Post by westandlower on Sept 21, 2015 18:54:04 GMT
I agree that Lennon's language is similar to Freedman's : making chances, not taking them, quality needs to improve etc. but overall, we don't look as soft at the back now compared with Freedmans team.
I'm pretty sick of the constant up and unders to Madine. It's obvious to me that the tactic is not working. Not only is the constant same tactic boring to watch, the opposition pretty know what to expect. We need more variation like crosses from the flanks that give him a fighting chance to get on the end of (how often does Feeney overhit or Silva aim just outside the near post or over the bar?.
Clough has been "found out" by the opposition or hasn't been playing as well as last year but more likely it's tactics again because he hasn't had those threaded passes to run onto inside the box and is not playing close enough to Madine to benefit from any flicks or knock downs. If it's up and unders we are going to play then Heskey is more adept at finding a Bolton player - even at 37. It's a shame he had to come off early.
Maybe it's the injury to Pratley that's forcing the main creator of threaded passes, Davies, to Clough to play deeper. In which case injuries could be blamed for some of our failings but in the main it's tactics. If Clough isn't getting those threaded passes then he isn't worth his place in the starting 11 as he is neither fast or strong enough to create chances on his own.
Is Lennon to blame for our failure to move on from last season? Yes and no. He's been unlucky with injuries but tactics are too predictable. His man management has been pretty good: he's given Madine time to prove himself and says things that should help to boost his and other's confidence, but it's not worked yet.
In a good management team, the leader will listen to the opinions of their lieutenants. Hopefully the new assistant will have some input to make that is different and make the difference.
Now is certainly not the time to be thinking about sacking Lennon. The financial constraints he has had to work under have been stricter than under Freedman and tightened up even more this year. I think he's a quality manager and we need to stick with him, but please Neil, vary the tactics.
I'm pretty sick of the constant up and unders to Madine. It's obvious to me that the tactic is not working. Not only is the constant same tactic boring to watch, the opposition pretty know what to expect. We need more variation like crosses from the flanks that give him a fighting chance to get on the end of (how often does Feeney overhit or Silva aim just outside the near post or over the bar?.
Clough has been "found out" by the opposition or hasn't been playing as well as last year but more likely it's tactics again because he hasn't had those threaded passes to run onto inside the box and is not playing close enough to Madine to benefit from any flicks or knock downs. If it's up and unders we are going to play then Heskey is more adept at finding a Bolton player - even at 37. It's a shame he had to come off early.
Maybe it's the injury to Pratley that's forcing the main creator of threaded passes, Davies, to Clough to play deeper. In which case injuries could be blamed for some of our failings but in the main it's tactics. If Clough isn't getting those threaded passes then he isn't worth his place in the starting 11 as he is neither fast or strong enough to create chances on his own.
Is Lennon to blame for our failure to move on from last season? Yes and no. He's been unlucky with injuries but tactics are too predictable. His man management has been pretty good: he's given Madine time to prove himself and says things that should help to boost his and other's confidence, but it's not worked yet.
In a good management team, the leader will listen to the opinions of their lieutenants. Hopefully the new assistant will have some input to make that is different and make the difference.
Now is certainly not the time to be thinking about sacking Lennon. The financial constraints he has had to work under have been stricter than under Freedman and tightened up even more this year. I think he's a quality manager and we need to stick with him, but please Neil, vary the tactics.