Neil Lennon

Where did I say he should have subbed Frimpong ?

I was pointing out that by leaving guys on for the full 90 mins when we have guys decent enough to see out games is risking that type of thing happening when it could be prevented.

Must fill guys like Bayo with confidence getting to walk on the pitch for just in time for the whistle blowing.

 

Well if he doesn't sub Frimpong then he still gets the injury.

If we had been more comfortably up then I'd have got the subs on but that game was still in the balance. The defence looked far from convincing and given how little Bauer has shown, he was probably reluctant to throw him in there in the chance it made things worse.

Aye it's not ideal getting thrown on in injury time but it's clear that was Lennon just taking the sting out of the game and getting Bayo for aerial ability, in the event Kilmarnock started going route 1.

Bayo will get his chance at some point but for now the important thing is that we keep picking up 3 points.

 

Could have stuck Taylor on for McGregor, Ntcham or Brown and went to a flat 5 at the back if he was concerned about seeing the game out.

Just seems unnecessary leaving guys on the full 90 when we play so many games and had a 2 goal cushion.

Anyway. Hopefully we pick up again. Good to see that he's trying a different formation and giving Griffiths a chance again as his goals could be crucial. Makes us less obvious to play against as well knowing that he isn't sticking with the one way of playing.

 

A bit worried he was 'ecstatic' with the performance last night. We were sloppy as * at times.

 

On the subs, it feels like we either need to be drawing, losing or cruising in the game for a few subs to get a decent run out.

Lennon doesn’t seem comfortable bringing a sub into a game where we have a slender lead, or even a 2 goal lead, like last night.

Hopefully we’ll start finishing teams off again so that we can use the bench more.

 

Hate to be negative after a win but I really hope Lennon's utilisation of substitutes doesn't come back to bite us this season.

I really don't get why Johnstone, who is just back from yet another injury, is sent onto a plastic pitch to replace Griffiths, when Klimala, a natural replacement, is sitting there itching to get on and make a mark. Unless he was trying to change the shape with 10 minutes remaining?

Also he clearly wasn't going to make the last 2 subs until he was forced to through injuries.

Worrying stuff.

 

He has been reluctant to make substitutions throughout his managerial career. If he hasn't learnt how use them by now, he never will.

(In before "Barcelona".)

 

Aye he deffo seems to needlessly keep player's on when no need..

 

Good result and important win..

Ecstatic with the result, would be understandable but we were sloppy at times and wasteful in front of goal. There’s definite room for an improvement.

Just want us to click into that higher gear, we’ve got the players to blow teams away but we’re just not quite there.

Hopefully with a home game on Sat and with two games under our belt after the break, we’ll see the kind of emphatic performance we’ve threatening.

 

He'll be doing the old MoN trick of giving the media absolutely nothing to latch onto

I'm sure there will be aspects of the game that he's not happy with and will speak to players individually.

All things considered (* surface, few injuries & suspensions, few players still short on match fitness and some poor officiating) it was a professional performance and a good win.

 

I honestly thought it was the best we've played there in year's. No perfect by any means but a lot of positives moving forward.....particularly with the new system and so many player's out..

No many teams go there and create as many we did. Could and should've been 3 by half time alone..

Defensively being countered and from cross ball's we still look fragile but our attitude, tempo and creativity was much more like it..

That pitch is brutal at the best of times but was especially hazardous and ice rink-like..

 

Aye, we've went there with better starting XIs in recent years and lost.

It had all the makings of a banana skin just after the break. Can't grumble with a 3-1.

 

Aye even luckily going ahead with flukey goals, creating fuckall and still dropping points and losing. Won there last year and played nowhere near as well either and created fuckall against 10 men til Broony last minute..

Most, even many of our own support probably had us down as dropping points there..

It was a big win..

 

I fear for us every time we play on plastic.

Seen far too many poor showings from us in the last few years on them.

We changed it up with the 2 up top and it worked very well.

Edouard and McGregor probably should've scored with their good chances and it would've been much more comfortable but overall a big win, as you say.

 

Same as we're usually bullied and Eddy is isolated..

2 up with a high press is the way forward and exactly how we should go at Accies when they line-up with 5 at the back next week.....and definitely at Livi..

 

Definitely. It's never going to be pretty on this narrow, plastic pitches.

Their success against us is because we've been unwilling to deviate from our 4-2-3-1 that normally serves us well. Press against us on the wings and crowd the lone striker out and it makes it a frustrating 90 mins.

2 up top means their CBs need to go man-for-man.

Puts extra strain on the CMs as they're generally up against an extra man. Going on his highlights, looks like Soro's energy could be useful if we're going that way. Thinking along the lines of Kante for Leicester in 2015/16 when they went 4-4-2.

 

Being flexible is something these side's don't expect..

Even Clarke said the other night that Dyer would've prepared for us going 1 up top all week. That's what I like to hear. Don't want us being easy to read and we do have the players to change it up more..

Two up top with one dropping and one playing on the shoulder is always gonna cause defences problems with the quality we have..

Soro will deffo add a lot I think bud. Even Kimala with his pace, pressing and willingness to go in behind..

A left sided dominant centre half and another creative/pacey winger and we're laughing..

 

I'll start the rumour and give Lenny the excuse/reason he needs for this - He has been told by Pete to not use subs... as the win bonus is only payable to those players who get on the pitch, so its Pete at fault here ..


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