March fixtures a defining month for Town?

[hallamblue]

Accrington (a) .... 7th
Gillingham (a)....,14th
Lincoln ( H).......2nd
Plymouth ( H).....12th
Fleetwood (a).....16th
Portsmouth (a)....4th
Wigan (a) .....22nd

[valleyroad]

Accrington (a) .... 7th
Gillingham (a)....,14th
Lincoln ( H).......2nd
Plymouth ( H).....12th
Fleetwood (a).....16th
Portsmouth (a)....4th
Wigan (a) .....22nd

Business end of the season, right time to be running into form.
Hopefully keep players fit and you never know.
Suddenly Lambert may turn into a good manager ?

[hallamblue]

Agree with business end of the season VR, but I don’t think you’ll find too many Town fans ready to want Lambert to stay. He’s had two & half years and it’s only in last couple of game or so that we’ve finally looked comfortable as a team. I was thrilled when we firs5 got Lambert as I always rated him. Mostly due to his Norwich record to be fair. And I think he’s lived off that tbh. But for me now , I feel he lacks an understanding ...almost a basic understanding of the game. He great at PR, but football tactics? I’m not so sure.

We shall see what happens , but I’m thrilled with Town and what looks like a mini run

[K L Blue]

Agree with business end of the season VR, but I don’t think you’ll find too many Town fans ready to want Lambert to stay. He’s had two & half years and it’s only in last couple of game or so that we’ve finally looked comfortable as a team. I was thrilled when we firs5 got Lambert as I always rated him. Mostly due to his Norwich record to be fair. And I think he’s lived off that tbh. But for me now , I feel he lacks an understanding ...almost a basic understanding of the game. He great at PR, but football tactics? I’m not so sure.

We shall see what happens , but I’m thrilled with Town and what looks like a mini run

TBH Hallam, when Lambert got sacked at Norwich he lost the help of Ian Culverhouse, Culverhouse didn't go with him to Rovers, Wolves, or Stoke with Lambert. In fact Villa was the last team Lambert lasted more than a year at until he came to us. I've heard that when Lambert came here, he wanted Culverhouse to come with him, but due to the Norwich link he said he wouldn't feel comfortable joining Town. What he's done a Kings Lynn for me shows the real force behind Norwich and Villa was Culverhouse, not Lambert. Take Norwich and villa out of the equation Lambert hasn't been at a club for 3 seasons.

[hallamblue]

Thanks for that KB ..... I think it’s well documented that IC was the tactician behind narwichs success . PL and IC fell out at Villa didn’t they ? Not sure what over . I think looking back now , Lambert has the gift of the gab, so as Palace’s Jordan said “he must interview well “. Which to be fair many people in life can do .

It’s a pity we couldn’t get IC here too - might have been a different story

[valleyroad]

Agree with business end of the season VR, but I don’t think you’ll find too many Town fans ready to want Lambert to stay. He’s had two & half years and it’s only in last couple of game or so that we’ve finally looked comfortable as a team. I was thrilled when we firs5 got Lambert as I always rated him. Mostly due to his Norwich record to be fair. And I think he’s lived off that tbh. But for me now , I feel he lacks an understanding ...almost a basic understanding of the game. He great at PR, but football tactics? I’m not so sure.

We shall see what happens , but I’m thrilled with Town and what looks like a mini run

TBH Hallam, when Lambert got sacked at Norwich he lost the help of Ian Culverhouse, Culverhouse didn't go with him to Rovers, Wolves, or Stoke with Lambert. In fact Villa was the last team Lambert lasted more than a year at until he came to us. I've heard that when Lambert came here, he wanted Culverhouse to come with him, but due to the Norwich link he said he wouldn't feel comfortable joining Town. What he's done a Kings Lynn for me shows the real force behind Norwich and Villa was Culverhouse, not Lambert. Take Norwich and villa out of the equation Lambert hasn't been at a club for 3 seasons.

Lambert did a good job at Rovers and left them as they renaged on promises given. He also did a good job at Wolves where they were in a mess and he got them safe. He left as they brought in new owners who wanted him to work with players they provided. Lambert wanted control of that and thus left. Stoke have good owners who do their homework but Stoke were in a spiral.
I wish i had a pound for all the top class assistant managers who got teams promoted. Lambert did a magnificent job at Norwich.

Seems like he is on his way now anyway. Lets hope Paul Cook is successful quickly as i don't trust American owners if success isn't rapid

[valleyroad]

Thanks for that KB ..... I think it’s well documented that IC was the tactician behind narwichs success . PL and IC fell out at Villa didn’t they ? Not sure what over . I think looking back now , Lambert has the gift of the gab, so as Palace’s Jordan said “he must interview well “. Which to be fair many people in life can do .

It’s a pity we couldn’t get IC here too - might have been a different story

Jordan is an obnoxios @rse.
Lambert doesn't have the gift of the gab. He's just a hard working, working class scot. Decent individual with a lot of integrity

[marko69]

Wherever the furthest point from “the gift of the gab” is ....., that’s where Lambert is. There is zero gift of the gab happening.

[hallamblue]

Well when I say gift of the gab, I’m meaning he can talk a good talk and convince people .... the perfect example surely is how he totally reunited this Club within months of becoming manager. Look at the scenes, noise, singing at the last game of the season when we’d been relegated . The SBR cheered liked we’d got promotion thst day. Why? Because Paul Lambert had installed BELIEF in the fans again . He’d put nearly 10k on the attendances after the debacle that McCarthy was. The chanting that went on at games went on for 90 mins home and away. Lambert did that , with nothing more than what he would say ... the problem snd big disappointment was that he could do it on the pitch too.

That’s what I’m meaning guys . Obviously not explaining it too well . Sorry .

