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Lambert: That Was a Sore One
Saturday, 29th Feb 2020 18:40

Town boss Paul Lambert admitted the Blues’ last-gasp 2-1 defeat at Blackpool was a “sore one” believing his side deserved to take all three points let alone draw the fixture.

Joe Nuttall headed the winner deep in injury time to add to Town’s continuing frustrations.

“It’s a sore one because I don’t think we even deserved to draw the game, I thought we deserved to win the game,” Lambert said.

“I thought we should have had a penalty in the first half, Freddie Sears has got his body between the man and the ball and everybody knows if you’re in front and there’s a slight touch that’s a penalty.

“It doesn’t matter if the referee thinks there’s not enough of a touch, that’s wrong, it’s still a penalty. If that was outside the box I think it would have been a freekick.”

Sears, who scored Town’s goal on his first league start of the season, might have won it for the Blues seconds before the Tangerines’ winner.

“I thought Freddie was excellent, I don’t know how much he had in the tank, but I thought he was excellent,” Lambert added.

“It was a great goal he scored and you thought when he went through there that he was going to poke it by the goalkeeper.

“Their goal, the ball travels 70 yards and we should have dealt with it. We should have stopped the cross, Garbs should have stopped it travelling that way anyway. Josh Earl should have stopped the cross but it goes in the box and anything can happen from there. That was gutting.”

Blackpool’s first goal was even worse from a Town defensive perspective, Lambert admitted.

“I don’t know what Garbs is thinking there because he’s trying a flick at the edge of this box, it’s like a roll and a flick," he said.

“That’s not professional football. Professional football is exactly what it is, professional, it’s not five-a-side, it’s not for fun, it’s a professional game.”

Overall the game was the same story as plenty of other recent fixtures - plenty of controlled possession from the Blues but with their chances not taken while the opposition took their opportunities.


“It doesn’t matter how well you’re playing, the lads know they’re playing well, we ask them their opinions on how they feel and they feel comfortable, playing really well,” Lambert continued. “They know themselves, they can't defend that way and expect to win games.”

Lambert admitted he’s becoming as fed up as fans of Town’s games following the same pattern and him making the same post-match assessment.

“I’m bored of saying it, I’m actually bored talking to you about it,” he said. “It’s the same stuff I’m saying to you. You may as well just wheel me out and say the same stuff, it’s exactly the same.

“Number one, you can’t defend that way and do silly things like that, number two you can’t dominate games as much as we do and not score.

“The lads have given us everything, you can’t ask any more than that, playing well, but you’ve got to be ruthless in both boxes to win games. That’s why it’s called the professional football game.”

How is that fixed? “We’ve just got to keep working with the guys, keep them upbeat and hopefully that turns. You’ve got to work in training, you’ve got to work in the games, you’ve got to work hard, you’ve got to be ruthless with a lot of stuff.

“I’ve never been involved in football where some nice guys win things, you’ve got to have that nasty streak in you and we’ve got to get that out of them.”

Does he feel the squad lacks that edge? “There’s got to be a nasty streak and not an acceptance then your career will go far. If you think you’re just going to play football for 15 or 20 years and be a footballer, that’s not what you want, you want to win something.”

Town are now five points off the play-offs with 10 left to play with their season in danger of being over well before the final weeks.

“That’s the thing, I just said to them, ‘You’re in a really good position still to do something but you cannot defend the way we defended there and have the dominance of the game and not take chances’,” Lambert added.

Is the pressure starting to get to them? “Yes, but I’ll go back to it, if you don’t want pressure, don’t play for the football club. The football club brings that. You embrace it or you get frightened by it. You have to embrace it, it’s a big club and you need big people to step up to the plate and now is the time to step up to the plate.”

Do they still believe they can make it? “Aye, because they’re playing well, that’s the thing, they’re playing [enough] to do it. Coming up here, I thought we should have won the game. We had some really good chances to get a few goals but they never materialised.

“The young kids came on and did well for us, Freddie back is a bonus, Bish back is a bonus but you’ve got to start taking chances.”"

Town next host Fleetwood and Coventry at Portman Road and Lambert is in no doubt about what’s required from those games.

“We have to win and if we do that then we’re right back in it, but we have to win,” he said.

And Town will be without Flynn Downes for those games with the midfielder having picked up his 10th league booking of the season.

“That was a strange one because I thought the referee gave us the foul initially and I don’t know why he changed his mind," he said. “He gave us the foul then booked Flynn, so I don’t know what he saw there. Flynn will be missed for those two games.”

