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Lambert Not Giving Up on Top Two Finish Friday, 28th Feb 2020 10:58
Town manager Paul Lambert insists the Bues haven't given up on a top two place, despite being ninth, nine points behind leaders Rotherham and second-placed Coventry. Lambert’s side have 11 games left to play, as have the Millers, while the Sky Blues have 12 matches remaining.
Town are three points off the top six and the Blues boss says he is confident that his team can still finish in one of those places, despite recording just four wins in their last 18 League One matches.
“Aye, I always am,” he said. “We’ve got everything to play for, there are a lot of games to play. As I said before, let’s see what happens come May.”
Is an automatic place beyond the Blues? “No, you go for everything. Until somebody says it’s mathematically impossible, you go for it.
“If we can get in the top two, great. You go on a run, great. There’s going to be a helluva lot of twists and turns in this league before anything is decided. You never give up until somebody says it’s not possible.”
Lambert believes his squad is capable of picking up the results required in the final few months of the season.
“Absolutely, we’re still in the mix,” he said. “We have to break that barrier of the fear factor at home. We definitely have to get that [out of the way].
“The away form has been really, really good. We have to break the barrier at home. But football-wise, I’ve watched the Oxford game back and we had four clear-cut chances to put the ball in the net and we lost the goal with their first attack really.
“We had four great chances and when you have that dominance you have to score. That’s it in a nutshell.
“If you play well like that, you’ve got to score at that moment. If you don’t do that it puts pressure on everyone.
“We have to take our chances, we’ve got to have that freedom, the lads have got to have the freedom to go and play, to make mistakes, which is fine, but you’ve got to be able to handle the expectance level.
“I’ve said that before, you’ve got to be able to handle that, but football-wise, especially in the first half, and it was the same at Sunderland, in the first half there we were totally dominant. You’ve got to score when you’re on top.”
Lambert was asked whether the most galling thing at present is the Blues having got themselves back to the top of the table in January only to fall away to their current position.
“Aye, but I said to you at the beginning there are going to be bumps and bruises along the way. I was never carried away because we were [top],” he said.
“We’ve only really come out of the top six the other week, we’ve been in the top six all season, so I knew we were doing really, really well but I knew there were twists and turns going to happen.
“I knew we were never going to be maintain the start because it’s a tough, tough league and with injuries and the amount of games we had, but we’re still in a position to do something ourselves.
“We don’t need to rely on anybody else, we’re still in a position [to do something ourselves]. As a football player, manager or coach, you want things in your own hands and if you’ve got that, that’s half the battle.”
Quizzed on whether he has a target for the number of wins required from the final 11 fixtures, he reflected: “I think we just tick them off game by game. Go to this one and try and win it, try and win Tuesday, try and win Saturday. I think that’s the way we do it.
“You want the guys to be free in their heads to be able to play, just go and have the freedom to go and play. Don’t worry about anything else, just enjoy playing football. You do that and the results will come.”
What does he believe has been the biggest factor which has seen the Blues drop from top to ninth? “I think the expectancy level at the club, because football-wise we’ve dominated a helluva lot of games. But you’ve got to score when you’ve got that dominance.
“The level of expectancy, especially at home with so many people coming, some of the guys aren’t used to it. You can go through the experienced guys with that as well.
“You have to be used to that pressure of trying to win something. Football-wise, there’s been a helluva lot of good stuff, chances, incredible. That’s just fine margins. If you take care of that then you’ll be up there.”
Lambert believes the squad will benefit from the experience: “Without a doubt. The way I view Ipswich Town, even if I wasn’t here and I was coming to the stadium to watch a game, in the eighties you knew Ipswich Town was a huge club, you knew the size of the stadium, you knew the level of what you were coming in to.
“So when you sign here or you play here, you have to be able to handle that whole scenario, that’s what comes to the table. You play here, you have to handle that.
“For me it’s not a problem because I played with big clubs, I had that all my life, this sort of feeling. But for these guys it’s new, a lot of these guys, even the experienced guys, it’s new for them. Big club, big fanbase, big expectancy level, that’s new.
“But once you master that, you can virtually go through anything. It’s just having that initial [period]. And to answer the question whether they will be better for it, 100 per cent they will be.”
Photo: TWTD
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Did he seriously say this............?????? Is he managing the same team that we are all watching............???????? Because the team we are watching have absolutely zero chance of making top 2.
