Town boss Paul Lambert was left ruing the Blues’ failure to take their first-half chances after their 1-0 home defeat to Oxford United.

“I’ve just counted five really good chances in the first half,” he said. “The lads are doing really well playing-wise, they’re creating chances, the stats, I’m never one for stats, but they back up the chances we’re creating and not taking them.

“I’m not going to sit here and chastise the guys, they do everything how we ask them to go and do it. They create, they do the right things, it’s just that little finishing touch really. We’ve just got to keep working hard and hopefully that changes.”

Town were less dominant in the second half, did Lambert want to see more from his side after the break?

“They defended well, the crosses,” he reflected. “We had some really good areas, good moves, crosses into the box, good situations, good moments. That becomes the final pass, they defended strongly and tried to hit us on the counter but there was never really much threat from them on that side of it.

“Whereas we were trying to knock on the door, but it just never unlocked. But the chances in the first half, if you take one or two of them then it becomes a totally different game.

“I think if we’d gone in two or three up I don’t think anybody would have begrudged us that.”

Regarding the introduction of Freddie Sears as a sub in the 90th minute, he said: “I just thought Judgey was doing well. I just thought ‘Do we do it or not?’ because there wasn’t too much wrong regarding dominating the ball, that was totally fine.

“We thought ‘Should we out him on earlier or should we put him on now?”. I’d rather try something than not try anything. The team wasn’t under any danger, they weren’t really breaking at all against us.”

He added: “If you’re a sub and you get on, it doesn’t matter if you’re on for a minute. A great manager used to say to me, ‘If you come on in the 90th minute and there’s a minute to go, make sure you give me 90 minutes in that one minute’. And that’s always stuck with me, and he was a great, great manager.”

The Town boss said he wasn’t sure what happened regarding Kayden Jackson’s sending off, a card of a type the striker won’t have been looking for on his 26th birthday, which was for an apparent stamp on Oxford skipper Rob Dickie.

“I’ve not seen it yet, I’d need to see it,” he said. “People are saying he stamped on the guy but I’ve not seen it. I’ve not seen it, your angle is looking down, I can’t see that. I don’t know.”

Lambert says the striker was less than impressed with the dismissal: “No, he’s not that type of player, Kayden, not that type of player. I’d have to have a look at it to see what happened.”

He says he’ll consider an appeal if he believes there are grounds, although was concerned that there might be the possibility of an increased ban.
“Yes, if I think there are [grounds],” he said. “Unless I’m wrong the rule is that if you lose it he gets another game on top of it.

“It’s three games as it stands for violent conduct. But, as I said before, I can’t comment as I’ve not seen it.”

Lambert admits he is now very short of strikers with James Norwood out for a number of weeks having undergone groin surgery yesterday.

“Yes, but as I said earlier on, sometimes adversity can make you stronger in a lot of aspects of it,” he said. “And if that’s the case we have to get on with it and we have to go through with it.

“We’re lucky we’re getting Freddie back and Bish back, which is a bonus. If it is three games and we don’t appeal it, we’ll look at it. As I say, sometimes adversity can make you stronger.

“There’s Freddie, there’s Bish. I’ve no [problem] with the guys, they did great with the ball, but the chances, the chances, you have got to score when you’re making them. There’s no grey area. There’s pressure on the guys to score and you’ve got to take them when they come.”

Flynn Downes looked to be feeling what appeared to be a groin problem in the second half but Lambert was hopeful that the midfielder will be fine.

“We thought that when he did it but I think he just slipped, so hopefully he’s OK,” he said.

At the end there were boos from some sections of the support aimed towards Lambert and assistant Stuart Taylor and the Blues manager said he understood the frustrations.

“Yes, unbelievable fanbase it’s got,” he said. “I’ve said it before, I say it every week, they want to see their team win.

“When you’re at a big club you have to take what’s coming, good and bad. One, I’ll never criticise, two, I’ll never get caught up with the whole thing.

“I’ve played in front of ferocious support before where if you made one mistake, dear oh dear, that was a volley.

“For me, it’s not an issue, for the younger guys, we have to stick together. But you couldn’t criticise the Ipswich support at all, never in a million years could you criticise them because of the way they come in their numbers and everything that’s happened over the last few years, months or whatever it is. You could never criticise the support, they’ve been unbelievable for me.”

Regarding Town’s recent form of four wins in 22 games in all competitions, Lambert admitted it’s not good enough for a team chasing promotion.

“Absolutely,” he said. “We’re dominating games, it’s not as if we’re not dominating games. If we’d taken our chances in the last few games we wouldn’t be sitting where we are.

“The chances are getting created, we just have to take the chances. I won’t ever go out there and chastise them and throw them under the bus, as they say, it’s my team, stick with them and we go again next week.

“We cannot change, we have to go and try and win the games. We’ve still got a lot of games, seven at home as we’ve said before but we have to win.”

