A Hard Day's Night by Lennon & McCarthy (A) Ipswich 3/11/15

[Jugs]

Okay, I think folk have repeated the fact that he signed too many right back's one time too many now. Every other post I seem to read repeats it. Had he not signed the right-backs, you'd have moaned at whoever he did sign since you're all moaning about his other signings anyway. Madine, Dobbie, Silva, Derik and so on. This is all he can afford.

We've no money. Our best creative players are out injured. For the last 2 games, Clayton's had the chance to go through one on one but has been tripped. We've had a few chances to score but haven't taken them. I don't think results would be better without Lennon.

[Aanvalluh]

I don't get this "we're skint" argument. We've saved a small fortune in win bonuses over the last six months.

If Bolton really are skint, it makes sense to abandon this season as a write-off and start from scratch in the Third. Bolton's wage bill must be the biggest drain on resources save from transfers in (there's no money for that, right?) so playing in a lower league they could cut the wage bill by, what, half?
If Bolton can assemble any kind of team (loanees, free transfers, youth hopefuls, fans winning a raffle) and are top-6 in the Third then gates won't be any lower than they are now, save for away fans, and even so there should be lots of local derbies to fill the void. Accrington, if promoted, might even bring their faithful 54. 55 if Bob's out of hospital.
The case against this is, of course, disgruntled fans from THIS season who give up and won't go down again which probably won't be that many, and season-ticket sales which will be hit unless priced right.
Bolton could still make a mid-season charge to the playoffs, but more likely is a relegation struggle which makes it doubly improrant for the club to take the FA Cup really, really seriously for the pennies decent ties and TV money brings in.

[Athers]

The thing is many thought we'd put together some sort of team and be top 6 in the Championship. With League One we should learn it won't be easy - Sheffield Wednesday for example dropped into League One and were a game away from falling into League Two. I wouldn't be surprised if we were the same. And yes, it'll be hard for people to keep paying to watch (& £7 to park their damn car) after best part of a decade of shite, dooooooooooooooooomed.

[Lost Leopard Spot]

so playing in a lower league they could cut the wage bill by, what, half?

Only if the contracts stipulate such a measure. I've not read any of the contracts, not even the large print versions, so I've no idea if that is the case, but I'd be annoyed if clauses like that weren't included. just like I'm annoyed that after the shambles that was Coyle it would appear that the new managers weren't installed with a punishment clause that said if the team were in bottom position (for example) that the club had the right to dispense with their services without any penalty (because I'm bloody sure that there are clauses in there that reward them if they carry off the Black & Crosswell Hot Soup trophy).

[Aanvalluh]

The thing is many thought we'd put together some sort of team and be top 6 in the Championship. With League One we should learn it won't be easy - Sheffield Wednesday for example dropped into League One and were a game away from falling into League Two. I wouldn't be surprised if we were the same. And yes, it'll be hard for people to keep paying to watch (& £7 to park their damn car) after best part of a decade of shite, dooooooooooooooooomed.

Stuff like that has to be looked at - and the pricing of the buses - if they want people to pay to get into the ground.
Sheff Weds and United are a good shout for going down and struggling, but let's be honest and taking parachute payments into consideration, how much difference is there really between the bottom half of the Premier and the top half of div 2? It's clear that relegation from the Premier is no guarantee of return, and Division 2 Is Bloody Hard.
"Premier League is the best league in the world"? IMO It's not even the best league in England! That being said, the Preston/Bolton game and last night's Birmingham/Blackburn are the exceptions that prove the rule. Could so easily have been Manure v City, that bad!

[BWFC_Insane]

Okay, I think folk have repeated the fact that he signed too many right back's one time too many now. Every other post I seem to read repeats it. Had he not signed the right-backs, you'd have moaned at whoever he did sign since you're all moaning about his other signings anyway. Madine, Dobbie, Silva, Derik and so on. This is all he can afford.

We've no money. Our best creative players are out injured. For the last 2 games, Clayton's had the chance to go through one on one but has been tripped. We've had a few chances to score but haven't taken them. I don't think results would be better without Lennon.

Ermm, firstly he's choosing not to play either right back. Which means by his own actions those signings were a complete waste of money.

He's clearly and demonstrably put the resources he's had into the wrong players and the wrong areas of the team. I said so at the time, this isn't some sort of hindsight revisionist thing. Dobbie, Heskey, Pisano and Wilson always looked like odd signings. And now they are bad signings.

