24th v 4th - Birmingham (h) 20/10/15

[Worthy4England]

We just need 3 wins on the spin - which would probably get us to mid/lower-mid table.

Not much to ask...

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Lennon's brought in half a dozen new defenders (but now selects a back four based on his borrowed Freedman bingo machine.)

To be fair, PT, the back four last night was unchanged from the weekend. The one with a centre-back played at right-back despite us signing two right-backs this summer. The one with our best centre-back on the bench, and the two CB spots occupied by players Lennon didn't sign.

Didn't we also lose at the weekend & concede two goals ?

Yes, we did lose and concede two at the weekend.

BWFCi: interesting stats but I don't think we'll need 55 points. As I recall, that season was a statistical outlier (not just a high relegation threshold but a low play-off/automatic promotion threshold). However, we do need to pick up the pace, noticeably, quickly. Although we are short of a striker, I don't think this is as terrible a squad as is being made out.

The worrying thing for me is that some selection decisions are starting to look a bit bizarro. Davies captain then dropped for an away game with a defensive midfield trio, then reinstated as part of basically a 4-2-4. Interesting that Lennon says he knew "Birmingham let you have possession" - controlling the game without the ball, anyone? Again: had it worked, we'd all be relieved and happy and admiring the manager. That's what happens to winners.

[DJBlu]

"We had two off the line at one point and you've got to score. We decided to go two up because Birmingham let you have possession and we thought we'd take that away and be a bit more direct.

It's this statement I can't get my head round.

Go direct because a team lets you have the ball? What a ludicrous statement to make.

Baffled.

[William the White]

Prince has a Zat Knight mistake-a-game habit but he's still the best defender we have - so play him FFS.

That won't solve much - we are weak all over the team - but Dervite last night was an embarrassment.

[LeverEnd]

we just need a striker

nothing else

We scored 3 at QPR

We lost

That appeared to be the case when we were defending well, creating stuff in midfield and just missing chances. It's way beyond that now. It'd help mind.

[CAPSLOCK]

Prince has a Zat Knight mistake-a-game habit but he's still the best defender we have - so play him FFS.

That won't solve much - we are weak all over the team - but Dervite last night was an embarrassment.

Dervite was an interesting one

Once he'd been booked and been let off, he should've been subbed

You'd have to ask Lennon why he chose not to

Anyway, while the defnce isn't perfect, it wasn't the problem last night

The problem was thinking Heskey and Madine together was a good idea and then asking Davies and Pratley to be the midfield

[Lost Leopard Spot]

"We had two off the line at one point and you've got to score. We decided to go two up because Birmingham let you have possession and we thought we'd take that away and be a bit more direct.

It's this statement I can't get my head round.

Go direct because a team lets you have the ball? What a ludicrous statement to make.

Baffled.

I'd just like to point out in the interest of accuracy that it was actually Neil that said it not me I'd have said something along the lines of "because I knew that Birmingham let you keep the ball we planned to tippy tappy it all the way up the pitch and over the line on numerous occasions" - but then again I'm not paid to manage the team so what do I know?

[William the White]

Prince has a Zat Knight mistake-a-game habit but he's still the best defender we have - so play him FFS.

That won't solve much - we are weak all over the team - but Dervite last night was an embarrassment.

Dervite was an interesting one

Once he'd been booked and been let off, he should've been subbed

You'd have to ask Lennon why he chose not to

Anyway, while the defnce isn't perfect, it wasn't the problem last night

The problem wasthinking Heskey and Madine together was a good idea[/b] and then asking Davies and Pratley to be the midfield

Could not agree more...

[Peter Thompson]

"We had two off the line at one point and you've got to score. We decided to go two up because Birmingham let you have possession and we thought we'd take that away and be a bit more direct.

It's this statement I can't get my head round.

Go direct because a team lets you have the ball? What a ludicrous statement to make.

Baffled.

Yes this gets me as well....its crazy from Lennon it really is - so basically we don't want the possession they allow us and decide to give the ball straight back by hoofing it to the useless, static Madine & Heskey.

This just shows how tactically inept & naïve he is....

[CAPSLOCK]

Anyway, while I'm thoroughly pissed off and would gladly have turned around last night and got the slippers out, he picked the wrong team

So long as his answer isn't to play 3 at the back, I'm happy we crack on

But for me, a bigger problem than strange selections is the way confidence seems to be draining out of the team

Its understandable but very worrying

[Adam Bwfc]

If we dont take at least 4 points from the next 2 lenny will have to go.

