Norwich City boss Paul Lambert is relishing the prospect of going head-to-head with Ipswich Town counterpart Roy Keane next season. Lambert has yet to sample the special derby day atmosphere but is already looking forward to a potential match-up against another Celtic legend after guiding City back into the Championship.

Norwich City boss Paul Lambert is relishing the prospect of going head-to-head with Ipswich Town counterpart Roy Keane next season.

Lambert has yet to sample the special derby day atmosphere but is already looking forward to a potential match-up against another Celtic legend after guiding City back into the Championship.

The Canaries' chief also reiterated yesterday he plans to continue his Carrow Road revolution despite the inevitable fresh summer speculation which will link him with a Parkhead return.

'I absolutely love it at Norwich and all that stuff has never, ever come from me,' Lambert said in a Talksport interview.

'We have come in and helped bring the club back up again. The first thing was winning promotion, then we want to win the league and we know we need a bit of help with new players coming into the football club to push us along again.

'Any derby - whether it's Glasgow or Manchester or wherever - is always a huge game and I've not been involved with a game as big as that as a manager, but I'm sure its one every football fan in Norwich will look forward to.

'At any club you are just as good as the person next to you and we got the spirit right and the training right and they have been absolutely brilliant.

'The performances have been terrific and also at other times we have had to battle as well.'

Lambert admitted leaving Essex and Colchester United just weeks after plotting the Canaries' humiliating 7-1 opening day league defeat was ultimately a simple decision.

'I never had any trepidation about coming here despite what happened on the opening day because I knew all about the fanbase,' he said.

'I just felt driving away on the team bus that day the fanbase was one of the biggest factors.

'Of course, handling the expectancy level was another matter but I couldn't turn it down. It was a terrific opportunity and thankfully it has worked.

'Its been a real rollercoaster for the fans and that is one of the most pleasurable things for me - the disappointment they have endured from relegation since the Premiership and getting beat too often - we had to stop that and I am delighted for the fans.

'They watch us week in, week out and they turn out in their thousands and I am just thankful for them and the players that we have done it,' Lambert added.