"PEOPLE want us to fail, without a doubt."

So says Ipswich Town boss Paul Lambert, airing his frustrations in the aftermath of Saturday's impressive, encouraging and much-needed 4-1 victory against Accrington Stanley.

Really, Paul?

I, for one, found his comments bizarre, both in terms of timing and sentiment.

To be so tetchy and negative after such a positive result and performance was odd, to say the least.

It took the sheen off what had previously been a positive, uplifting afternoon and left something of a nasty taste.

Unless I'm being naive, I honestly and genuinely don't think anyone wants to see the team or club fail. Certainly not a true supporter.

However, that's not to say fans aren't allowed to express their opinions and frustrations, especially if they're constructive, genuine concerns.

Lambert and his players have come in for criticism recently and that, clearly, has hit a raw nerve.

But most of what I've heard and read has been fair, legitimate debate.

I've written to express about my own reservations in recent weeks but it doesn't mean I want the team to fail.

Much of the criticism has been based on fact, anyway.

Town's form had nosedived; they weren't playing well and they were weren't scoring enough goals. Fair comment, surely?

Lambert was excessively tinkering with his team and while that's clearly his prerogative, I can understand why constant chopping and changing irked supporters, especially given the poor form.

In terms of personality, Lambert reminds me of former Town boss Roy Keane.

Both top-class players but both, surprisingly, given their rich and vast experiences in the game, prone to 'biting' and being too sensitive.

With Keane, you never knew what you were going to get, either in pre or post-match press conferences.

Lambert appears to have a similarly fiery, perhaps prickly personality and it's a real shame he feels people want him to fail.

Certainly, anyone of that mindset or with that motive would have been disappointed with the way things panned out on Saturday.

Because those of us who want to see the team flourish would have enjoyed just about every minute of their afternoon at Portman Road.

Accrington were poor, admittedly, but Town were dominant, ruthless and clinical in those opening 45 minutes.

The game was won by half-time and it was as one-sided a performance as I've seen for a while.

One of the main sticking points in recent weeks has been the lack of goals and a failure to convert chances.

And while Town could have plundered six, rather than three, in the first half, how pleasing to see James Norwood, Kayden Jackson and Alan Judge score.

All three are key, talismanic players in the final third; all three have significant roles to play in the promotion push.

Norwood and Jackson can take heart from their strikes but I was especially pleased for the very talented Judge.

By his own admission, he's had his issues at Town.

Form and confidence levels haven't been where they should be but there's no doubting his mercurial ability.

It was the cherry on the cake and capped a very gratifying afternoon, tarnished to some extent by those provocative post-match comments.

For me, Lambert has confused debate and criticism with something more sinister... people supposedly wanting his team to flounder.

But I genuinely don't think that's the case and a similar result and performance at Oxford United tomorrow night would delight every Town fan.