Kem: New Town boss Lambert will inject confidence and make his players feel ten feet tall

Former skipper Izzet worked alongside Lambert during their time together at Colchester United.

The Scot had just under a year at the JobServe Community Stadium, replacing Geraint Williams in the hot-seat in October 2008.

Izzet was a key player at the time and believes his former manager - appointed Town boss on Saturday and unveiled at a press conference yesterday morning - will make his new crop of players feel "ten feet tall".

The Blues are bottom of the Championship table and five points from safety, heading into Saturday's crunch fixture at home to fellow strugglers Preston North End.

"Paul's best quality is the way he injects confidence into players," said Izzet, who made over 400 league appearances for Colchester between 2001 and 2013.

"I've spoken to my brother (ex-Leicester City midfielder Muzzy) and it sounds like Paul is very much like (former Foxes boss) Martin O'Neill.

"Both make you feel like you're better than any other player in the country.

"They pull individuals aside and tell them how important they are to their team.

"It makes you feel ten feet tall, like the king of the world.

"All players like to hear things like that and it'll be the same for the Ipswich boys.

"There's no doubt there will be an initial burst of confidence.

"He'll kick-start them and I can easily see them getting a result against Preston on Saturday."

Lambert won the Champions League with Borussia Dortmund in 1997, after defeating Juventus.

The Scot, who also won numerous titles with Celtic and captained his side at the 1998 World Cup, was many people's man-of-the-match, quelling the influence of French playmaker Zinedine Zidane.

As a manager, the 49-year-old enjoyed most success at Norwich City, who he joined from the U's.

He guided the Canaries to successive promotions from League One to the Premier League.

Lambert also spent three years managing Aston Villa in the top flight, in addition to spells with Blackburn Rovers, Wolves and Stoke City.

"Paul's got a great pedigree at this level and has no problem getting jobs, so must interview well," added Izzet.

"The success he had an Norwich was amazing, taking them from League One to the Premier League.

Picture: ITFC

"If he can replicate that winning mentality he'll become an Ipswich hero.

"I certainly enjoyed working with him and played a lot of games under Paul.

"He seemed to respect me and asked for my opinions, as he did other senior players like Dean Hammond.

"He said we were the engine of his side and would give us days off and tell us to rest up, so we were fit and fresh for the weekend.

"It's all about work-rate and work-ethic with Paul.

"He likes his teams to close down quickly and his philosophy is all about getting the ball back quickly.

"He's a serious man and can be quite intense, but only because he's so focused on what he's trying to achieve.

"There are times when you can have a laugh and joke but only on his terms, which is the way it should be."

Izzet believes Ipswich were "crazy" to part company with former boss Mick McCarthy, who he felt did an "amazing job".

And having replaced him with Paul Hurst in May, he felt the club moved too quickly to make another change. The Yorkshireman's tenure lasted just five months and 15 games.

"He hardly had any time to implement his ideas," said Izzet.

"I understand fans get frustrated but when you're making massive changes, it takes time.

"Results might not be there immediately but you just have to get through that period.

"Some Ipswich fans have false expectations, given the club's budget.

"They look back on the club's time in the Premier League.

"But that era is well and truly gone and supporters have to be realistic.

"Expectations among some of them have been too high for far too long and that's been a real problem.

"Hopefully Paul (Lambert) can turn things round but he's got a big job on his hands.

"I've heard people make comments about the players Paul Hurst brought in, saying they're League One and League Two quality and not ready for the Championship.

"But that sounds harsh and disrespectful to me. A bit of an injustice.

"I've played in the Championship and League One.

"There's not a great deal of difference between the two.

"The biggest difference is always the front men.

"At the higher level, they're more punishing.

"Give them one chance and they'll score, whereas lower down they might need two or three opportunities.

"Ipswich's signings have had a dozen or so games together and been asked to play a completely different, more expansive way.

"It was always going to take time to adapt."