Secondly people are moaning, because we've 1 win in 21, are playing the worst football I can remember watching and are 4 points adrift of safety.

People are also skirting past the fact that our wage bill and football budget will not put us in the bottom 3 yet that is where we are. We are underperforming and the signings have been dreadful. If Lennon had signed nobody and chucked the youngsters in I really couldn't see us being much worse.

The argument that we'd not be better off without Lennon may be true now. But that is because once again the damage has been done. The summer needed careful and precise work, not throwing contracts around like has been done. Nobody can convince me that an experienced manager ala McCarthy, Megson, Pulis, Warnock, wouldn't have done better in the summer and seen better results thus far.

Now it is too late and Lennon should just be made to stick it out and we can all collectively hope and pray that something clicks at some point and we do enough. But any suggestion that this is good enough, is totally wrong in my view. This is very, very far from being good enough and the circumstances do not change that.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

He can't help the finances, but he can help the selection and tactics.

I hope he can pull it round and I'm still not in the Lennon Out camp but every missed opportunity hurts more.

[Jugs]

Okay, I think folk have repeated the fact that he signed too many right back's one time too many now. Every other post I seem to read repeats it. Had he not signed the right-backs, you'd have moaned at whoever he did sign since you're all moaning about his other signings anyway. Madine, Dobbie, Silva, Derik and so on. This is all he can afford.

We've no money. Our best creative players are out injured. For the last 2 games, Clayton's had the chance to go through one on one but has been tripped. We've had a few chances to score but haven't taken them. I don't think results would be better without Lennon.

Ermm, firstly he's choosing not to play either right back. Which means by his own actions those signings were a complete waste of money.

He's clearly and demonstrably put the resources he's had into the wrong players and the wrong areas of the team. I said so at the time, this isn't some sort of hindsight revisionist thing. Dobbie, Heskey, Pisano and Wilson always looked like odd signings. And now they are bad signings.

Secondly people are moaning, because we've 1 win in 21, are playing the worst football I can remember watching and are 4 points adrift of safety.

People are also skirting past the fact that our wage bill and football budget will not put us in the bottom 3 yet that is where we are. We are underperforming and the signings have been dreadful. If Lennon had signed nobody and chucked the youngsters in I really couldn't see us being much worse.

The argument that we'd not be better off without Lennon may be true now. But that is because once again the damage has been done. The summer needed careful and precise work, not throwing contracts around like has been done. Nobody can convince me that an experienced manager ala McCarthy, Megson, Pulis, Warnock, wouldn't have done better in the summer and seen better results thus far.

Now it is too late and Lennon should just be made to stick it out and we can all collectively hope and pray that something clicks at some point and we do enough. But any suggestion that this is good enough, is totally wrong in my view. This is very, very far from being good enough and the circumstances do not change that.

Yes, I know, and I get that; but we're just repeating the same stuff here. We know he's fecked it with the right back's but we've said it enough times now.

I disagree with this being the worst football I've watched, though. It was as bad - if not worse - at times under Allardyce. The only difference was that we were getting results, but it was still abysmal to watch. I'm sure Lennon would like us to play better football, but his hands are tied by injuries, lack of cash, lack of confidence and lack of quality at times. Bizarrely or not, I actually think performances will improve because I believe Lennon wants us to play better football. With Allardyce, you always knew he wanted to play that style of ugly football (I'm talking 05/06 & 06/07 seasons when performances were at an all-time low)

[BWFC_Insane]

I disagree with this being the worst football I've watched, though. It was as bad - if not worse - at times under Allardyce. The only difference was that we were getting results, but it was still abysmal to watch. I'm sure Lennon would like us to play better football, but his hands are tied by injuries, lack of cash, lack of confidence and lack of quality at times. Bizarrely or not, I actually think performances will improve because I believe Lennon wants us to play better football. With Allardyce, you always knew he wanted to play that style of ugly football (I'm talking 05/06 & 06/07 seasons when performances were at an all-time low)

Better football? Do me a favour. Wanting to pass a ball aimlessly across a back four then into midfield then back again does not make for better football.

The Allardyce comparison is ridiculous. Allardyce played agricultural football at times on that I'm sure we can all agree. And he at times seemed to negate some of the qualities that our flair players had. However, we created chances, and generally played at a high tempo. We were Barcelona? No. But it was entertaining watching us bully Arsenal or slip four past Leeds to send them down. We could probably at times have played a different brand but didn't, but to suggest the performances were "at an all time low" is frankly absurd.

