Boss Paul Lambert appeared to call his Blues future into question following his side’s 0-0 home draw with Gillingham.

Lambert’s press conference after the game started relatively uneventfully with the manager expressing his pride in his players for not hiding during a frustrating afternoon.

“I’m really proud of them because they kept on playing the ball, that’s what I’m of, I’m really proud of them,” he said.

“Difficult conditions, the crowd was edgy, one bad pass and it gets edgy. I’m really proud of them.

“I said to them at half-time, it doesn’t matter what you do as a footballer, keep taking that ball. I don’t care, take the ball in a phone box when there’s five guys around you, you keep taking it. Keep taking the ball because that shows bravery in itself.

“And I’m proud of them that they did that. A lot of young guys out there and it’s not easy when you’re a big club and you’re expected to win every time. You need people to take the ball.

“In the second half I thought we did that, towards the end of the first half, 15 or 20 minutes at the end of the first half we took the ball and that’s something I’m really proud of.”

Asked why he felt his team had started the game so slowly, he said: “It can happen, it can happen. You don’t have a divine right, you see the table, we’re sitting second. It’s incredible, sitting second and the support’s fabulous, 22,000 here, absolutely unbelievable.

“As I said before when I first came in there was 12 or 13,000, now we’ve 7,000 more which is incredible, season tickets are flying through the roof.

“There are a lot of good things happening, everybody wants us to win, but there are a helluva lot of good things here, that’s for sure.

“But because of the size of the club and the name of the club, if it was that easy Sunderland would have got out of it, Sheffield United would have got out of it in less than six years.

“It’s a difficult league, but we’re sitting second, so we’re in a good place. We just need to finish it off.

“But what I’m really proud of, as I said before, is everybody taking that ball and nobody hiding. That for me is the mark of a footballer.

“When you do that and there are people round about you and there’s an expectancy level, incredible. I know that because I played with huge, huge clubs.”

Although Town didn’t register a shot on target they had one or two decent chances and Lambert says the players might have made different choices.

“We had good opportunities, we had great chances to pull the trigger, especially Kayden and Judgey, they had great chances to pull the trigger,” he said.

“But the lads made decisions that only they can see. They have to make the decisions, that’s decision-making, that’s all that is.

“I think if you said to Kayden to go and do it again he’d probably shoot, if you said to Judgey he’d probably go and shoot but the guys are trying not to be selfish, which is good. They see their team-mate in a better position maybe to score and they try to make the right move.”

Was there some nervousness in those situations given the current run of form with the Blues without League One in six?

“As I said before, we’re sitting second, that’s the thing I can’t quite get my head round,” Lambert responded.

“It’s how you want to view it, we sit second, we’re in a really good place, there’s a helluva lot of football to be played here.

“The lads will come back strongly. This stops that run of two defeats in a row. Clean sheet, really incredible conditions as well.

“But regarding the bravery with the ball, I’m delighted with that. Not happy with the draw but it’s a start, it stops that mini [run of two league] defeats. Really happy that we never hid from the ball.”

After it was pointed out that Town have now taken only 10 points from their last 10 matches, which is hardly the form required to win promotion, Lambert seemed, out of nothing, to call his Blues’ future into question.

“If they want to go and employ another manager, no problem,” he said, surprising reporters. “I’ll go, it’s not a problem for me to go. I’ll leave tomorrow or I’ll leave the next day, it’s not a problem.

“Ipswich Town is the most important thing, not me. So if I go tomorrow or next week or whatever happens, the club is in a really good place. It’s sitting second in the table and we’re not even halfway through.

“What the lads [have done since] the start of the season has been incredible. From being relegated and the club being like an absolute morgue with 12,000 people in it, to where it is now.

“If I left tomorrow, I don’t know when I’ll leave, Ipswich Town is the most important thing. So if they bring in someone else that’s not a problem.”

It was pointed out that him saying that would raise a lot of questions, he added: “No it doesn’t, it doesn’t raise questions. I’m a realist in football. I’m not going to sit and tell you lies, I’m not going to sit and tell you anything else. I’m a realist, I’m not a fantasist. I’m a realist because I’ve won things.”

Asked whether he was saying he believes he is in danger of the sack, he said: “Maybe. Maybe, you don’t know. It’s not something I’ll lose sleep over, put it that way.”"

Why wouldn’t he lose sleep over it, surely his pride would be dented? “That happened long ago, that. Football management you just get on with it. I don’t lose any sleep whatsoever. If it happens, it happens, if it doesn’t, it doesn’t.”