[marko69]

Well when I say gift of the gab, I’m meaning he can talk a good talk and convince people .... the perfect example surely is how he totally reunited this Club within months of becoming manager. Look at the scenes, noise, singing at the last game of the season when we’d been relegated . The SBR cheered liked we’d got promotion thst day. Why? Because Paul Lambert had installed BELIEF in the fans again . He’d put nearly 10k on the attendances after the debacle that McCarthy was. The chanting that went on at games went on for 90 mins home and away. Lambert did that , with nothing more than what he would say ... the problem snd big disappointment was that he could do it on the pitch too.

That’s what I’m meaning guys . Obviously not explaining it too well . Sorry .

He’s got gift of the bullshit when answering questions that weren’t asked, Hallam.

Keep banging on about that from 12 months ago but just can’t forget stuff like that.

Must say though, Hallam ..... the more Lambert keeps on getting results, the more the focus will be on Cook to carry on the new “belief”
You reckon this too?

[hallamblue]

His whole demeanour has changed now. Typical manager under pressure tbh . It’s s hard job in that respect . They’re doing it in the full public glare . Every word , mistake, reaction, response is recorded and mulled over by everyone . But , they get a lot of money to do the job
( and take the flack as well as the plaudits when they come ) .

It just occurred to me that IF there is a take over , this will be the second time he’s lost his job coz new owners have come into a club he’s manager of. What’s the chances of that ?


The other thing that also occurred to me this evening was THAT 5 yr contract .

None of it made sense did it. “What was Evans thinking “ people have asked?

Well what if, Evans was already in negotiations with potential new owners at that time and actively seeking out a buyer, and so by giving Lambert a new lengthy contract could it have been Evans way of offering some level of financial security to PL? I don't know how it works.
But would the new owners be duty bound to pay off the manager if they wanted to bring their own man in ?

[hallamblue]

Well when I say gift of the gab, I’m meaning he can talk a good talk and convince people .... the perfect example surely is how he totally reunited this Club within months of becoming manager. Look at the scenes, noise, singing at the last game of the season when we’d been relegated . The SBR cheered liked we’d got promotion thst day. Why? Because Paul Lambert had installed BELIEF in the fans again . He’d put nearly 10k on the attendances after the debacle that McCarthy was. The chanting that went on at games went on for 90 mins home and away. Lambert did that , with nothing more than what he would say ... the problem snd big disappointment was that he could do it on the pitch too.

That’s what I’m meaning guys . Obviously not explaining it too well . Sorry .

He’s got gift of the bullshit when answering questions that weren’t asked, Hallam.

Keep banging on about that from 12 months ago but just can’t forget stuff like that.

Must say though, Hallam ..... the more Lambert keeps on getting results, the more the focus will be on Cook to carry on the new “belief”
You reckon this too?

It’s always difficult for a new manager coming in isn’t it . He’s either got to scrape the players and fans up off the floor and install some belief ( as Lambert did when he arrived ), or the new man has the pressure of Maintaining the current run of good form (a rarity with managerial replacements as they are normally changed when things have gone pear shaped). Assuming it’s Cook that’s ear marked , I think he’ll be tasked with building the squad for the future . In many ways this season may already be seen as redundant and “ short term “. If he came in before the end of season he’d almost use it to sound out the squad to some extent, but he’d concurrently have his focus on next season . The players would be motivated as they’d have a vested interest ( you can see it now over the last few games ). Something like 50% of this squad are out of work in the summer , and a fair few of them are the wrong side of their mid to late 20’s .... and a few into their end if career pathways . They’ll be motivated to “ stand out “ wont they.

An interesting last few months of this season I think !

[arana peligrosa]

Accrington (a) .... 7th
Gillingham (a)....,14th
Lincoln ( H).......2nd
Plymouth ( H).....12th
Fleetwood (a).....16th
Portsmouth (a)....4th
Wigan (a) .....22nd

Five away trips from seven fixtures are you sure. Would have looked at that a month ago with increased trepidation but one last time, the last four / five games have seen an improvement. That's not to say we've become a whole new team with ideas and ambition, it could so easily fall away once more.

I'd expect any takeover business to be resolved by the Wigan Athletic game, guessing we'll have a new name for manager also but right now, nothing is set in stone. Timing is good as the team still has a chance of a play-off shot but the whole issue of (potential) new owner / team coach will cause a lot of focus away from the field of play and could well derail any promotion opportunity if the players aren't focused on the right objective.

[Charnwood]

I’m less worried about these fixtures now than I was immediately after the home 0-0 draw with Northampton when we looked useless, but the seven changes Lambert made for the next game including three of the back four seems to have worked wonders. Playing three games with the same starting line up has also helped player confidence especially with the back four who have looked solid.

None of these March games will be easy and four of the five away games involve a hell of a lot of travel especially the final three games away to Fleetwood, Portsmouth and Wigan in succession.

If you look at the home form of the five teams we travel to they are all pretty poor and based on the last six hone games they would be ranked as follows ;

12th Accrington W2 D2 L2 GD +5 Pts 8 (Draw)
15th Fleetwood W1 D4 L1 GD +1 Pts 7 (Draw)
16th Gillingham W2 D1 L3 GD -1 Pts 7 (Win or Draw)
18th Portsmouth W1 D2 L3 GD -4 Pts 5 (Win)
24th Wigan Athl W0 D2 L4 GD -12 Pts 2 (Win)

Meanwhile Towns away form based on our last six away games is as follows, ranked ;

9th Town W3 D2 L1 GD +2 Pts 11

This would suggest to me our home games against Lincoln and in form Plymouth may prove more difficult than the five away games where I expect us to pick up at least 9 points possibly 11 based on current form.

I think the key to ending the month in a strong position will be keeping a settled starting side and hoping we can avoid injuries.