Why City move didn’t work out for ace Lambert

IT wasn’t supposed to be this way, writes Dominic Booth.

Rickie Lambert was supposed to be Cardiff City’s main man for two seasons. At least that was the hope when he was signed for Cardiff, agreeing a bumper contract until 2018.

He arrived amid great fanfare and optimism, especially from thenBluebirds boss Paul Trollope.

At his unveiling on deadline day last August, it seemed Cardiff had finally found a solution to their striker problem with new signing Freddie Gounongbe firing blanks.

What transpired, of course, was very different. Lambert made just 13 starts for the Bluebirds and his struggles for full fitness and form quickly became apparent. Cardiff’s problemsolving frontman actually burst onto the scene a few months later in the shape of Kenneth Zohore.

With the big Dane clearly Cardiff’s first choice to spearhead the attack, Neil Warnock told Lambert he was surplus to requirements, and the 35-year-old is now without a club after his contract was cancelled by mutual consent.

Blackburn Rovers, Plymouth Argyle and Bristol Rovers have all been linked with the 11-cap England international. But it is perhaps telling that there isn’t exactly a furious scramble for his signature, with only League One clubs touted as potential suitors.

It’s easy to forget Lambert was playing for Liverpool two years ago. He was a regular in England squad’s under Roy Hodgson and he scored 15 goals in the 2012/13 Premier League season for Southampton.

Lambert’s steep decline can largely be attributed to his injury record. He made just five starts for West Brom in 2015/16, so maybe Cardiff’s interest was misplaced and the fitness travails might have been foreseen. But with the 2016/17 campaign beginning badly for Trollope’s Bluebirds, they had to signal their intent with an eyecatching deadline day move. Lambert was bought and most fans agreed he stood a good chance of succeeding in South Wales.

And given a different set of circumstances, he could have fired in a Cardiff shirt.

He certainly showed glimpses of his undoubted quality; a memorable brace to fleetingly save Trollope’s job with victory at Rotherham, two goals in two games against Huddersfield and Aston Villa in November. But a combination of Zohore’s quicksilver form, Lambert’s increasingly injury troubles and Warnock’s frustration with the striker brought the Liverpudlian’s Cardiff career to a premature end.

There won’t have been many tears shed — by anyone — when Lambert’s departure was revealed. Even the player himself will surely relish the chance to prove his fitness and play regularly for a League One outfit. Yet Cardiff’s signing of Danny Ward and their pursuit of another striker meant there was no place for a player earning significant wages who wasn’t going to feature very much. Although the Bluebirds have been criticised in the past for cancelling contracts without commanding a fee for a player, the decision with Lambert was straightforward.

So ultimately Lambert’s Cardiff career will be remembered as a tale of disappointment and untapped promise. He seemed ready-made to succeed in the Championship, but sometimes you just can’t predict how events will map out.