Excitement in football comes from tempo, creating chances, scoring goals, dare I say it winning.

We create fewer chances than any Bolton side I can remember. Any. We score even less. As for winning......

If passing the ball around aimlessly and going nowhere with it entertains you then fair play. But it is about as entertaining to me as watching paint dry.

[Jugs]

I disagree with this being the worst football I've watched, though. It was as bad - if not worse - at times under Allardyce. The only difference was that we were getting results, but it was still abysmal to watch. I'm sure Lennon would like us to play better football, but his hands are tied by injuries, lack of cash, lack of confidence and lack of quality at times. Bizarrely or not, I actually think performances will improve because I believe Lennon wants us to play better football. With Allardyce, you always knew he wanted to play that style of ugly football (I'm talking 05/06 & 06/07 seasons when performances were at an all-time low)

Better football? Do me a favour. Wanting to pass a ball aimlessly across a back four then into midfield then back again does not make for better football.

The Allardyce comparison is ridiculous. Allardyce played agricultural football at times on that I'm sure we can all agree. And he at times seemed to negate some of the qualities that our flair players had. However, we created chances, and generally played at a high tempo. We were Barcelona? No. But it was entertaining watching us bully Arsenal or slip four past Leeds to send them down. We could probably at times have played a different brand but didn't, but to suggest the performances were "at an all time low" is frankly absurd.

Excitement in football comes from tempo, creating chances, scoring goals, dare I say it winning.

We create fewer chances than any Bolton side I can remember. Any. We score even less. As for winning......

If passing the ball around aimlessly and going nowhere with it entertains you then fair play. But it is about as entertaining to me as watching paint dry.

I didn't say it entertains me, although I did enjoy the Derby and Wolves games.

I had a season ticket in 05/06 and 06/07. Haven't had one since because it was that sh*t to watch. Yes, we beat a few top teams now and then but most of the games were dire. Blackburn at home in 2005, derby. 0-0, shocking, shocking game of football. Man City at home, derby in 07. 0-0, awful game of 'football'. These games weren't shcoking by default; they were engineered by Allardyce's tactics and mindset. It was all about set pieces, long throws and lump the ball to Anelka's head and win the percentages. It was awful, mate, and only really fire and brimstone stuff when Arsenal came up.

Yes, it isn't great at the moment, but if we have a fully fit squad in January and IF the board will release some funds and IF the scouts and Lennon get together and bring in some talent, I'm optimistic that things will improve. We're in a malaise right now, but I'm hopeful it won't stay this way.

My comparison with Allardyce was because, as long as he was at the helm, I expected to be bored to tears. With Lennon, I'm hoping we can get back to the way we were last November/December. I doubt he purposefully wants to play shi.t football.

[Lost Leopard Spot]

If passing the ball around aimlessly and going nowhere with it entertains you then fair play. But it is about as entertaining to me as watching paint dry.

Controversy struck the local district Watching Paint Drying League on Sunday when the Lime Kiln A team were found to be using Crown matt emulsion instead of league standard Dulux gloss in their match against the Kings Head B team.
An appeal was launched and upheld by the match official. The revised league table is printed below.
Elsewhere the Miners Standard team had a close game against the Red Lion team when the Red Lion captain became so wrapped-up in the game that he fell off his seat, giving the advantage to their opponents. However tragedy struck the away team when the Miners Standard’s fourth player fell asleep and lost them the match.
The bottom of the table match between the Cross Keys and the Queen Victoria was abandoned when players from both teams were caught watching airplane vapour trails in the warm-up period.

[BWFC_Insane]

I didn't say it entertains me, although I did enjoy the Derby and Wolves games.

I had a season ticket in 05/06 and 06/07. Haven't had one since because it was that sh*t to watch. Yes, we beat a few top teams now and then but most of the games were dire. Blackburn at home in 2005, derby. 0-0, shocking, shocking game of football. Man City at home, derby in 07. 0-0, awful game of 'football'. These games weren't shcoking by default; they were engineered by Allardyce's tactics and mindset. It was all about set pieces, long throws and lump the ball to Anelka's head and win the percentages. It was awful, mate, and only really fire and brimstone stuff when Arsenal came up.

Yes, it isn't great at the moment, but if we have a fully fit squad in January and IF the board will release some funds and IF the scouts and Lennon get together and bring in some talent, I'm optimistic that things will improve. We're in a malaise right now, but I'm hopeful it won't stay this way.

