Boss Paul Lambert goes into his 100th game in charge of the Blues at Plymouth on Saturday with owner Marcus Evans and general manager of football operations Lee O’Neill having given him their backing, despite fans having called for his head. Lambert spoke about his time at Town and that backing at this morning’s press conference.

Lambert, 51, took charge at Town on Saturday 27th October 2018 and in his 99 games since then has a record of won 31, drew 25, lost 43.

Reflecting on his time at the club, he said: “I’ve loved every day of it. It’s a great club that probably lost its way in a lot of ways and I’m pretty sure people will hold their hands up about where the mistakes are and all those sort of things.

“But it’s a brilliant club and I love being here, I love the way it is. Do I want it to be better and want it to be successful? One hundred per cent, but I’ve loved any minute I’ve been here, it’s certainly been different, that’s for sure.”

The former Scotland international dismissed the suggestion it’s his hardest job in management so far.

“Oh no, this has not been the toughest by any stretch," he insisted. "Where it annoys me is probably the way it’s gone over the years, that annoys me because it’s a really good club.

“But the past, the history the club’s got is massive and it’s incredibly steeped in it, but you’ve got to let that go at times and try and move on into the future.

“OK, it’s not got the money that other teams have got and I think everybody understands that. The young ones are coming through, they need time, but we’re definitely up there.

“It still needs to kick on in my opinion, as I’ve said before, this club needs a helluva lot of TLC.”

If not the toughest, the most challenging? “Do you know what I think? Would I say it's the most challenging? No, because I think every job is. I think every job you're in in football is challenging.

“There are always obstacles you come up against every day and you wake up in the morning and something else went wrong or something has been happening.

“But it's not the most challenging it's just the lack of what's happened here that's what annoys me the most.”

Going forward, is it about controlling the things you can control? “I think you're right. On Wednesday night, we could only control what we had in the game, and we had five kids playing again there [due to injuries].

“Oxford were in the play-offs last year. A good team, an experienced team and we went there and did really well.

“If you go through the two young kids at centre-back, they were helped by Chambo and Wardy.

“We had Jack [Lankester] after the injury situation he's had, Aaron [Drinan] has just come back, [Armando] Dobra has done well for us, Keanan Bennetts is a young guy, so that's the positive. The point is positive. The outside stuff, you're right, you can't control that stuff.”

Asked whether it was nice to receive owner Evans’s backing in his statement last night, Lambert responded: “As I said to you the other day, I don’t worry or bother about things like that.

“Marcus and I get on really well. Whether I left tomorrow or the next day or whatever it is, I get on well with the guy. There’s not a problem with that. I know football, the way it works.

“But he understands what’s happened here. He’s not a silly guy, he understands what’s happened here and where he’s probably went wrong with a lot of stuff because he’s the custodian of it, so he understands how difficult the role is and what we’re asked to do.

“I get it because I’m at the forefront of it, but I think Marcus recognises how hard a gig it is.”

Lambert says he was aware that Evans and prior to that in a Radio Suffolk interview O’Neill were going to give him their backing.

“Yeah, I speak to Marcus every week really and I see Lee most days here as well,” he said. “As I said before, I can't control anything on the outside.

“I live in my own little bubble really, so I don't get involved in anything at all. I don't do social [media] stuff, I don't do anything like that whatsoever and I've always been like that, it's not just with you guys, I've always been that way inclined.

“Even when I played I never really took to anything somebody saying I've done well or somebody saying I've done no so well.”

Lambert says what they have said publicly is no different to what they have previously told him in private.

“Yes, because you've got to take the glasses off and see what's happened here in the bigger picture and the scheme of it and what's actually happened,” he said.

“The investment or whether it's recruitment or whether it's anything else whatsoever. The sale of guys going out of the club, all those sorts of things.

“Everything has got to be revalued because it's not right for the size of the club what's happened, that's for sure.

“And what we're doing is giving what a lot of people want which is the kids chances to go and play because if we can't invest the next option we've got is to try and get your best kids come through. But those kids need time.”

Evans said he believed the club is on track at the present time and Lambert agrees: “The way it is yes. And the reason I say that is even if I wasn't here and it was somebody else you'd think ‘Well, there's no money at Ipswich, they're blooding the youngsters because that's where they're going to have to do it at this moment’, unless we sold somebody for a lot of money, and then you go and reinvest with that.

“But that's out of my control as well, somebody has to break through and you sell them for a lot of money and say “Thanks very much’, but the way the club is is definitely in a lot better place on the future side of it.”

In his statement Evans implied that won’t be swayed by supporters’ opinions and will judge situations for himself. Lambert agrees that that’s a good thing for a manager to hear from a club owner.

“Yes, as I said before he knows how hard it is and the parameters that he's asked us to work in,” he said.

“Would I like it to be like this? No. Definitely not. Would I like him to say ‘Listen, go and get players that can get us out the division and can help the guys that are here’.

“But I understand the way the world is at the minute the money isn't forthcoming. The club is afloat which is one good point, but I understand where he's coming from.”

Evans also said he felt there are “green shoots of a style [of play] that will reap its rewards in the years ahead”.

