Town boss Paul Lambert says Kayden Jackson and Jon Nolan, banished to train with the U23s, have let the club down, let themselves down and let their team-mates down.

Jackson angered Lambert with his red card against Sunderland, while Nolan expressed his frustration to the manager after travelling to Crewe and not finding out until shortly before kick-off that he wasn’t in the 18.

“Yes, for reasons that I think are right,” Lambert said when asked to confirm that the duo are training with the U23s.

“As I said before, I won’t have a player [Nolan], any player come to me and say they’d rather be at home with the wife and kids. If that’s your mentality you’re better doing that.

“I need players that are going to dig in at a really hard moment, but you need players digging in and I’m not having it.

“I’ve never had any player do that. I’m not naming names or anything like that but I’ve not known any player at the top level that I’ve played at, top level I’ve managed, I’ve never had anybody saying that to me. I think it’s disrespectful to your team-mates.”

Does he feel they’ve let him down? “They’ve let the club down, let themselves down, let their team-mates down. It’s immaterial to me. I’ve managed at the top level, played at the top level, won the highest things in Europe at the top level, I’ve never had that.

“And I need players at this football club that are going to die for it, that are going to run for it and are going to work for it.”

General manager of football operations Lee O’Neill has confirmed that there was loan interest in Jackson on deadline say, with Huddersfield the club understood to have made an approach, but with the deal not one Town were prepared to do.

Nolan was mentioned in connection with Rotherham United, Wigan Athletic, Peterborough United and Doncaster Rovers shortly before the window.

Asked whether the duo wanted to leave in the transfer window, Lambert said: “Nobody came in, that was the thing. You can’t go anywhere if nobody comes in for you.”

What can they do to get themselves in their manager’s good books? “I really don’t know but, as I said before, that’s my answer to it. The mentality, I’ve never heard that before at any level of football and I need players that are going to die for here, that are going to work.”

With Flynn Downes suspended for the next two games due to his red card on Tuesday, Nolan would have been an option in midfield, while Jackson would have been an option from the bench as the Blues look for goals.

“It doesn’t matter, it’s the attitude to the whole thing, to everything,” he said. “As I said before, I’m not having that, I’m not having it for the team, to disrespect any team-mates or anything like that.

“If that’s the attitude, that you want to stay with your wife and kids, then fine, that’s totally fine. But I need people who want to die and play for the club.”

Do the rest of the squad understand the situation? Has it created waves within the group? “I think anybody can see, OK everybody’s frustrated with results, but one thing you can’t level at them is a lack of fight, you can never label them with that, a lack of fight. For me I don’t have a problem with their fight.”

Regarding that fight in the squad, he added: "Well, it's proven. You don't say that. The clubs that I've played with and played with the best of the best and won the best, and I know the highest level.

“To be in Europe, I know what it's like to play in European finals and World Cups, and I've never ever, ever heard that — ever.

"And that's not the mentality I'm going for. If you want to stay with your wife and kids, then no problem, stay with them.

“At this football club, we need people that want to fight and die for it. That's what we need. And the supporters, maybe it's the first of them hearing it.

“They might turn around and say, 'hang on a minute, so what do we do, let people play when they want to play?'.

“You go back to your boss and say you don't want to do your work and see what happens.

Asked later to confirm that the player he is talking about is Nolan, Lambert wouldn't add to what he had previously said.

“You can take the stories from the other guys. I don't want to go through it again, that's it.”

Asked whether it was unfair that there are two issues and only one player is being talked about, Lambert added: “I told you to take it off [the earlier comments] and if you're going to keep going on, I'll just walk off. Talk about the game.”

Photo: Matchday Images

Bert added 09:57 - Feb 19 This is rather unsavoury and not very professional to air these things in public even if the facts are right.Looks like Lambert fell for this which is further evidence he cannot cope. Perhaps he feels that highlighting the actions of two players will find favour with supporters but it wreaks to me of Lambert stumbling through an interview in which he set out to talk about the game but delivered his own swerve ball. His head is clearly not right and the squad will look at this and think is this the right man to manage us. We know he is not so what the heck Evans is doing about this crisis remains a mystery.

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PortmanTerrorist added 09:57 - Feb 19 Meanwhile, over at Fleetwood, another unwanted, Mr Donacien shares:- "One of the first things I recognised after I came here was that the lads just want to do well. There's no moaning and there are no bad eggs. Everyone just wants to do well and win games." PL is acting like he just showed up at the Club. After 2 years the players and their behaviour are entirely his responsibility. He has evidently lost some of the changing room, question is, has he lost it completely. Bigger question is WHY are we still discussing this when he should have been long gone by now !

