Town boss Paul Lambert felt the Blues should have been “a couple” of goals up at the break after an “excellent” first-half display before ultimately falling to a 1-0 defeat at Sunderland.

Chris Maguire’s 81st-minute goal saw the Black Cats to victory over Town, who are down to seventh and out of the top six for the first time since the opening weekend of the season.

“I thought we were excellent in the first half, we should have been a couple up,” Lambert said. “That would have given us a foothold in the game.

“But I thought we played really, really well in the first half. Sunderland came back strongly, which you would expect, in the second half.

“We rode our luck [when Sunderland hit] the crossbar, we had one or two chances in the second half and I thought we should have had a penalty because Emyr Huws won that header. Anywhere on the pitch I think that’s a freekick, so that didn’t go our way.

“Sunderland had a good game in the second half but I thought in the first half we were very, very good.”

Lambert’s big frustration was not turning that first-half display into goals: “We should have, we had chances to do it. We had really great areas to really hurt them and [the goals] never materialised.

“Maybe we have to hunt other teams now rather than the other way around. We have to hunt teams, for the first time we’re out of the top six this season, sometimes that can help you, at certain times. You have to go on a run, we have to go on a run.

“As I said before, it’s not a league like the Premier League where Liverpool are so far ahead it looks like you’ll never catch them. There are still a lot of teams in this division who can catch up.”

Reflecting further on whether Town being out of the top six and now among the hunters rather than the hunted in the automatic promotion and play-off places, he added: “The pressure’s off to that extent. But if we play like that, we’re certainly going to win a lot more games than we lose.

“Football-wise, I was really happy with how we dominated the game. We had so much control of the game in the first half. But you’ve got to score when you have those chances and we never managed to score.”

Why, not for the first time this season, was there such a disparity between the performances in the first and second halves?

“You’ve got to give Sunderland credit,” Lambert continued. “What do want, Sunderland to let us play 90 minutes like that? No chance. There are two teams there. They’re a good side, they’ve got a great fanbase behind them, a big noise, you expect them to come and have a go at you.

“Football-wise, we rode our luck in the second half but we also had one or two chances in that second half when we should have pulled the trigger and not tried to walk it into the net.

“But the football we played in the first half, we should have been comfortable in the first half.”

Lambert felt the display was significantly better than the performances in the previous defeats at Rotherham and at home to Peterborough last weekend.

“That wouldn’t have been hard that,” he admitted. “The control we had today was really pleasing, that was good. But at the top end of the pitch is where you earn your corn and we just didn’t manage to score.”

Town have hardly been free-scoring this season but Lambert says the lack of goals hasn’t been an ongoing concern.

“No, we were winning games, it doesn’t matter whether you’re winning 1-0 or 2-0, we were winning games,” he added.

“As I said, now we become the hunter, now we have to hunt teams down and see if they can handle being in there. There’s a long, long way to go, 14 games to go. We have to start to win.”

Janoi Donacien was subbed in the second half but Lambert is hopeful the right-back hasn’t suffered an injury.

“No, I don’t think so,” he said. “I don’t know if it was cramp in his calf at the minute, so if that’s all it is then hopefully he’ll be OK for Tuesday.”

Regarding Emyr Huws, who started on the bench, he added: “Emyr had that ankle knock, he only started to train on Wednesday, I think.

“And Jon Nolan had recovered from his heel thing and I thought he did well for his first game in a number of weeks. As I said before, the first half, the control was really, really good.”

Lambert says he made his decision on which of his keepers to field close to the game: “I never decided right up until the last minute who I was going to go with.

“As I said before, Will Norris has done great and I was never going to chastise him for a mistake that everybody makes. He’s a top goalkeeper.

“Tomas Holy I felt had bided his time and I thought he did well today. He had nothing really to do, so Tomas is in there at the minute.”

Sunderland boss Phil Parkinson felt his team had to dig deep to win the match against a Town side which impressed him.

