Town boss Paul Lambert had no complaints about the Blues 1-0 defeat at Rotherham which, along with Wycombe’s 2-1 home win over Blackpool, has seen Town drop to third in League One. The Blues boss added that he didn't expect to be handed any of the Bartosz Bialkowski cash ahead of Friday's transfer deadline.

“It wasn’t great on the eye football-wise, but we lost the game,” Lambert said. “I’ve got no complaints, I don’t think we did enough to win the game other than the last 15 or 20 minutes when I thought we started to get a grip of the game but the ball was more in the air than on the ground.

“They’re stronger than us physically. Set plays, freekicks, corners come into your box and they’re effective at what they do. I was disappointed that it was a set play that hurt us.”

The Blues midfield never gained control of the game and dominated possession in the manner they have in recent weeks and Lambert says it was never going to be that sort of match.

“There was no chance it was ever going to be that type of game,” he said. “It was always going to be that type, in the air, the way Rotherham play. But credit to them, they do it well.”

Was it a deliberate tactic to play a lot of balls over the top for Kayden Jackson to chase? “No, it wasn’t. We tried to play, I said to try and play football against it because it’s going to come on top of you all the time, don’t get caught up in playing the same because it’s not going to benefit us. No, that wasn’t the tactic, that was just the way the game materialised.”

Despite having been second best for the most part, the Blues almost grabbed a late equaliser with Luke Garbutt forcing Millers keeper Daniel Iversen to make an impressive save from a freekick and sub James Norwood hitting the post from what seemed to be an impossible angle.

“I know and then it just wasn’t our night, he reflected. “I thought Norwood did well when he came on. He was a bit more lively than he has been. Garbutt’s freekick, he’s always going to hit the target but it wasn’t enough.”

Lambert says the pattern of the game went as he anticipated: “I didn’t expect anything different. We spoke about it yesterday in the build-up to the game - it’s going to come in the box, the ball will be more times in the air then on the ground.

“And that’s the way it went. It was just a set play which hurt us but we had a chance to equalise at the death.”

Reflecting on what was a frantic first half, he said: “I don’t think we took the ball at the back as well as we have been. That for me was the one thing we should have done better.

“In the second half it was only in the last 15 or 20 minutes when we started to get a grip of it and might have got an equaliser at the end.”

Town were unchanged for the third match running but Lambert says he didn’t consider making switches with the Blues in good form: “No, not really. You guys moan when you rotate, what do you want to do?

“No, the team was playing well, it’s still playing well so there was never any need for me to change anything.”

However, like other managers he believes there is too much football: “There are too many games, everybody’s complaining, Klopp, Guardiola. Everybody’s complaining there are too many games. Replays and whatever, it’s a nonsense, there are too many games. It’s not good for anybody.”

Emyr Huws was subbed having picked up a knock in the second half but Lambert says it’s not related to the knee problem which saw the Welshman miss a season and a half of football.

“It’s a different injury, it’s not his knee, it’s his ankle,” he said. “There are one or two little knocks in there, which you’d expect after a game like that.”

Asked whether he’ll look at changes ahead of the weekend, he added: “I don’t know, I’ll see how they are. I’ll see how the guys are, they’ve been in great form since January, we’ll have to wait and see how they are.”

Missing from the 18 was recent signing Josh Earl, who suffered an injury in training. Lambert says the staff are not yet sure whether it’s serious or a more minor problem.

“We don’t know,” he said. “He got a knock yesterday in training and he’ll get a scan tomorrow and we’ll see how he is.”

Looking ahead to Saturday’s home match against Peterborough, he said: “That’ll be another hard game, but we’re at home and the form’s been good.

“I wasn’t too disappointed tonight, OK, I’m disappointed to lose, the game was what it was, it was never going to be a purist’s football match, we just get ready, we go again tomorrow and we’ll see during the rest of the week.”

Does he worry that other sides will take a similar approach to Rotherham in future matches? “I don’t think there are too many teams that play like that in the league or as good as that in the league with the physicality that they’ve got. I don’t think we’ll come across that too many times.”

Yesterday saw keeper Bialkowski’s permanent move to Millwall completed with the Blues believed to have received an initial fee likely to have been in the £500,000 to £600,000 range with the Poland international’s former club Notts County receiving a sell-on fee of £30,000.

However, Lambert says he’ll not be getting that cash to spend on additions before Friday’s 11pm deadline.

“We won’t get that,” he said. “As I said before, that’s not going to come back in, it’s over a period of time. We don’t have the money to go and spend.”

Asked if he expects there to be any additions before Friday’s deadline, he added: “Not if we’ve no money, we can’t.

“Might I get someone in on loan? Not unless something comes up then [owner] Marcus [Evans] might say ‘OK, it’s feasible to do it’. But we can’t go out and get anybody. We’ll need to see.

“But again, you’re getting people that teams don’t want, guys that aren’t fit, that’s the problem in January.”

