Boss Paul Lambert felt his side weren’t good enough in both boxes during their 3-0 defeat at QPR, but despite the result was pleased with his team’s overall performance.

“Whether we deserved to win the game, I don’t know, but performance-wise we were dominating the ball in long spells,” he said when asked whether he believed the result didn’t really match his team’s display.

“I think the difference was at both ends of the pitch. I don’t think we did enough in the attacking third and we didn’t defend as strongly as we should have done.

“The first goal, we’ve got the ball, we’re on top in the game and Jon Nolan’s tried that pass, which is fine, I’m telling them how to play, no blame attached to him whatsoever.

“The great thing about it was that he kept on trying to take the ball and it takes a big player to go and do that when you’ve made a big mistake, so that’s my problem.

“The second goal was a standard freekick, which was bog standard really, which shouldn’t have happened.

“But performance-wise, football-wise, we’re playing really well, but in both boxes I didn’t think we did enough.”

The Blues boss thought the error was tough on Nolan, who otherwise put in as good a performance as he has since he joined Town.

“He’s playing really well,” he said. “As I said before, I’d never criticise somebody for trying to go on the ball. I know what it’s like myself, there’s not a player alive that doesn’t make a mistake.

“OK, he made a mistake but he goes again and I was delighted with how his level kept on going. He never went away from trying to do things right, which is great. That’s a big compliment from me to him. He’ll learn.”

Despite having an awful lot to do at 2-0 down he thought his side took the game to Rangers.

“Even at 2-0, even at the start of the second half, QPR sat back as the home team which was testament to us because we were forcing the issue at 2-0, but we never did enough in the final third.”

Reflecting further on his side’s lack of creativity in and around the opposition area, he added: “You need that little bit of devilment in the final third of the pitch and we need people to get at people in one-v-one situations and make things happen.

“I’d never criticise somebody for going and making things happen because you have to go and excite people and get people going.

“But I’ve only been here a few weeks now and I can’t ask any more from the group of lads. They need a little bit of help as I’ve said, football-wise we’re learning, we’re playing a lot of good stuff but we just need to be a bit more clinical in both boxes.

The gap to safety has stretched to seven points but Lambert says there are still a lot of games to play.

“How quickly that can change is incredible and there’s a long, long way to go, a helluva long way to go,” he insisted.

“And the beauty about it is that every team knows it. As long as we finish above that line, it doesn’t matter where you are.”

Lambert spoke to referee Keith Stroud towards the end and wasn’t happy with some of the Hampshire-based official’s decision-making.

“I think the first one with Luke Chambers [when he was booked for a foul on Darnell Furlong], I thought was bizarre, I thought it was a foul on Luke and I think that set the tone. I thought there were some decisions which were a bit strange.”

Regarding Grant Ward, who was stretchered to the tunnel having walked off the pitch, he added: “We don’t really know [the extent of the injury], it’s a bit early at the minute, it’s his knee that has given him the problem, hopefully it’s not too bad.”

Lambert also confirmed that Teddy Bishop has been suffering with a virus but is on the mend, while Flynn Downes missed the Sheffield United match with a calf strain before returning today.

“Flynn had a calf strain last weekend, so we lost him [for Saturday]. I thought he had a good game, I think he’s getting better and better.”

Looking ahead to the January transfer window, Lambert continued: “We’re trying, we’ve tried to get a few lads in. Hopefully that will happen. There’s a long way on that but hopefully something will happen.

Any chance of additions being recruited for Millwall or Accrington? “We’ll try. If I can get them in for January 1st then great, but this can be a long window this one.”

QPR manager Steve McClaren felt the timing of his side's two quick-fire first-half goals was crucial.

"I thought Ipswich made it very difficult for us as I knew they would. I was impressed by the crowd because they had to be patient.

"We scored the goals at the right time, and it’s one of those 'find a way to win' performances — and we move on to Saturday."

Photo: TWTD

geminimustang added 08:12 - Dec 27 It's unfair to criticise PL with the team he's taken on.However,his CV doesn't show any success in recent years and,to date,the improvement has been minimal.ITFC require a minimum of 43 points to survive and if somebody can explain where the next 28 points are coming from,i'm listening.The only hope is 3 players coming in who are competent at this level and one of the goalkeepers coming back into form.I keep reading digs at MM which is laughable bearing in mind the present situation.ME & PH are to blame.ME for his lack of financial backing for MM when promotion was a real possibility and PH for dismantling a capable team that required a little quality to be added.

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buryblue77 added 09:16 - Dec 27 I wouldn't say anyone is turning on Paul but it seems that some are not overly happy with his assessment (fair enough) I just hope we don't actually turn on him in the next few games if the results don't come. Unfortunately, I don't think we can be saved, we're as good as down, how can we attract the players we need in January when we're in this position? Mick somehow held the team together enough to get the results through dull, uninspiring football and Paul Hurst destroyed the club with his League One/Two player project. If Rafa has been saying he thinks it'll take a miracle for Newcastle to stay up for only knows what it's going to take for us to stay in this league. I only hope if the inevitable happens Paul Lambert stays and rebuilds us and brings us back up again. Unfortunately this is all a product of years of underinvestment in the playing squad, where Evans has tried to be tight with bringing players in and unfortunately managers like Mick justified Evans actions, now it's different and it shows but sadly I think all too late to stop.