Has owner Marcus Evans has given any indication that that might happen? “Marcus has been brilliant, Marcus is a brilliant owner, nothing like that. But I know how football works, I’m not silly.”

Is he speaking in a wider context rather than specifically about his current situation, knowing that managers on bad runs lose their jobs?

“Ay, absolutely no worries,” he added. “I could get my jacket today and leave. Who is going to stop me?”

Asked what that would achieve, he responded: “Ipswich trying to win the league.”

Is he getting exasperated with the atmosphere around the club? “No, the club has come a long way in the year we’ve been here. It’s come a helluva long way. There was so much wrong with it. There was so much wrong, you only see the surface of it.”

Questioned on whether he was contradicting himself to some degree, saying that and but also that he could get his coat and go tomorrow, he said: “Yes, if Marcus wants me out, that’s no problem. That’s what I’m saying, I don’t have a problem. If Marcus says to go or [general manager of football operations] Lee [O'Neill] says go.”

Asked why he is even talking along those lines, he said: “Because it might happen. Nobody knows. Nobody knows, do they?”

But is he anticipating that? “I always think you’re one game away from the sack. I always think that.”

That’s just his fatalistic view? “Because I’ve been in the game since I started football when I was 15.”

But nothing in the conversations that he has had with Marcus or with Lee have suggested that that’s on the cards? “No, those two guys have been really good. They’ve been really, really good.”

And he’s not thinking of picking up his coat of his own volition? “I don’t know. I’ll wait and see.”

Asked whether he is considering his position, he said otherwise: “No, no, no.”

Lambert previously left Blackburn out of the blue, but he says he’s fine: “No, I feel good.”

When it was pointed out that it was odd to say what he’s said when he’s done a lot to turn the club around, put thousands on the gate and are second, although without a win in the league for a while. All that and yet he’s talking as if you may not be here.

“Nobody knows,” he added. “I’m not important to the club. The football club is the most important factor. A manager only helps to a certain point and they drive it. It’s not a big issue, it’s not an issue.”

After it was pointed out that it would be an issue with supporters, he responded: “This is what I’m saying to you, the support is brilliant, absolutely brilliant. And they’ve been brilliant to me since I’ve been here, so I don’t have any qualms about that.

“I’m not the most important factor. If I’m not the guy to take Ipswich up, somebody else comes in - brilliant, absolutely brilliant.”

He must believe he’s the man to take the Blues up? “I’ve got my own thoughts on things. I’ve got my own thoughts on things, I’ve got my own ideas on things. Some things I agree with, some things I don’t agree with.”

When he says some things he agrees with and some he doesn't, is he referring to the way the club is run?

“No, what I say about Marcus is that he’s been great since I’ve been at the club,” he added.

“We have a good laugh, contrary to what everybody thinks. We have some good laughs but we also have some serious moments. He’s been really fair with me, really good with me on a lot of things.”

And he hasn’t mentioned him leaving the club, hasn’t said he's two games away, needs to win next two or anything like that?

“I think he gave me one and a half games," Lambert joked. "No, he’s never said anything like that. He’s been as good as gold that way.”

When Evans’s record of sticking by managers and giving them time was cited, Lambert said: “He didn’t with Paul Hurst, did he? Big Mick did a fabulous job here, fabulous job.”

Before that Paul Jewell and Roy Keane were given time - “Paul did great” - and Ipswich is a club where managers are allowed time.

“Don’t say secure because there’s no such word as secure in football,” Lambert interjected.""

But is it not unsettling for fans and players if he is calling his position into doubt? “The fans and the players will always go on, that’s always the case. They’ll always go on.

“They’re the most important factor at the football club, it’s not me, it’s the players and the supporters, and I always say that, and I always will say that. That’s the most important thing. My time as a player has gone, I don’t know, 2005.”

Asked whether he would you like to stay to the end of the season if he can to see what happens, he said: “I’d love to see the club go up in any factor, whether I’m here or not. I’d love to see the club in the Premier League, it’s that good with the support it’s got behind it.

“And hopefully one day that will happen, because it’s a brilliant club, it really is, it’s a great club and I hate seeing the way it is in the division it’s in, but it is. It’s a brilliant football club to be at, definitely.”

