Is this the escape route Ipswich Town have been praying for?
If Tractor Boys owner Marcus Evans could turn back the clock to January, you would think that he’d have second thoughts about handing Paul Lambert a five-year contract.
Because, ever since the former Aston Villa and Norwich City boss put pen to paper at on an improved deal at Portman Road, things have not gone to plan.
A stunning collapse saw Ipswich finish a dismal 11th last season and there are genuine fears amongst an increasingly irate fanbase that history is about to repeat itself.
Yes, Ipswich are third in the League One table after 16 games. But, as many in East Anglia will tell you, their presence in the play-off places is almost solely a result of individual quality and despite, rather than because of, their manager’s tactics.
Evans is a tolerant man but, even if he had ran out of patience with the Lambert regime, that five-year contract makes the Scot almost unsackable.
In these pressured times, clubs really cannot afford to make a change in the dugout, especially when their under-fire boss is protected by a long-term deal.
But with 90Min reporting that Celtic have identified the Hoops legend as a potential replacement for the similarly maligned Neil Lennon at Parkhead, Christmas might just have come early for Ipswich fans.
By the way, see if you can spot the sarcastic comment below.
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