Town general manager of football operations Lee O’Neill says owner Marcus Evans continues to back manager Paul Lambert 100 per cent despite the current run of disappointing form.

The Blues have failed to win any of their last seven League One matches and are down to fourth in the table, out of the automatic promotion places for the first time since August.

In all competitions they are without a win over 90 minutes in their last 10 matches and speaking after the 0-0 home draw with Gillingham on Boxing Day Lambert appeared to call his future into question.

But O'Neill says he and Evans are still firmly behind the 50-year-old, who took charge of the club just over 14 months ago.

“We knew there would be challenges along the way and we are going through a tough period at the moment,” O’Neill told iFollow Ipswich.

“The last 10 games or so, we know we can do better and we have to do better. Everyone is aware of that.

“We had a really good start to the season and that has put us in a good position and now we have to kick on over the second half of the season.

“We all know our objective. That has not changed since the start of the season and Marcus, myself, the whole club are behind Paul and his staff in trying to achieve that.

“Paul has 100 per cent backing from Marcus. We are all in this together and we are pulling in the same direction. We are going through a tough time but we will stick together.

“This is a long-term project here, perhaps different from what Paul had at the last two or three clubs he’s been at.

“We sat down in the summer and spoke about what we all wanted to achieve. There has been a lot of communication between us and it will remain that way.

“We all want the same thing - promotion for Ipswich Town - hopefully this season but also to put foundations in place on and off the pitch to move the club forward.

“No one said it was going to be easy and yes we are going through a testing time but I reiterate, we are all in this together and we will continue to support Paul and his staff to give us the best possible chance of getting where we want to be, short term and long term.”

Photo: TWTD

WhoisJimmyJuan added 11:59 - Dec 31 I think we could get rid of Nsiala, Judge and Edwards in January and the squad would be no weaker. Sell Bart for a mill and there would be scope for modest squad investment.
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TimmyH added 12:04 - Dec 31 “This is a long-term project here, perhaps different from what Paul had at the last two or three clubs he's been at." - we seem to have 'long term' projects with every manager but go nowhere, we had a very long term 5 point plan with McCarthy that went nowhere and the plan with Hurst did go anywhere due to it being so absurd!
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BettyBlue added 12:16 - Dec 31 we're not going up this season. kick out the dead wood now. lambert, chambers, judge and skuse. start anew in 2020
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BettyBlue added 12:18 - Dec 31 and nsiala and the rest......
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BettyBlue added 12:19 - Dec 31 and norwood and....
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ITFCsince73 added 12:21 - Dec 31 Player wise 100% agree Betty. It would only leave a team for a 5 a side tournament though.
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ITFCsince73 added 12:26 - Dec 31 Norwood isn't really missing any opportunities. He just isn't given any. Norwood will score goals with the correct personnel around him. Downes aside...he's playing with jokers mostly.
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ITFCsince73 added 12:32 - Dec 31 A fit Sears will see a Norwood revival I'm sure. A fit Bishop will certainly help the cause. A fit Lancs will make it explosive. Just have to carry on with the jokers for another 6 games or so. And hope a Woolf Wilson partnership has been given the chance it deserves by then.
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prebbs007 added 13:01 - Dec 31 Well Lee perhaps you could foxtrot oscar with BOTH of them because neither are good for our club. The tax dodging owner and failure of a manager are both useless and we would be far better off without either of them. The worst decade in the history of our club bring on the next one fast !!!!
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blueboy1981 added 14:20 - Dec 31 A ‘fit' Bishop ? - that's a ‘pie in the sky' wish for, for sure. Maybe for a couple of games a season at best.
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Robert_Garrett added 14:45 - Dec 31 Confidence is a bit ragged and style is a bit cramped as fear of failure has mindset in.Nothing a good holiday cannot Cure. Racking up Problems that Arent there against a Team that is giving 100% for effort but the effective side will return once we get out of the mud and Play our own Approach game.I am more upswet that my Shares are now less than worthless as I put my Money where my mouth is. Firmly behind Ipswich Town and blow the moaners!

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runningout added 15:01 - Dec 31 Your right! Garrett! The only thing to do is back the coach. Just hope Marcus Evans has learned from his time here to have a strong plan b c and d. I'm not sure how competent Evans, O'Neill etc are. Im hearing better things from them but it seems after the horse had bolted stuff. Hope I'm misinterpreting things
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ITFCsince73 added 16:39 - Dec 31 Yes Blueboy. We are ITFC....we pin our hopes on the unpinnable.
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ITFCsince73 added 16:42 - Dec 31 We've managed to keep Huws fit ish for how many months now? Even Mcgoldrick plays every week.....miracles do happen Blueboy.
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TimmyH added 17:14 - Dec 31 If Lambert was to go Warnock would be a good bet for the rest of the season (which I'm not denying) but if he did get us promoted and continued here it would be a case of back to square one of a few years back...maybe getting that SKY TV money back would lure Evans in to appointing him if the next month continues to go badly.
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blue86 added 17:18 - Dec 31 It's great that town are backing the manager, as we normally do. However, hand on heart I believe paul Lambert recently has been the main issue, rotating, calling games off, and that speech he did to the media imo shows a lack of respect. If paul is going to stop rotating, postponing games, and acting like a child to the media I would like him to stay. It's all very well and good having their chat like the other day, but if you're a player could you really say to the manager, "paul stop rotating us and plays us on form/effort" cant see that going down well! Anyway I hope we turn it around, but paul lambert needs to change his ways.

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BangaloreBlues added 17:20 - Dec 31 Every time a manager is backed by the owner / board they are sacked after the next game!
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blue86 added 17:30 - Dec 31 ITFCsince73. I do agree with alot of what you say, and although admittedly the service to norwood at times is non existent, norwood has missed so many chances its unreal. Norwood clearly has ability, but he needs to improve big time. Hope we can turn things around, starting tomorrow!
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raycrawfordswig added 08:55 - Jan 1 PMSL .
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r2d2 added 10:55 - Jan 1 O Neil is just a mouth piece. No sway at the club whatsoever.
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