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Lambert: We've Paid the Price for a Bad Couple of Months
Tuesday, 9th Jun 2020 20:18

Boss Paul Lambert says Town have paid the price for a bad couple of months prior to football’s suspension due to the coronavirus crisis in March.

The Blues were the division’s early leaders but fell away dramatically in the period before Christmas, however, returned to the top in January. But they won just once in their final nine games before the season was brought to an early close.

Town were 10th in the table at that point but dropped to 11th, their lowest finish since 1952/53, under the unweighted points per game formula employed to settle the curtailed division.

“We had a bad couple of months before we stopped and we have the paid for that,” Lambert told the club site.

“We were top at the end of January but we lost key players to injury and for whatever reason - and I think it was a culmination of things - we didn’t kick on.

“We had five home games left and eight matches and we would probably have needed to win six of those to have had a chance of finishing in the top six.

“We would have been capable of that but it’s not to be. We’ve got to look at what we did right and what we did wrong and learn from the mistakes.

“It’s been a time over the last two months to look at ourselves, staff and players and I’ve done that. I always do. There are definitely things I would do differently now but we’ve all got to take it on the chin and put it right next season.”

Lambert has also reiterated his criticism of the EFL, the time it has taken to reach a decision on the future of League One and the points per game system.

“I think there has been a real lack of leadership at the top [of the EFL] and the whole thing has dragged on far too long,” he added.

“It’s been diabolical the way it has been handled. They were running out of time in the end to get the season played. I always felt that. Maybe that was in their thinking.

“There was still a lot of football to be played so I don’t agree with points per game at all. I always felt we had a good chance of making the play-offs but look at Peterborough, they were in the top six and are now are out of it. How can that be right?

“My big bug-bear though is that we have four divisions and two are playing and two are not. We either all play, or we all don’t. We are one game, playing in the same country but the disparity is shocking. Come on!”

Meanwhile, keeper-coach Jimmy Walker has tweeted his frustration at the season being cut short and admitted 11th was far from good enough.


Photo: TWTD



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Dissblue added 20:25 - Jun 9
What absolute rubbish! The team never had a chance to get going with Lambert's constant 'fiddling and switching'. For me, top two is a minimum requirement for next season.
12

StringerBell added 20:30 - Jun 9
We've paid the price of you being our manager you clueless clot. Any other club wouldn't tolerate such ineptitude but here incompetence isn't just accepted it's rewarded with a 5 year contract. Absolutely beggars belief. Just resign.
8

hadleighboyblue added 20:31 - Jun 9
We failed because the players didn't seem to know what they were doing , the manager failed to get the best out of a squad stronger than most teams and in the end there was no passion about our play .

To see us 11th in the 3rd Division is so sad , the club needs a shake up out of the complacency that relies on past glories
12

Shawsey added 20:57 - Jun 9
The worst league position in over 50 years didn't happen over the last couple of months. It has been coming for a long time and this manager was the straw that broke the camels back. He and others need to go now, otherwise we could end up even worse off than now.
8

herfie added 21:01 - Jun 9
In truth, despite our early wins, reflected in a healthy league position and raised expectations, our performances were never totally convincing. Once the decline started - Accrington away - there was insufficient management nous, or players' ability, to reverse it, and regain upwards momentum. Our basic footballing skills were not good enough to compete with teams who had worked us out, and opposition managers who out-thought PL.

Much as I admire PL for his off-field efforts to reverse years of decay between supporters and club, I have serious concerns regarding his managerial/coaching abilities which, when linked to a well-meaning but ultimately inept owner, can only continue to lead us in one direction. But I seriously hope - no, pray - to be proven totally wrong.













11

flimflam added 21:08 - Jun 9
We have paid the price for you being absolutely clueless. If you and ITFC in general are not embarrassed by this turd of a season then I think I may be done after 42 years of support.
2

Talbs77 added 21:10 - Jun 9
It's a culmination of poor management, lack of investment over 15 years which has got us to this low point and make no mistake, this is definitely the lowest point in my 33 years watching town.

We're now at a huge crossroads at the most challenging time lower league football clubs like ours (yes I said it because it's true) have had for 100 years.

We have to try to get a squad ready for next season (whenever that will start), we have to try to hold onto our best players and get rid of the crap.

We need investment, hope, excitement to return.

When we eventually can, we all want to grab our season tickets and look forward to going to the ground.

At the moment we only have one of the above, it's what we always have as fans and the last thing to die...hope.

We need to keep hold of that as that's all we've got people, keep the faith...remember we support the club and always will do.
2

SouperJim added 21:13 - Jun 9
I understand what Jimmy Walker has posted there, but wasn't it this season where they owed it to the fans to have a good season? At some point the stupid platitudes need to stop and the self-belief and will to win needs to appear. Stop piling on the expectation and start building a team which can get us out of this cesspit of a division.
2

TimmyH added 21:29 - Jun 9
'Couple of months' it all started going Pete Tong around November when Lambert started juggling the starting 11 around due to the International fixtures - in early October we were on top by a fair number of points so to me that is not a 'couple of months' - before Xmas it certainly was going sour and we were only near the top due to other teams inconsistency.