Photo: TWTD

Algorfa1978 added 22:38 - Dec 26 We moved up a place in the league today I look at the comments on here and I have to laugh because most of The comments are from people who have never played the game at a decent level don't blame the manager he's working with what he has it's up to them when they cross that line and it's a tough league
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Henrietta_R_Hippo added 22:41 - Dec 26 Managerial... IT'S DÉJÀ VU... ALL OVER AGAIN! Alas here we go, once again: * Another pointy poke at the quote "edgy" crowd... as if it's literally their subsequent (or just otherwise) "edgy" fault that the headless, disharmonious and HIS very own o.c.d.. driven or just plain silly **rotated** XI not only cant' function or play half-decently for any remotely long spells, but most worrying can't hardly muster a "Shot on Target" for the like umpteen time!!! Oh and for kindness sake let's not even get started on the quality & simplistic spoiler tactics of the opposition we fail to seriously trouble... especially today... but suffice it to say that despite their strategic mindset THEY actually did hit the target?!, 5 times?! * Succumbing to be like 200% "allergic" to any form of criticism (yes even the purest constructive one)... and if, very big "if" in Lambert's rudderless & beyond lost head, there is any on-the-field blame to be thrown around... well in his infallible & starting to border on 'Delusion Of Grandeur' universe (hmmm now where & when have we seen that mental condition before right here? lol) none of it certainly belongs on his doormat!!! Repeat NONE!!! lol And I could on & on with more examples of abject managerial dé-jà-vu'ness here at ITFC ... so in short, slow reacting fans wake up and smell the manure: = When it comes to said ON-THE-FIELD football, sugar-coat talking / Snake Oil salesman extraordinaire Mr. Paul Lambert couldn't manage (or flop transfer sign!) his way out of a shoddy paperback!!!

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cooper442 added 22:47 - Dec 26 What a load of crap!! You sir are paid handsomely to do a job and right now you aren't doing it very well ! Man up or disappear..
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Henrietta_R_Hippo added 23:07 - Dec 26 PS: For those advocating "Give him this upcoming January Window too" to turn it around: Well almost by whimsical nature Lambo might somehow semi-unknowingly lol manage to win a few in the next couple of weeks, Lincoln next for instance, on the surface looks like ANOTHER manageable opponent doesn't they??? However 1 or 2 papering-over-the-cracks win doesn't or shouldn't imho abstract from the reality that is: 1) This Public Relation maestro of an otherwise NOT-a-football-winner type of man, is fundamentally utterly CLUELESS!!!!!!!!! ...and has blatantly obvious been so for some years now incl. elsewhere. IMHO it's so apparent, rotation, tactics & timely and right subs (or lack hereof!) included , that Online Dictionary should add a footnote in their next edition saying "Football-wise no one quite like Mr. Paul Lambert put the less in clueless" lol. To a significant degree Lambert simply got old-fashioned lucky early on in this campaign, incl. with part of the schedule, when in particular we also grabbed some 3-pointers when we really didn't deserve it. As much debated already a big part of Lambert's cluelessness is clearly his ehhmmm "Clinically O.C.D.-like obsession" with constantly rotating & otherwise changing the team ...just for the clueless sake of it?! it certainly appears. (Sure despite obviously claiming differently him uber clever freakin' self! I.E. some I-know-best coooock & buuuull drivel related one way or another to (league 1) professional football players fitness & longevity???!!! lol) 2) Oh and his so called "reinforcement" wheelings & dealings in 2 transfer windows here, has also by & large been a flop / bad joke. Aye it's common knowledge that the manager here is allocated a relatively ridiculous small allowance for "reinforcements" despite having an awesome £ 800+ mill net worth owner... but factually not only did ultra obnoxious MM with some regularity strike much more "gold" & did much better on a whole in this department (given his heritage could of course mostly be down to some Lucky Glover in his larger-than-life inner pocket! lol) but yes EVEN taking into consideration MM's also accompanying stupefying flux of extreme injury-prones + over-the-hills preferably ex-Wolves or some Irish homeboys "from the hood", dud signing! But my bigger point here is that frankly... then my 97 year old aunt Betty, who doesn't exactly comes with a 20/20 vision or 20/20 faculty any longer, and who doesn't follow football btw! could Vincent-Young aside PROBABLY have done sliiiightly better with what little a manager here have to deal with & offer here than Mr. Lambert have done here on that front, particular in that super crucial for 2nd tier survival last January window! Alas thanks for the initial spiritual fan-lift to this club ...oh and the imho very spineless & lamer than lame "lone attacker" effort to stay clear of relegation of course lol, but PLEASE begone now Lambo ...and on a sincere friendly advice go look for your next job in Africa or the Persian Gulf area. Meaning you MERRILY resting on your old laurels + second to none "Selling Sand in Sahara" skills should be very welcome there! :-) (-:

