Forsooth, is that a tractor I see before me ?

[jaffka]

duggie was a definite not right

[officer_dibble]

He's done alright for forest

fecking gash for us

feck me we must be due some good times soon!

[jonnycooper]

duggie (is) a definite not right

Fixed for you!

[Jonah]

There weren't many druggie picks out there tonight and it didn't sound spineless to me . Again unlucky that cravies missed and we conceded late but I reckon away results are coming . The thing is we need a cravies type away from home. He does miss chances but if you think back to the days of beckford up top doing jack and missing chances he's a big improvement .
A player who can do his job and is a consistent finisher would not come cheap.

[officer_dibble]

I like craig davies
Remind me of another davies

[Jonah]

Aye officer and he missed a fair few sitters even when he was at his peak .

[thebish]

cravies scores about 1 every six games he playes on average for us... we've had better - we've had worse!

[plymouth wanderer]

cravies scores about 1 every six games he playes on average for us... we've had better - we've had worse!

It's his all round play! Good team player

[Hoboh]

Another piss poor result and all down to that nice person Gartside letting 3 wankers, (I don't count Li'l Sam he weren't round long enough) loose with the cheque book!
You can gold plate a turd but it's still a turd. Poor lennon, this gig will probably break him if he's not careful, fcukin' Gartside should have plunged onto his sword when he fcuked up with Freedman or maybe after Megson on reflection!
Oh and even Lennon must realise by now our so called defenders are taking money under false pretence!
I'd play with ten men rather than let Trotter any where near the ground never mind the pitch, Zat Knight 2!
And another thing these stupid match thread titles are a bloody jinx!

[plymouth wanderer]

Agreed. Trotter is gash. Team must shit themselves when he comes on! Liverpool game both goals involved him! Lost his man and a Deflection

Sooner he's gone the better

[Jonah]

Was trotter bad tonight ? Sounded like we matched them and both sides missed a number of chances . Not seen the highlights but comments about their goal sound like hall lost it upfield and ream didn't deal with the cross. Did the shot deflect off trotter ? Not sure he was at fault but when he plays he does seem to have an unfortunate knack if being around when we concede and also being on the losing side . Might be the first player loaned out with a clause insisting he plays against his parent club next season .

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

There weren't many druggie picks out there tonight

Indeed not, as is usually the case.

In last night's XI there were 3 Freedman signings, as there were against Reading, Forest and Fulham; against Millwall, Blackburn, Brighton and Wolves there were only 2. In the last 9 games – ie since the loanees settled – only at Boro has our starting line-up included 4 Dougie dudes.

What does that mean? I'd take it as meaning a couple of things. First, Lennon has quickly deDougied the team, which is certainly to be expected and probably to be applauded (although some Freedmen may have deserved the treatment less than others: see McNaughton). Secondly, this is very largely his team - or matchday squad: only once in the last 9 games has there been more than 5 Dougie signings in the 17.

Again: I think Lennon is on the right track, and I'm glad Freedman is gone. But if there is a problem with the team's mentality, it is arguably Lennon's fault and certainly Lennon's responsibility.

Meanwhile, all the Trotter-bashing in the world doesn't explain us shipping four to Rotherham (he came on at 0-3 and it ended 2-4), Derby (he went off at 0-2 and it ended 1-4), Watford (he wasn't in the 17) and Forest (he wasn't in the 17). Nor does the hapless midfielder hold sole responsibility for us conceding vital late goals to Ipswich, Blackburn, Reading, Watford and Wolves: he was only on the field for the first and last of those.

[Tombwfc]

Replacing Dougie's lot has at least got us to the point where we're not sat bottom of the league, lets not forget that. And there have been some pretty decent home performances along the way.

With that being said, we are just far too easy to beat on the road. I've not seen us enough times away to know exactly why that is.

If you use as many players as we do, it's probably not all that surprising that we're maddeningly inconsistent. The squad is a mess of players coming to the end of their contracts, injured players and a raft of loan signings who we may or may not have any chance of signing permanently.

[Prufrock]

No it hasn't. Lennon managing Douggie's lot had us very much not bottom of the league and still having the odd dreamy moment of thinking about the play-offs. Lennon managing Lennon's hastily assembled injury patchwork lot has us looking like we'll just about end up safe.

V hard to judge him on signings yet other than to say he has a decent eye for an emergency loan. The injury list has been ridiculous, to be bobbing around where we are is impressive IMO.

