Bedsheets, Pitchforks and colours nailed etc.

[Andy Waller]

I've started to think that Lennon isn't the right man for us.

I think he'd actually be ok a Premiership club, he might have done a good job for say, Villa or someone of that ilk.

The players he's brought in aren't up to scratch and maybe we should have been looking to lower leagues than wasting time with the likes of Heskey and Ameobi.

[BWFC_Insane]

Neil Lennon says performances have been good and haven't deserved the results we have got.

Well Neil, can I suggest you pay a visit to your local opticians.......

[BWFC_Insane]

Neil Lennon says performances have been good and haven't deserved the results we have got.

Well Neil, can I suggest you pay a visit to you local opticians.......

Admittedly I've only seen us play in person a handful of occasions this season but he's not completely wrong IMO. We've looked alright whenever I've seen us play, it's individual mistakes (predominantly from our defenders) that have been really punishing us. I've seen quite a few woodwork hits and fantastic opposition keeper performances too (Al Habsi at Reading was a cut above). You could say that these mistakes tie into our performances, and they do, but I've seen us win once and lose a few times and each game I didn't walk away thinking " we were terrible and deserved that". We're where we are for a reason, but from the games I've seen first hand so far our performances really don't justify us being bottom of the league.

Something is wrong, and it's why we probably have the worst form in the league going back to March time but I think the overall team performance is decent, certainly not relegation worthy. It's lots of individual player performances affecting our wider game, like Dervite and Prince gifting the opposition at least one goal chance per game that they are capitalising on.

Those individual performances are a part of the whole.

I don't agree that we've played "well" beyond about 3 games. We've looked absolutely dreadful for large chunks of the season.

At best you can probably say we've been average for half the games and abysmal for the other half.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Chunks.

Even last season, which was like Total Football compared to this, we didn't play well for a full game.

This season, we've had some spells in games but not scored enough. We've also allowed the oppo some good spell, and they have taken advantage.

There have been far worse teams, but I'd say there's probably also been better teams relegated. We're bottom for a reason, or rather two: we don't score enough and we concede too many.

[Lost Leopard Spot]

Chunks.

Even last season, which was like Total Football compared to this, we didn't play well for a full game.

This season, we've had some spells in games but not scored enough. We've also allowed the oppo some good spell, and they have taken advantage.

There have been far worse teams, but I'd say there's probably also been better teams relegated. We're bottom for a reason, or rather two: we don't score enough and we concede too many.

I'd argue your two reasons can be melded into one - lack of organisation/planning/team spirit/logical selections/logical formations/correct substitutions... which boils down to one word Neillennon.

[Bijou Bob]

The limited matches I've seen so far, we've been unlucky, but tables don't lie. The inability to pick a settled back four, reluctance to use 3 full backs he signed and poor tactics have cost us. I like Lennon, I really do, but the end is nigh I suspect. What I really can't understand is the change from his first few games when we played high tempo football and got in the faces of the opposition. The rule seemed to be, get the ball back as quickly as possible and play it wide within 2 passes. Why we stopped doing this Ive no idea?

[bobo the clown]

The limited matches I've seen so far, we've been unlucky, but tables don't lie. The inability to pick a settled back four, reluctance to use 3 full backs he signed and poor tactics have cost us. I like Lennon, I really do, but the end is nigh I suspect. What I really can't understand is the change from his first few games when we played high tempo football and got in the faces of the opposition. The rule seemed to be, get the ball back as quickly as possible and play it wide within 2 passes. Why we stopped doing this Ive no idea?

Completely agree.

I gave Coyle huge and deserved stick. He was a pimple and a pointless one at that. He destroyed us.

I gave Freedman even worse. He was a smoke & mirrors chancer. He had no clue what he was doing and bullshitted for Britain whilst managing us. I'd not let him run a Tombola stall.

But Lennon I like & wish him to succeed. He's been dealt a very difficult hand but I can't say that he's playing it well, even in the circumstances.

I won't bay for his head. Could anyone do any better in these circumstances ? But his record has become very, very poor. Since those early days nothing has worked. His desire for 3 at the back was a vast error and I do fear when we se midfielders at full-back and full-backs in midfield .... in the same team. That is always a worrying sight. I still hope, if we have a club, he can change things round.

[norm the jedi]

Well paying him off doesn't seem to be an option.
In fact paying him at all doesn't seem an option. So I think we are stuck in this loveless marriage.

[wigan white]

Well paying him off doesn't seem to be an option.
In fact paying him at all doesn't seem an option. So I think we are stuck in this loveless marriage.