Similarly, he concedes that Town would now appear to need a long run of wins to get themselves back in the hunt.

"“Yes, we have to go and do it, which is possible because we dominate the games,” he said. “So it is possible it’s not as if we’re not dominating games, that’s not the case.

“Every time we start a game, every time we have the ball we look as if we can score. It’s just that little bit of composure in that box, and hopefully that will come.”

Oxford manager Karl Robinson was delighted with his “amazing” players, who he felt deserved the three points.

“They gave me everything and I’m proud to manage these players. The players showed a great calmness in sticking to the game plan,” he said.

“It’s a big step forward but I’m not getting carried away as it’s always about tomorrow. It’s more than 30 years since we got a result here.

“The difference was the calmness the players showed in sticking to the game plan and in Matty Taylor we have a player who is always going to find space in the box and score.

“It’s hard to break us down once we get a goal ahead and I apologise to the home fans who call me a cheat and I’m sure if they went away to a top team they would want to do the same things to get a result.”

Photo: TWTD

warwickblue added 21:15 - Feb 22 Lambert might have played at some impressive clubs but I have supported one - ITFC- since my first season ticket in 1967-68. How f***ing dare he still come out each week and state that everything is basically fine? He, and most things about the club, are still in a horrible mess and Lambert is not the solution.
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tractorboy2421 added 21:19 - Feb 22 It amazes me how this idiot can come out with so much BS week in week out & actually think the fans are going to believe it !!! The long suffering fans deserve much better than this ... It's our hard earned wages being wasted watching this current circus show of a squad, yet they can sit back, relax & laugh at us - knowing they're still collecting their big fat pay cheques ... PATHETIC

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Pilgrimblue added 21:27 - Feb 22 I don't understand him either plus he doesn't deal with the issues
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PSGBlue added 21:39 - Feb 22 So PL thinks we are dominating games without scoring, was he at the Rotherham and Peterborough matches - certainly did not dominate in those. Without looking back at the fixtures I can recall not beating Oxford, Peterborough, Wimbledon or Rotherham since the start of the year. From top to bottom, including the tea lady, this is an absolute disgrace. Hang your head in shame ITFC!

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surgery added 21:41 - Feb 22 If you had any self respect as a manager you'd have said to Evans either back me in financing the players that I need or I'm off. But no, you jumped at your new lucrative five year deal
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bobble added 22:06 - Feb 22 idiots...
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cat added 22:30 - Feb 22 They say ITFC fans are a ‘soft touch' & easy going lot but that weren't the case after today's game. With the one and two fingers salute & the 5 knuck shuff all proudly on display, to chorus of boo's and to the glorious tune of “5 more years, your having a laff” (repeat) The natives are getting restless and Lambert looked totally bemused.
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delias_cheesy_flaps added 22:32 - Feb 22 Only 6 more years left on Lamberts contract......
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gixxeral added 22:34 - Feb 22 You break ny heart. Watching Town since 77 and it breaks my heart. You're useless c###s
3

del45 added 22:40 - Feb 22 Take our so called strikers to Gainsborough sport centre to learn and watch how to score, As the goals are the same size.
1

Bert added 22:41 - Feb 22 Terribly distressing to watch us fall away but at the end of the day it is our inability to convert good chances. Lambert may be irritating and certainly should not have been given a new contract but if you take the first half we could have been out of sight. We actually played football but I accept it counts for nothing if we can't put the flipping ball in the net and fail to open up a very average Oxford side.

3

delias_cheesy_flaps added 22:58 - Feb 22 The only highlights from an Ipswich point of view on quest was Jackson getting red carded....says it all
0

marco5113 added 23:50 - Feb 22 The whole point of football is to score more goals than the opposition. With the constant repetitive Lambert stating we created enough chances to win the game. Its about scoring and letting in minimum goals in our own net. If we dont score we wont win simple. Im sick of hearing we created chances, i dont care if we created no chances and they scored an own goal. This man is a complete idiot and full of lame excuses. Struggling to get in the playoffs in League 2 is a complete disaster. Sad times.

1

Michael101 added 01:02 - Feb 23 Me town sorry I ment to vote you up ,missed off fat finger and red wine got the better of me again
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madmouse1959 added 02:08 - Feb 23 I,ll try and not to be too harsh. If Lambert believes in squad rotation then why does he not have the players on the bench who can possibly change a game and take all those chances he says we create, Why have subs if you don,t play them. ? Players like Morris,Folami, Dobra etc Why is he protecting Sears reputation and putting him on with just minutes to go. Skuse is only on the bench to get on near the end when we are winning.Why have the use of 3 subs and only use 1 and 1 on in the last minute of a game. Evans should of initiated a clear out of the tired legs when McCarthy left, but here we are, probably soon to be 9th in League One, talking about the usual failure and the missed opportunities. Is there anything that much different under Lambert ?

