Town boss Paul Lambert has signed a new four-year extension to his contract with the Blues, aimed at keeping him at Portman Road until 2025.

Lambert, 50, who was previously contracted for a further 18 months, took charge at Town in October last year. Talks are understood to have been ongoing for some weeks with pen put to paper this morning.

“Football management is a precarious business and I have stated many times the importance of having a long-term vision which is executed by a management team who are confident that they will be given time to continually improve the performance and quality of the squad,” owner Marcus Evans told the club site.

“The coaching group led by the manager have done a fantastic job in turning a fragile environment - following last season’s relegation - into one where we have a mental expectation to win every game.

“The last few matches have seen results not go our way, however, we should not lose sight of the fact that we have lost only five games in the league in the first half of the season and are performing better at the halfway point than nearly every team that suffered relegation last year from any division.

“We have all seen many relegated teams pick up in a new season where they left off, losing games with nervous performances. This has not been the case at Ipswich.

“Paul has developed a strong squad and has been a catalyst in the club’s re-engagement with fans, including playing a role in helping to bring new supporters to Portman Road.

“I am therefore pleased to announce that Paul and I reached agreement last month to extend his current deal for an additional four years and we are now able to officially announce the new contract.

“We would all, of course, like to be announcing this on the back of a better run but short-term performance does not change the importance to the club of supporting a management team who I believe over the next few years will take Ipswich Town back to where we all want and expect it to be.”

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delias_cheesy_flaps added 14:48 - Jan 1 Speechless......17 wins in 63 games doesn't warrant a 4 year extension! Marcus Evans you're an utter plumb!
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Crawfordsboot added 14:50 - Jan 1 To those of you complaining that Evans is rewarding failure I take it that if by say July you are not running the companies that employ you you will expect to get sacked as failures. As we entered this season I thought that anything less than play off places would be relative failure. So far so good.
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eddiespearitt03 added 14:51 - Jan 1 Buy the fans a beer, have a good first half of League One football followed by a little rant by the manager was deemed enough to justify a new contract by a desperate owner who makes one mistake after another every season. You can now see the clubs with momentum and Ipswich is not one of them. As far as a relentless changing team selection and poor performances i just can,t understand why you would dish out a new contract at this time.

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Len_Brennan added 14:52 - Jan 1 So this is what all that ranting & raving was about last week; contract negotiations. I personally wouldn't have rewarded Lambert for his unhinged strop, but there you have it. At a time when real genuine questions over his footballing strategy, coaching & team picking abilities are on the table, we give him 4 more years. Odd decision at this time. All the ancillary elrments of his management of the club, normally outside the first team coach's remit, have been excellent to be fair.

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afcfee added 14:54 - Jan 1 Ridiculous time to give contract, was Evans on the champagne last night.
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TimmyH added 14:58 - Jan 1 Well now it makes sense 'Evans backing Lambert 100%' - but the timing of this is very strange on the back of the poor form, as said what happens if we keep playing poorly and end up mid-table?...there won't be many happy campers and certainly a fair few will point their finger at Lambert. Makes you wonder if he's getting a salary increase keeping him here over that period, don't forget Evans and PL have already clashed over transfer expenditure. This is all conjecture of course but a possibility.

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terryf added 15:03 - Jan 1 What Lambert said is no different to last year's similar rant. Basically he's saying the owner can do what he wants at any time but I'm not walking away. No doubt woolie Woolley never asked the direct question are you saying you are thinking of leaving so Lambert once again played his cat and mouse game. It's all a load of spin and not worth talking about. Unfortunately the media think hang on there might be a story here... the truth is there is NO STORY!!!

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Kirbmeister added 15:04 - Jan 1 Well ME is the boss and if he wants to give PL an extended contract who are we to say otherwise. Now get over it and move on for gods sake.
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tractorboybig added 15:16 - Jan 1 F off evans...bring in mickey mouse
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Cakeman added 15:18 - Jan 1 I'm all for stability. Contracts aren't worth a lot though so change at anytime is still possible. It does show good intent from our owner though which is important.
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runningout added 15:55 - Jan 1 Give Paul Lambert what he wants transfer wise and we may do the business. Be ruthless on and off the field and move players on that aren't up to it.
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stiffy501 added 16:02 - Jan 1 Not to worried about this, big clear out end of season, start to build his own team going to take time to put this club back on track !!
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roystevensonsrocket added 16:05 - Jan 1 Well I think it's a superb decision . He does need time to get our club back to our right place which is probably at best the premiership yo yo club . We will get there in 5 years . Stop feckin moaning and wanting everyone out of the club
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Suffolkboy added 16:16 - Jan 1 Plenty of I'll thought through drivel on here again ; emotional claptrap comes easy when it comes with little or no responsibility ! Evans statement is well balanced , well thought through , seems to be based upon the soundest of principles and per agreed plans for changing and improving the Club that is ITFC . Having been a fan for over 60 years , having watched the ups and downs ( as will have many others) ,and having despaired of the lack of forward vision , and the gradual slide of our properties ( NOT being maintained and improved ) ,and witnessed some absolutely dreadful ‘ management ‘ from so called MDs to Football coaches, at last in ME and L O'N working in harness ,and taking a whole team along ,we are starting to witness a certain revival ! Come on everyone , believe in the good things and let's put the best foot forward ,with positive optimism !Paul Lambert and Co can be a dedicated key part of success ,with a vision which decimates some of their predecessors . COYB

