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Lambert: We've Got to Be Better Without the Ball
Tuesday, 20th Oct 2020 22:22

Town boss Paul Lambert admitted that Doncaster Rovers were the better side in the second half with his team not getting going after the break as they were defeated 4-1, but felt the Blues had started the game very well before losing their way.

With Town having taken the lead via an own goal on the quarter-hour, a 4-1 defeat looked a very unlikely outcome for much of the first period.

“I thought for about 30 minutes we were brilliant, we played some incredible football, really, really good,” Lambert said. “We got a really good goal, we looked really good, football-wise it was excellent.

“I thought their first two goals were fortuitous goals, they got a ricochet for the first one and the second one was a cross which bypassed everybody and went in.

“In the second half, they were better than us, we never got going. All credit to them, they were better than us in the second half but for about half an hour, the way that game was going we looked really good. But we lost and we have to bounce back.”

At 2-1 Town were in the game but then Toto Nsiala conceded a penalty which led to the third and then Tomas Holy’s wayward pass saw Rovers net their fourth only two minutes later.

“The penalty, they guys are saying it wasn’t inside the box, whether it was [I don’t know]. They should have had a penalty down here [when Gwion Edwards tripped Jon Taylor], but maybe the referee didn’t give it because he thought he’d got that one wrong.

“And the fourth one was a mistake but that’s no problem, a mistake’s no problem because Tomas tried to play the ball to Toto. I’m telling them to play that way and for so many games we’ve been excellent at it.

“We won’t go away from it, we have the principles of how we’re going to play. We’ve got to be better without the ball, that’s for sure.”

While that playing-it-out-from-the-back approach take a while to perfect? “For six games we’ve been brilliant at it, really good. But you get games like that, I’m not going to let one defeat blight what’s happened in the last six games or so. We lost but we’re a really, really good side, and I think that’s evident.”

Is Holy comfortable with ball at his feet? “Yes, because he has been, he’s been really, really good. I don’t have a problem there either. I won’t give the guys any blame, they play the way I want them to play and a lot of that football was really good.”


The Blues had won five and drawn one of their first six in the league - while conceding only twice - but a defeat was going to come at some point.

“You want to be a perfectionist,” Lambert reflected. “You want to go through the season without losing but, as you asked, ‘How did that become 4-1?’. But it did. And we have to go back down the road, regroup and go again on Saturday.”

The Blues, who dropped to second as a result of the defeat, are quickly back to action at third-placed Lincoln on Saturday.

“We’ve loads of games,” the Blues manager continued. “As I say, I’m really happy with the football, I’ve not any problems with that.

“Second half I think we did the basics wrong, we never worked hard to get the ball back, which normally we’re bang on it all the time. That might just be that little knock that we might have needed.”

Regarding Teddy Bishop being left on the bench with Jon Nolan making his return to the XI, Lambert says that that’s something that’s going to happen with matches coming thick and fast.

“It could be,” he said. “If Bish had played season after season after season and played 100, 200 games then we might have said ‘OK, you go again’ but that lad’s only been back playing consecutive games [recently] so we’ve got to watch him because we’re down to the bare bones in the middle of the pitch.”

Asked when Kayden Jackson, who tested positive for Covid-19 over the weekend, might be back, he said: “He’s got to self-isolate so we don’t know. Yesterday was an incredible thing with all the guys getting tested and the staff getting tested and we couldn’t train.

“We did the right thing for everybody’s health. In my opinion the club did the right thing in getting everybody tested and making sure they were alright. But training wasn’t the best preparation, that’s for sure.”

Lambert says one plus out of yesterday’s events is that the procedures which have been put in place appear to be working.

“That’s the good thing,” he continued. “The guys tried everything to be safe, but you’re never quite sure if that’s always going to be the case.

“But training wasn’t the best preparation because we couldn’t train really. Hopefukly Kayden’s OK.”

