Town boss Paul Lambert slammed his side’s display as they were beaten 2-1 by Coventry City, describing it as the “worst in [his] time" at the club.

The Blues were two goals behind at the break and never looked like getting back into the game until Luke Garbutt’s 86th minute goal triggered a late flurry which might have led to an underserved leveller.

“It wasn’t good enough, without a doubt that’s the worst in my time here,” he said. “In over a year that’s the worst performance we’ve turned in.

“Never deserved to go through, all credit Coventry, they were better than us, but that’s the worst performance in my time here.

“We were poor, we never turned up. We never got going, never did the basics of the game properly and you can’t mask the fact that we didn’t deserve to go through.

“All credit to Coventry, they were better than us right from the off. We were marginally better in the second half, marginally. But it wasn’t good enough that.”

He admitted that had Town grabbed a late equaliser it would have been a travesty: “I’m pretty sure if you asked [Coventry manager] Mark [Robins], if we’d have got an equaliser it wouldn’t have been deserved.

“I’ve been involved in games where the have been a lot of that, but we didn’t deserve anything, there’s no hiding it. A lot of fans had a really terrible night, it wasn’t good enough.”

What did he put the performance down to? “There are loads of things that can happen. I’ve been involved in games like that myself as a player. You try everything, it doesn’t come off and your touch doesn’t come off, everything you try doesn’t come off.

“It’s just one of those things when it happens. The game wasn’t the way we have been [playing]. The intensity wasn’t the way it has been. It just wasn’t good enough.”

Lambert made eight changes from the team which impressed in the first half as the sides drew 1-1 at St Andrew’s on Saturday. Might the changes of personnel have led to a lack of cohesion?

“It doesn’t matter what system you want to play, three at the back, five at the back, four at the back, two at the back, if you don’t do the basics of the game,” he insisted.

“It doesn’t matter, the principles are the same. If you don’t want to work and you don’t want to run and you don’t want do the basics of the game, it doesn’t matter what system you play.

“You can play like Pep [Guardiola]’s teams, you can play like Arrigo Sacchi’s team, whatever team you want to play, the basics of the game are that you have to be willing to work.

“It doesn’t matter what system you play, if you don’t want to make tackles, if you don’t want to make challenges, if you don’t to fight, it doesn’t matter.

“Systems, the principles of the game of football are that you have to work, you have to run and you have to be aggressive, they’re the principles of the game.

"“Systems, you can ask any team, even go to Pep, Jürgen Klopp, the principles are the same. Nothing changes. On the basics of the game we let ourselves down, that’s what’s frustrated me.”

Can players lose the basics of the game through not having played regularly, as was the case with some of the team which started this evening?

“No, because we train at a high intensity,” Lambert added. “We train high, we train really hard, we have a good standard in training, training’s really good.

“Tonight it wasn’t there and, as I said before, it doesn’t matter what system you play, the basics of the game are that you have to work.

“And this football club, with the history that it’s got, before anything else, you have to earn the right, you have to work. The basics are working hard.”

He said he understood fans expressing their frustrations with boos marking the end of he first half and a second-half Alan Judge shot receiving a sarcastic ovation.

“It wasn’t good enough,” he reiterated. “There’s no masking that. I’m not going to come here and say ‘This was the problem we encountered here’ or make excuses, everybody that knows me or understands the game, has realism about the game, that wasn’t good enough.

“And it happens, those performances happen. The lads know it, they know it wasn’t good enough. I think everybody recognises that wasn’t good enough but one performance in over a year like that is, I’m not saying it’s OK, but I understand how it happens.”

Sky Blues boss Robins was delighted with his team's display before the break in which they established their two-goal lead.

“I thought we were brilliant in the first half,” he said. “I have been looking forward to getting a few of the players on the pitch for at the same time and I managed to do that today and from about 10 minutes in we settled down and got a foothold in the game, and I thought we played some really good stuff.

“Not only that, we looked assured and created good opportunities and chance to put them on the back foot and turn the crowd in a good first half performance.

“We got two brilliant goals, well-worked goals and we could have had more.

“Having said that, we could have been 1-0 down after 25 seconds from a big kick from their keeper but we knew as soon as we saw Tomas Holy in goal, that’s the way they play.

“They put you under pressure that way. We tired in the second half when there were some heavy legs.

"The rain didn’t help and the conditions were difficult tonight, especially in the second half, and everyone needs to take care driving home.”

Reflecting on the second half, he added: “I’m pleased with the way we played and dealt with things, although I’m a little disappointed that we didn’t capitalise on things in the second half because we had chances to go and take them and then we dropped a little deeper.

“And that’s why you concede late goals and why we were trying to get them up the pitch again.

"But I thought we defended really well and the two centre-halves were outstanding and headed everything they needed to head, apart from the one that they looped in and it got a flick, and we didn’t deal with it. Otherwise it was a really good win.”

Photo: TWTD

Lightningboy added 10:03 - Dec 11 Turning into a mish-mash of a season - how we are still 2nd after the current run is bizarre. Too many (needless) weekends without a league game (think it's been 6)..too many half-fit players,too many injuries (again) and far too many changes to the team every game. Pick a settled 11 Paul (starting with OUR goalie Holy). Huge result needed Saturday to get this show back on the road.

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Pilgrimblue added 10:16 - Dec 11 PL needs to take a real look at himself and realise it's his policy/tactics that have led to this position. Last night we looked like a L2 team that couldn't care. Too many falling over and just ambling around like they didn't know what to do. Jackson/Norwood were v poor, midfield pairing of Huws/Skuse didn't work as both very slow and too many passes went astray. As a result defence was under too much pressure from a good L1 side that are likely to be pushing for promotion. I don't like hoof ball but last night we were playing against a shorter side that knew how to keep it on the deck and pass, always supporting each other. They should have won by more, we didn't deserve anything . Wake up Lambert!!