You were P poor Lambert - tactically poor (couldn't change the nature of a game and generally out thought by the opposition at half time) - some baffling substitutions and squad rotation was the start of our undoing. You're not good enough, the litmus test you have failed!...but sadly for all of us who want to see the club going in the right direction the owner will only see covid-19 as the problem for halting our push to the play-offs not Lambert.
7

ArnieM added 21:39 - Jun 9
No Paul, we've paid the price because of your rotation system and needless postponement of games . THATS why we've end up mid table in the THIRD TIER of English football. Not something you'd want on your CV I suspect - nor the Club's !!
6

Pencilpete added 21:58 - Jun 9
Einstein said insanity was doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

So same manager, same players who have the same limitations..... mid table next season it is then.

3

Westy added 22:26 - Jun 9
Paul, we were on a roll and it all went wrong when you started delaying matches for international breaks when the season was young, the players fresh and we at most be missing maybe one player that was likely to start in our team. No one is saying this in hindsight. It was obvious at the time what a mistake it was and people said so. If you're winning, keep dam well playing.
9

COYB11 added 22:40 - Jun 9
"The last couple of months"... give me strength! November, December, January, February and a bit of March were the months that we lost our season. We've been woeful. Pathetic.

God knows where we go from here...
4

Carberry added 22:59 - Jun 9
When our best players are sold we have to have a manager capable of getting the very best from a group of moderate players. Sadly Mr Lambert that isn't you.
3

Marshalls_Mullet added 23:13 - Jun 9
5 home games is only useful if your home form is good...
1

karl1426 added 00:35 - Jun 10
A forgettable season! We just screwed ourselves! How we not winning enough home games is a disaster! Anyway, if we can't beat our challengers at the Top, then we don't deserve going up!
2

istanblue added 01:21 - Jun 10
Just a reminder that this fraud is currently trousering £550,000 a year. That is all.
2

ThaiBlue added 05:34 - Jun 10
Headlines should be,BAD SEASON BECAUSE OF A BAD MANAGER,please go lambert your bloody useless.
2

Dolphinblue added 07:48 - Jun 10
Timmy h.....season went wrong in november yet we were top in january 🤔.......wow the rubbish spoken on here! Carry on PL most fans support and understand.....Einstien also said there are two eternal things, the universe and human stupidity or in itfc case NUMBSKULLS....TNEY ARE THE TRUE PROBLEM OF THIS CLUB.
-5

TimmyH added 10:22 - Jun 10
Good to see you back Dolphin and you're great posts! - we were not showing the same form results wise in November onwards as we were previously and if you read my post we were still near the top in the New Year due to other teams around us also showing inconsistency - too much for you to get your Dolphin brain around?...and it's you calling people 'numbskulls'? god help us.
2

trncbluearmy added 10:23 - Jun 10
To be honest cannot be bothered to comment on that bollicks

Am thinking for the first time about cancelling my st, it's such a shambles
2

norfolkbluey added 10:29 - Jun 10
So many disappointed it's hard to say anything that hasn't been said already. However we are stuck with PL and his CV continues as a harsh reminder of the way football depends more and more upon money. PL's record since his heady days with the unmentionable team up the road has been woefully bad. He'd left many clubs in a worse state than when he had arrived and it appears the same here. But we're stuck with him and unless he walks I doubt ME will fire him. PL has to learn from his mistakes and get us out of this division and this awful position since the fifties! ME has made some pretty poor decisions over the decade which in its self doesn't exactly fill anyone with confidence but we are where we are and need to continue to support the club in any way we are able as true supporters and there are many of us. Lets hope PL gets a b******ing and a warning, success or out. We do need a shake up and we must not let good players go. With PL's european experience I would have expected some continental players to have been signed. Our Dutch heritage brought us fantastic success. We have to forget this season now and aim to leave it next year. I wish Coventry in particular every success next season as their promotion has been a long time coming. It is not a given that because we are Ipswich Town we should be promoted, we have to deserve it and this year we didn't. So COYB
1

dirtydingusmagee added 10:42 - Jun 10
bloody predictive text, it should have read we have paid the price for a couple of bad managers .
0

oldbri added 11:22 - Jun 10
To look on the bright side, O no ,Where's that Brightside gone. Oh yes, the seasons over.
0

ITFCsince73 added 12:09 - Jun 10
Stand back, take a good look at the stale squad at this football club.
Lambos a football coach, not a magician. He begged for the KVY money.
But please ITFC, you can't expect promotion out of L1, spending 500k in 3 transfer windows.
Trying to improve, an already poor squad.
Give him a “WEE” bit of help, for god sake.
-1


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