If he still has the same squad after the deadline will he be happy? “I’m delighted with the guys. We’re in a good position, we’re in good form. OK, tonight we lost but the team could have been a draw at the end of it.”

Questioned on whether there had been any interest in any of his players with Blackpool having been linked with Jon Nolan, Lambert said: “It doesn’t make sense. There’s nobody going to go. I’ve not heard anything from any manager. If I hear from a manager then it’s different but I’ve not heard from any manager.”

He added: “As I said before, you end up getting players that teams don’t want and you’ve got to get them fit. That’s the problem with the January window.”

Photo: TWTD

r2d2 added 09:49 - Jan 29 McCarthy.
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Gcon added 11:21 - Jan 29 Blueboy. Pot. Kettle. Black.
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Carberry added 11:23 - Jan 29 The delusion goes on, PR Paul clearly believes he is managing in the Premier league, from style of play to quoting the big dog managers (who he believes he is one of). What replays have we got coming up? And stop this transfer BS. If Millwall are paying the (giveaway) fee in instalments what is to stop us acquiring a player in line with those instalments and what about the instalments that are coming in from past outgoing transfers, Waghorn, Webster, Garner, the most recent? Those are conveniently forgotten. C'mon please.

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dirtydingusmagee added 11:24 - Jan 29 we are a lightweight team with a lightweight manager. WE ARE LEAGUE 1.
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Cheshire_Blue added 11:31 - Jan 29 r2d2 you are spot on.
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Cheshire_Blue added 11:34 - Jan 29 Is Marcus Evans serious about getting out of League 1 ?
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JewellintheTown added 11:38 - Jan 29 Well, I'm glad captain obvious explained that too us! For far to long, apathy seems to be the norm for ITFC which is exactly why we're a division lower. We've shown we CAN do it but inconsistently won't do it. If you expect something to be a particular way, why isn't he planning for it and executing that plan and shouting his head off and demanding the best instead of brushing it off? Isn't that his job? Drill that into the players. Nice clearly isn't working and players are taking him and us for a ride. If we can't convincingly beat the likes of Rotherham easily in this division, we don't stand a chance back in the Championship never mind the Premiership, and more importantly don't deserve it. Every game all the players and staff should expect and show we want to win. We pay them all to win and entertain by playing at their best in the process! Neither narrow losses or scraping through just isn't good enough at this stage of the season in this division. We're not consistently playing like we want to get back out of this division.

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Alan_Essex added 11:53 - Jan 29 If I remember rightly I think most of us turned up at Portman Road for the home fixture, expecting us to breeze 3 points against them - and they did exactly the same thing then - far stronger, seemed to want it more, pressed hard, were really bloody irritating, but did a great League 1 job on us - and to be fair they played a bit of football last night, it wasn't all hoofing up field - they played better football than we did. Listen, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger - they've done the double on us, deservedly, but we will learn and react to that I think. Pretty sure Peterborough will suffer from a reaction from us - but have no idea which way that one's going to go, but one things for sure, they will score goals so we need to score more. I agree, make the changes earlier, maybe Bish for Huws would have helped, Nors was definitely up for a fight, etc - but we will be there or thereabouts - we weren't top of the table by luck, same as Rotherham aren't there by luck now. COYB - 3 points Saturday and I'll take a point at Stadium of Light...

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Barty added 12:38 - Jan 29 We must be more positive in our play. Far too many games where you can the shots on target on one finger.
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cat added 13:13 - Jan 29 They say football fans are fickle and some of the comments above certainly prove that. FFS pull yourselves together. It was one defeat on the back of a positive run. We are third in the league and it's all to play for. If we were to drop out of the top six then ‘meltdown' might be appropriate, until such a time keep the faith.
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ESSEX75 added 14:10 - Jan 29 Blueboy you dig out supporters for name calling (sticks and stones etc)then you start verbally attacking them what a strange character you are.
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Barty added 14:40 - Jan 29 Its been a pretty good season so far but I really do feel that although we have got a very good squad for this league we still need a goal scorer.
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Michael101 added 15:02 - Jan 29 Londontractor. .yes oh for those nicknames days.crowds of 400,getting swore at by your great leader,stuff neck by looking for the ball 3 miles in the air,great players like Douglass etc playing. I have a copy of Nick's c.f. It's on the back of a postage stamp.
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blueboy1981 added 15:22 - Jan 29 Essex75 .... alias Londontractorboy57 - PROVE your point, or keep quite and stew in your own juice.
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blueboy1981 added 15:30 - Jan 29 Gcon ...... nothing seems to have changed with you, other than the date. Why expect more, if it isn't there, has to be the moral of the story..... !!
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londontractorboy57 added 19:21 - Jan 29 Blueboy well and truly out of the rabbit hole!!! Do as i say not as I do.
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Razor added 10:10 - Jan 30 What a shocking admission that we were not up to it physically. Just back from Yorkshire where I saw our magnificent ladies/girls out think and outplay a much bigger and physically stronger Huddersfield team----as proud as I was of them on Sunday as disappointed and sad I was at our lot on Tuesday.
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