Welcome to Ipswich Paul Lambert!

Forget his Norwich connections I think Paul Lambert and Ian Culverhouse will do a really good job here! They will provide us with a wealth of experience at this level and if they cant save us then frankly we are beyond saving! I remember when we appointed Joe Royle all those years ago and all the derision he got from Town fans due to his Norwich connections! He turned out to be a great manager for us and gave us some football that we could be proud of. Pragmatism before emotion!! I for one will get behind him and I urge other Townies to give him a chance to steady this sinking ship.

 

I think any Ipswich fan who hate the idea of Lambert based purely on his Norwich roots are immature, quite frankly. I mentioned it elsewhere, but the Norwich job was just a job to Lambert (a Scotsman born in Glasgow with no affinity to the Canaries). In fact, given how that relationship broke down and Lambert ended up suing Norwich, I don't think there is much love lost and Lambert will probably be itching to get one over his former employers.

My concern with Lambert is that he has not tasted a lot of success since his Norwich days. At best, he kept a poor Villa side up in the Premier League, he stabilised basket case clubs like Wolves and Blackburn, and he arguably had too little time to save a Stoke side that has serious issues which reflects their struggles this season. At worst, he left that Villa side 18th and didn't invest a competitive transfer budget properly, he took a decent Wolves side to finish only seven points off the drop and they got promoted as Champions only a season later, and he was ultimately responsible for relegating a Stoke side that contained the likes of Butland and Shaqiri.

I'll fully support any manager coming in, and I'm much more comfortable with a proven manager like Lambert coming in at this stage of the season than perservering with a manager who looked out of his depth and unable to reverse this poor run of form.

 

He’s totally failed everywhere he’s been since he left us!
Strange decision by your club, but I hope he gets you out of trouble!

 

He will get a very nice and warm reception at Carrot Rud in February that's for sure!

 

I was with you all the way up until this point!

 

I agree with you JWM, forget the Norwich connection, he joined us after we'd been stuffed at home (1-5) by his Colchester team for our first game in League 1. He can get a lot out of mediocre players and get them playing a system well. We were lucky in that we had Holt and Hoolahan who made a great partnership. You might not have players like that at the moment but getting better organised and wanting to win will go a long way at the lower end of the Championship. Culverhouse is also important, he's a good coach and his relationship with PL is very important in getting a system in place. Lamberts weak spot, I think, is the politics of being at a bigger club, I don't mean Norwich here but particularly Villa, Stoke etc. Big ego's in players, owners, boards are not where he does best, building a team ethos around us versus the rest is where he does well. Evans may be a bit of a kn*b but he is the only one who means anything at Ipswich and Lambert won't have any problem from him, there are no power games being played around Portman Road.

I would expect him to keep you up but you don't have the players to get beyond low/mid table. Next season would be the time to see some change for the better. Even if the worst happens and you go down it wouldn't be the end of the world. Our season in League 1 was one I personally enjoyed a lot as a supporter, we won a lot, played well and we met a lot of real fans from other clubs instead of the plastics who turn out for PL teams.

It will be odd to see him at CR with an Ipswich team but I suspect he'll still get a decent reception from most fans, unless you win, then of course the mans a c**t.

 

Obviously did wonders up the road but questionable record since.Let’s hope he can steady the ship and get us moving up the table.The worry is if results don’t improve quickly will people be calling for his head too?

 

What didn't you agree with, Warky? He's hardly been successful since Norwich, has he?

 

Apologies for making you re-live the whole ordeal, but wasn't it 7-1 to Colchester?

 

Relatively speaking I think he has done a decent job wherever he's been! Villa were a basket case when he rocked up, Blackburn were the same and he stabilised the ship at Wolves! Stoke were pretty much down when he arrived through the door!

 

Oops, you're right it was. 5-0 at half time and we improved to only lose 2-1 in the second half. Took my 2 young sons to their first ever football match that day and left at half time because they were sooo unhappy, first and only time I've left a match early. I'd blanked the second half from my memory except remembering we scored a goal somewhere in the game.

 

Had to go back and find this for you. Paul Lamberts first brush with Norwich:

 

You can only dream ....

 

I covered some of his positives in my initial post. Villa were a bit of a basket case, agreed, but they had an owner who was still throwing money at the squad, underlined by the strong Villa team that Lambert had and the decent-sized transfer budget he had (around £25m in first season) and he always spent more than what the club made through outgoing fees. I can't argue with his record at Blackburn, he did okay there. Wolves, as I mentioned, they had a strong squad and he came in and spent £15m in January and they finished seven points off relegation. That isn't great. And the fact they finished Champions the season after does put his league finish in a worse perspective. Stoke were not 'pretty much down' when he took over. He took over in January and they were one point off safety. Lambert had time to turn it around, but he didn't. I have sympathy though because there is obviously something seriously wrong at Stoke, parallels with ourselves perhaps?

 

My guess is that everyone who liked Hurst is not going to be happy about Lambert and vice versa.

If he does start to get results I hope all those who criticised the playing staff and transfers will eat some humble pie. But frankly, I can’t see it. I think we are nailed on for relegation with this appointment.

 

Just to really retread an earlier conversation, I think his numbers are actually very respectable

Blackburn were an absolute basket case and ended up getting relegated after he opted out of his contract, having kept them in the division

I was pleasantly surprised that his stats are actually pretty decent, especially when you put into context where he was and when.

 

According to TWTD, Ian Culverhouse isn't joining as the assistant manager, so I guess the move was too much for him. Stuart Taylor, part of Lambert's Wolves and Stoke back-room staff, is expected to be the assistant manager.

 

TBH Culverhouse couldn't bring himself to be with us as he is too much of a legend for that lot up the road!

 

So, I'm guessing villa were a basket case then?

As for Lamberts record, does it really matter? How many times have we seen managers rip a league apart, go to another club, and so absolute sh!te and vice versa?
Certain managers suit certain clubs (Eddie Howe?) As long as he does his best and gets the best out of our piss poor squad, that's all I ask

 

If Lambert can replicate the success he had a Norwich we have a very good manager on our hands and a perfect fit for the club. What he did up the road was quite remarkable and was a stark contrast to what was going on here.

I would have much preferred Warburton as despite Lamberts credentials and my envy of his appointment up the road, the Norwich connection does stick at the back of my head plus then the lack of loyalty he showed them