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Suffolkboy added 16:16 - Jan 1 Plenty of I'll thought through drivel on here again ; emotional claptrap comes easy when it comes with little or no responsibility ! Evans statement is well balanced , well thought through , seems to be based upon the soundest of principles and per agreed plans for changing and improving the Club that is ITFC . Having been a fan for over 60 years , having watched the ups and downs ( as will have many others) ,and having despaired of the lack of forward vision , and the gradual slide of our properties ( NOT being maintained and improved ) ,and witnessed some absolutely dreadful ‘ management ‘ from so called MDs to Football coaches, at last in ME and L O'N working in harness ,and taking a whole team along ,we are starting to witness a certain revival ! Come on everyone , believe in the good things and let's put the best foot forward ,with positive optimism !Paul Lambert and Co can be a dedicated key part of success ,with a vision which decimates some of their predecessors . COYB

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blueboy1981 added 16:18 - Jan 1 They are both professional muggers - the only thing that matters to either of them is that the punters keep coughing up to the current trend - success for the supporters far less important. Will continue tho' if the current form continues ? No long term plan has remotely looked like working during the last decade, so why would it now ?
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AYACCA added 16:58 - Jan 1 This will annoy people, just like Brexit, trump and celebrity love on ice. But get over it.
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Dolphinblue added 17:01 - Jan 1 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂thenegcrew🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣lmao😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣🤣 YESSSSSS!!!!!Lambert is great COYB. All the haters 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 ooh weve lost some games Lambert must go 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 knownothing joke supporters who dont get behind the team...GOOD ON YER LAMBO

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Phil1969 added 17:09 - Jan 1 Fantastic news the club needs more stability talk of idiots like Warnock is back to the MM era. We are top 5 players coming back from injury and a window ahead. Happy days coyb.
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BettyBlue added 17:12 - Jan 1 10 years of losing and relegation rewarded with yet another multi million pound contract. what will the next 5 years bring? its Mick McCarthy ghost of Christmas past back again. yet another "Crash and burn" old school manager rewarded for doing sod all. see you in Div 2 or 2025.
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algarvefan added 17:17 - Jan 1 Sorry but unbelievable on what evidence has this been awarded? I don't think we have progressed as a team under Lambert, we still are dodgy at the back and still don't carry a goal threat. I fear we may be in Division One for a while yet. Lets hope for a change in fortune or the club will look very silly. Just a quick word about the fans today at Wycombe, really great support, loud and proud, well done!

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BaaBaaBlue added 17:18 - Jan 1 I'm still not totally convinced Evan's isn't a stooge.. he's inherited a decent club (albeit one that was financially in the doldrums) ..he hasn't moved this club forward in the slightest.. we are slowly going backwards.. could be decades before we recover.. I'm fed up of it all
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Dolphinblue added 17:32 - Jan 1 Great decision by Saviour Evans Coyb 👍
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pennblue added 17:56 - Jan 1 Great move I think. He has pedigree of getting teams up, so give him time and support, and I think he will get it right. PL is clearly someone who needs to have strong backing from up top. We just need to get behind them, and there were some encouraging signs today.
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ElephantintheRoom added 18:01 - Jan 1 Lambo seems to split opinions on here.... not bad for a football manager who has been consistently useless at football management since he arrived. Still he IS good at bluster and PR which clearly counts for a lot in the offshore world. On one level this baffling decision is quite good... it sends a clear message to useless, underperforming players that Lambo is staying.... and they might not be. On the other hand the club is now stuck with him if his now year long uselessness at creating a team continues its backwards and downwards trajectory. I think I'll stay on the fence. I like the idea of continuity.... just not continuing with a manager who currently seems utterly clueless. Perhaps playing a settled team is Lambo's new year resolution.

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