1

norfolkbluey added 07:37 - Feb 23 There will always be ups and downs in this game of football. Sometimes it's the players and sometimes it's the tactics and the preparation. Oxford's manager was the better and more canny than Lambert. Earlier in the season we did the same to other teams when we shut up shop after scoring. The facts remain that our manager's record is getting us nowhere. This in fact an understatement. I doubt that ME looks at this forum which is a shame because he would see exactly how the long suffering fans are feeling. The fans do not have bottomless pockets and look forward to watching their team do well. ITFC have a fabulous record which sadly has disappeared mainly through poor ownership decisions. Underfunding has been a real factor in the decline and the recent hiring of managers with either poor records or styles of play that bore the pants off. It is a sad fact that since ME has taken over the club the downward graph has been torturous. There is no easy way to say that ITFC is going nowhere but slowly downward. The cost of running a club of this size requires serious investment and ME has had his fingers burnt before and will not let that happen again. So all you faithful fans keep writing your frustrations down and don't kick the cat. Kick out at the management who are to blame. Paul, I do believe you are to blame for the form we are in, you're fired.

1

Blue_Meanie added 08:08 - Feb 23 Lambert's record: Played 75 won 21 draw 23 lose 31 win% 28.0% Have another 5 years; couldn't make it up
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BettyBlue added 08:27 - Feb 23 Promotion. The End.
0

SingBlue added 08:28 - Feb 23 That 28% win ratio is amazing, most of that has been against 3rd tier opposition! Phil, you're a better journalist than me, but surely the only question to PL is “with a 28% win ratio, do you think you and your staff have got the best out of this squad?” Make sure you look him in the eyes when you're asking it, it's good to watch ‘em squirm....
4

martin587 added 08:30 - Feb 23 I've been a season ticket holder for nearly 50 Years and been following Ipswich since I was nine when I used to come and support them with my father.IT breaks my heart to see the decline of this once great club in the UK and Europe.They will be very slowly sliding into obscurity unless the owner can wake up and realize what a terrible mistake he made in offering PL a five year contract when he hasn't even managed to improve on his record in the championship.His win ratio is absolutely awful and the position we are in now just proves how incapable he is of getting the best out of possibly the best squad in this league and with due respect to the teams above us we should be top. I really do fear for our club at this time and Mr.Evans MUST stand up and be counted over the decisions he has and is making now.The support this club has got is phenomenal at the moment so management sort yourselves out quickly otherwise this will be another season wasted.We all know football is a business these days and this is not the way to run this club.SORT IT.😢

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Jonaldo added 09:43 - Feb 23 I thought we played well until Oxford scored and so did Mick Mills. We lack 2 decent strikers and a central centre half . I hope Lambert gets the opportunity to build on what looks like a decent foundation.
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budgieplucker added 10:20 - Feb 23 I am inclined to believe in what Mick Mills said post match yesterday. At this level the investment is more than generous than pretty much most of the other Division 1 clubs. It's just that we have decided to invest it in maintaining a large squad, rather than transfer fees. I suggest Alan Judge and Will Keane are probably well up in the top earnings bracket for this league and of course Luke Garbutt. The problem is even if we were to be able to throw money at it who of any quality is going to come to play for a Division 1 club, in fairness we supposedly paid a £900k signing on fee to get the best Division 2 striker available. The big squad has been our downfall and partly we have had to have extra players to cover our sick notes. We need to have a hard core of 15/16 players with several experienced heads, then you shouldn't be afraid to use you up and coming young talent to cover for injuries. Look at the age Beattie, Wark, Burley, Osman, Butcher, etc were thrown in to the mix. We were loosing Downes, Judge, Dozzel , El Mizouni and Dobra to the International break and whilst it's difficult to be critical of not postponing if all of those players were featuring heavily in the starting eleven arguably we would probably only missed the influence of Downes. Given PL's strong belief in the squad rotation system it then becomes a bit more difficult supporting lay offs and clearly we lost momentum at a key time in the programme. This will probably in the final analysis be the disruptive cause of our season to go off the rails. It seems to me also that part of the formula to do well in this lead as an element of real physicality, I am not suggesting we should be playing a cruder type of game but as a starting point, two giant centre backs and a tall physical centre forward seems to be par for the course to prevent being out bullied and give som raw power in the opposition box. And of course you don't win anything with kids in a league like this, but gradually weening them in covering for a more experienced players when injured will start to make men out of them. Unfortunately I see a scenario where we have to release the likes of Morris to make room in the squad for the next batch of talented youngsters coming thru.

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ssmith added 11:03 - Feb 23 Lambert left rueing missed chances, fans left rueing his extended contract
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ITFCsince73 added 12:00 - Feb 23 We have Will Keane upfront. Yes he has had a few moments, but that's it a few moments. That's why no other club would touch him with a barge pole. He doesn't score goals regularly, and is mostly injured. That's why he plays for ITFC.
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dukey44 added 12:28 - Feb 23 Basically he hasn't got a clue that's the worry about him staying as the manager..
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