Bournemouth v BWFC Match thread

That's why we need a massive clear-out of the playing staff.

They have little competitive skills. They just stand back and cave in and accept defeat.

It's going to be hard. Too many of them are on long contracts but we must replace them somehow.

Absolutely disgraceful. 3-0 flattered us, 5-0 would have flattered us. That's without a doubt the worst performance i've seen from us. (It couldn't have been much worse than that at reading last year) Bolton have the second worst away record in the league but I honestly think if Bournemouth could hand pick their opponent they would choose this team. Blackpool have more grit than this shower of prima donna, talentless crop.

Forget playoffs next season, this will be another relegation battle. No doubt about it.

Ratings(for a laugh)
Bogdan 6 - fine saves first half but should have stopped their opener and signs on those flappy hands in the second half.
Dervite 0 - I can't think of a single positive thing except his suspension. How poor can you be?
Ream 4 - Soft and flat footed throughout.
Moxey 4 - A rare game where he was one of our better players and still 4 is flattering
Feeney 2 - How is he a Championship footballer? I could do a list of things that this lad is no good at but it will be better to give his positives. He's punctual and never missed a game through lateness.
Danns 3 - Usually he loses the ball, clumsy tackle and gives away a free kick. Today he took that clumsy side of his game out, which means he just lost the ball and let them go on the attack.
Bannan - 4 Like Moxey usually when a player has so little affect on a game he gets given a 4, today a 4 meant he was better than the rest.
Davies 4 - See above. Some nice touches in our own half. Never did what he was supposed to do.
Walker 1 - If Dervite hadn't seen Red it would have been a good debate on which of them had the biggest nightmare today. This game was as bad a game as i've ever seen anyone play. The fact that he lasted the 90 for me is unfathomable. From open play he whips a decent ball in, two good crosses earned him his 1/10 but from a piece he's dreadful. Lossed the ball time and again, ran the ball out when no pressure, couldn't control, defender had such an easy time today. weighs 8 stone soaked. His summer plans has got to be get stronger, get fitter and more productive.
Heskey 3 - When Heskey was in the England team I was regularly saying that I felt Kevin Davies was better at what he does, 10 years on I still think that. Heskey has no eye for goal. He's not overly awkward to play against either.
Le Fondre 5 - Some good runs in the first 30, soon fizzled out but what can you expect. He must really be wonderig whether to come back for more of this, i really see a 20+ goal man in the right team.
(None of the Subs get a mention)

Lennon - 0. Far worse than any player for that performance. How could he let the same 11 back out. How could he let Dervite play for so long. Pumping long balls to anywhere with no accuracy. He was yellow carded, and should have been sooner, he cannot hold a defensive line, he was out of position, when he brought down Wilson and got sent off it wasn't him I blamed. It was Lennon. The warning signs couldn't have been any clearer.
The same can be said for Walker. How can he not see that this game was not right for the lad. They were pressuring him after every touch and he was messing up time and time again. The only defence that you could make for Lennon is that he sub bench offered nothing either and that you're just replacing one young novice for another. True, but Lennon brought in 10 loan players most are crocked - how many can we let him sign?

Whats disappointing the most is how he can sit there on his bench and not even bother to try and restore a bit of order. What would Big Sam have been like tonight. Lennon will happily run down the touch line to give a linesman a bit of abuse or a kick up the arse if he makes a mistake, he's constantly moaning at refereeing decisions. When will he take the same attitude in his players. They can't be allowed to make mistake after mistake without some sort of backlash. P.S Whats the odds on him being Leicester, Everton, Newcastle, manager next season? We needn't have worried too much.

I'm glad you said that, Meggo. I think many of you are overlooking how good B'mth are and how limited Lennon's options are with our injury-ravaged squad. Basically, he has done what was required in saving us from relegation which looked odds-on when he took over from the clown who left us in such dire straits.
He has given youth a chance, built in some class experience and must have a fair idea about who to retain.
B'mth showed us what qualities teams need to succeed at any level: pace, energy, power, intelligence, enterprise, sharpness....all very well organised to a consistent, neat passing-game. By contrast, of this particular selection of our players, only Heskey has power, too many lack speed (of thought as well as movement) and a few are well short of the physical strength needed.

We have had adequate proof tonight that Walker, Feeney and Dervite are out of their depth, and too many of our defenders and midfield were brushed off the ball or bypassed with ridiculous ease. David's use of the word "lumbering" fits many of those who played tonight, but, as MTID points out, there are some useful players to come back and I hope Lennon can find some recruits, as Eddie Howe has done, who will add pace, nous and strength without spending a fortune. That, and improved training to ensure physical fitness and sharpness, will be key to our chances next year......but don't write NL off yet! When we had CYL and Pratley, he did an excellent job in bringing out the best in them by using them in their optimum roles. Mavies has to fill the CYL role now. We have good goalkeepers and Vela and Clough should make progress next term. Cravies can add to the physical threat. All hope is not lost yet!