He says he had some of the club’s young players on standby in case first-teamers tested positive and had to pull out.

“We had half a dozen of the kids on standby because we couldn’t really do anything else,” he said. “The staff could have had it, seven guys could have had it.

“We got word late last night that everybody was OK. I thought if Kayden had it somebody else was going to. How they’ve not is incredible. It was the right decision to get everybody done.”

Did yesterday have an impact on today’s performance? “We never trained yesterday at all, it was like a walking thing with distancing everywhere on the pitch.

“We had to walk and lads couldn’t tackle each other or anything like that, couldn’t get close to each other, so that was disruptive.

“But it’s not an excuse for tonight, we lost because we started the game really well, we played really well for 30 minutes or so and some of the football was excellent, that’s not a problem. We just never did the basics without the ball.”

Striker Oli Hawkins returned from his groin injury as a second-half sub and Lambert is hoping the ex-Portsmouth man will be able to start at Lincoln, while Stephen Ward may also be available after his achilles problem.

“We’ll see how he is,” he said. “We hope he’s OK and he’s come through that OK and we’ll see how he is between now and Saturday.

“Wardy trained well the other day, so he’s doing really well. Hopefully he’s not far off, maybe he’s OK [for Saturday].”

Rovers manager Darren Moore was pleased to see his side match the Blues and force errors from Town.

“We had to match their workrate and endeavour while also being very good in our individual battles across the pitch,” he told his club's official website.

“It’s always nice when you see the players implementing the things in the game that were asked of them beforehand.

“The players got their jobs right and that forced errors from Ipswich which then led to us scoring some good goals.”


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Cloddyseedbed added 22:29 - Oct 20
I think you need to be better with the ball. Especially at the back, in the middle and up front!
5

Buryblue78 added 22:30 - Oct 20
Well the rest of this month will be a good test for sure
Not only the players but also you PL
lets see how you all respond?
4

Mark added 22:36 - Oct 20
What a horrible evening with every other result going against us. I can't fault the team selection or way we tried to pass, other than over doing the passing it out from the back. Is it a blip which we will bounce back from Saturday or a blip that goes on for weeks like last season? Huge game at Lincoln. COYB!
6

Northstandveteran added 22:39 - Oct 20
Is it possible to listen to paint dry?

Loved him or loathed him, at least McCarthy's personality made listening to, or reading his interviews worthwhile.
8

BlueParadigm added 23:10 - Oct 20
Lambo sounding more and more like that character off the ‘Fast Show' who uses the catchphrase “brilliant” all the time. “ isn't our passing out from the back brilliant!” “Aren't our back 4 brilliant” “have you seen my tactics - they're brilliant!” “although we were hammered 4-1 weren't we brilliant” etc etc
5

Michael101 added 23:13 - Oct 20
McCarthy never had any personality doh.
-4

Pencilpete added 00:06 - Oct 21
If tonight was a bad day at the office, no problem - it happens and I have no issues with that

If tonight was the beginning of the wheels coming off and that sh1t show becomes a regular thing like last season then I have a massive issue with it

The next few weeks will tell us. I hope Mr Evans is watching
4

Beattiesballbag added 04:41 - Oct 21
It's no good being better off the ball if you can't be better on it, other than Bishop & some of the young lads who can't get a game our midfield is vastly over rated.....just like the manager billy bullsh*"~er.
-1

Karlosfandangal added 05:22 - Oct 21
Understand the “the shirt is yours” but I think Bennetts should play he looks a hand full.
McGuiness of what I saw in the match against us looks like he would be able to play the ball out of defence.
Wilson is playing well but he is not a play it out of the back four person.
Woolfenden would be better suited for this type of game.
For me Bennetts in for Judge and the 2 centre backs replaced by McGuiness and Woolfenden.
Our Strikers are never going to score unltil they get the ball.
5