“A good team Ipswich, we knew they’d come with some response to the heavy defeat at home last week and they certainly did, they started quick,” he said.

“We were a bit slow to get into our stride. I think we were a bit slow with our build-up play in the first half.

“We grew into the first half, I felt. At half-time we spoke and said we needed to speed the game up and get Ipswich on the back foot, step onto them all over the pitch, play with a bit more forward momentum.

“And when we did that you felt there was only one winner. We’d hit the bar, we’d hit the post, we’d had other good chances, but eventually the goal came. I felt it was a deserved victory against a very good team.”

Regarding the winning goal, he added: “It was a tremendous finish from Chris, he has got that calmness and quality you need to separate tight games and I was pleased that the chance felled to him because he is clinical in those situations.”

Photo: TWTD

planetblue_2011 added 09:34 - Feb 9 Just not good enough, we don't take our chances. It's just disappointment all the time with this club. When is it going to change? New owner with stacks of money would be nice. Had enough of it!!!
3

chorltonskylineblue added 09:37 - Feb 9 We're 8 points behind Rotherham, effectively 9 with goal difference. We both have 14 games to go, so we'd have to gain 1.5 points on them every game until the end of the season. It isn't going to happen. At the moment I don't think we have the fight/nous in this division to win the play-offs. Can I see us nicking the 2nd auto spot? Sadly not.
5

PMK added 09:59 - Feb 9 Another few games without a win and he'll get another contract extension.
6

TimmyH added 10:07 - Feb 9 Amazing how he bangs on about the 1st half so much and then in the 2nd half he said 'you have to give Sunderland credit' and there was no chance they were going to let us play like that for 90 minutes...thing is though it's so predictable that they were going to come out much improved (see my post at half time) and put us under the cosh, he never says why the game changed so much and reasoning, it's not the first time either. Really really doubt PL as a manager tactically or as a manager to change a game whilst in play.

3

ThaiBlue added 11:08 - Feb 9 Loose at wimbledon and he has to go no exuses
2

geminimustang added 11:43 - Feb 9 My view was MM was doing a great job with two buttons and a sixpence.Didn't think Hurst or Lambert were correct choices.However,when MM had the chance of promotion in Jan'15,ME didn't invest.When PL had the chance of promotion in Jan'20,ME didn't invest.I'm not criticising an owner who contributes such vast sums keeping the Club afloat but would've thought a man of his business acumen would've known when to spend wisely.You can't keep changing managers as each will try to take the Club in a different direction.

2

Pezzer added 12:04 - Feb 9 I still think we need to find a way to score and create more. Judge, Skuse and Chambers are not the future, players like Dozzell, Dobra, Downes and Wolfenden are and we need to build a team that is far more positive.
2

Cheshire_Blue added 12:09 - Feb 9 On the strength of many of these comments there isn't a manager out there good enough to meet the demands of Ipswich Town. It is time many accepted that we are an average, mid table League one side ( we have failed to beat any of the top 8 teams in 11 attempts) and will remain so until there is investment in the playing staff. It is what it is so just support the team or go elsewhere.

1

martin587 added 12:11 - Feb 9 Norwood needs to be playing all the time that is the only way he will get his confidence back.He is a proven goal scorer.Being left out doesn't give a player confidence.Start him Tuesday night Paul.
6

juniorblue added 12:54 - Feb 9 Why can't we play well for 90 minutes?? I wonder what they work on in training?? Should have, could have. Lots of questions and maybes but no end result. I have tried to stick with PL but it is all starting to wear thin now.
1

juniorblue added 12:56 - Feb 9 Pezzer - I didn't mean to down arrow you, but the opposite. Blinking thing won't let me change my error. Sorry!
0

roytheboy added 12:58 - Feb 9 Simple really, we cannot score goals, is it the quality of the players, is it mis management, or is it an owner who will not support the club financially when he should be, probably all three, I am fast losing confidence and interest too, we are an embarrassingly poor football club at the moment, Mr Lambert it is not much good playing well if we do not have quality up front.

