"A black ram is tupping your white ewe". Derby (A)

[SmokinFrazier]

Lenny needs to sort it out...

Sort what out? I'm not sure he's got any control over our real issues, which are the injuries and new players. It's going to take time until we're at our best and, unfortunately, there's little Lennon can do to help that.

[Worthy4England]

The bit where we're shipping 4 goals a game. That's the bit he needs to start with,..That's a real issue. He has control over it. I'm not complaining, but to suggest there's fck all he could do about it, ain't right either. I think he'll get it right, but job 1 is ensure we don't get dragged back into relegation scrap.

[Prufrock]

Aye, I have a lot of sympathy with the injuries, but they're almost all in forward positions. Now of course a earth of attacking talent will mean you have less of the ball, are less threatening generally and so mean you have to defend more, but I'm not having that's why we've conceded so many goals recently. We shouldn't be conceding 4 goals in a game. Needs sorting.

[bobo the clown]

He's introduced the 3-at-the-back thingy primarily because we have some decent centre halves and he's trying to accommodate our best players. I guess it's been worked on in training but that's a big, big change and it's not really working.

Maybe "back to basics" is required.

Meanwhile our "perma-scapegoat" (tm. DSB) playing doesn't help very much.

[Lord Kangana]

On balance, I'm happier us losing like this whilst in mid-table 7 points above the drop zone, rather than at the business end of the division looking utterly clueless relegation fodder.

For being the man that has given us the comfort of saying "ah well, there's always next week" I'm prepared to cut a little slack. One of those days.

[HMX]

Just a bad day at the office. Tonnes of injuries and expectation on fresh players to perform. Thought Twardzik looked good when he came on, and nice to see him grab a goal.

Can't just be me thinking that the ref had a bit of a shocker today. Well-beaten, though. Can't blame it all on one idiot.

[TANGODANCER]

Neil: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-8kAX0 ... e=youtu.be" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

He makes no excuses and acknowledges the shitness. Reassuring.

then neither should we...

Not sure there's any/many excuses to be made. We, a tired, patchwork team, got a tonking from the Division's high flyers. One playmaker perma-injured, one just left, one midfield man in form injured and two strikers the same. Add to that a bunch of new lads who might not recognise each other in a Nandos queue and there you have it. We need to re-group and it'll all start on the training pitch. Pity we have to play so soon (Tuesday) but at least our next two are home games. It'll be reet....

[danardif1]

He's introduced the 3-at-the-back thingy primarily because we have some decent centre halves and he's trying to accommodate our best players. I guess it's been worked on in training but that's a big, big change and it's not really working.

Maybe "back to basics" is required.

Meanwhile our "perma-scapegoat" (tm. DSB) playing doesn't help very much.

And he's also tried to match the formation to the opposition, a bit of tactical flexibility not just chopping and changing for the sake of it.

It's not on the level of Freedman moving to a 442 because some no-nothing idiots in the crowd told him enough times to make him cave... that didn't work either did it!

[Enoch]

Aye, Freedman were shit.

Were alright now though 'cos Lennon's the bollocks.

[SmokinFrazier]

The bit where we're shipping 4 goals a game. That's the bit he needs to start with,..That's a real issue. He has control over it. I'm not complaining, but to suggest there's fck all he could do about it, ain't right either. I think he'll get it right, but job 1 is ensure we don't get dragged back into relegation scrap.

It's not like we haven't shown that we can defend well under Lennon though, he's clearly improved our defence. To play the way we did against Liverpool for what, 170 minutes and not concede was remarkable and whilst it's disappointing to concede 4 at any time, I see it as a blip rather than anything really significant to worry about. Chopping and changing so much will always lead to disorganized performances so I'd look to blame that rather than the way Lennon sets the team up, which was been very good on the whole so far.

We're not there yet but I think we were look excellent for a period and I don't think it's a coincidence that when injuries hit us hard and we bring in a bunch of new players who haven't yet adapted, our form drops. Hopefully that changes soon but I think it's likely the root of our problems rather than any Lennon is or isn't doing.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Two four-goal blips in two away games.

I think Lennon will sort it, and I'm glad that so many share that faith, because it's fecking poisonous when they don't. However, I am worried that once we concede we seem to lose belief and fold like a deckchair.