“I definitely think the way we're playing is some really good stuff, really good,” Lambert said. “And again, that will progress and it'll get better and better and better and then hopefully you invest in the players that are going to come and help as well.

“That's what you need [for] everything to work. And allied to the guys that are here we need help on that side of it, but Marcus is the leader of that side of it.

“But there's definitely a way we're playing. We're playing a lot better than what we were last year even though we got a few wins last year at the start, but we're playing a lot better.”

Lambert reiterated that he believes that he needs to make some additions to his squad in January: “Without a doubt. Without a doubt, you need help.”

Would it be fair to suggest that progress ought to be further along than merely signs of green shoots by December? Or are things at the stage you anticipated in the summer?

“No, because I did it in the Championship year and we played some incredible football in the Championship with the way we played and we lost points where I don't think we should have lost points,” he said.

“Okay, some of the loan guys went back and then the club had to reboot again and go again.

“We started the season really well last year and probably after January we never kicked on for one reason or another.

“This year the guys know all the patterns of play, they know how to play that way. Okay, the injuries have certainly [not helped], I mean you look at us at the start of the season, they looked brilliant, looking really good.

“And then the injuries hit you. But once those guys come back and get a little bit of help, then you'll not be far off it.”

Asked whether Evans ever talks about style of play and that side of the game, Lambert joked: “Well, he plays centre-back in some training sessions.

“No, he tries to understand it. He doesn't portray that he knows everything about the game or anything like that. He doesn't say ‘I want you to do this and I want you to do that’, he doesn't do anything like that.

“He listens to my views on to his say which is fine because he's obviously the owner of it and we just have a good dialogue with that.”

Meanwhile, Lambert says he's not sure whether the £50 million Premier League rescue package for lower league clubs announced yesterday will be enough.

Asked whether he believes the grant, which is backed up by further cash available for loans, is sufficient, Lambert said: "I’m not sure, I’m really not sure whether £50 million is.

"Is that for this season or is that for right through? In total? If it’s for this season, I’m not so sure, I’m not sure £50 million’s going to cover a massive amount.

“It’ll help without a doubt but I’m not sure. I’ll have to wait and see on that one, I guess.”

Photo: TWTD

jas0999 added 17:11 - Dec 4 His record is not very good.
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TimmyH added 17:30 - Dec 4 Hhahahahahahaha!!! - Lambert says a' great club that lost it's way in a lot of ways' as if he's turned it around!!...another deluded twonk! and then continues 'it hasn't the money other teams has got' - with ME as owner it has!...deluded twonk!
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Bert added 17:39 - Dec 4 Pleased to see posters abusive comments now being taken down. TWTD plays a great role in providing an outlet for opinion but oh so many have given up posting in the face of abuse. On match days last season, I saw and heard decent people give vent to their feelings about the game, the referee, the manager etc. That's all part of football but to relish a defeat and abuse those behind the security of a keyboard is cowardice.

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Monkey_Blue added 17:45 - Dec 4 The fans slagging off Lambert are also the ones who drove Mick out of the club and saw us employ a lower league manager and sign a bunch of lower league players. If lambert goes we aren't going to be getting some genius come in to take his place. We are not in league one because we don't deserve to be, but the blame is in all areas including with deluded fans who know very little about the game.

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Carberry added 18:24 - Dec 4 Monkey Blue, are you doing Evans's PR for him?
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moggasnotebook added 19:37 - Dec 4 Monkeyblue not wrong - although I do think MM partially drove himself out of the club with his actions towards fans and making ITFC a boring, unexcitable (almost miserable) place to watch football.
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Karlosfandangal added 21:43 - Dec 4 When Sir Bobby join town in 69 I think there were some pretty poor results and fans then were calling for his head....but it took time to build a team... in fact 3 different teams in the great mans words. So I understand giving Lambert a long contract for stability. However Sir Bobby was playing at the top level and the right man to take Town forward. Not sure Lambert is, like the idea of bring the young lads on and learning their trade but Town don't have 2 or 3 years, The Championship has been given £200 million and League 1 and 2 £50 million to share. I can see a Prem 1 and 2 quite soon and Town will be suck flirting with League 1 play off”s I just hope that Lambert proves us all wrong....... But they say you live in hope and die in vain

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shakytown added 22:42 - Dec 4 If there was even a tiny hint of improvement in sight it be a bonus. Awful tactics with no hope of even scoring a goal let alone winning a game. Every team now just knows all they have to do is put one or two hard tackles and our weaklings in midfield will run for cover.
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Blue_Meanie added 06:47 - Dec 5 The real problem in all of this is Evans advisors. We are agreed his own level of football knowledge is limited to say the least! So someone must be advising him on managerial appointments. Lambert's record since this time up the road is terrible, yet somebody at ITFC looked at his achievements and said “you know what? I think this could be our man.”
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TractorRoyNo1 added 11:23 - Dec 5 Ok Lambert we agree the club has been allowed to be run down, but your job has been to turn in round, sadly there is very little sign of it. I like many others though you would keep us up - wrong. I like many other thought you would take us straight back up - wrong. Ffs we know we are not Man City, but we DEMAND that we are not miles behind "little" clubs Burnley, Bournemouth, Brentford, or Barnsley.

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