I don't think we can base too much on last night. But yes ooomacron NL did deserve a brickbat for management. In terms of rotation he is much worse than Freedman. Yes injury (probably?) denied him Mills and several others. Mtid is surely right re the need for complementary centre halves. But  a flimsy back three v Wilson and Co with Feeney as wing back!!!! And pursuing the same point what about a complementary midfield. Danns did OK with Pratley alongside but Bannan and Danns. Come on!! Danns was dreadful evoking memories of the static Reo-Coker. The object of both to gaze from afar at the carnage behind

if we go back to the Ipswich game with Coke, Trotter and Rochina strung across midfield, one up top and four back with Vela pressing and Waker used to his strengths we were excellent. Yes Heskey was as good as anyone last night at what he does but how could we justify him and Le Fondre and the endless punts and long clearances and in terms of upfront pressure did anyone else notice the two runs of Woolery closing down their wing backs. What a difference athleticism makes?

Criticism of Walker above is too harsh. And if NL comes out and criticises him rather than Feeney his apparent favourite it will be a bad omen. Walker is much better at wingback than Feeney. Yes he needs stamina and to bulk up and he is young but he still executed a wonderful turn and breakout at left back. He still got crosses in and he is good in the air. He ran up lots of blind alleys, lost the ball stupidly and gave a ridiculous pass to launch a breakaway which all but led to a goal. But he also dribbled past defenders, tried to go forward( which Feeney and Danns never did) and kept going as best he could. Was it the game for him? Well clearly a difficult one against a very good reserve right wing back who'd be first choice for us, but overall I'd take him and play him before Feeney every time and again at Ipswich with more defensive support and ball retention around he was better used and more productive.

Anyone disagreeing with me that Vela was our best candidate for player of the season might take pause. In his absence we lacked our classiest player since Chungy and didn't it just show last night. They had a field day on the left v Feeney. That just hasn't happened when Vela has patrolled the right flank. And again as at Forest Neil came up with the brilliant ploy of having Bannan at right wide midfield. How daft is that. Only relief at Feeney's withdrawal obscured Bannan's lightweight helplessness. Again stick Coke and Trotter together and it would have been far easier for Bannan

Re your second paragraph, Joanna, I agree entirely. Your words and  also the praise   that we used t receive for the 90s equivalent evoke memories of how we used to be regarded under Rioch and later Todd and how proud we felt? And if Sam was more sophisticated at a higher level nevertheless it was the aesthetic pleasure given by the earlier teams that revitalised our play. And how far we have sunk under Megson, Coyle, Freedman and now Lennon is really sad. So yes if Neil stays and his budget and skills allow it would be great if he could both get in tune with our BWFC memories and emulate Bournemouth,Watford,Norwich and to some extent Derby as well as Leicester from last season. I'm not holding my breath! I hope  for better times with NL and realise that time maybe two to three years is needed as it was for Sam

Re the first yes Trotter is lethargic of demeanour, slow to press and makes some dreadful gaffes. Coke I would argue must be an unknown?  And yes Trotter is horribly frustrating. And it looks as though Neil has seen enough of him which will please many. But Trotter most certainly has some who are not as dismissive of his abilities as many on here are. At Ipswich the 5 man midfield with Trotter and Coke in it worked really well. At Rotherham when Trotter came we improved greatly. At Wigan Trotter was the only midfielder who got stuck in at all. He conceded fouls yes but without him I think we would have lost and I have spoken to others who hold the same view. More generally some of our best passing performances have occurred with Trotter in them not least Zach's debut in the cup. So the basic question for my answer is 'How to improve our midfield? And relative to Danns on current form, Feeney at any time and even the loaned Spearing and Medo with us I think a Trotter and Coke combination would improve it. And I'd add of briefer glimpses so might Twardzik at a Farrellyish level. Bannan is good in possession but needs ball winners around. Last night he was poor defensively and his longer passing dreadful.

But yes get rid of the lot for far better players of Arter's calibre and we'll be better still. War hurst, Elliot, Frandsen, Jensen and of course before that McAteer, Kelly and Thompson were so much better than any of the aforementioned.. And this before the likes of JayJay and Djorkaeff.

And could Trotter or Coke have done as much as Mark Davies, well I would hope so because he did nothing! Woolery did more in two minutes!

I don't care what deft touches you think Trotter has AndyL, but he would one amongst many to go for, in fact every player that DF has lumbered us with would be out the door for me, not one of them is worth a plugged nickel. Those that aren't out of contract we must send them out on loan, get some other mug to pay their wages, because they are robbing a living off us.

Not quite sure what made NL give Danns a new 1 yr contract, he hasn't done enough this season to warrant it, he should be binned; Mills, thinks he's better than he is (or has appeared to be recently); Dervite is almost as bad a defender as ZK and that's saying something; Feeney what can I say that hasn't already been said about him, he's tripe and I wouldn't touch tripe with a barge pole; Moxey has his moments but is just not consistently good enough, Trotter if he was a cart horse he'd have been put out of his misery by now, Hayden White just turned 20 been out on loan more than he's been here, but was recalled early from his loan spell at Notts County....why? when we then went on to bring a right back/winger in on loan from Utd (Janko), I suppose he still could be one for the future but seeing as DF didn't think much of Vela I don't think I'd trust his judgement on any youngster.

I can't remember if there is any more dross that he has lumbered us with, but it all needs to go.