[jonnycooper]

Aye, Freedman were shit.

Were alright now though 'cos Lennon's the bollocks.

I see he won his first in charge of forest,away as well...who'd a thunk.

[jaffka]

I would rather have Lenny trying to sort Duggie's shit out rather than Duggie keeping us in the shit.

[Worthy4England]

The bit where we're shipping 4 goals a game. That's the bit he needs to start with,..That's a real issue. He has control over it. I'm not complaining, but to suggest there's fck all he could do about it, ain't right either. I think he'll get it right, but job 1 is ensure we don't get dragged back into relegation scrap.

It's not like we haven't shown that we can defend well under Lennon though, he's clearly improved our defence. To play the way we did against Liverpool for what, 170 minutes and not concede was remarkable and whilst it's disappointing to concede 4 at any time, I see it as a blip rather than anything really significant to worry about. Chopping and changing so much will always lead to disorganized performances so I'd look to blame that rather than the way Lennon sets the team up, which was been very good on the whole so far.

We're not there yet but I think we were look excellent for a period and I don't think it's a coincidence that when injuries hit us hard and we bring in a bunch of new players who haven't yet adapted, our form drops. Hopefully that changes soon but I think it's likely the root of our problems rather than any Lennon is or isn't doing.

Maybe - I'm not reaching for the bedsheets or owt, but in between those two four goal leakages, we let two in against Wolves - you don't win many games letting in 2+ goals a game. I think our defence - with predominantly the same players in it has looked less than stellar for years. That said, Lennon did seem to be getting it sorted as a back four. Not half as convinced with a three...

You've got to go back quite a ways to the last time we let 10 in, in three league games - they were against City, Liverpool and Red Shite - at the beginning of the year we went down.

On the remarkable Liverpool performances - they're now gone and either of them could've been rather different - here's what Lennon had to say.

I want a reaction as quickly as possible. It's all right the players lifting themselves for Liverpool, anyone can do that but these are the games they earn their living from and we were second best for large parts of this game

The good news is, that Fulham have a long history of 0-0 draws at the Bok/Macron. Well that's half good news....we'd like to change our side of the equation obviously.

[Jugs]

Neil: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-8kAX0 ... e=youtu.be" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

He makes no excuses and acknowledges the shitness. Reassuring.

then neither should we...

Not sure there's any/many excuses to be made. We, a tired, patchwork team, got a tonking from the Division's high flyers. One playmaker perma-injured, one just left, one midfield man in form injured and two strikers the same. Add to that a bunch of new lads who might not recognise each other in a Nandos queue and there you have it. We need to re-group and it'll all start on the training pitch. Pity we have to play so soon (Tuesday) but at least our next two are home games. It'll be reet....

I think you're right.

We have Boro away coming up soon too. That could be another 4 goal nightmare.

[officer_dibble]

We've got a lot of tough aways left, boro, ipswich, bourenmouth...we're definitley weak away when we concede, heads drop etc. With time lennon will sort - the 3 at the back is driven by personnel i guess, but its good to be flexible. Worked against liverpool away for instance.

Onwards, fulham next. Cant remember us beating them at home in my lifetime!

[Harry Genshaw]

Aye the 3 at the back was, I'm sure, initially prompted by having no fit full backs at the club. Ideally McNaughton gets match fit and gets back to the performance levels of when he first joined. If Moxey continues to improve and stays fit we might switch back to a flat back four sooner rather than later.

[officer_dibble]

He'll have to play mcnaughton to get him match fit... He doesnt look like doing that

[Peter Thompson]

IMO we still lack leadership on the pitch, we need a few nasty bastards - players who absolutely hate losing and will get the other players around them 'up for it'....the mentality still needs to change.

We still have several players who 'appear' in my opinion to give in too easily once we concede 'away' from home. NL will know who these are and won't put up with this for much longer....I think in the summer he'll bring some steel to the side.

[Hoboh]

Seems like we 'arrive late' on the pitch a few too many times. We need to be in the mix right from the start, perhaps broken glass scattered on the benches may focus the minds and get them out there alert.

Oh nearly forgot, Trotter!
Keith, you don't know what your doing!