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Having patched-up and made-do for too long, Neil Lennon is ready to call for some specialists this summer.
Desperate times have called for some desperate measures in recent seasons at the Macron and using players out of position has started to become the norm.
Whether it be to plug gaps left by injury or simply because limited finance has left the club unable to sign a replacement, Lennon agrees there are too many of his squad currently uncomfortable with what is being asked of them on the pitch.
His solution? Get some round pegs for round holes.
Whether it be centre-halves used as full-backs like Tim Ream or Alex Baptiste, midfielders brought back to help the defence like Josh Vela, or even Darren Pratley filling a left wing role, there has been an imbalance in the Whites squad for some time now.
And taking little away from that quartet, who particularly in the case of Ream and Vela have made an almost seamless transition, Lennon intends to change it as quickly as possible.
“We need some specialists, I think that’s a good way of putting it,” he told The Bolton News.
“There are some positions where we just haven’t had enough cover since the day I came in and we can’t be in this position again next season.
“We’ve had defensive problems and right-back is definitely an area we have to look at. I think centre-half is as well.
“But we also need to look at the striker situation. We’ve got Emile Heskey who has given us everything and done well, and then Adam Le Fondre, who isn’t even our player but has done great.
“With Zach Clough, Craig Davies and Max Clayton missing we have been very, very light and I need more options. It can’t continue.”
Unfamiliarity with the formation has also been an issue, not least the divisive 3-5-2 system which Lennon has favoured since the New Year.
Initially brought in to allow Vela to move into midfield and to play two strikers, the shape has brought about some mixed results, not to mention reviews on the terraces.
But Lennon has indicated that the formation will be one he uses next season and so must now bring in some players who look more comfortable playing it.
Time, stresses the manager is of the essence.
“I want us to be decisive on players. I want us to be decisive on getting players in early and make sure we’ve got them for pre-season,” he said.
“We’ve made our decision on a few players already and we know what we want to do. I’ll be glad when the season closes because a few of them have been dragging their heels over the line a little bit.”
The last hurdle is Saturday’s home clash with Birmingham City, which has a maximum of two league places riding on it.
Unlike last season when the Blues turned up needing victory to avoid relegation, their form in the second half of the campaign has been enough to earn a comfortable mid-table finish.
So before Lennon turns his attention towards recruitment, the Northern Irishman must look to preserve some goodwill from home supporters going into the summer.
“The home form has been the one positive to take out of a disappointing season,” he said. “I want to finish on a high and I’m obviously disappointed with the performance against Bournemouth.
“We were patched up again – McCarthy, Mills and Vela out, Mark Davies playing his first game for a long time.
“We are a little bit lightweight but I expect more from some of the players out there.
“We know we’ve got a lot of hard work on our hands this summer but I don’t want to write off Saturday, it’s important we put on a show for the supporters because they’ve been great with us.”
Source
Desperate times have called for some desperate measures in recent seasons at the Macron and using players out of position has started to become the norm.
Whether it be to plug gaps left by injury or simply because limited finance has left the club unable to sign a replacement, Lennon agrees there are too many of his squad currently uncomfortable with what is being asked of them on the pitch.
His solution? Get some round pegs for round holes.
Whether it be centre-halves used as full-backs like Tim Ream or Alex Baptiste, midfielders brought back to help the defence like Josh Vela, or even Darren Pratley filling a left wing role, there has been an imbalance in the Whites squad for some time now.
And taking little away from that quartet, who particularly in the case of Ream and Vela have made an almost seamless transition, Lennon intends to change it as quickly as possible.
“We need some specialists, I think that’s a good way of putting it,” he told The Bolton News.
“There are some positions where we just haven’t had enough cover since the day I came in and we can’t be in this position again next season.
“We’ve had defensive problems and right-back is definitely an area we have to look at. I think centre-half is as well.
“But we also need to look at the striker situation. We’ve got Emile Heskey who has given us everything and done well, and then Adam Le Fondre, who isn’t even our player but has done great.
“With Zach Clough, Craig Davies and Max Clayton missing we have been very, very light and I need more options. It can’t continue.”
Unfamiliarity with the formation has also been an issue, not least the divisive 3-5-2 system which Lennon has favoured since the New Year.
Initially brought in to allow Vela to move into midfield and to play two strikers, the shape has brought about some mixed results, not to mention reviews on the terraces.
But Lennon has indicated that the formation will be one he uses next season and so must now bring in some players who look more comfortable playing it.
Time, stresses the manager is of the essence.
“I want us to be decisive on players. I want us to be decisive on getting players in early and make sure we’ve got them for pre-season,” he said.
“We’ve made our decision on a few players already and we know what we want to do. I’ll be glad when the season closes because a few of them have been dragging their heels over the line a little bit.”
The last hurdle is Saturday’s home clash with Birmingham City, which has a maximum of two league places riding on it.
Unlike last season when the Blues turned up needing victory to avoid relegation, their form in the second half of the campaign has been enough to earn a comfortable mid-table finish.
So before Lennon turns his attention towards recruitment, the Northern Irishman must look to preserve some goodwill from home supporters going into the summer.
“The home form has been the one positive to take out of a disappointing season,” he said. “I want to finish on a high and I’m obviously disappointed with the performance against Bournemouth.
“We were patched up again – McCarthy, Mills and Vela out, Mark Davies playing his first game for a long time.
“We are a little bit lightweight but I expect more from some of the players out there.
“We know we’ve got a lot of hard work on our hands this summer but I don’t want to write off Saturday, it’s important we put on a show for the supporters because they’ve been great with us.”
Source