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Daleyitfc added 11:11 - Dec 11 It's Lambert's fault entirely : he has turned into McCarthy. Get him out, immediately.
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Cheshire_Blue added 11:11 - Dec 11 This cup tie was lost at Coventry two weeks ago. The game was won and we managed to throw it away in added time. Good teams don't do this and this should worry Mr. Lambert. We have gone off the boil and need to put it right quickly. It is no big deal being knocked out of what has become a Mickey Mouse competition, but the level of performance is worrying.
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BurleysGloryDays added 11:30 - Dec 11 Honestly, Town fans. Chill out. Focus on targets A, B, C. Getting out of this league. Too many fans behaving like reactionary teenagers. Keep the levels of support high, or i'm telling you now: you're contributing to the downfall of the club. Lambert is and remains the best thing to happen to us in years. Keep the energy good! COYB
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JewellintheTown added 11:33 - Dec 11 "I think everybody recognises that wasn't good enough but one performance in over a year like that is, I'm not saying it's OK, but I understand how it happens.” One performance in over a year like that? Remind me again PL why we're in this division. Maybe you're not understanding how it happens.
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runningout added 11:38 - Dec 11 Think they are calling too many footballers professional when they are clearly Not.
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SickParrot added 11:41 - Dec 11 PL says he wants to win every game, but players can't play all 44 league games and cup ties. We have a big squad, so in my opinion you play the strongest team available in all league, EFL cup & FA cup games. If you do that and lose you have to accept defeat. If you don't play your strongest team and lose, fans will think we could have won if you picked a stronger team. Team changes will be needed because of injuries but hopefully only 2 or 3 a game, not as many as 8 or 9 that we are seeing now. The fringe players will get game time as subs, in the EFL trophy and under 23s. If they are still rusty when called upon to step up so be it. We will still know that we played the strongest team available.

2

Dissboyitfc added 11:49 - Dec 11 Utter Rubbish players not interested and neither was Lambert, normally he kicks every ball makes every tackle and plays the whole game but not last night so not bothered! At least it was a consistent 90 mins, just not in a good way!
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Len_Brennan added 12:27 - Dec 11 Here we are in the middle of December & we still can't work out : 1. What's the manager's preferred formation 2. What is his best team Both should be absolutely apparent by now, as the team moves up gears into a well drilled & well oiled emphatic unit. With the squad we have in this league, we should be mirroring the current form of West Brom in the Championship... in my opinion.

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BettyBlue added 13:25 - Dec 11 Blame Paul Lambert. He's the only one not turning up (or at least leaving early). Manager for over year, and where is the improvement. What has he achieved Norwich? All he has done is got fat and lazy on all his £million pay-offs.
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BettyBlue added 13:26 - Dec 11 ...since...
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BurleysGloryDays added 13:35 - Dec 11 "BettyBlue", thanks for your thoughts from Naarrwich Must hurt that your most successful manager of all time joined your rivals because he doesn't like you as a club :'-D
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BettyBlue added 13:53 - Dec 11 Paul Lambert since 2012 Sacked Villa Blackburn Wolves Relegated Stoke Ipswich League positions Never higher than 15th and now in League 1 slipping down to mid table. Paul Lambert is the problem.
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BettyBlue added 13:56 - Dec 11 And sacked at Stoke.
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roytheboy added 14:15 - Dec 11 Very poor performance, not won for several games.
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eddiespearitt03 added 14:42 - Dec 11 Another sad FA Cup exit !!!!!We,ve had 10 years of lack lustre topsy-turvy performances like that and i can guarantee there are more games like that to come in the next 10 years if this club is still functioning. A settled team should bring uniform performances that fringe players want to be part of. As it is anyone can walk into that team and the fans pay to watch a different kind of game every week. YOU are the manager Lambert, sort it out. Evans is strangling this club. Does EVANS really think we will last long in the Championship with a make-shift weak squad ? Who is the next player we sell ? Evans is to blame for not having a total clear out of our ex championship players..

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ChrisFelix added 15:34 - Dec 11 Perhaps now that we are left with the league he will now play his 11 best available players. Mick Mcarthys fault was that he never played the youngsters.Im pleased to see the youth / fringe players coming through but last night was a game too many Defensive wise even with Chambers we are a solid unit,fault continues to be the lack of penetation or support from midfield.Thought we were improving with Nolan but he was dropped last night !!!!!

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Linkboy13 added 16:39 - Dec 11 Same as last season midfield one paced and lacking physically equals lack of chances created. Our only dangerous attacking player is injured KVY but oh you might say look at the league table.But if things carry on as they are we won't be looking at the table so wake up and smell the coffee all you blue tinted glasses wearer's.
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dukey44 added 17:45 - Dec 11 Sorry Mr Lambert you are starting to talk rubbish now... Keep the best 11 players playing week in week out and only change when u need to.. Simple really?
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therein61 added 18:01 - Dec 11 What we needed was a leader out on the park not the snail who was given the armband.
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blue86 added 20:08 - Dec 11 I'm not a manager but... systems do matter and do make a difference. At the end of the day though its about fitting your best players into a system which suits them best, and playing a REGULAR team. Lambert mentions klopp, how often does klopp rotate his front three at liverpool? Different calibre of player I know! Dont get me wrong I am still fully behind lambert, but please just get a settled side man! Change here or there, or for injuries I get that. Anyway we need to start winning again. Coyb

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ThaiBlue added 21:43 - Dec 11 Dont think he knows his best line up to be honest but needs to quickly as to be fair we are not that great and teams will start to catch us up on our form.come on lambert get it sorted NOW.
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