We've Been Too Inconsistent

After a run of five consecutive victories, Wolves fell to a 3-1 defeat away to Bristol City at Ashton Gate on Saturday afternoon.

Despite the strong run of form leading up to Saturday's loss, Lambert believes his side have been too inconsistent, something he attributes to a chaotic start to the campaign.

He said: “If you look back the whole season; Kenny loses his job a week before, a new manager comes in, so many players come in, new owners; there’s been so much upheaval there, it’s not been stable.

“Lads that don’t know the league, lads who I’m pretty sure not many people knew about.

“You’re thinking it’s going to be really exciting here and all of a sudden it doesn’t transpire that way.

“They’ll be a lot better for it. Sometimes you’ve got to come through the rough to get the smooth at the end of it.

“We have to make a dent in the top end of the table next season and make inroads, on and off the pitch, and change a lot of things to be consistent and be a club that wants to be in the Premier League.

“That’s the standard I don’t want to get away from.

“The results and performances you get on Saturday, you can maybe only allow one or two of them, if you go on another winning run, or win two, draw one, win two, lose one, those are the runs you take to get you out of the league.

“If you look at Brighton or Newcastle there won’t be many times they’ve been beaten twice in a row.

“We’ve been too inconsistent, which can happen when you have a lot of new players and a lot of change.

“If you create a standard you have to keep in. For us to move on we have to get consistency.”

Lambert is expecting a big summer as Wolves set their standards high and look to achieve that consistent form.

“It’s an absolutely huge summer, on and off the pitch. It’ll be one of the biggest for a long time," explained the Gaffer.

“The new owners will have been here for a year and be better and wiser for it.

“Kevin, Laurie, myself and the staff, hopefully we’re all going the same way and getting lads in to help the current group to give them that push.

“We can’t just be thinking ‘Championship, Championship’. Think higher and go for it, rather than just saying this is our level.

“We want to be at the highest level. To get there you have to perform, and if perform you have to win and have a vision of what you want to do.

“The fanbase is there. If I can be a part of that and help I’ll do everything I can to make it successful.

“It won’t be for lack of trying, or hunger or drive, from anybody who works under me, staff or player wise.”

Reflecting on Saturday's defeat to Bristol City, the Head Coach believes that Wolves were architects of their own downfall and deserved to lose the game.

When asked why he was critical of his side after the game, Lambert replied: “It was because of the manner of the defeat.

“It’s the first defeat in seve. There are a few games to go so go and enjoy those games, but the reason you’re enjoying them is because you’re winning.

“What you don’t want to do is coast in. That’s not the way I want it.

“Every game you play in football you play to win, regardless of where you are in the table.

“We were our own worst enemy on Saturday.

“It was a game where we let ourselves down and went away from everything that’s been good for the last couple of months. We got exactly what we deserved.”

Ivan Cavaleiro started on the bench at Ashton Gate and Helder Costa missed the game altogether through injury.

“Without Costa and Cavaleiro you want others to step up and to be fair they have done, Barnsley away for example.

“It’s unfair to say it’s just Helder or Cav. I spoke to Cav the other day and the thing with him is he only played 14 games last season, so you’re asking a boy to come in here and play Saturday-Tuesday-Saturday-Tuesday and he’s just had a month off injured. He’s not used to it.

“He’ll be better for it next year when he knows exactly what it entails.

“Helder played 40 games or something like that, but even he’s new to it. That’s why I changed Cav for Morgan Gibbs-White.

“I thought he needed a little break. To be fair to Cavaleiro, when he came on he looked lively.”