Paul Lambert spoke about how much has changed at Portman Road since his departure in February 2021
Ipswich Town have experienced a meteoric rise since Kieran McKenna’s appointment in late 2021, and the Tractor Boys will play Premier League football next season.
When the Northern Irishman took over, Ipswich were a struggling League One team, having been relegated from the Championship in 2019.
Paul Lambert was the manager during the relegation but remained in charge until February 2021. He left when it became clear that the Tractor Boys weren’t going to secure promotion.
Lambert was succeeded by Paul Cook, but the team’s performance deteriorated further under Cook, who was eventually sacked in December. McKenna, who was a coach at Manchester United at the time, then took over.
Since then, the club has been transformed over the past two and a half years, culminating in their promotion to the Premier League.
Paul Lambert on Ipswich Town’s meteoric rise
Having spent two and a half years at Portman Road during some of Ipswich Town’s darkest days, Paul Lambert is well-placed to discuss the club’s remarkable rise.
Ipswich have achieved back-to-back promotions, mirroring Lambert’s achievement with Norwich 13 years ago. The Scotsman is full of praise for Kieran McKenna’s work.
Lambert told Football League World: “Ipswich Town are a completely different club to the one I left in 2021. Different ownership, and I think there is only one player left from my time there.
“Paul Cook took over after me, and then Kieran McKenna had to change the whole dressing room, and that’s what he’s done.”
Lambert’s final game as Ipswich boss was a 2-1 win over Doncaster Rovers on February 27, 2021. Not a single player from the Ipswich squad that day remains at the club, highlighting the extensive overhaul and improvement McKenna has accomplished.
| Paul Lambert’s time at Ipswich Town boss | ||
|---|---|---|
| Season | Division | Finish |
| 2018/19 (Appointed in October 2018) | Championship | 24th |
| 2019/20 | League One | 11th |
| 2020/21 (Left in February 2021) | League One | 9th |
Lambert said: “The lads have done pretty much similar to what I did at Norwich in going for back-to-back promotions, and Kieran’s done a fabulous job, so big credit to him.
“Ipswich are a great club with a great fanbase behind them.”
Kieran McKenna could take inspiration from Paul Lambert’s Norwich side
Whilst Ipswich fans may not want to be compared with their bitter rivals, they should take inspiration from Norwich City’s performances in the Premier League under Paul Lambert.
As mentioned above, Lambert led the Canaries to the Premier League in 2011 after back-to-back promotions, and then he kept Norwich in the Premier League, before departing for Aston Villa in the summer of 2012.
Norwich finished the 2011/12 season as 12th in the Premier League and on 47 points, comfortably avoiding any threat of relegation.
Considering the Canaries had been in League One just two years prior, this was an incredible achievement, and it was done without splashing the cash too.
Norwich made new signings, but they did not completely overhaul their squad, and they capitalized on the momentum built under Lambert to have a successful Premier League season.
It could be argued that the gap between the Premier League and the Championship was less significant back then, but McKenna should use this as a model.
There’s no doubt that Ipswich need to recruit this summer, but they should avoid making too many changes and risk losing any momentum from the squad that got them to this point.
GET MORE NEWS HERE
Leave a Reply