[Enoch]

Anyway, while the defnce isn't perfect, it wasn't the problem last night

I felt that way after QPR. Our goalie threw one in and they scored a couple of screamers, otherwise I thought we defended quite well.

I know some folk like to habitually criticise certain players and some like to apportion blame for every goal we concede no matter how far back in play they need to reference, but sometimes the opposition just do something that's too good.

[Peter Thompson]

If we dont take at least 4 points from the next 2 lenny will have to go.

We'll be lucky to take 4 points from the next 2 months never mind 2 games....

[Worthy4England]

If we dont take at least 4 points from the next 2 lenny will have to go.

We'll be lucky to take 4 points from the next 2 months never mind 2 games....

We do seem to generally try and work round international breaks for managerial changes - we've just had one of those...

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

We do seem to generally try and work round international breaks for managerial changes - we've just had one of those...

There's another in 17 days. Before then:

Sat 24 Oct - Home to Leeds (currently 19th)
Sat 31 Oct - Away at Preston (17th)
Tue 3 Nov - Away at Ipswich (11th)
Sat 7 Nov – Home to Bristol City (21st)

Hmm.

[Worthy4England]

We do seem to generally try and work round international breaks for managerial changes - we've just had one of those...

There's another in 17 days. Before then:

Sat 24 Oct - Home to Leeds (currently 19th)
Sat 31 Oct - Away at Preston (17th)
Tue 3 Nov - Away at Ipswich (11th)
Sat 7 Nov – Home to Bristol City (21st)

Hmm.

Thanks for looking that up. I reckon any less than 7 points he's got to be in trouble...

[Lost Leopard Spot]

We do seem to generally try and work round international breaks for managerial changes - we've just had one of those...

There's another in 17 days. Before then:

Sat 24 Oct - Home to Leeds (currently 19th)
Sat 31 Oct - Away at Preston (17th)
Tue 3 Nov - Away at Ipswich (11th)
Sat 7 Nov – Home to Bristol City (21st)

Hmm.

One should, really, be hoping for 9 points out of that lot, be grateful for 7, be satisfied with 6, be expecting at least 4, whingeing at 3, and be thoroughly utterly pissed off with 2 or less.

[Adam Bwfc]

To be fair I would bin him off now, one win in 17 is nothing short of a disgrace and these are his players he has signed.

[Dr Hotdog]

[BWFC_Insane]

Lennon's brought in half a dozen new defenders (but now selects a back four based on his borrowed Freedman bingo machine.)

To be fair, PT, the back four last night was unchanged from the weekend. The one with a centre-back played at right-back despite us signing two right-backs this summer. The one with our best centre-back on the bench, and the two CB spots occupied by players Lennon didn't sign.

Didn't we also lose at the weekend & concede two goals ?

Yes, we did lose and concede two at the weekend.

BWFCi: interesting stats but I don't think we'll need 55 points. As I recall, that season was a statistical outlier (not just a high relegation threshold but a low play-off/automatic promotion threshold). However, we do need to pick up the pace, noticeably, quickly. Although we are short of a striker, I don't think this is as terrible a squad as is being made out.

The worrying thing for me is that some selection decisions are starting to look a bit bizarro. Davies captain then dropped for an away game with a defensive midfield trio, then reinstated as part of basically a 4-2-4. Interesting that Lennon says he knew "Birmingham let you have possession" - controlling the game without the ball, anyone? Again: had it worked, we'd all be relieved and happy and admiring the manager. That's what happens to winners.

Well no, we don't need 55 probably. But may well need to get to 50 or 49. Which still requires considerable and rapid improvement if we are to look like doing that.

As for the selections and tactics I agree. More worrying still as others have pointed out is that we are back at the end of Freedman time levels of energy, confidence and belief it seems. I didn't see a team playing for a manager last night. Or even playing for themselves. They looked almost accepting of their fate and one thing that I'd expect Lennon to bring is fight, but that wasn't evident last night.

Also agree, the squad in my view isn't a bottom 6 squad. But it is easy to keep saying that. Lennon pretty much said we're not good enough last night. But this isn't all that different to the squad Freedman said wasn't good enough and then Lennon came in and managed to squeeze a good run of form out of. If you take Chungy out, I don't think we've significantly lost a player who wasn't Lennon's choice. I suppose the only issue is our ability to go and get "patch up" loans is reduced. We apparently have room for one, but finding one to make a difference isn't easy.