Is The Writings On The Wall For Paul?

Criticism of the manager seems to be coming from all quarters now, but not, it seems, from owner Marcus Evans, and I think I know the reason why. The fourth part of his mission statement four years ago was all about maintaining a stable management and coaching team. If he was to show Lambert the door now, he may as well rip up his five-point plan up because this is an intrinsic part of it. Some staff members have moved on, but the majority – including the excellent Bryan Klug,  is still at the very heart of this club.

There were many callers on Radio Suffolk’s Match Night programme who were angry with the way the club is being run, and in particular, the way Paul Lambert is handling things. I am not convinced that Marcus Evans is very content at the moment either, but he is leaving it to his general manager to convey his feelings. Lee O’Neil stated the other day that Lambert’s job is safe and that although Evans understand the fans’ frustrations he is determined “to help the club get back to better times.”

Now then, a lot of supporters might suggest that the best way to do this is to get rid of the gaffer. But as I tried to explain to Graeme Mac on Radio Suffolk last night, we should not jump the gun. Our injury list would test the best, and I doubt whether a Manchester City or a Liverpool, would not find their form suffers discernably if they had to make do without the bulk of their first-team squad! Can we really blame Paul Lambert for this? I think not. Yes, our football has suffered in the process, but that is surely understandable too, given this unprecedented injury list.

If there is one complaint that is perhaps justified, it is that we seem to be trying to fight off hebetude in the way we play. Lethargy has set in and we no longer look convincing when we enter the fray. Now, this could be a result of a lack of confidence and of course confidence is 60% of the makeup of a footballer. A team that collectively lacks this will always find the going tough but once again, the team that played last night was very young. Many are still serving their apprenticeships and have been thrown into the deep end through necessity and nothing else.

I can understand the criticism but having supported the Blues for half a century and more, I have seen this sort of thing before. The most successful manager in our football history suffered it before he was knighted, and if it had not been for the patience of John Cobbold at the time, our magnificent success story would not have been written.

Marcus Evans seems to have a lot of patience too, and although football has moved on since the days of Sir Bobby Robson, I don’t think it is unreasonable to suggest that we do not have enough of it in the modern game. Before we condemn Lambert to the gallows, we should wait until some of our first choice players are available again, and wait too, until after Christmas. We are just five points off the leaders still, and there is no side in this league that is impregnable.