My comparison with Allardyce was because, as long as he was at the helm, I expected to be bored to tears. With Lennon, I'm hoping we can get back to the way we were last November/December. I doubt he purposefully wants to play shi.t football.

Plenty of people at the time were bored with the football Allardyce played. But in hindsight, surely you have to concede they were fantastic times?

I remember going to Blackburn at we won 1-0. Jussi saved two penalties in the last few minutes. Was it a classic game of football? No. But it was exhilarating. A feeling we're not coming close to recreating now.

Football is about winning. However you can. I don't really care about how we do it, if we become a side that wins more than it loses that will be entertaining enough. I would kill to go back to the days of Allardyce in the top flght or even Megson's time. We all took it for granted by the end I think and for many of us we may never see anything like it again in our lifetimes.

[Lost Leopard Spot]

...and for many of us we may never see anything like it again in our lifetimes.

fxckin'ell
it's being so cheery that keeps one going.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Exhilaration is often about circumstance. Sparky's equaliser against Blackpool - a fine passing move, but made all the more brilliant because it was a late equaliser from 2-0 down. You might well ask why we were 2-0 down at home to doomed Blackpool, but you don't when the ball flies in and everyone around you goes dipshit. Which is why I said to you (BWFCi) the other day that if we drew 2-2 with Leeds from 2-0 down with a late equaliser, there wouldn't be boos.

Football is wonderful partly because success is not guaranteed and frankly neither is excitement - a spot of rarity renders it amazing when it happens.

It just doesn't happen much any more.

[Jugs]

I didn't say it entertains me, although I did enjoy the Derby and Wolves games.

I had a season ticket in 05/06 and 06/07. Haven't had one since because it was that sh*t to watch. Yes, we beat a few top teams now and then but most of the games were dire. Blackburn at home in 2005, derby. 0-0, shocking, shocking game of football. Man City at home, derby in 07. 0-0, awful game of 'football'. These games weren't shcoking by default; they were engineered by Allardyce's tactics and mindset. It was all about set pieces, long throws and lump the ball to Anelka's head and win the percentages. It was awful, mate, and only really fire and brimstone stuff when Arsenal came up.

Yes, it isn't great at the moment, but if we have a fully fit squad in January and IF the board will release some funds and IF the scouts and Lennon get together and bring in some talent, I'm optimistic that things will improve. We're in a malaise right now, but I'm hopeful it won't stay this way.

My comparison with Allardyce was because, as long as he was at the helm, I expected to be bored to tears. With Lennon, I'm hoping we can get back to the way we were last November/December. I doubt he purposefully wants to play shi.t football.

Plenty of people at the time were bored with the football Allardyce played. But in hindsight, surely you have to concede they were fantastic times?

I remember going to Blackburn at we won 1-0. Jussi saved two penalties in the last few minutes. Was it a classic game of football? No. But it was exhilarating. A feeling we're not coming close to recreating now.

Football is about winning. However you can. I don't really care about how we do it, if we become a side that wins more than it loses that will be entertaining enough. I would kill to go back to the days of Allardyce in the top flght or even Megson's time. We all took it for granted by the end I think and for many of us we may never see anything like it again in our lifetimes.

The Blackburn away game was no doubt fantastic, and there were some good games in there. Wigan away when Adranik scored was great. But great moments often wasn't down to the style of play.

The times under Allardyce were fantastic for me until around 2005, when he started to implement a certain style of play that really did bore me at most home games. When we beat Spurs on the first day of the 06/07 season, we were 2-0 up after 10 minutes and then closed the game out from there.

Sure, there were still good games in there, but there were too many dire moments. I remember when we beat Watford 1-0 at home on Anelka's debut. I think they hit the woodwork about 4 or 5 times and we got a last minute penalty. There were a lot of times when we got 3 points in a similar way. It was effective, but it wasn't pretty.

[Jugs]

Exhilaration is often about circumstance. Sparky's equaliser against Blackpool - a fine passing move, but made all the more brilliant because it was a late equaliser from 2-0 down. You might well ask why we were 2-0 down at home to doomed Blackpool, but you don't when the ball flies in and everyone around you goes dipshit. Which is why I said to you (BWFCi) the other day that if we drew 2-2 with Leeds from 2-0 down with a late equaliser, there wouldn't be boos.

Football is wonderful partly because success is not guaranteed and frankly neither is excitement - a spot of rarity renders it amazing when it happens.

It just doesn't happen much any more.

Blackpool weren't doomed at the time, though? I if I remember, they were flying. That was a great second half by the way.