[Prufrock]

Agreed. Trotter is gash. Team must shit themselves when he comes on! Liverpool game both goals involved him! Lost his man and a Deflection

Sooner he's gone the better

He didn't lose his man. He tracked him to the edge of the box then passed him on as they'd clearly been told to do as every one of the midfielders did it for 180 minutes over both games. Tired legs, lack of concentration meant that the normally compact back 5 had a gigantic gap in it in that someone (Dervite?) was way out at right back leaving the gap for Sterling to get into.

There is a Dougie-signed midfielder who is to blame for the Liverpool defeat, but it ain't Trotter.

[Jonah]

We're at least beginning to look competitive away. Lennon did well to sort the home form out as quick as he did . With so many injuries its not really a time to judge lennon's signings ( well loans ) but they at least seem more ambitious and have more potential than what dougie used to bring in. Had there been less injuries it would be a more settled side and look pretty different . What is good is the sense that we are starting to find an approach that can work away and bannan , janko, alf, roschinha , amos , even Heskey and eidur , have all picked the team up and given the fans a lift . There's still a far more positive feel about the way the club is going and considering we were dead in the water , idling toward league 1 it's still quite a turnaround . Our away form has suffered as much due to the absence of pratley cravies and Heskey for so many games as for any defensive frailty or weak mindedness .
Ask yourself how many of the players lennon has introduced would you like to see stay at the club and how many he's moved on do you miss . He's doing very well. Expectations were raised before the injuries hit and we happened to end up playing a number of stronger teams when the side was in flux . We are going in the right direction and can realistically expect to be top ten or chasing the playoffs next year rather than facing tricky away games at burton as we were likely to be had lennon not come in. I still think this is the best managerial appointment since Allardyce by some distance .

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

its not really a time to judge lennon's signings ( well loans ) but they at least seem more ambitious and have more potential than what dougie used to bring in

Bit simplistic. If offered, I'd swap you Coke and Slavchev for Dawson and Jutkiewicz. As usual the truth's less binary.

Completely agree that the state of flux can't help consistency. Disagree that it can be blamed for the lack of concentration / fitness that leads to late goals against. If they were such a bunch of strangers, they'd be conceding early rather than late, and thankfully that seems to have stopped.

Maybe we're not far off but like I say, it's Lennon's job to sort it, and he's a ways to go yet. Hopefully Wigan will provide a delightful fillip.

[Dr Hotdog]

4 clear-cut misses. Eidur and Rochina miss a side footer (you could argue the young'un could have taken a touch, brought the keeper a bit closer and then prodded it past him), Davies misses another relatively simple header at the back post and Ream lacked any sort of composure to slam it home from 5 yards out.

Costly!

[irie Cee Bee]

NL was doing fine until he lost Pratley and LCY. They haven't been replaced like for like have they?

NL was doing fine until a plethora of injuries unsettled a settled team with multiple loan replacements and youth players coming in as stop gaps. We don't have a settled 11.

NL was doing fine until he mentioned play offs target. Team seemed to take their eyes off the ball and lost concentration.

My offer for solution next season: Fix the defence. Get a proper LB and RB and replace one of the CHs with a dominant one. Then find a striker who can put the ball in the net and a fast winger who can cross. We are not far off but we must spend some money on a goal scorer to fire us into the top 2.

[Jonah]

its not really a time to judge lennon's signings ( well loans ) but they at least seem more ambitious and have more potential than what dougie used to bring in

Bit simplistic. If offered, I'd swap you Coke and Slavchev for Dawson and Jutkiewicz. As usual the truth's less binary.

Completely agree that the state of flux can't help consistency. Disagree that it can be blamed for the lack of concentration / fitness that leads to late goals against. If they were such a bunch of strangers, they'd be conceding early rather than late, and thankfully that seems to have stopped.

Maybe we're not far off but like I say, it's Lennon's job to sort it, and he's a ways to go yet. Hopefully Wigan will provide a delightful fillip.

In general though we seem to be signing players of more potential. Coke was an emergency signing due to more injuries and perhaps due to slavchev simply not settling . There at least seems to be a potentially successful approach developing away . It's a much a problem that chances aren't being taken which over 90 mins Ramps up the pressure on the defence. I'd imagine someone like juk would be very much on lennon's wish list as he is exactly what we need especially away from home . We are staying in games longer and creating chances away so that has to be progress . It may well be about mentality too but you need that bit of success ( a clean sheet or taking the lead) to gain that belief especially when over the season the away record is as dire as ours .