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Lambert not giving much away on Wes as City triumph in the north east

30th August 2009 By Latest News Leave a Comment

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City boss Paul Lambert has refused to rule out Wes Hoolahan departing before the transfer window slams shut on Tuesday after he was left out of the squad that defeated Hartlepool yesterday.

Lambert continues to shock with his team selection and both Hoolahan and Gary Doherty were notable by their absence yesterday.

The Scot certainly doesn't 'do' reputation and you've got to say it's working at the moment with two wins out of two in the league.

And yesterday's 2-0 success will have given him great pleasure. A goal in each half from returning hero Michael Nelson � via a bicycle kick – and Stephen Hughes gave the Canaries a deserved victory and they are now up to the heady heights of 10th.

Hartlepool (a) must really mean three points if you hope to do anything in this division and City will be delighted at the manner in which they ground out a solid win.

But a lot of the talk afterwards was of the absent Irishman, who has been linked with Paulo Sousa's Swansea in recent weeks.

“There are one or two things that might be happening but I had to pick a team I thought could win here,” Lambert told BBC Radio Norfolk after the game.

“You can't physically plant a player somewhere and they are only as good as what someone is prepared to pay for them. The team is more important than one individual.”

It was that last line which was the intriguing one last night. Lambert likes his teams to be organised and have good shape.

And while his talent has never been in question, Hoolahan would be the first to admit that he doesn't offer much, if anything, to the defender behind him.

But the Canary chief won't be too fussed about any individual as long as his 'team' are winning.

And win they did yesterday, with some comfort�

“I thought we started the game really well and I thought we deserved to win if the truth be known,” he continued.

“This is a really tough place to come, as I said yesterday, I thought the lads were terrific.

“In League One you've sometimes got to win the battle before you win anything, and today I thought they were great.”

It was clear from that opening day shambles against his former club that the Canaries were in some disarray.

To ship seven goals at this level highlighted some glaring problems and Lambert revealed that a lot of Colney hours have been spent making the whole team more organised, not just the backline.

And it seems to be paying dividends. This is League One now and you have to get the basics right, however talented your squad is.

“We haven't just worked on the defence, but with the whole team,” added the former Celtic captain, well aware on what it takes to be a winner.

“When we came down [to Carrow Road] with Colchester, we thought they were really open and we've just tried to bring some stability.

“It's OK having good players at the club but you need to have a balance in your team. It's a team game and if you've got the balance in your side then you're more difficult to beat.

“There's still a country mile to go until the lads are where we want them but the response I've had has been brilliant.”

So it's a case of so far, so good for Lambert and two wins out of two for good measure. And he also reserved praise for his first signing as City boss, goalkeeper Fraser Forster.

He was only added to the Canary ranks on Friday but looked assured on his debut and the clean sheet will obviously help.

With both Forster and Ben Alnwick on the books, for the immediate future at least, City look like they have two stoppers who can hold their own at this level.

“He'll do great for us,” was the short and sweet answer from Lambert, whose reputation is growing rapidly in Norfolk.

Tom Haylett


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