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Post by joanna on Nov 3, 2015 16:51:09 GMT
Brief random thoughts: We'd surely expect NL to support his players in post-match interviews with the press. One of his strengths is his public encouragement. There is little benefit to be gained by lambasting the players he has to work with....unlike some of his predecessors! He remains upbeat, cheerful and optimistic, despite the fact that he has been prone to depression in the past. What else do you expect?
The sale of CYL and the injuries to key creative players have upset a promising beginning to his reign and the lack of cash has prevented him from filling the gaps adequately. (Incidentally, I'd have thought Vydra from Watford might have been an affordable target??.....)
I wouldn't swap NL for the disgrace that is Jose M right now and our rejection of Wonga was also to our credit. The club's good name matters. I'm not sure that PG has always appreciated that integrity is vital, though, to his credit, he has stood by Holden and was generally praised for the handling of Muamba's situation. In terms of PR, and of relationship with the fans, Lennon is an asset, again in stark contrast with one or two managers since BSA.
Casado looks a decent signing. I'd have liked to see Medo back in the fold:-he is still playing for his country, so surely remains good enough for us in the present predicament..
I don't agree with those who say the players aren't trying or that NL hasn't tried out younger players, positions, tactics in order to try to find the right formula:-in fact, I'd maintain that he needs to settle on a more consistent selection, certainly in defence, with clear tactics established so that they develop an understanding between them. Injuries and sendings-off have not helped him achieve this. I'd plump for trying to recruit more pace, quick-footedness and physical strength throughout the team, and ditch zonal marking as beyond our capabilities.
By financial necessity our playing staff is nowhere near as strong as it was just a short time ago, Mjallby's loss is significant.....BUT there are some very poor teams milling around the bottom of the table and I think we should be able to keep our heads above water. If we could all remain as positive as Trotter (the fellow-fan, not the tortoise-player!), it might help us encourage the team on match-days and lift the atmosphere. Ironically, we seem to be more noisily supported in away matches.
I await the flood of critical comments from posters in response to all this!
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Post by andyl on Nov 3, 2015 21:25:51 GMT
Nope! I agree with all of that save the testudinous aside.
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Post by andyl on Nov 3, 2015 21:44:06 GMT
The catch of course lies in the we should...But yes we need a settled team. Two bona fide right backs ignored tonight. No midfield creativity and no goal threat. Various options available even from current squad. Up to Neil to do better
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Post by one2many on Nov 3, 2015 21:49:21 GMT
You wouldn't swap Mourinho for Lennon???!! A cardboard cut out of Mourinho would be more successful than Lennon at the moment.
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Post by joanna on Nov 3, 2015 22:21:08 GMT
Obviously, I mean in terms of common decency, 1 2 Many. In any case, it's looking as if JM is struggling even with a massive cheque book to support him.
I wouldn't want to support a club that sold its moral soul and abandoned any idea of the right thing to do. JM's paranoia and mood swings can't be allowed to ruin the club's reputation.....and I don't think Abramovich will allow it to go on, especially as results are suffering and players are unhappy. The Carneiro incident is an utter disgrace.
Intimidation, bullying, bending the rules, tantrums should all be left to the Tory government to perfect!!
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Post by spanishjonny on Nov 3, 2015 22:21:25 GMT
Every body knows Lennon is hot headed and has a temper, with results not going his way at the moment I would imagine he's taken his frustration out on certain players, rumour Pissano is one and could be on way out, Wilson looked ok before Huddersfield but hasn't been in a squad since so he plays Derick and Prince out of position
With such a small squad we can't afford to leave players out because of Lennons ego
Can only see it ending in tears
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Post by OohMac on Nov 4, 2015 20:53:26 GMT
Brief random thoughts: We'd surely expect NL to support his players in post-match interviews with the press. One of his strengths is his public encouragement. I don't have a clue what Lennon should do but when he first came over here he was more honest with his conferences. These days the pre match interviews are like Coyles "McCarthy will turn it round, he's a great manager" "Sean Dyche is doing a great job" and his post match interviews are like Freedmans "We dominated the play for six minutes and if we'd have taken that one chance in the first half it would have been a different game" Forget the 8 chances they should have scored from. If he'd have come out and said "The players are letting me down, letting the fans down. I pick them on good faith with the belief in them but on a Saturday and Tuesday they're making mistakes, not playing to their ability and unless that changes then we won't pick up many points and I will have to make the changes." Even Liam Feeney, what is he supposed to do. The guy is absolutely hopeless footballer. A Winger who has little pace, trickery and flair and a poor cross. But he doesn't play who does because this ill balanced team he spoke off hasn't been modified despite all his signings. Throw Walker in? Maybe but Walker has generally been absolutely useless on his outings this season. Feeney has at least piped up with 3 goals. Its like spinning plates at the moment. He sorts the defence out and we can't score, he looks to try and play attacking and we look venerable. Prince and Derick look ok and then they get sent off. I can't expect miracles of Neil but I would give him three or four things to work on. 1. Set pieces. They bring goals. Important goals even when you're not playing well they can bring you back in it or you can steal some points. Our crossing in play has been awful but just as poor from the dead ball and that is something we can realistically sort out for free. Especially with Pratley, Wheater, Prince, Dervite, Madine, Heskey and Ameobi. I'd be drilling them morning, noon and night until they got it. Cascado whipping them in. 2. Know your best eleven: Not the best 11 individual players either. Don't force someone in to a system that doesn't suit(Davies/Derick/Feeney) Find a way you want to play and pick the best players for that. For too many years now its been square pegs and round holes and it doesn't work. 3. Get the spine right. Similar to the above but get you're two centre backs, your midfield and your strikers sorted. 4. Be clever with your subs. Look to see when a game is getting away and react to it. So far all i've seen is you sit there with hands in pockets. Waiting for something to happen. Make it happen. Usual trick is to let the same 11 play until one of them pulls up or finds that they're close to a second yellow and then make a change when the opposition have already made two or three fresh legs on and have changed the face of the game. |