Asked whether the current form is solidifying his thoughts on what might need to be done to the squad over the summer, he said: “This club has to improve. I’ve said it before, and I’d say it even if I wasn’t here, the club is that big that it should be better than what it is, that’s for sure.

“The football club generates a massive support behind it and it needs big players to stand up. I said before, if you can’t handle pressure, you shouldn’t play for the football club because the football club demands that and you have to thrive on that.”

Town have now lost five of their last seven and have won just four of their last 23 in all competition over 90 minutes.

Asked whether how there is an element of self-reflection during runs of this type, he added: “Yes, there always is, even when I win, there’s always things, I never do anything other than try to get the team to win.

“The good thing is the guys give me everything, I can’t ask any more than their commitment and their effort and the way they play, but you’ve got to be ruthless in both boxes. But I’ve always done that from the day I started playing football.”

He added: “I used to be horrendous losing games and then I went and spoke to an old manager and asked them how they handled defeats and he gave me the best bit of advice I’ve ever had from a top manager, which was to analyse it for 24 hours and if you let it go any further than that it’s going to kill you and it’ll kill your team and it’ll kill everybody else.

“And I understand what he meant by that. That was the best bit of advice I think I’ve ever had.”

How does he put belief into fans and players in the current circumstances? “Winning, that’s what’s going to turn it around. The lads I can’t fault the way they play, they come here and dominate most of the game, they have chances to score, they play well but as I said before you cannot defend that way, it’s not right defending.”

On a positive note, 18-year-old striker Tyreece Simpson made his league debut from the bench and made a positive impact.

“He did, he’s a strong, strong kid with a nice touch as well,” Lambert said. “He’s only a kid, but I thought he and Dobra did well when they came on.

“He’s one for the future, Tyreece, as is Dobra is and other guys, but they need time. They need time. But I agree with you, I think he did well.”


Photo: TWTD



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cat added 18:47 - Feb 29
“5 more years your having a laugh” and “you don't know what you're doing” are a perfect fit for the soon to be Lambasted Lambert. Looking forward to Tuesday nights encore!
We are rotten from the top to somewhere just above the academy. Out with the manager, captain and senior heads, this is not based on any particular match but for their accumulated time with us. Can't do much with Evans though, only consolation there is he must be regretting that 5 year contract, you just couldn't make that one up, ludicrous is an understatement.
18

Girthyguy added 18:47 - Feb 29
Blar Blar Blar
1

carlo88 added 18:49 - Feb 29
Does he ever get angry apart from with journalists asking reasonable questions?
10

Ipswichbusiness added 18:53 - Feb 29
First, creating chances and controlling possession does not win matches, scoring goals does.
Second, we were playing with Keane up front. He is PL's signing. He has 12 appearances, 9 subs and 3 goals.
7

jas0999 added 18:58 - Feb 29
It's the same old. But football hasn't changed: the team that scores more goals wins. It's as simple as that. Possession counts for nothing if you don't have the quality to take your chances and then the players to stop the opposition scoring.

This has been going on for far too long. We aren't good enough.
12

surgery added 19:01 - Feb 29
Ffs shut up you charlatan
1

herfie added 19:02 - Feb 29
Basically saying, ‘it's not me, it's the players'. They work hard, do their best - and I do my best to get the best out of them. That's all ME can ask of me, relative to the resources he's prepared to fund. Five years, though, we should be bucking for promotion, back to League 1.

So, that's all right then!
4

ivandeighton added 19:07 - Feb 29
I live in Derbyshire following ipswich for 4 7 yrs me and my wife travell down once a month to support the team nearly 100 million in debt how is it going to turn around I can only say we are heading in the direction of Bolton or Bury it really hurts but will always keep coming down to support the town
5

thechangingman added 19:14 - Feb 29
I can't even bring myself to read this tripe anymore. My beloved team are dying the death of a thousand cuts. The end is inevitable. The only question now is, 'how long'?
13

JCBLUE added 19:16 - Feb 29
Same old from “PR Paul”, the reality is this ......

P20 W5 D7 L8 F22

This is relegation form, NOT promotion form.