Saxonblue74 added 06:50 - Oct 21
Bring on all the calls for change! This was not Lamberts fault. Sometimes you just have to point the finger at players. 2 goals to send us in behind at the break when we shouldn't have been. Individual errors for 2 goals in as many minutes and it's game over. Doncaster were decent, we had an off night. I'll only start to worry if we go on a bad run from here. I have to question whether we are good enough to play out from the back. Why do so many teams insist on trying to be Barca and consequently put themselves under pressure in their own half? I'm not an advocate of long ball football, but when you have the longest kick in the league from Holy and a big target man in Hawkins then what's the harm now and again? Mix it up a little!
6

afcfee added 07:58 - Oct 21
We go on 10 game losing streak now then PL contract extension to 2030
4

MonkeyAlan added 08:21 - Oct 21
First test and we fail spectacularly. That midfield people keep raving about is as weak as water when it comes up against a decent side. You watching Evans you muppet?
1

BlueBlood90 added 09:07 - Oct 21
Same rubbish as last season. The first time this squads character is tested they absolutely fall apart. They're fine when things are going well but there's no leadership or winning mentality about them when the chips are down.

I know it's negative as we've done well so far and you can only beat what's put in front of you but I think most of us are very aware that we hadn't played anyone good so far.

Lincoln away is the best sort of game to show what they're made of on Saturday and prove a point.
2

heathen66 added 09:07 - Oct 21
I really hope this is not the catalyst to drop Nsiala, Holy and Kenlock.
These have done really well in the last few weeks and deserve to keep their places...all 3 of them !!!
-5

ChrisFelix added 09:22 - Oct 21
No protection for our suspect defence from our midfield. On Saturday does Lambert keep the same team or does he
Change keeper, bring in Woolfden, the Arsenal lad but keep Wilson. Up front Hawkins, Edwards & Bennetts
1

scants_itfc_88 added 09:32 - Oct 21
I don't think rash changes should be made, but I have to disagree that Nsiala should keep his place. He cannot pass out from the back, and if that's the style we want to play then Woolfy or McGuiness much better suited. Bennetts in for Judge and Woolfy in for Nsiala and leave the rest as it is, unless Ward is fit then him in for Kenlock. Kenlock hasn't done badly, but we looked a lot more robust with Stephen Ward at the back. People have their opinions of chambers but with him and ward we will essentially stop all wing play
0

bobble added 09:35 - Oct 21
sometimes you just have a bad day, i fell of a ladder last week and bruised my ribs ,nearly dislocated my jaw and hurt my shoulder and received an egg sized bleeding lump on the back of my head, and all from about 3 foot up the ladder !!
this game sounds like my ladder ecounter...
0

braveblue added 09:54 - Oct 21
Lose one game and some want to change the defence and midfield. If Kambert suggested that he would get slated. Get a grip people!!
5

BettyBlue added 10:22 - Oct 21
What are we paying you for?
You can't beat a top six club. 2 years and we haven't beaten a top six side yet we are going to get promoted. How???
-1

BettyBlue added 10:23 - Oct 21
Have shave and go on diet. You don't see managers of top sides turn up like a job seeker.
1

londontractorboy57 added 10:23 - Oct 21
Mean whilst along with 200 other supporters watched a good game of football Fakenham v Downham town
0

rfretwell added 10:27 - Oct 21
Their second goal was a killer. Ball flung lowish over Dozzell and Edwards, neither attacked it so it drifts inside the post. Thats not "fortuitous" PL, how about "rubbish defending".
0

BettyBlue added 10:29 - Oct 21
Stephen Ward will never overcome his Achilles problem. Not now he has a one year contract.
-1

Linkboy13 added 10:45 - Oct 21
We're always going to struggle against the good teams with our fly weight midfield . I think the only way to play against Lincoln is to bring back Hawkins cut out the fancy football and play route one, otherwise its another 6 month blip.
2

TimmyH added 11:32 - Oct 21
and with the ball around our penalty box...
0


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