"I'M READY TO BE RELIED ON AT CARDIFF CITY"

The Rickie Lambert interview: I was a chess piece at Liverpool and West Brom but I'm ready to be relied on at Cardiff City


Friday 9th September 2016



BY CHRIS WATHAN


The 34-year-old opens up two tough years and why he's raring to go for the Bluebirds

Rickie Lambert has opened up on his 'horrible' frustration at being a chess piece footballer – and is now ready to be a king at Cardiff.

And, as he prepares to make his Bluebirds bow against Norwich on Saturday following his last-gasp deadline day move, the former England striker has told fans they can count on him to make the crucial difference for Paul Trollope's side.

Lambert's switch to South Wales from West Brom caused something of a surprise, even aside from its late confirmation just minutes before the 11pm cut off for summer business.

At 34 and still with a year to go at the Hawthorns on a Premier League contract, Lambert's name had not cropped up in the conversations around just who Cardiff could target as they desperately sought the No.9 their attacking play needed.

It could have been easy for the Scouse striker to sit on the remaining 12 months of his deal, just as it would have been easy to have accepted what he described as a “comfy” life at Liverpool, the boyhood club he joined after making a top-flight name for himself with Southampton.

But Lambert's career has been one of doing it the hard way, knocked back as a youngster, working in a beetroot factory before working his way back up the leagues, eventually to international football.

The knocks have come again over the past two seasons – making just 12 league starts for Liverpool and West Brom over two years – and Lambert wasn't prepared to take them lying down.


“That feeling you had in the lower leagues, the hunger you need to win and even earn wages, has never left me,” said Lambert, who was 30 before he hit the Premier League after a lower-league journey starting with release at Blackpool and spells at Macclesfield, Stockport, Rochdale and Bristol Rovers before moving his way up with Southampton. “I moved here for a number of reasons, but the main one was the last two years of not playing much football and a chance not to sit on the bench every week. It's been a frustrating time and I've been desperate to play and give to a football club like I've given all my career.

“I could have sat on the bench for a third year but I moved to West Brom from Liverpool to play. I love Liverpool and I've played a lot of games in my career so if I wanted to have a comfy life, I could have stayed at Liverpool.

“I could have stayed at West Brom but I want to be constantly involved, I want to be relied upon like I have been all my career. It's been horrible not to feel that.”

It's for certain Paul Trollope – who first signed Lambert for Bristol Rovers ten years ago – is relying on Lambert. Well aware he needed a striker not just to score goals, but for the forward play of his evolving side to look up to and look to play off, the Bluebirds boss has backed a man whose qualities and characteristics he knows well. That Lambert has spent two years in reserve, and two years at the wrong end of his career, appears to be far from a concern.

Indeed, when it comes to Lambert himself, it's a motivating factor.

“I'm desperate to enjoy my football again and play until I retire,” Lambert said. “Obviously I'm 34 so I don't want to be sitting on the bench, I don't want to be remembering my last few years of my career like that. I wanted to be relied upon again because wherever I've been people have looked at me to score goals and relied on me to push the team forward.



“At Liverpool I was a chess piece, and the same at West Brom. In the Premier League, most clubs have four strikers and you become a certain type of striker, but I'm used to being the main man and players revolving around me.

“If that happens then the team gets the rewards out of me, I feel, and my record in lower leagues and Championship speaks for itself and I'm hoping, with Trolls, I can get back there.”

The chess analogy comes as Cardiff chairman Mehmet Dalman described the frontman as a key piece in the jigsaw for this Bluebirds side, Lambert smiling like a teenager with the comment rather than asking for time or patience as he gets up to speed.

He added that the biggest part of the game he missed was the act of scoring goals, something he has done whenever he has had a run of games in a team. His 117 goals in 235 games for Southampton sees him still idolised on the south coast as part of a side that won two promotions and caught the eye of all in the Premier League. There is undoubtedly the sense that, if it clicks, he could find himself as the hero the Bluebirds have been crying out for.

He says he watched Cardiff games once Trollope's interest was obvious, excited by the service he may receive and the opportunity he's missed of playing king over the last few years.

There's even a good omen to throw in.

“It got quite late on deadline day where you're wondering if it's going to happen,” he said. “But it happened with me before, ten years ago to to day, when I signed for Bristol Rovers under Trolls. It was the exactly the same scenario where I was driving down still negotiating the deal. I signed and it turned out to be one of the best moves of my career.”

Some 29 goals in 45 games later and he was on his way up again, adding the chance to play for Trollope won the day as other suitors attempted to sway him.

“I've played for two managers in the last couple of years and it hasn't worked out, but with Trolls he knows what he's getting, he knows what he's been pursuing,” he said. “And I know what I'm getting with him, he knows my game inside out and if anyone is going to get the best out of me it's going to be Trolls.”

If he does, Cardiff could find they have the goalscoring king they've been crying out for.

You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.

If he can recover his form from 3 or 4 years ago then he will be a real handful in our division.

Good luck Rickie - we all hope you can start banging them in as soon as possible!

Its nice when you hear from a player that he wants to play , rather than sit on the bench or in the stands , and just take the money . We have had a couple of them recently .

It's also very encouraging to actually hear a player wanting to take on responsibility and put himself out there as the "go to" man.

If he is able to deliver then this could be a massive signing.

What an honest and upfront interview, can't wait to see him play and for the team to develop a way of playing to our strengths.

Old fashion attitude-love it.

Great interview and I like how he wants to take the role as that man to be key for us this season, says a lot about his character.

It's great he's happy to accept immediate responsibility, just hope we can provide him with the service & support he'll require.

Wouldn't it be nice to have a striker who scores goals!

TALK THE TALK - NOW WALK THE WALK

Wouldn't it be nice to have a striker who scores goals!

f*cking right!