over the line and I was in the Cobbold stand looking down on the goal - where's VAR when you need it? :0
4

BettyBlue added 19:10 - Nov 23
What a plonker?

that was a game we were never going to win. That's what you get when you change all eleven players every game.

Why didn't you use the cup games to find a new strike partnership if Norwood has been injured?

Can anyone guess the Wycombe outcome?
6

ITFCsince73 added 19:51 - Nov 23
Yes Betty. We will win....
3

TimmyH added 20:05 - Nov 23
“Unless somebody's told me otherwise then I think the game's meant to stop for a head injury,” he said. - sorry Paul it didn't look and wasn't serious and Skuse injured himself fouling the Blackpool player and the ref did the right thing by allowing play to carry on.

Why do managers cling to very morsel when it comes to excuses?
3

Talbs77 added 20:08 - Nov 23
I thought we played ok and huffed and puffed in 2nd half without creating many chances in fact I can't remember their goalie making any saves so draw fair result.

Resting majority of squad over 17 days only to to have your 2 best players still to be injured looks to have backfired to me but let's see what Tuesday brings.

I was impressed with Blackpool on the break, we move onto Tuesday...huge game!!!
1

muccletonjoe added 20:13 - Nov 23
If you were happy with the way we played , mr Lambert, therein lies our problem
13

maninashed added 20:29 - Nov 23
From where I sat all of the ball looked over all of the line. Poor decision that possibly cost us the game. Must get used to poor quality officials in this league.
3

ITFCsince73 added 20:41 - Nov 23
The ref couldn't even over see a smooth substitution process.
What chance is there with game in play.
5

tractorollson added 21:50 - Nov 23
PL got it wrong today, lets hope he isnt getting stubborn like MM. He knew he got formation and team wrong from his expressions inpost match interview, only we would play a defensive formation at home, wycombe is a must win to stay in top 2
2

planetblue_2011 added 22:56 - Nov 23
Thought a draw was just about right but then we had the goal line clearance & Judges effort at the death which their keeper made a good save round the post, We could of won it.
Blackpool had 2 massive centre halves which cleared nearly everything & did counter attack us a few times.
In all a good game & great atmosphere again, a good turn out too over 19000 fans👍
4

Saxonblue74 added 08:11 - Nov 24
I'm sorry but I just don't get it. Set up to win with an attacking formation and perhaps we wouldn't be reliant on officials getting it right. When is he ever going to learn that Kayden Jackson in isolation up front does NOT win football matches? Why not give Roberts a run out from the start? Options on the bench if it doesn't work out. You've got us on track again Lambert but please don't make your battle to prove your tactics and squad rotation policy the biggest issue.
7

roytheboy added 11:59 - Nov 24
I was right behind the goal in Sir Bobby Robson stand in the upper tier, I had a very good view and was totally sure that the ball had completely crossed the line and that we had actually scored, I'm very disappointed that the Linesman could not see it.
1

Cheshire_Blue added 18:13 - Nov 24
Top two and still they moan at the manager !!!
0


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