Boss Paul Lambert has played down the chances of the Blues bringing in another striker as cover from James Norwood, who is set to miss at least six weeks having sustained a torn hamstring in training earlier in the week.

Town have already lost Aaron Drinan, who made an impressive start to the season, to a thigh injury, while Kayden Jackson is not fully fit having suffered a groin problem in pre-season.

“It’s a blow because I thought James was starting to find his feet again a little bit,” Lambert said, Norwood, 30, having spent pre-season rehabilitating from the groin operation he underwent in February, his second surgery of the 2019/20 campaign.

“He had a long lay-off last season and obviously now this one with his hamstring. But that’s what you’re going to get due to the situation with the long, long lay-off [due to the coronavirus pandemic], and you’re trying to cram everything in. So many games, a crazy cup competition that we’ve got to play next week.

“People moan about lads getting injured, well there’s got to be some sort of common sense about the amount of games we’re going to have to play.

“I’ve said that right from the off, you’re trying to cram in games and you’re trying to train guys to get them up to speed to last 50-odd games in a 35-week season, it’s a crazy situation.

“All the top managers in the Premier League are even saying the same and they don’t play as many games as ourselves in this division. So, it’s a blow, but you could get one or two more of these things.”

Lambert says Norwood isn’t too down despite his latest setback: “He’s not too bad. He’s okay. Obviously, it’s disappointing, I don’t think he’s ever pulled a muscle really before, so it’s his first time of that.

“But you’ve got to remember it’s five or six months off the guys have had and you’re going to have to have a little bit of luck not to get anything like that.

Asked whether he might look at getting in a replacement with the international transfer window closing on Monday and the domestic one shutting on October 16th, he suggested that it was unlikely.

“We can’t do much,” he said. “With the salary cap and everything, we can’t do much. We certainly won’t be able to buy anybody, that’s for sure.

“And if we can do something then great, but we have to wait and see. It’s a difficult situation financially for every club.”

He added: “If we can’t do anything, we can’t do it. It’s financial, you’ve got to look what’s around about the world at the minute. The pandemic has affected everything and if we can’t bring anybody in then, we can’t.

“I’m really happy with the guys and how we are playing at the minute, so if we can’t, we can’t, and if we do, we do.”

Youngster Ben Folami would appear to be the next in line to come into the reckoning in Norwood’s absence but the Town manager says that’s too much responsibility to put on the young Australian’s shoulders at this point in his development.

“You can’t really on Ben Folami,” he said. “I mean come on, he’s a kid and he hasn’t been about it, he’s nowhere near ready.

“Ben hopefully will go out on loan. Aaron has obviously done really well since he’s been in, Freddie [Sears]’s best position for me is wide, I know he can do centre forward, but you can't go on kids. There’s no way. They haven’t even been round about it yet.”

Photo: Matchday Images

Northstandveteran added 13:57 - Oct 2 Perhaps the celery cap needs a dressing?
2

leftie1972 added 13:58 - Oct 2 Play the ‘kids' for as long as is necessary and if it backfires then you can blame the fans who know nothing about football management. Or, it may work and you can then praise them for stepping up and performing really well and everyone (including the owner) are happy.
0

Kickingblock added 16:10 - Oct 2 A well respected Scotsman once said: "You can't win anything with kids". We know what happened after that. Please give the younger lads a start! They all have fire in their bellies! After all, the club is "home-on-loan" in division 3!
0

blues1 added 16:11 - Oct 2 Surco72. Yes, ur right, it doesnt count towards the salary cap. And I never said it did. But wed still have to pay part of any players wages. And who said that any striker we signed on loan would be a youngster anyway? If we want a guaranteed goalscorer, I'd say it woulndt be, so would count towards the cap. As for Evan's being able to pay those wages? For 1, how does he do that? He cant literally pay him out of his own pocket, it has to be put into the club, and he already puts in the maximum hes allowed to every year anyway. And even if he was allowed to, where have you been the past 6 months while his business has taken no money, due to there being no corporate hospitality? Read his interview from last week,on the question of clubs financial situation right now. Read between the lines and u could easily construe that hes talking about himself, as well as other owners when he says, therell come a time when owners wont be able to continue to put money into their clubs, with their businesses losing money. But those like you will just deny that and accuse him of not wanting to put money in. Despite the fact hes already put in an extra £3m to fund the losses during lockdown.

0

Fatboy added 16:22 - Oct 2 McGuinness scored a great header for Arsenal against MK Dons in pre-season. Might be worth a punt up front as a late substitute if we are chasing a win.
1

Surco72 added 16:43 - Oct 2 Blues1 ..and those like you will blindly follow and agree with every statement Lambert and Evans make with no question as you have done for the last two seasons to see us relegated and in our lowest league position for decades . Was that the pandemics fault aswell
0

Buryblue78 added 17:36 - Oct 2 hmmmmmm........
0

Blogs 295 bloggers

Ipswich Town Polls