1

dirtydingusmagee added 13:15 - Feb 9 another indication of how bad things are is the increasing times McCarthy is being mentioned again, though he was history !. We cant beat teams above us and worryingly the numbers of teams above us is growing. We certainly wont make top two,and are [imo] unlikely to make playoffs, we are equally unlikely to up via playoffs. Next season we will be in this league with half the support. Evans and Lambert have missed the opportunity to take advantage of the fortunate position we were in earlier, and it will cost the club dearly .

4

ITFCsince73 added 14:01 - Feb 9 It's the Stigma of Mick Ma #dirty. He will always be mentioned. Some supporters still idolise him. Some totally the opposite. Win, lose or draw. Promotion or relegation. He'll never be forgotten. The best ITFC manager since Jim and Joe before him. Under Mick labelled the most boring team in the country. Just shows how good us supporters have had it the last decade.
4

del45 added 15:47 - Feb 9 PL look at the form league we are now below Southend why??.
1

Bergholtblue added 16:18 - Feb 9 Could of , should of....... Its been the story of our season Trouble is we have scorers who can't score and defenders who can't defend.
0

BettyBlue added 16:22 - Feb 9 one of the problems is most of saturday's players aren't playing for an ITFC future. which if any of the players will be here next season? woolf/ downes sold garbutt loan keane doniciern kenlock nolan contract up skuse chambers retired just doing the minimum and keeping head down lambet off to china for more cash££££
0

monkeymagic added 16:23 - Feb 9 Dear or dear, as I've said before we're a right good side, we just need a little help, there's a helluva lot of football left to play, nothing is won in February, we're playing really, really well. I sort of admire Lambert for trying to keep it positive but I think everyone now realises things are actually no better under his stewardship than before - we're all so desperate for better times that we welcomed a past his best ex-Norwich manager and came flocking back just on the strength of some stirring rhetoric. Personally, I think he”s got pride and will walk in the summer.

2

SandyBrown added 16:29 - Feb 9 If you can't score goals you will not win games!
3

norfolkbluey added 16:36 - Feb 9 Bang on target Martin 587. Norwood is the only proven goalscorer albeit from a lower league. His place should be first on the list followed by Holy. The last thing this team needs is a playoff place. I cannot believe we were at the top six points clear and now where are we?! This has to be down to training and tactics. I get so pis**d off with the same old same old week after week with little or no improvement or consistency apart from losing! Aston Villa (sacked) Wolves sacked, Stoke left by mutual consent. Does this indicate something that he cannot turn things around? I am beginning to think this is the case but given five years Lord help us if this is the true. What were you doing Marcus? Failure breeds failure.

4

Pecker added 17:10 - Feb 9 You are the one in charge, so you tell me why the hell we were not up at half time.
1

brittaniaman added 17:16 - Feb 9 I see that Rotherham and Peterboro are not Bothered about being HUNTED as you put it, so why make up that silly excuse for us Lambo ?? trying to cover up your Failures Hey !!
1

dirtydingusmagee added 19:34 - Feb 9 we will rip up lge1 ...............yer looks like it , a team of Jelly Baby's no guts no fight no pride and no idea ,cant play 90 minutes ,cant score goals,a manager quietly droning on in riddles, we gonna rip it up .
1

BlueJohn added 20:01 - Feb 9 I wish PL would stop seeing things through his rose tinted glasses. We have had some disastrous results and in reality we are just a mid table League 1 side. The blame lies squarely with ME. He won't invest so we will continue to slide ever downwards. We need some decent strikers who WILL take their chances. Too many chances missed by Jackson, Norwood and Keane.
0

dirtydingusmagee added 20:11 - Feb 9 at start of season with last seasons performances in mind i predicted a 17th place finish this season, i still think we will be closer to 17th than 1st . hope im wrong but i seriously think we destined to failure again . I certainly wont be going to matches next season if as i suspect we are still lge1.
0

Blogs 295 bloggers

Ipswich Town Polls