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dougalmcguire added 10:00 - Feb 19 'I'd rather have players die and play for the club' - Paul Lambert I've never heard a manager channelling Weekend at Bernie's to attempt to create a successful winning team....
1

Paramedic added 10:00 - Feb 19 Lambert is the problem. End of. How the guy can call himself and be employed as a football manager is just bewildering. Poor man management, poor coaching, poor systems, nonsense interviews. Things might not be right within the club but what happens on the pitch and with the players is his responsibility, nobody else's.
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Steve_ITFC_Sweden added 10:01 - Feb 19 Eh up! More trouble at t' mill.
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Swailsey added 10:02 - Feb 19 FOPRP.
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Radlett_blue added 10:03 - Feb 19 Please lead Lambert away gently and give him a nice cup of tea or a stiff drink. This man is not fit to do his job. Both of these are players whom other clubs were interested in signing and paying a transfer fee for. Jackson has hardly played this season & no wonder he's frustrated. Lambert can afford to consign these players to the U23s so he can play his loan players! Evans, please stop this farce now!

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RaymondovicBlue added 10:06 - Feb 19 PL is a joke. And less funny than the ones I tell at that. I would be pissed off at not playing too and might express it in as way that upset the manager. I don't know what it is about the mighty Ipswich that is above all the other achievements he Cleary took in his stride.... But whatever it is, he's way out of his depth and should do the honourable thing.. He can start by apologising to the owner, players and fans for constantly trying to pull the wool over or eyes. I think the guy is list and I genuinely feel for him. Hut he needs to leave for his and our sakes

2

superdicksy added 10:06 - Feb 19 That's sounds about right rather be at home with wife and kids that tells you a lot about lambert at present lost the plot clueless Nigel Pearson 4 me
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phillev added 10:14 - Feb 19 What we don't hear is what you say to the player's , Lamberts man management has to seriously be called into question. I think he's lost it personally. Just put him and us out of our misery ME and do the decent thing.
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BlueAllOver added 10:15 - Feb 19 How is he still in a job? Not got a clue about man management, disgrace, worst manager ever seen at the town, and by some distance.
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davetheblue added 10:16 - Feb 19 Will today be lamberts last day Surely evans can't put up with this The squad needs to be together on all fronts for the last remaining games. If not I can see us drifting towards the relegation zone. Fresh start for everyone needed. Maybe butch for rest of season.
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bluelodgeblue added 10:18 - Feb 19 So here we are it's Friday morning and still no comment from ME and Shamberts still here? Dreadful days!
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buzbyblue added 10:19 - Feb 19 Just move deflection from Shambert, I would be p!ssed if made to travel then to be told I wasn't even in the 18, more bad management, and yes Jackson got sent off but what about flynn isn't that his 2nd or 3rd sending off Me thinks Shambert is trying to goad Evans into sacking him for the pay off
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buzbyblue added 10:20 - Feb 19 Sry voted you down by mistake Gavitwd
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phillev added 10:20 - Feb 19 Think you have nailed it buzbyblue.
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Trac70 added 10:28 - Feb 19 Bore off Shambert. My God you are the most boring, arrogant, horrible little individual. Don't care about your past but you must be on a loop. Same old sh1te!!!! I can only imagine most of the current squad would rather "be at home" than listen to you and even play for you. Instead of blaming everyone and everything apart yourself, just get out of the club now!!!!
1

Woodbridgian added 10:29 - Feb 19 Every week you think things can't get worse and then they do. The problem for Evans is it's not just the players that would sooner be a home it's a growing number of supporters. If nothing changes soon the cardboard cutouts in the stands will be all that there next season full stop
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masetheace added 10:29 - Feb 19 A comment like that from a player does not come as a one off . Obviously a build up of frustration over a period of time
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osborne1nil added 10:31 - Feb 19 Agree with many of these comments and that Lamberts time is well up, many weeks ago in fact IMO. However, I do agree with the sentiment that these players need to give everything for the club. They are paid a lot of money to kick a bag of wind around and should do everyting required by the club. It should be frustrating if you are not in the 18 but it maybe a late decision on the final 18 and with some of the powder puffs we have, an injury in training before a game seems common. The players should also want to support their colleagues playing and be frustrated that they can't get on the pitch and play. It wouldn't surpise me if there are a few bad eggs amongst the players and the best managers we have had - Ramsey, Robson, Lyall, Burley and Royle would not accept players that weren't giving everything. This may still come back as poor management but I think his point in this case is what i would want to hear from a Manager and some of these players should be named and brought to task when they are out of line! Lambert Out.

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afcfee added 10:32 - Feb 19 Nolan one of few players who does try on pitch
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Saxonblue74 added 10:32 - Feb 19 What I struggle to understand is why he asked Nolan to travel? He constantly tells us about the exhausting schedule and the need to rest and rotate, so why make him travel?
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IpswichT62OldBoy added 10:35 - Feb 19 Does anyone on here happen to know if PL played for any big clubs< I know he hasn't managed any.
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Steve_ITFC_Sweden added 10:35 - Feb 19 If Lambert "communicates" with his players like he does with the press and the rest of us, then I am not surprised misunderstandings arise and things probably get blown out of proportion.
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heathen66 added 10:37 - Feb 19 Unfortunately it is all about deflecting the attention away from his own poor performances as the manager of OUR football club. Trying to turn the fans against the players, rather than against himself. Time for Change
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