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planetblue_2011 added 23:11 - Dec 26 Bye bye Paul well done for getting us 2nd, now get John McGreal in, to get us promoted he's an old Ipswich player & know what promotion is like as a player with us. He can experience promotion as a manager too!! He's the man to finish the job. Lambert has lost the plot a bit to be honest & really think if he stays till the end of the season we won't be going up. The players need to get confidence back and a settled team with hungry boss... - MCGREAL😁

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Lightningboy added 23:18 - Dec 26 Sounds like Lambo's had one too many eggnog's over xmas. Settle down Paul and see the job through til the end. We're in this together 💙
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runningout added 23:29 - Dec 26 Paul Lambert arrived in October if I'm right. Plenty of time for a very good motivational manager to turn things around and stay in the league we were in. The mess he inherited from Hurst was worse than maybe we knew. The football improved with PL but weak mentality stayed. Would be a shame if things didn't work out with Paul Lambert this season. Players should step up and deal with the pressure of being professional and the criticism some throw their way. It's because we love, and will always love this club

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ringwoodblue added 23:36 - Dec 26 Instead of giving strange, obtuse post-match interviews like this, I would respect Lambo more if he just admitted that the team's performance today was simply not good enough and they let themselves and the 20000+ fans in attendance down big time. And that he is going to do everything he can to arrest the slide on Sun. Simples!
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oH_bluey added 01:08 - Dec 27 "Nonsense interview hides piss poor performance". If you went to the QPR game on Boxing Day a couple of years back it was that bad! PL can walk anytime as the football is still sub-par and we're not even winning now. We don't utilise the width at all and our centre halves hoof it long to two small forwards time after time in league one... Now worried about the likes of Oxford, Pompy etc chasing us down. 22,000+ there to sit in the rain and not see a shot on target - do me a favour.

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Tractorboy1985 added 01:18 - Dec 27 My ol man who managed kings lynn youth team 20 years ago could get this team promoted... enough of your waffle.... LAMBERT OUT!!!
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harlingblue added 03:31 - Dec 27 What a load of waffle from someone that has much to prove as a Manager? PL may have been a good player in his time, but that doesn't make him a good Manager, it is what he learnt while playing under good Managers/coaches. Yes we are somehow 2nd in the third tier of English football, but to be honest I have not seen Town provide a convincing game of football at home this season. The loss of momentum/team bonding etc has been caused by the unnecessary cancellation of games due to the so called International break (we have no players of real consequence involved), constant changing of personnel/formation. In any other profession, probably even this, the workforce would be scratching their heads as to what was meant to be achieved. Promotion is what is demanded/or even hoped for, by supporters that have come back in their droves due to a good PR man, that same man PL, has so much to prove as a good Manager, perhaps he could learn something from another former Scottish Manager, Sir Alex and his hair drier treatment to players that are not earning their place in the team?

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whymarkwhynot added 04:34 - Dec 27 I believe in PL, I'm less convinced by our play makers, to many loose, stray and over hit passes that lose cohesion. Luke Woolfenden was our best playmaker on the pitch. Watching Jackson and Norwood frustration grow because they were receiving few defence splitting passes that they could feed off was major niggle for me. Moan over. COYB!!
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cat added 05:13 - Dec 27 Strange comments indeed, almost a bit of a wee mans (throw the dummy) kind of statement. Somehow by the grace of god we are still second, so I'm not going to jump on the Lambert out bandwagon quite yet, but his decisions of late are somewhat baffling to say the least. How he can go from reconnecting the club to disconnecting the fans so quickly is proof the pressure is getting to him. Hope he turns it around, the next couple of months are critical for him and us.

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Saxonblue74 added 06:52 - Dec 27 Stubborn arrogant ego - maniac!!! After a performance like that he says he's proud of them because they were brave enough to want the ball???!!! Then he makes a statement that he's "won things"? Not for us has he?! Until he realises that he's not the messiah nothing will change. Would be really interesting to know the thoughts of our better players who are regularly overlooked for a starting position. As for the increased attendance, that's 22000 people expecting to see a performance, maybe even a win! Whatever PR spin you put on it that's going to wear very thin, very quickly. Expect to see that figure plummet soon.