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Dissboyitfc added 09:49 - Dec 27 Still hurting over that debacle yesterday, in fairness I wasn't expecting much of a return points wise, but too many mistakes are costing us! I mean how can PL say Nolan played well? No one did! That was the problem. Spence gets worse, that foul throw he took, beyond words. It's admiral the way PL defends his players in public, just hope he tells them in the dressing room! We are in our biggest fight since the 70's. We need a point from Middlesbrough and a win against Millwall to stand any chance of survival! I want to remain positive , but struggling now! Really feel for PL, he has a huge job on his hands!

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WoodfordTim added 10:26 - Dec 27 Let's try & keep positive and get behind the team right to the end of the season, no matter what happens. PL is doing a great job with the players he has inherited and a word on Marcus Evans: he has invested about £100Mn of his own money since the start of his tenure. Like all of us, he is a football supporter and has appointed so-called professional managers to run the club. Without ME continually putting his hand in his pocket, we would be in receivership.

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Razor added 10:33 - Dec 27 Perhaps the manager ought to read some nursery rhymes, starting with the boy who cried wolf!! I am not blaming PL as such as he has been left with terrible problems,including a midfielder who chooses to pass to the opposition for no reason. Thought we started well yesterday until that aberration---ended up carrying the same 3 or 4 players again and one guy doing 5 mens work in the middle---this inbalance has got to be put right. Boro lost at home yesterday---guess somebody is going to get the backlash!!

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Gazelle added 11:06 - Dec 27 It was Nolan's poor pass that led to their first goal but I blame Gerkin for not holding on to the shot. Absolute liability, should have come off his line for the Sheffield Utd goal, I've seen better keepers in the Conference so get Bart back in.
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Eeyore added 11:21 - Dec 27 I could only listen to the commentary and Mick Mills seemed impressed with how they played apart from the three times they scored and not creating/finishing chances. The commentary seemed to match PL's assessment? PL didn't put this squad together and if he is here in a few years, very few of these players will still be with him. I wouldn't expect PL to give an honest assessment of the abilities of these players in public. He is approaching it in the correct way by trying to get the best out of the players he has. But the bottom line is this, the previous manager had almost no money to spend and he probably did as well as one could expect. The sale of players for profit was clearly not his decision and he ended up with a squad that had the third(?) lowest value in the division. I can understand ME wanting to manage the club out of its debt and that means running the club on a shoe-string. We will not get large investment in the club because we don't have a large enough population withing the vicinity of the club (e.g. Leicester has 3 times the population of Ipswich, Milton Keynes has double!). Norwich are in the same situation as us, or perhaps worse, as Norfolk has 1/3 the population of Suffolk, but they got lucky. How? They appointed a manager called Paul Lambert and the rest is history. ME was hoping for the same kind of luck with the previous manager but it didn't work out. The next logical step is Lambert himself. Unfortunately there are some managers for whom it all comes together perfectly just once in their career, and we have to hope that wasn't the case for PL in his first few years at Norwich. Mick was an outstanding manager, he managed to find players good enough to keep us in this division without having any money to spend. Recent events have proven how difficult that is to achieve. If 28,000 had turned up for every home game over the last few years, I wonder if we would be in this situation? I couldn't help noticing that Sunderland, a division below us, had 46,000 yesterday to watch Bradford. There is a degree of apathy in Suffolk at the moment - see for instance the recent rise and fall of Lowestoft Town. Or perhaps its just economics in which case, we need to reduce ticket prices and offer more promotions and deals.

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ChrisFelix added 11:35 - Dec 27 So predictable. We play well without creating any real chances. Then we give away our gifts
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ringwoodblue added 13:26 - Dec 27 If we were to stay up, QPR away we should be getting a draw at least but we were toothless in all parts of pitch. I'm sorry to say but we will see all our targets like Gestede, Adam, Marshall etc gradually go to other teams in Jan and worst still the ones just above us I suspect. Give the young upcoming players a good run out and drop the dross.
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Dissboyitfc added 14:05 - Dec 27 Eyesore Mick Mills maybe a legend, but I am telling yesterday was awful. It was ok until they scored and from then on, they did even need to try, they were happy going at a canter and that is they needed to do! With reference to Sunderland, I am watching “ Sunderland till I die” on subscription tv, watch it if you get chance. They certainly weren't filling the stadium when they were at the bottom of the championship. There was total apethy there too, they are filling the stadium now because they Got Jack Ross in and are winning games, they are enjoying football again. We all know what we are up against! But yesterday's effort was not good enough! That performance yesterday leaves me feeling rather low! watch the lowlights!

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herfie added 21:40 - Dec 27 PL is playing the media game - staying positive, taking personal responsibility and refusing to engage in any form of individual criticism. That's his job; but don't believe for a second that he doesn't know what we, the supporters, know and see unfold game after game. Without quality reinforcements he knows that his options are extremely limited, that try as he might to get the most out of what he's got to work with, the stark truth is that many are below C'ship standard and incapable of competing without committing individual errors that ultimately prove costly in games of fine margins. Some of those things he can't affect, once players cross the white line.

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