Win won’t alter negative mood at Ipswich prior to key third-against-fourth showdown with Pompey

PAULLAMBERT insisted Ipswich Town’s comefrom-behind 2-1 win at

Plymouth Argyle on Saturday won’t change the negativity surrounding the club at the moment.

The injury-hit Tractor Boys picked up their first win in four league games following late goals from Jon Nolan and Kayden Jackson to move up to third in the League One table.

That’s a point and one place better off than Pompey – who the Portman Road side face next Saturday – after their 2-0 victory against Peterborough United.

However, results for Ipswich in recent weeks – including last Tuesday night’s goalless draw with Oxford United – saw owner Marcus Evans come out to provide Lambert a vote of confidence on Friday.

According to the Ipswich boss, ‘absolute nonsense criticism’ was levelled at him and his team after the Oxford stalemate.

And the downbeat boss admitted the criticism will unlikely change following a battling win at 10-man Plymouth.

In a tetchy exchange with reporters at Home Park, Lambert told the East Anglian Daily Times: ‘It will not change the negativity.

‘It won’t change it. From them guys, brilliant. We lost two games (to Hull and Charlton) and I think everyone thought we were sitting bottom of the table. We’re sitting third.

‘We don’t have the guys in the treatment room to come back. We have so many guys missing, big guys. It’s not as if it’s young guys you don’t rely on. It’s big guys. Guys who make massive contributions to us.

‘Will it change the negativity? No. It won’t.’

Earlier in his post-match interview, Lambert was unwilling to divulge too much following a difficult week.

When asked about the victory, he said: ‘Yeah... It’s a win... It’s a win. We move on to the next game... We move on... Yeah.’

He was then asked about the performance, prompting the response: ‘Yeah. We’re sitting third I think, joint third. That’s not bad. We move on.’

Then, when questioned about his demeanour, Lambert replied: ‘There are just things going through my heads, that’s all. It’s fine. It’s okay.’

He then added: ‘I know what it means to me and to the guys and the staff.

‘We came here with the team that we have at the minute. It’s incredible how they’re doing. We just keep trying.

‘As I’ve said before, I’m proud of the guys. Every week they play good football. There are so many problems back home.

‘We had a good game. We didn’t deserve to lose 1-0. Yeah, the guys deserve so much credit.’

Among those on the Ipswich injury list are James Norwood, Gwion Edwards, Teddy Bishop, Freddie Sears and Cole Skuse.

When asked about possible returns for the visit of Pompey, Lambert added: ‘I don’t think so, no. I don’t know if any will come back. I don’t see it.’

Following Saturday’s trip to Portman Road, Kenny Jackett’s troops will take on Fleetwood Town at Fratton Park on Tuesday, December 15.

Joey Barton’s side have seen their promotion push slip in recent outings, following successive defeats.

Following Fleetwood’s 1-0 home defeat by Blackpool, Barton said: ‘We set our standards every week.

‘Every single time you step foot on the park you can’t live off past performances.

‘It doesn’t matter what you have done in the past, you have to live in the present and you can’t take anything for granted.

‘We have work to do to better last season’s play-off finish. We will dust ourselves down and get back on the training ground and aim to turn the last two results around.’