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martin587 added 07:18 - Dec 27 I've had to sit back and think hard about these comments from PL.I find them very strange from a manager Who at a big club with a strong squad of players(possibly the best in the league) cannot get the best from them and settle on his best side without making numerous changes each week.Whatever the problems if any behind the scenes are surely his making and to come out with comments stating he could leave are hard to digest. If that is how he feels the players must sense this and it surely explains just why they are so lackluster.Enough said.

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dirtydingusmagee added 08:39 - Dec 27 certainly a worrying situation. He came in talked things up big time got the fans believing and returning to the games, even though he never turned things around on pitch,we were relegated. We began this season looking like we were up for it,and with other teams getting off to a stuttering start found ourselves top, then top with games in hand. Now our form has taken a real dive with only four teams having a worse record ,two points above Southend who cant win to save their lives. SURELY PL must see that rotation is not acieving anything, he seems to have morphed into Mick McCarthy, blindly stubborn, with tunnel vision, and now threatening to jump ship , can only be a matter of time before he starts blaming the fans . He took the job in full knowledge Evans was not going to let him have any money, He has to play the best team he can muster and the players need to perform to keep their place, those that dont make the cut must prove they can do a better job, compete for places . COME ON PAUL . as the women up the road once said LETS BE HAVING YOU ,? are you as good as you think ? Are you a fighter or a quitter, at present you are becoming a non event .

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Cakeman added 08:41 - Dec 27 I do not know what was the reason for these rather odd comments from our Manager is but it does not bode well upon hearing them. Thinking them to himself is one thing but publicly airing them to the fan base of which to date the majority are firmly backing him is not going to achieve a positive outcome. Yes it could be dismissed as an after match reaction but he was speaking in riddles. He is usually very clear on making his points but on this occasion he was reticent in allying any fears about his own thoughts on his future. Whatever the reason(s) he is unhappy. I think deep down he may have taken this squad as far as he can. There has been much criticism of rotation but in reality there is not much difference in quality with our squad players. The squad is not good enough and he knows he can do nothing to change it. We are not going to sign game changers in January. I do fear for our medium to long term future. The fresh wave of enthusiasm and belief under the Paul Lambert era is all but gone. I am extremely disappointed because six months ago I thought we would get there. We now face the very real possibility of losing the few assets we have. These being Downes and Woolfenden. Add to this Garbutt not being our player we are paper thin on quality. Not sure what the future holds but if we do not improve results soon the atmosphere will soon turn for the worse. Sadly I don't think our crop of players are capable of digging in to change it. Just not good enough technically.

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aloanagain added 08:52 - Dec 27 I think Lambert is like any older manager with a decent past,they still tend to live in it and can't change it. The comments on here about getting a younger manager in don't seem to work here. All the younger managers are with smaller clubs where expectations are not so high. Get Mcgreal in,how long has he been at Colchester to get the club where it is now. Would Ipswich supporters have the patience to wait a few years for more success. I think not. Support the team.

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atty added 09:26 - Dec 27 So is he 1.just so passionate about football that he just can't control his emotions, or 2. Playing ME for transfer cash, or 3. Stoking up the players, or 4. an egotist who has an over inflated opinion of his abilities, or 5. An insecure obsessive who can't handle anything less than adulation, or 6. A bit of a drama queen who needs to grow up and think of the possible negative consequences before sounding off like spoilt kid? I half expected him to say “ well if you think you can do any better then do it yourself”. Oh dear. Mr.Evans have a word, and if you don't like the answer, no what it is required.

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SamWhiteUK added 09:37 - Dec 27 Phil was still pissd while writing this it seems!!
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Dolphinblue added 09:40 - Dec 27 Ipswich fans......joke 😂😂😂😂😂
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inghamspur added 09:46 - Dec 27 What does he expect everyone to think with such bizarre comments?
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ChrisR added 09:52 - Dec 27 Does not sound like clever man management or leadership to me. How does this childish outburst effect the players ? Must make them doubt their future also , which cant help team morale !
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braveblue added 09:54 - Dec 27 Very poor effort at self pity from Lambert. Not doing himself any favours and starting to sound and act like McCarthy.
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Jonaldo added 09:55 - Dec 27 I think quite an honest assessment from PL. The club needs him more than he needs the club. I think the least we can do is get behind him and give him our support for a whole season with his own team. Unless his comments are in frustration that we may have to sell a couple of players in the transfer window?!
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