Ipswich Town captain Luke Chambers has told club owner Marcus Evans to back the club in the January transfer window or risk losing manager Paul Lambert, report the East Anglian Daily Times. 

Lambert is keen to strengthing the ailing Tractor Boys in January with the club currently sat seven points from safety heading into the New Year with little signs of an imminent escape on show.

"If we’re not careful a manager who I believe can take us to where we want to be could leave," Chambers said.

"How long will he hang around if he doesn’t get what he’s asking for?

“Stuff needs to happen in the window to give everyone a lift and give us that bit of quality to move up the league."

A 2-0 defeat to Middlesbrough at the Riverside on Saturday was Lambert's sixth loss since taking over at the club in November with the 1-0 win against Wigan Athletic two weeks ago remaining his only victory in his new role.

Paul Hurst was backed significantly in the summer transfer window by Evans as he looked to reshape the ethos of the club with young, exciting talent from Leagues One and Two.

12 new faces arrived but Evans now faces the prospect of a similar reshuffle in January after sacking Hurst at the end of October.

Ipswich host fellow strugglers Millwall on New Years Day as they look to narrow the gap on the sides above them.

The verdict 

Chambers is absolutely right to put a bit of pressure on Evans.

Ultimately, the buck stops with him as far as their current predicament goes. He decided to sack McCarthy under fan pressure and bring in a young exciting manager, only to sack him as well.

He cannot now expect Lambert to operate with somebody else's tools.