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Post by whitesince63 on Nov 4, 2015 22:41:50 GMT
There were for me only two critical signings Lennon had to make at the expense of everything else and those were Amos and Le Fondre. Please don't tell me we couldn't afford them when we had got rid of high earners like Chungy Bogdan and Beckford not to mention Davies Eidur and later Ream, which was always on the cards anyway. Instead, yet more money has been totally wasted on a string of futher journeymen who were always a gamble and now don't even figure and those that do let us down each week. Like others I thought Lennon was the real deal after the frailties of Freedman but sadly I'm now thinking it was just hype. I really like the guy and keep wishing he'd turn it round but his ramblings recently seem to indicate that he's run out of ideas how to change things. I still firmly believe that we have players in the squad who if played correctly can turn things round but every week and poor result later makes that all the harder. Be bold Neil, change things round, try some of the youngsters, put square pegs in square holes, bring in some of those frozen out but at least do something that looks like you're trying instead of fielding the same non performers every week. If you can't then accept you've failed and walk away. There's more shame in just soldiering on than admitting it's beyond you and giving it up.
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Post by OohMac on Nov 6, 2015 20:56:04 GMT
I have been very criticial of what Neil has done with the money he has been given. I made a Lennon's XI this season;
Amos Pisano Derick Prince Cascado Lussey Twardzik Dobbie Ameobi Heskey Silva with Wilson, Rachubka, Ameobi, Bratten on the bench.
However now the dust has settled there's another XI I could draw up
Bogdan McNaughton Mills Ream Kellett Bannan Chung-Lee Gudjohnson Hall Le Fondre C Davies
There's so much more quality in that second team, they're unbalanced sure but its just to illustrate what a tough ask this is. We were one of the worst teams on form last season towards the end so to lose that bit of quality we had and to replace it with the weaker players says it all.
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Post by joanna on Nov 7, 2015 13:19:56 GMT
In response to an article published on The Daily Mail website on Friday 6 November entitled 'Bolton Wanderers staff fear jobs amid concerns about club's financial stability', Bolton Wanderers have issued the following statement.
Whilst the club acknowledges it is going through a challenging time, there have been no threats to any staff jobs in the immediate future.
After consistent backing from owner Eddie Davies, the club continues to seek fresh investment in what is a difficult and challenging economic climate.
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Post by OohMac on Nov 8, 2015 18:27:03 GMT
Anyone who knows me on here by now knows i like a good metaphor. I noticed that two of my light bulbs have gone in my front room and the batteries in my TV remote are always on the blink. I only replaced those bulbs 8 months ago and the batteries are almost like disposable ones. They're changed more frequently than my razor blades. Why? Because i'm cheap and rather than going to B&Q and buying quality I go to my local pound shop and I buy them for far cheaper than what the big brands go for.
So whilst I think i'm saving a packet i'm really not. I'm buying below par quality goods at the fraction of the price but 5 or 6 times as often. In case you didn't realise, this is the metaphor. Lennon is bringing in these cheaper options only to find out two weeks later that they're not really fit for purpose and he has to go and get replacements for his replacements. Scott Dobbie is prime example, yes he came on and scored that goal at Forest and looks no worse than anyone else but my light bulb once shone proud for a few months. Its not the real deal though and it now needs throwing away.
Not sure when Lennon, or I, will learn though?
In fairness to me, good light bulbs are bloody expensive. Probably why The floodlights are The ReeMac are so bad.
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Post by whitesince63 on Nov 8, 2015 18:53:32 GMT
Not rocket science OM, and I've been saying the same thing for years. LSL, Megson and Coyle all wasted money on no marks but Freedman was the worst culprit, not only bringing in duds nobody else wanted but giving them 3 year contracts which means we're stuck with them. Lennon has if anything been even worse, bringing in around a dozen or more no hopers. If either of them had had any forethought they would have brought in less but higher quality players. Overall that wouldn't have cost any more In total. Now the bit we don't know here is whether both were limited to salaries which precluded them from signing quality players. Exactly like your light bulbs one quality purchase would have been worth 3 cheaper ones but if you're only allowed enough money to buy a cheap one then you have little choice. The fact here is that Gartside has always thought cheap. When BSA left we were 5th in the PL and pushing for a Champions League spot and could have had any number of top quality managers as a replacement but what did Slimeside do? Appoint LSL, then subsequently cheaper still with Megson then the rest is history. At no time did he ever go for a quality "light bulb" and hence where we are today. Only two people to blame for the mess we're in today, Gartside for being incompetent and ED for letting him. Another metaphor for you. Less is more.
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