PAUL Lambert yesterday announced his decision to leave Blackburn Rovers at the end of the season – after failing to receive assurances from Venky’s.

It is understood that when Lambert took over the Rovers reins in November he was told by the club’s India-based owners they would go for it.

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However they have given no indication they will follow that up in what the 46-year-old has long stated will be a crucial summer for the club.

That has led Lambert to activating a clause in the two-and-a-half-year contract he signed in November that will allow him to walk away following next Saturday’s home clash with Reading.

The former Scotland midfielder had come to a decision over his future earlier this month.

But he decided to go public with it after holding talks with Venky’s advisor Suhail Pasha before last Saturday’s 2-2 home draw with Bristol City.

Asked whether the owners’ unwillingness to match his ambitions is one of the prime reasons behind him leaving, Lambert said: “It’s a hard one to answer because I’ve not really had dialogue with them.

“I can only go by what I get told what’s going to happen or what could potentially happen.

“The planning I thought should have been done in January time so that when we start pre-season everybody knows what’s going on and where the club is going.

“You’ve got so many lads out of contract and that was a frustrating thing. It was probably a mixture of a few things but I’ve got to stress there’s no animosity to anybody.”

Lambert’s has not had direct talks with Venky’s and, asked whether communication has been an issue, he said: “I had the communication through their adviser. I think this club needs a little bit of help.

“Not asking them to do what they’ve done in the past but some help to help the team, the players, everybody. Everybody thought that was going to happen. But it’s not happened.”

Asked if that disappointed him, Lambert said: “It’s a great club. It really is. But sometimes when you get into a fight you need some sort of armoury behind you.

“And next year was always going to be a fight with the big teams that are going to come down. I wanted to be in there in that mix.

“It was up to us to change the squad around to bring guys in who we think can help the guys here. That was always on the agenda. That was always the case of ‘all right, what do we need to go and compete with the ones who don’t go up from this division and the ones that come down’.”

Asked whether he was ever given a figure for his summer budget, Lambert said: “No there wasn’t and the way people can read into that, I don’t know.

“I can only say thanks to everybody at this club with the way they treated us and the way they made us feel welcome.

“I don’t have any problem with anybody. For me, at this minute at time, it’s not for me.”

Lambert has won 10, drawn eight and lost 13 of his 31 matches in charge of Rovers, who released a statement confirming his imminent departure.

It read: “Blackburn Rovers can announce that Paul Lambert will be leaving the club at the end of the current campaign.

“The manager has decided to activate a release clause in his contract and will step down following Rovers’ final game of the season against Reading on Saturday, May 7.

“Blackburn Rovers would like to thank Paul for all his efforts since joining the club in November and wish him well for the future.

“The club will begin its search for a new manager with immediate effect.”

The search is expected to be led by Venky’s and their long-term advisor Pasha, who played a prominent role in Lambert’s appointment.

Rovers travel to Rotherham United tomorrow for their penultimate game of the Championship campaign.