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Ipswich Town’s reclusive owner Marcus Evans could be the next League One chairman to
wield the managerial axe, as the Suffolk side slide worryingly out of the third tier’s
automatic promotion places. Support for Lambert from the fans appears to be at an all-time
low after their recent home defeat to recently relegated Hull City.
Town missed out on an immediate return to the EFL Championship in 2019/20 despite a
magnificent start to the season. A disastrous loss of form during the winter period saw them
out of the playoff picture as the points per game fiasco reared its ugly head in April to bring
an early end to the regular season.
The feeling in East Anglia is that Lambert’s job was saved by the pandemic, with Marcus
Evans almost certain to have relieved the Scotsman of his duties at the end of the 2019/20
campaign. However, the season’s abrupt end and the
late start to the 2020/21 season has
given Lambert a stay of execution.
Hopes were high that harsh lessons had been learnt by Lambert and his coaching staff
during the close season. When the Blues picked up 16 points from a possible 18 in their
opening six games, the tide appeared to have turned. However, there was always a niggling
feeling that Ipswich would still come unstuck against the more competitive teams in the
division, most notably Town’s promotion rivals.
An inability to defeat any of their rivals in 2019/20 was the undoing of Ipswich’s promotion
bid and recent defeats to Doncaster, Lincoln, Sunderland and Hull have caused a sense of
déjà vu among worried supporters.
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The Tractor Boys are now priced as big as 16/1 with the likes of 888sport to win the League
One title this year, with their odds lengthening significantly after their 3-0 humbling from
league leaders Hull. Anyone thinking of taking advantage of these longer odds can also get
£30 in free wagers at 888sport when you place a real money bet of £10 first.
Although these longer odds may not seem so attractive right now, if Marcus Evans does bite
the bullet and fire Paul Lambert, a new face could yet galvanise a squad of talented
footballers. Town fans will be sceptical as to who Evans would look to appoint as Lambert’s
successor, given his pretty disastrous track record in managerial appointments. Only Mick
McCarthy could be considered a success, with the likes of Roy Keane, Paul Jewell and Paul
Hurst all falling by the wayside.
There’s a lot of managerial talent unemployed right now
It’s a good time for League One owners to be looking for a new manager, that’s for sure.
There are plenty of experienced, proven coaches at third-tier level currently out of work.
Not least experienced Scouser Paul Cook, who left troubled Wigan Athletic at the end of last
season. Cook knows what it takes to get out of League One, having enjoyed sustained
success with the Latics. He also guided Chesterfield to the League One playoffs.
It’s possible that Cook may reject Evans’ advances if he would prefer to take a job in the
Championship. If that’s the case, Town could do much worse than look at Danny Cowley.
The former Lincoln City supremo was unjustifiably sacked by Huddersfield Town and he,
along with his brother Nicky, would jump at the idea of breathing new life into this sleeping
giant.
Depending on finances, the likes of Nigel Pearson and Lee Johnson could also be interested.
Meanwhile homegrown star Kieron Dyer has publicly
thrown his hat into the ring before to
be considered for the job and would be a cheap yet romantic option for Evans to consider.
Either way, unless Town and Lambert experience an upturn in fortunes between now and
Christmas, Evans will have no choice but to make a change. For failure to bounce back to the
Championship this time around could have ever-lasting consequences at Portman Road.