STOKE’S SLEEPING POLICEMAN
New chief Lambert accuses Potters of ‘sleepwalking’ into trouble and now he’s ready to ride to the rescue
PAUL LAMBERT has accused Stoke of “sleepwalking” into an ugly battle for Premier League survival.
The new Potters boss has been entrusted with the task of preserving their 10-year stay in the top flight after succeeding Mark Hughes.
Former Aston Villa, Blackburn and Wolves chief Lambert has never been relegated as a manager and has 15 games to preserve that proud record.
He took his first training session with Stoke’s players yesterday before delivering a blunt assessment of their predicament ahead of his first game in charge, at home to Huddersfield.
“That’s the thing you try to put your finger on,” said Lambert. “You ask, ‘Why are you in this position?’
“You are where you are for a reason, and sometimes you can sleepwalk into things when you think everything is a bed of roses. Then it’s, ‘Oh, we fell into that trap’.
“Mark did a great job here and there are some really talented footballers here, but maybe as a group they just fell below the standard they set beforehand. It’s up to me to get them back to that standard.”
Lambert said he understood why some fans were divided over his appointment, with the 48-year-old fourth choice after the club failed to land Gary Rowett, Martin O’neill and Quique Sanchez Flores.
But the Scot said he was not bothered, admitting he feared he would not get another chance to manage in the Premier League.
“Whether I was 15th choice or 50th choice doesn’t matter to me one bit,” said Lambert. “Maybe other names were mentioned, maybe they weren’t. For me it wasn’t a problem.
“It’s a fantastic football club, the people here trust that I can do the job and I’m looking forward to it.
“I never thought I would get the chance to get back to this level.
“It is people’s perception that maybe I didn’t do a good job at Aston Villa. But Villa were only ever once in the bottom three, and that was towards the end.”
Lambert, sacked by Wolves at the end of last season, was interviewed by Hull and Sheffield Wednesday, and turned down several job offers until Stoke came calling.
He added: “I was in Germany, doing commentary there, which was great. I was getting offers, but I turned them down. Thankfully I did because I’ve ended up back at the top table.”