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Former Celtic and Scotland midfielder Paul Lambert is the new manager of Wycombe Wanderers, taking over from John Gorman, now at Northampton, who left the club at the end of last season. Wanderers have spent a fortnight interviewing candidates to succeed Gorman, and 36-year-old Lambert is expected to take up his his position at Adam's Park on 7 July 2006.
 | | Paul Lambert at Celtic |
The appointment of Paul Lambert to the managerial hotseat, at Adams Park, is in keeping with Wycombe's policy of giving relative newcomers a chance to make a name for themselves. Lambert's experience running team affairs consists of a spell in charge of Scottish side Livingstone, whom he parted company with in February, when they were six points adrift at the bottom of the Premier League. Task As a player, Lambert started out at St Mirren, and then joined Motherwell, before a move to Borussia Dortmund, in Germany, where he earned a Champions League winners' medal in 1997 in the three-one victory against Italian side Juventus. He returned home to join Celtic, captaining them in their 2003 UEFA Cup final defeat by Porto, and he was a regular in the Scottish side under Craig Brown. His first task will be to strengthen the Wanderers, as they attempt to make it third time lucky in gaining promotion from League Two. There are players out of contract whose future needs to be resolved, and full backs could be a priority, with Danny Senda set on a move to Championship football, and Clint Easton being linked with a switch to League One Gillingham. Lambert follows another Scot, John Gorman, in taking charge of the Chairboys, and his predecessor, who played for Celtic, may well have given the new Wycombe boss his backing. Risk Wycombe's Chief Executive Steve Hayes said that every managerial appointment involves risk, but that they have done their research. "With every manager you take on there's a risk involved" he said. "Paul Lambert is the same age as Martin O'Neil when he joined the club and we were very impressed with him at the interview, very impressed. "He's got an excellent playing record but the most important thing I think is that we took our time and we did our homework on people." Chance Meanwhile Ian Baker from the Supporters Trust has called for Chairboys' fans to give their new manager the benefit of the doubt. "I think when appointing a new manager it's difficult to say whether it's a good choice" he explained. "I've been known to throw my toys out of the pram at the thoughts of past managers who have gone on to do very well so I think that the message to all supporters really is to give him a chance and see how he does." | 
