Lennon announced on Offish site

[thebish]

For just a brief second there, I got a little bit excited. I had to sit down soon afterwards as I felt a little bit dizzy.

I hope that this vague feeling of hope and euphoria doesn't last too long. I'm not sure I could handle it........

good to have you back Bench!

[officer_dibble]

Weirdly bobo they are not staying in our hotel. Dont ask me how i know, but i do know!

Must be fully booked up and raking it in...

Also i understand he was miffed by some of the commuting distances some put in. Mark davies lives birmingham way i believe?

[bobo the clown]

Weirdly bobo they are not staying in our hotel. Dont ask me how i know, but i do know!

Must be fully booked up and raking it in...

Also i understand he was miffed by some of the commuting distances some put in. Mark davies lives birmingham way i believe?

Amazed .... & bllx to this "don't ask me how I know" ... spill man, spill.

[thebish]

I'm impressed by the plan to get the players staying in a hotel together the night before every game (I think he says home games as well as away games?)

This ought to keep them in line, and get them focused on the job in hand (and may also be good for team spirit).

Sound thinking. Hope it makes a difference.

hotel?? bollox - how does that get them together - they all bugger off to separate pamper-rooms to play video games, drink the mini-bar and get massages from our resident masseur-man!

church hall floor - sleeping bags and roll-mats - dirt cheap and real group bonding! saves money - builds team spirit - everyone's a winner! couple of minibuses to get them to the game next day...

[EverSoYouri]

I'm impressed by the plan to get the players staying in a hotel together the night before every game (I think he says home games as well as away games?)

This ought to keep them in line, and get them focused on the job in hand (and may also be good for team spirit).

Sound thinking. Hope it makes a difference.

hotel?? bollox - how does that get them together - they all bugger off to separate pamper-rooms to play video games, drink the mini-bar and get massages from our resident masseur-man!

church hall floor - sleeping bags and roll-mats - dirt cheap and real group bonding! saves money - builds team spirit - everyone's a winner! couple of minibuses to get them to the game next day...

Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses?

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

So the club have announced a successor to Jamie Fullarton in charge of the U21s (or Development squad, or reserves): Iain Brunskill. An interesting appointment.

A Scouser born on Bonfire Night 1976, he's only 37 (for now) but he's been coaching for 16 years. As a kid he was on Liverpool's books, but left for Bury in 1996 and didn't get in there either.

Presumably ruling out riches as a player, he returned to Liverpool's brand-new Academy in March 1998 as assistant academy technical director - at the age of 21 - and combined those duties with a non-league playing career at places like Leek, Hednesford and Runcorn.

He stayed at the Academy (under Frank McParland, later of this parish) for 10 years until August 2008, when Paul Ince made him manager of Blackburn's reserves/development team; Allardyce kept him on and Steve Kean promoted him to first-team coach in December 2010, shortly after he gained his UEFA Pro licence. Henning Berg kept him on too but he jumped off the Blackburn barmy-bus in December 2012. He was in charge of Blackburn's U21s for 24 games, using 56 (!) players, with an average PPG of 1.46.

He then became head coach of Maltese Premier League side Floriana - played 10, won 9, drew 1 - and left in June 2013 to work for the FA as youth coach educator. In May he was odds-on to become Tranmere manager, but instead they went with Rob Edwards (and sacked him last month, bottom of the league. Heh!)

He says: “I’m delighted to be at Bolton Wanderers. It’s a wonderful opportunity at a wonderful football club. The club has an excellent structure and facilities. I’ve had 18 months with the FA, which was good and really beneficial.

"The manager has come from a development background and we’ve already spoken about how important it is for us to be promoting from within. We have a big group of development players and I’m looking forward to working with them. I know a lot of the guys already at the academy and we have a good and very experienced setup. It’s now up to myself to work alongside Andy Hughes and push our development players on.”

