Stoke boys won’t hide from stress
LAMBO’S FIGHTING TALK
PAUL LAMBERT insists his Stoke players won’t hide as they bid to beat the drop – because they know they have to take responsibility for getting out of trouble.
The Potters are desperately trying to escape the bottom three as they look to end a six-match winless run when they host Everton today.
Both sides changed managers midseason, with Sam Allardyce taking over from Ronald Koeman at Goodison Park and Lambert replacing Mark Hughes.
And the Stoke boss insists it is wrong that managers get all the flak when a team is struggling.
Massive
However, the one thing that gives him hope of Premier League survival is the belief that his players have got exactly the right mindset to save their season in the last eight games.
He felt the attitude was spot on even though his team were beaten 2-0 by champions-elect Manchester City on Monday.
Lambert said: “A big thing for me on Monday was how disappointed everybody was with losing, it was absolutely massive.
“I’m talking about staff, players, the lot.
“We spoke after the game and everybody felt really deflated, which is a good sign.
“Manchester City are taking football to another level, but you could sense the disappointment.
“The important thing for us is we never got massively cut open, which they can do with the way they play. But we never capitulated.
“You look at bravery. People say bravery’s about getting stuck into tackles, but bravery is taking the ball at really difficult moments.
“I would never criticise anybody for taking the ball.
“But you become a little bit critical if they don’t take the risk.
“The bravery of taking the ball is more important than anything for me. It’s the bravery of taking responsibility.”
Lambert also claims that the best players feel the pain when their manager is under pressure.
And the former Scotland midfielder revealed he still feels guilty for failing to save John Barnes from the sack at Celtic 18 years ago.
“It was horrible,” he said. “John’s a really good guy.
“We were at fault, the players. We never performed.
“The manager shouldn’t be a lightning rod, because players have got to take responsibility for themselves as well. “I was one myself. If I’ve had a bad game, then I know I’m to blame,
not the manager.”