[BWFC_Insane]

The Blackburn away game was no doubt fantastic, and there were some good games in there. Wigan away when Adranik scored was great. But great moments often wasn't down to the style of play.

The times under Allardyce were fantastic for me until around 2005, when he started to implement a certain style of play that really did bore me at most home games. When we beat Spurs on the first day of the 06/07 season, we were 2-0 up after 10 minutes and then closed the game out from there.

Sure, there were still good games in there, but there were too many dire moments. I remember when we beat Watford 1-0 at home on Anelka's debut. I think they hit the woodwork about 4 or 5 times and we got a last minute penalty. There were a lot of times when we got 3 points in a similar way. It was effective, but it wasn't pretty.

And now we're neither effective or pretty.

Pretty football doesn't interest me. Coyle tried that and we started off naïve before descending into chaos. There wasn't anything entertaining about that.

And fwiw I don't think Allardyce changed how we played in the time period you describe. I think we'd just become better to the point of being easily able to control games at times and that made it feel less exciting. Everyone was less concerned about us letting a 2-0 slip because we were by then a very decent side.

I also think a lot was perception. We'd practically hit the glass ceiling. Allardyce wanted out too, which we didn't know at the time but I guess had an effect on enthusiasm. Still a billion zillion times better than what we've got on offer now.

[Dr Hotdog]

I didn't say it entertains me, although I did enjoy the Derby and Wolves games.

I had a season ticket in 05/06 and 06/07. Haven't had one since because it was that sh*t to watch. Yes, we beat a few top teams now and then but most of the games were dire. Blackburn at home in 2005, derby. 0-0, shocking, shocking game of football. Man City at home, derby in 07. 0-0, awful game of 'football'. These games weren't shcoking by default; they were engineered by Allardyce's tactics and mindset. It was all about set pieces, long throws and lump the ball to Anelka's head and win the percentages. It was awful, mate, and only really fire and brimstone stuff when Arsenal came up.

Yes, it isn't great at the moment, but if we have a fully fit squad in January and IF the board will release some funds and IF the scouts and Lennon get together and bring in some talent, I'm optimistic that things will improve. We're in a malaise right now, but I'm hopeful it won't stay this way.

My comparison with Allardyce was because, as long as he was at the helm, I expected to be bored to tears. With Lennon, I'm hoping we can get back to the way we were last November/December. I doubt he purposefully wants to play shi.t football.

Plenty of people at the time were bored with the football Allardyce played. But in hindsight, surely you have to concede they were fantastic times?

I remember going to Blackburn at we won 1-0. Jussi saved two penalties in the last few minutes. Was it a classic game of football? No. But it was exhilarating. A feeling we're not coming close to recreating now.

Football is about winning. However you can. I don't really care about how we do it, if we become a side that wins more than it loses that will be entertaining enough. I would kill to go back to the days of Allardyce in the top flght or even Megson's time. We all took it for granted by the end I think and for many of us we may never see anything like it again in our lifetimes.

The Blackburn away game was no doubt fantastic, and there were some good games in there. Wigan away when Adranik scored was great. But great moments often wasn't down to the style of play.

The times under Allardyce were fantastic for me until around 2005, when he started to implement a certain style of play that really did bore me at most home games. When we beat Spurs on the first day of the 06/07 season, we were 2-0 up after 10 minutes and then closed the game out from there.

Sure, there were still good games in there, but there were too many dire moments. I remember when we beat Watford 1-0 at home on Anelka's debut. I think they hit the woodwork about 4 or 5 times and we got a last minute penalty. There were a lot of times when we got 3 points in a similar way. It was effective, but it wasn't pretty.

Sounds alright to me!

That away match at City when Sibierski hit the bar 17 times and then Dicky Dunne handled it when Henk Pedersen was set to skin him in the 90th minute. Speed smashed home the penalty. Happy Daze.

With the Allardyce era we had Peace of Mind. Look at the post-Big Sam era. Yowzers it hurts!

[Nicko58]

I didn't say it entertains me, although I did enjoy the Derby and Wolves games.

I had a season ticket in 05/06 and 06/07. Haven't had one since because it was that sh*t to watch. Yes, we beat a few top teams now and then but most of the games were dire. Blackburn at home in 2005, derby. 0-0, shocking, shocking game of football. Man City at home, derby in 07. 0-0, awful game of 'football'. These games weren't shcoking by default; they were engineered by Allardyce's tactics and mindset. It was all about set pieces, long throws and lump the ball to Anelka's head and win the percentages. It was awful, mate, and only really fire and brimstone stuff when Arsenal came up.