Interesting that he mentions working "alongside" Andy Hughes, who has obviously impressed Lennon but not enough to be trusted yet with the job of turning our Academy's finest into players ready for the first team. Which seems fair enough. Oh and this also nails the coffin lid on the idea of resurrecting Tomo's career.

[bobo the clown]

That is some CV for such a young guy. Sort of Sammy Lee without the medals.

Lennon continues to pick & chose and seems to know what he's up to.

[officer_dibble]

Got his work cut out. Sev squad under 18 version got spanked 7-0 today. Because no-one manning the ship? Is jiminhio still in charge?

[bobo the clown]

Coz it wss Man Citeh ???

[officer_dibble]

Josh Vela at right back. Mans a genius!

Centre mids making right backs, what next, a forward at left back?

[Peter Thompson]

I know we have FFP and we haven't got a pot to piss in....

But with the 'reputed' interested Thai investors & ED, and the new rules around FFP, if there is any money at all available - wouldn't you just trust NL to use it correctly.

With just a little financial backing - IMO NL will get us up in the next year or two.

[SmokinFrazier]

Just looking at our fixtures, I really fancy us to start putting together a lot of points over the next month or so. The old point about there being 'no easy games in the Championship' is true but we have a lot of favourable fixtures coming up.

Our next game is at Blackpool, who are terrible and we should beat easily. After that, we're at home to Huddersfield who are a solid enough team but we're playing well at home and I can't see them beating us. After that, we've got Reading away, Ipswich home and Millwall away. Three solid teams, though I'm glad we've got Ipswich at home because they're the best side we'll be facing until January. Once those three are out of the way, we've got Blackburn at home, who I think we'll beat, and then Huddersfield away.

That period of 7 games is favourable to us, with all the hardest games on paper being at home, so I really hope we can get a good points tally for that period. If we can maintain a PPG of 2 until January, which I think is well within our capabilities at the moment, things will be look very bright going into 2015. January isn't looking bad either and if we're going into that month off an impressive December, I don't see anything there to worry about too much and picking up plenty of points from now until January will help us through a tough looking February.

I'm optimistic about the play offs, honestly. I know a lot of people are still holding back, and maybe my optimism will be proven to be completely wrong in a couple of months, but I like the way things are going and I think we've been fortunate to have a decent run until February.

[Hoboh]

I know we have FFP and we haven't got a pot to piss in....

But with the 'reputed' interested Thai investors & ED, and the new rules around FFP, if there is any money at all available - wouldn't you just trust NL to use it correctly.

With just a little financial backing - IMO NL will get us up in the next year or two.

If we start to set the championship on fire I doubt Keith will be with us a couple of years. I'd wish him well and thank him for saving the football side of the club in that case.

[Bruce Rioja]

Our next game is at Blackpool, who are terrible and we should beat easily.

We can only hope that Lennon won't let the players entertain similar thoughts.

[LeverEnd]

Our next game is at Blackpool, who are terrible and we should beat easily.

We can only hope that Lennon won't let the players entertain similar thoughts.

I doubt it, he's used to getting players up for games against utterly shite opposition!
I have no such qualms, we'll shit 'em.

[bobo the clown]

↑↑↑ well argued young man. Immutable logic.

[LeverEnd]

↑↑↑ well argued young man. Immutable loguc.

You are too kind, sensei.

[malcd1]

Neil Lennon will be a guest on the Monday Night Club on Radio 5. It doesn't say when he is on but the programme starts at 7pm.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

MNC guests are normally on all night. I'm not a regular listener but I play football 9-10 and I hear it either side (well actually I think it finishes at 10).

Warning: May contain Claridge.

[malcd1]

MNC guests are normally on all night. I'm not a regular listener but I play football 9-10 and I hear it either side (well actually I think it finishes at 10).

Warning: May contain Claridge.

Tomorrow the programme is on between 7pm and 9pm. Rugby is on straight afterwards so you may hear it DSB.