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Lambert: I Understand Why Fans Hold Warky in the Highest Regard
Friday, 28th Feb 2020 12:58

Town boss Paul Lambert is in full agreement with Blues supporters regarding legend John Wark, who this week topped a season ticket holders' poll as the club looked for players to feature on the 12 pillars which run along the Sir Alf Ramsey Stand concourse.

“I was brought up in an era with Warky, Dalglish, Souness, Hansen, all them guys, and the Scottish team was really very good at that time, John Robertson, people like that,” Lambert recalled.

“Dalglish, Hansen, you go through them all, Souness, Wark, Strachan, they had a right, right good side with Warky and the number of goals he scored.

“When I was growing up you could virtually name that whole Ipswich team, same way I could do the Nottingham Forest team in the eighties, the European Cup teams.

“The Ipswich team was a team you could just roll them off in your sleep, that’s how good they were.

“And Warky, with his goalscoring, 36 from centre midfield [in 1980/81], dear oh dear, you’d love to know what he’d be worth in the market today.

“The game is different but the ball’s still the same shape and the goals are still the same size and to get that number of goals, that’s just a phenomenal thing.

“I have a laugh with him about the Escape to Victory thing. He had two lines and they were dubbed, which I just find incredibly funny being Scottish because people think we talk funny up there. You see him in the movie with the handle-bar moustache.

“Even when he comes in here he’s absolutely brilliant. My God, if you had a player like that on your hands in this given day, I can understand why fans talk about him and hold him in the highest regard.

“I was asked if there was one player I could take to put in the team at the minute and no disrespect to big Terry and Mick Mills and people like that and Russell Osman or anyone because they were all brilliant in their day, I went for Wark myself just because he could score the number of goals.”

Asked what Wark might get paid if he were playing today, Lambert shook his head: “Put it this way, I don’t think he’d have to work again! I don’t mind if you’re a top player, get as much as you can out of the game because it’s a short, short career. If you’re a top player and you’ve earned it.

“I think Warky was in an era the same as myself where winning was the most important thing, to win trophies was incredibly important to you as a footballer.

“The money I think has taken over a good bit of the game but I think with the great Liverpool team he played with, that team you could roll that off, and the great team he played in here in the eighties, his market value would be phenomenal.

“The only thing I’ve got against him is that he does an ambassador role here and then he takes his blue tie off and puts a red on and he’s off to Anfield.

“But he’s brilliant, I love him to death, I think he’s been brilliant since we’ve come in and I think he’s an iconic figure for the club, he’s first class.”

Reminded that Wark is a Rangers supporter and that Celtic were beaten 3-1 by FA Copenhagen inthe Europa League last night, Lambert added: “He’ll be gloating, I forgot about that. He’ll be gloating for fun. We have a wind-up anyway when he comes in because he’s a big Rangers man.

“It’s the only thing wrong with Butcher and Wark, they’re Rangers men, you know, so I need to do something about that.

“He gloats - ‘Do I think Rangers will win the title?’ I think not, I think it’s going to be too much for them. I think Celtic will win it.

“If Warky’s in today I’ve got no doubt he’ll probably have a little wind-up with the Celtic result. He’s a big Rangers man and I think that’s the only thing wrong with him.”


Photo: Action Images



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JewellintheTown added 13:12 - Feb 28
Has Lambert told any of you yet that he played for big, big clubs, and with big, big players and won big, big trophies in and out of europe?
He did you know, but he doesn't like to mention it.
0

Orraman added 13:16 - Feb 28
And the amazing thing about the team in Warky's time was that there was no rotation.....dear oh dear can you believe it?
2

Doctor_Earman added 13:49 - Feb 28
''Big club''
''dear oh dear''
''x player is brilliant''

Welcome to another edition of Paul Lambert bingo.
2

SouperJim added 16:09 - Feb 28
You know it's the beginning of the end for an Ipswich manager when the news comments on TWTD turn almost universally toxic on the most innocuous of stories.
5

Garv added 17:06 - Feb 28
Interview published where Town manager praises club legend, after probably being asked a question about him...

...Get's ridiculed for mentioning Celtic/Rangers.

He doesn't even mention playing for 'big clubs' in this piece. Fans could ruin our season if this kind of vitriol transcends onto the pitch/players/management, as it started to against Oxford.
4

Bert added 17:06 - Feb 28
'i understand why fans hold Warky in the highest regard'. PL demonstrates that he understands how good John Wark really was. Positive from Lambert.
2

ITFCsince73 added 19:46 - Feb 28
Yes agree Jim.
But unlike others it will cost millions to pay Lambo off.
Uncharted waters I'd say. Will Evans pay those millions??
0

RobsonWark added 21:08 - Feb 28
Yes, we had a great team then who could play football and gave their all for the club. Players like Wark who defended in midfield and gave 100% in the tackle and got forward and scored loads of goals. He played week in week out no matter what the weather or if he had an injury.

These days we have the brilliant Chambers who can't play football, doesn't tackle, doesn't want to tackle. He gets paid loads of money to mark space and shout at all his team mates when we concede a goal. And we have another season of him aswell.

DIVISION 2 BECKONS!!
3

Dockerblue added 09:51 - Feb 29
Wally, true legend! Chambers isn't fit to place the boots of players like him. He scored nearly as many goals in one season as our entire team have got this season. Sad,sad times for this once great club.â…š
1

Dockerblue added 09:53 - Feb 29
Should of read Walky obviously in my last post
0

Dockerblue added 09:53 - Feb 29
WARKY!
0

Dolphinblue added 10:31 - Feb 29
#THENEGCREW...Really are a bunch of pr..cks arent they..
-1

Terry_Nutkins added 10:43 - Feb 29
Nice story article ruined by moronic fans. Does everything have to be sour and full of nastiness. Whatever you think of results at the moment can we have a story about a club legend without pathetic comments? (we know the answer). Sad.
0

Cakeman added 12:56 - Feb 29
It's always nice to hear great comments about our past from Paul Lambert or anyone else for that matter as sadly we have the square root of very little to look forward to.
0


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