Despite the fact that the previous Aston Villa and Norwich City director isn’t an all around well known decision among Stoke fans, executive Peter Coates and the board trust the club’s present position in the last three require a protected combine of hands to manage them out of inconvenience.
Lambert, 48, has never been consigned as a manager and increased international experience as a player, winning the Champions League with Borussia Dortmund.
Stoke confirmed the appointment before Monday night’s game against Manchester United at Old Trafford allowing the Scot to watch his new players.
Lambert, who impressed in his interview, will be officially unveiled on Tuesday after Stoke decided he was the right man to keep the club in the top-flight.
Chairman Coates said of Lambert: ‘Paul greatly impressed us with his knowledge of our squad and had a clear plan of how he would improve our results.
‘He’s a man who backed himself as a player, none more so than when he turned down contract offers in Scotland to go on trial in the German Bundesliga with Borussia Dortmund, and it’s obvious he adopts the same approach as a manager.’
And vice-chairman John Coates, son of Peter, added: ‘Paul has been successful in management at clubs with a strong and stable background and with local ownership – the kind of foundation we are able to give to our managers.
‘We were determined to appoint someone with Premier League experience or an extensive knowledge of English football. We look forward to working with Paul and supporting him to help achieve our goals.’
The Potters sacked Mark Hughes last weekend after a humiliating 2-1 FA Cup defeat at League Two Coventry last weekend.
PAUL LAMBERT’S MANAGERIAL CV
2005–2006: Livingston
2006–2008: Wycombe
2008–2009: Colchester
2009–2012: Norwich
2012–2015: Aston Villa
2015–2016: Blackburn
2016–2017: Wolves
2017– : Stoke
But the process to replace him has been awkward with leading candidate Gary Rowett signing a new deal with Derby and both Quique Sanchez Flores and Martin O’Neill failing to reach agreement to take over.