Yes, it isn't great at the moment, but if we have a fully fit squad in January and IF the board will release some funds and IF the scouts and Lennon get together and bring in some talent, I'm optimistic that things will improve. We're in a malaise right now, but I'm hopeful it won't stay this way.

My comparison with Allardyce was because, as long as he was at the helm, I expected to be bored to tears. With Lennon, I'm hoping we can get back to the way we were last November/December. I doubt he purposefully wants to play shi.t football.

Plenty of people at the time were bored with the football Allardyce played. But in hindsight, surely you have to concede they were fantastic times?

I remember going to Blackburn at we won 1-0. Jussi saved two penalties in the last few minutes. Was it a classic game of football? No. But it was exhilarating. A feeling we're not coming close to recreating now.

Football is about winning. However you can. I don't really care about how we do it, if we become a side that wins more than it loses that will be entertaining enough. I would kill to go back to the days of Allardyce in the top flght or even Megson's time. We all took it for granted by the end I think and for many of us we may never see anything like it again in our lifetimes.

The Blackburn away game was no doubt fantastic, and there were some good games in there. Wigan away when Adranik scored was great. But great moments often wasn't down to the style of play.

The times under Allardyce were fantastic for me until around 2005, when he started to implement a certain style of play that really did bore me at most home games. When we beat Spurs on the first day of the 06/07 season, we were 2-0 up after 10 minutes and then closed the game out from there.

Sure, there were still good games in there, but there were too many dire moments. I remember when we beat Watford 1-0 at home on Anelka's debut. I think they hit the woodwork about 4 or 5 times and we got a last minute penalty. There were a lot of times when we got 3 points in a similar way. It was effective, but it wasn't pretty.

I really don't know where you're going with this, mate. You would prefer to have Lennon in charge rather than Allardyce?

[William the White]

I didn't say it entertains me, although I did enjoy the Derby and Wolves games.

I had a season ticket in 05/06 and 06/07. Haven't had one since because it was that sh*t to watch. Yes, we beat a few top teams now and then but most of the games were dire. Blackburn at home in 2005, derby. 0-0, shocking, shocking game of football. Man City at home, derby in 07. 0-0, awful game of 'football'. These games weren't shcoking by default; they were engineered by Allardyce's tactics and mindset. It was all about set pieces, long throws and lump the ball to Anelka's head and win the percentages. It was awful, mate, and only really fire and brimstone stuff when Arsenal came up.

Yes, it isn't great at the moment, but if we have a fully fit squad in January and IF the board will release some funds and IF the scouts and Lennon get together and bring in some talent, I'm optimistic that things will improve. We're in a malaise right now, but I'm hopeful it won't stay this way.

My comparison with Allardyce was because, as long as he was at the helm, I expected to be bored to tears. With Lennon, I'm hoping we can get back to the way we were last November/December. I doubt he purposefully wants to play shi.t football.

Plenty of people at the time were bored with the football Allardyce played. But in hindsight, surely you have to concede they were fantastic times?

I remember going to Blackburn at we won 1-0. Jussi saved two penalties in the last few minutes. Was it a classic game of football? No. But it was exhilarating. A feeling we're not coming close to recreating now.

Football is about winning. However you can. I don't really care about how we do it, if we become a side that wins more than it loses that will be entertaining enough. I would kill to go back to the days of Allardyce in the top flght or even Megson's time. We all took it for granted by the end I think and for many of us we may never see anything like it again in our lifetimes.

The Blackburn away game was no doubt fantastic, and there were some good games in there. Wigan away when Adranik scored was great. But great moments often wasn't down to the style of play.

The times under Allardyce were fantastic for me until around 2005, when he started to implement a certain style of play that really did bore me at most home games. When we beat Spurs on the first day of the 06/07 season, we were 2-0 up after 10 minutes and then closed the game out from there.

Sure, there were still good games in there, but there were too many dire moments. I remember when we beat Watford 1-0 at home on Anelka's debut. I think they hit the woodwork about 4 or 5 times and we got a last minute penalty. There were a lot of times when we got 3 points in a similar way. It was effective, but it wasn't pretty.

I really don't know where you're going with this, mate. You would prefer to have Lennon in charge rather than Allardyce?

I really don't think I'm too worried by the views of someone who gave up on us after the 2005-06 season.