All i've seen Nick say is that Adkins was "faultless" in his performance. Which i'd agree with.
And whilst he didn't (couldn't?) do an amazing job, I think it's still pretty amazing that he was statistically the best manager in the country.
I think you're underestimating him. Look at Grant Holt and Steve Howard - they've both been very successful at Championship level without pace, and i'd argue that Lambert is better than both of them.