Its not a loveless marriage at all, I just think he may need some experienced help - Thought Walford was going to be this upon his appointment but that doesn't seem to have worked. I think Lennon needs an old head alongside him and Parker to help them learn from this situation but at the minute thats not happening. I don't agree with a lot of Lennons team selections and his unwavering attitude to not picking Wilson or Pisano just baffles me, but I do still think he could be the right man for us, given a bit of financial support (which at the minute isn't looking likely) and a bit of help from the coaching staff.
I know people have questioned his signings but too be honest, he's been fire fighting since hes been here. He's obviously tried to bring in a better standard of player but not having the funds available, hes had to bring in who he could at that time.

[boltonboris]

He only has funds to sign shit, but he doesn't HAVE to sign them

[norm the jedi]

He only has funds to sign shit, but he doesn't HAVE to sign them

? Has he not had to buy / bring in and pay replacements for the high wage charlatans we could no longer afford and let go ?

[wigan white]

He only has funds to sign shit, but he doesn't HAVE to sign them

True, but at the time we didn't have a right back (Vela not included as he's a midfielder playing out of position), so Wilson was available on a free, possibly no other right backs would join us or were available. Then he signed Derik and Prince, who we lost Mills so only had 2 senior centre-halves on our books, again one is a loan and the other was on a fee IIRC. We needed a left back as we lost Ream and Moxey was shocking so he brought in Casado on a free as its a position we needed to cover (again not sure who else was available for the cost or the time). The Pisano signing on paper seemed decent, he wasn't available when we signed Wilson, but I think maybe Lennon thinks he better than Wilson so again made a move for him. Madine was a free and too be fair, he looked half decent when he played against us for Blackpool last season, but again it was a gamble but we lost Cravies and needed more bodies upfront of a physical nature as Heskey wouldnt last the season playing every game. I think he would have liked to have Le Fondre in again but didnt have the funds, and more recently it showed he tried to get Hooper, Stokes, James Vaughan but the only one he could get in was Ameobi, who he rejected due to funding until he came back with a pay as you play deal.
Its all a matter of funding and timings as to who was available at what price. The bit I don't agree with is him not playing them.

[boltonboris]

He only has funds to sign shit, but he doesn't HAVE to sign them

? Has he not had to buy / bring in and pay replacements for the high wage charlatans we could no longer afford and let go ?

Not when they're clearly no better than the subs we already had.. The fact that a number of his signings can barely make the match day squad over players he inherited makes me wonder why he bothered with them in the first place

[boltonboris]

Especially seeing as they all cost a million quid agents fee's plus wages

[boltonboris]

He only has funds to sign shit, but he doesn't HAVE to sign them

True, but at the time we didn't have a right back (Vela not included as he's a midfielder playing out of position), so Wilson was available on a free, possibly no other right backs would join us or were available. Then he signed Derik and Prince,

So Prince, Derik, Wilson and Pisano - All right backs. All fit.

Who's he playing at right back at the moment? The midfielder that was already here

[Lost Leopard Spot]

He only has funds to sign shit, but he doesn't HAVE to sign them

True, but at the time we didn't have a right back (Vela not included as he's a midfielder playing out of position), so Wilson was available on a free, possibly no other right backs would join us or were available. Then he signed Derik and Prince,

So Prince, Derik, Wilson and Pisano - All right backs. All fit.

Who's he playing at right back at the moment? The midfielder that was already here

^ It's this. It's fxcking unbelievable in itself. Never mind the crap he spouts, which he does, just like Freedman did.

[Dr Hotdog]

Derek is as much a right back as Tony Philiskirk ever was. Prince is a hap-hazard centre half.

We had right backs at the club - Lennon played Oscar Threlkeld in that position in a TV match away at Norwich around Halloween last year (and Beckford up front on his own, I recall, hah) and we have Hayden White on the books too. Not to mention Academy product Joe Riley - a player Lennon let go. All the while we had a player, not of our own, plugging the gap - McNaughton.

[Lost Leopard Spot]

Following the Hull match, he's at it again, spouting shite:
"satisfied with the performance..." - Really?
"needed more from his midfield" - again, really? not your forwards, or defenders?
"...Madine...might have made a difference" - so might my granny.

[Bijou Bob]

According to C5's footie show last night, NL answered a question as to whether he was the right man to get us out of this with "Possibly not". Interesting if true.

[Burnden Paddock]

According to C5's footie show last night, NL answered a question as to whether he was the right man to get us out of this with "Possibly nit". Interesting if true.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/35084988