We probably have the best squad in this league, made a cracking start, and as ever it turns to rat sh1t. Simply not good enough Paul, sort it.
13

londontractorboy57 added 19:17 - Feb 29
ivandeighton unfortunately that what some numbskull fans wished for now for some inexplicable reason they dont like it.
-11

Dolphinblue added 19:20 - Feb 29
I think he is right, Garbutt what was he doing, get Wilson back in, playing well but cannot defend, cannot score but you have to admit absolutely no luck at the minute, hit bar at wimbledon, never get decisions our way...pen sears and everything opposition hits goes in....so frustrating but just dont think its Lamberts fault. Had no money, brought Vky..got injured, no money in jan. Team playing good football but stupid errors in every game...big players just not performing. What was Garbutt doing ffs
5

Hegansheros added 19:21 - Feb 29
Klopp will probably get sacked tonight. Maybe he would..... no perhaps not, he has never played for a big team
1

Sm00411 added 19:23 - Feb 29
The most worrying thing is this will be our best squad for a long time. We've wasted a great opportunity this season.

It's only going to become a harder task from here, similar to our spell in the championship. Our best option is to start playing the next generation of youth prospects to get them ready for next season because we're going to need them.
6

blue86 added 19:26 - Feb 29
Goodbye paul! Sick of you now, you have had plenty of time. Any other club and you would be sacked, and rightly so. Surprised he didnt mention the top clubs he played for? He doesn't mention it much. Pathetic.
4

LWNR2013 added 19:29 - Feb 29
You have to score more goals than the opposition to WIN
3

Suffolkboy added 19:32 - Feb 29
PL is correct , immediately after any game is NOT the moment to publicly arrive at a definitive conclusion ,especially not for media consumption .
Some 24 hours measured thought is needed ,and a balanced gathering of not only your own thoughts but a careful sampling of the reflections of others,including participants .
Thereafter comes the analysis , judgement and conclusions with the decisions of what to act upon , how and when ,
Whatever route or routes are chosen ,any Manager will have to with care decide who is brought into the thinking ,advised of his / their responsibility and to abide by the chosen course .
We need to see now at ITFC ready indication of resolve , integrity and if needs be a ruthless exposure of those not living up to their own responsibilities on the field of play .
It's high time we saw P
L and Co a little less equable and a little more steely and determined ; some of our squad are not up to the task , some aren't very quick thinkers , some not apparently prepared to adapt and some just too lackadaisical for words when under pressure ( or sometimes NOT !) .
There must be an unforgiving inquest from the top down ; PL must be asked to explain what he is going to do to improve and no stone must be left unturned .
If individuals need criticising or exposing , then let's see it happen ; if they don't like it - ‘tough ‘ ,but they will know everything has been thought through and they are completely under the microscope !
In conclusion ,it could well be that ITFC have to either seek a change of personnel.or an enhancement of the coaching team ( not convinced some players are earning their crust either in levels of performance or consistency).
Frustration abounds ,for all of us but ‘digitum extractum ‘ ,please !
COYB
1

Mark added 19:35 - Feb 29
Pretty much every same is a sore one, and has been for months. The season is a sore one. Last season was a sore one. How on earth had Lambert earned a 5 year contract?!
2

TimmyH added 19:35 - Feb 29
28% win percentage as a manager, I remember when I lambasted Paul Jewell for a poor 34% in the Championship with all those donkeys he got in...so 8 years down the line and we have a manager with a worse record largely in the tier below and has been rewarded with a 5 year contract. Give me strength!
16

Hegansheros added 19:37 - Feb 29
Suffolk boy, are you suggesting they do not sit down and discuss the game, or do you think you are unique in your suggestion. Conclusion, not good enough lambert.
1

ChateauWines added 19:41 - Feb 29
No Paul your job is to ask, demand and most importantly manage to get more out of them. Keep telling staff they are doing well when not breeds complacemcy. Who really wants it and plays like they do? Today Holy, Downes, Sears and Dobra. Rest are too comfortable
3

ITFCsince73 added 19:41 - Feb 29
It was a kick in the balls Lambo.
After what you and the players have said in interviews these past 2 months.
A real kick in the balls.
3

Bert added 19:45 - Feb 29
Wouldn't disagree with his criticism of the lack of professionalism during the game.I winced when I saw Garbutt, Downes and Hughes playing at times as if it was a kick about. I fear that the same people who wanted MM out and wanted a younger manager will be the same who get it wrong again. Doesn't really matter what is said on here anymore because it counts for nothing. What happens in the stadium and on the field is what most people see and hear.
1

midastouch added 19:49 - Feb 29
Q: What is the difference between Paul Shambert and a baby?
A: The baby will stop whining after a while.
1

Pecker added 19:51 - Feb 29
Try only being half way home after having to endure that. You really haven't got a clue. YOU MUPPET, GET THE F**K OUT OF OUR CLUB.
5


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