JDandCoke I had nearly given up that anyone would post comon sense until your comments. It's a weekly press conference. What do you want him to say ? Some absolute morons on here
Like him or not, I bet Sir Alex Fergie wouldn't have taken this tripe from his team. One or two need a boot kicking at them and I'll be happy to donate a wardrobe full for the cause. The team needs to feel like the manager wants their balls on a string, and I'm not talking match ones, like they are going to lose their jobs and not get paid to pay for their lavish and privileged lifestyles. Put the fear of God into them! There's something to be had about old-school players and management of no nonsense and breaking every modern taboo that our snowflake generation are being pandered to. Time for the boys to become no-nonsense men, like the legends going on those pillars.
Did he just watch the first half of the Oxford game back and then stop? Because yes we missed chances but our first half performance was totally different to second half
Just shut up Lambert, we've all heard enough of your waffle. Concentrate instead on getting some wins, and reverse your worse than dismal record.
Shows just what a state we're in as a Club - no contract talks until the season end ...!!! when we know what League we're in ... !! No chance of the Championship, so it's League 1 or League 2, doesn't take much working out does it ... ?? Either way everyone should now be able to see that this Club no longer has any ambition, other than to survive at whatever level results allow us to. What are we all doing, flogging such a dead horse ? - expecting it to wake up sometime in the future.
Close the turnstiles then, give the season ticket holders a refund - play to empty stands, and lets see then if you and your failures can get a few wins on the board. Never heard so much garbage from a Manager - ever.
I'm sure many supporters are already considering throwing the hook and staying away, so don't tempt providence Lambert. You may get what you ask for, and this time it won't be a 5 year contract.
The only expectancy level at Town is the hope that the team tries to play entertaining passing football. I would say that to put up with the crap that's been offered for the past 7 seasons and especially the last three indicates expectancy is lower than most clubs. Lambert had lost the plot! What pressure? This is absolute billhooks.
Lambert has been 'bought' by the system - which is all he ever set out to do. Without that contract in place, his wording would have been different. Self wellbeing being the main objective. Who's the Mug / Mugs....??
Ok, so I'm not disagreeing with most opinions that promotion looks unlikely. On the other hand, why would we throw in the towel? Football is an unpredictable game. Who amongst us, even the most negative posters, predicted that our fall from grace after the first quarter of the season would be so great? Even ITFCsince73 was in a positive place stating our 2nd 11 would walk a top 2 finish in this league. Who knows, just maybe something will happen, even if it's a few above us crumbling. It's a funny old game!
Totally agree Ringwood. How on earth does expectancy explain poor results and failure to core goals?? The man seems more and more in denial about the mess we are in. Signs of a man devoid of answers and ideas. I don't think we will finish in the top ten I'm afraid. Still beggars belief about the 5 year contract.
This man is absolutely deluded, it's the same old BS week in, week out. Why don't the reporters really ask some challenging questions - his managerial record/win ratio is absolutely shocking - he's laughing all the way to the bank with his contract. Why don't the reporters challenge his team selection and his tactics (lack of) ?
Yes JD. Let's put it in context. We don't score goals, let alone win games. Let's use common sense. The bookmakers have us as 9th, yes 9th favourite for promotion, let alone top 2.
Agree 73, it's all stacked against us right now and likely to not improve but I'll keep hoping until it can't mathematically happen. Regarding Lamberts contract, I think we're putting too much emphasis on that. When was the last time a contract actually meant anything in football? And who knows what is actually written into it? Despite opinions of Evan's nobody can dispute his business acumen. There must be many, many clauses written into this contract, something regarding a time scale for promotion in there surely?
I hope the players don't read these comments, especially the ones with "pitch fright" Perhaps by lowering my expectancy the projected disappointment will be easier to handle.
On the other hand... 1st team: Fingers out! @r5es in gear, get mean, nasty, then play like men possessed and enjoy yourselves! It's a short career - go for it!
Yes Saxon you would think that. But with Hurst costing a rumoured 500k to sack it makes you wonder. Agree football contracts are there to be broken. But I think we can be sure, Lambo signed extension on the basis it was a long term plan. To even think of the club cancelling that after 6 months, it will cost a tidy sum. Much the same if a club approached us to require the services of Lambo after 6 months it would cost them a tidy sum. We made a long term commitment to Lambo, he made a long term commitment to us. Compensation will be huge for at least the next 2 years, for whoever wants to terminate any contract.
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