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A year ago any progress, however slow, was difficult to imagine at Wanderers as the team sloped off from a demoralising 4-0 defeat at Fulham.
That result proved the final disappointing act in Dougie Freedman’s near two-year stay as manager and paved the way for a new regime under Neil Lennon.
By his own admission, the Northern Irishman has not managed to push the club on with the pace he would like - but considering the issues he inherited, is that really a surprise?
Wanderers head towards this weekend’s away game at QPR just one place above the relegation zone. But how far have they really come under Lennon? And what major problems are left for him to fix?
Here we examine some of the key issues of the Freedman regime and what has been done in the last 12 months to remedy them.
Squad Balance – Freedman spent nearly two years assembling a squad jam-packed with midfielders but with very little depth at full-back where Dean Moxey had yet to hit his stride and Chris Herd was struggling for form and fitness on his arrival from Aston Villa. The lack of trust in his back four was reflected in the number of defensive players used in front of the back four as extra insurance.
Has Lennon Solved It? – After using Josh Vela as an emergency right-back last season Lennon recruited Francesco Pisano and Lawrie Wilson, plus Jose Manuel Casado as cover for the now-rejuvenated Moxey.
The weight of midfield has been pushed further forward with Medo Kamara and Jay Spearing the big casualties as Neil Danns and Mark Davies – two players used as attacking options by Freedman – have been positioned in front of the back four. That allows Lennon to use a trio of attacking players in behind a target man, which has led to the rise of Zach Clough, Wellington Silva and Max Clayton.
Relationship With The Fans – It is fair to say that Freedman was never fully embraced by the Wanderers fans, even as he led the team to within a point of the play-offs. Many believe the root of that problem was his continual insistence that he was ‘educating’ regulars at the Macron, who would come round to his way of thinking.
As the protests built up in intensity the decision to sack Freedman was undoubtedly influenced by the fact there was a home game against Bournemouth on the immediate horizon.
Has Lennon Solved It? – If the manager has one thing going for him, it’s the common touch, and it was a characteristic that served him extremely well at Celtic. Football fans like his passion for the game because it mirrors their own.
There have been some clever little PR touches along the way – such as responding in person to a young fan’s letter applying for the vacant job – but the majority of the good work has been down to Lennon’s own honest and straightforward demeanour.
The league position is not dramatically different between the two points in time yet the feeling around the club feels poles apart.
Leaky Defence – Freedman’s side had conceded 19 goals in their opening 10 games and this despite the perception the Scot’s team had been set up with defence in mind.
The back four was very unsettled. Nine different players were used in defence over the first eight games with Tim Ream filling-in every position.
Has Lennon Solved It? – The job is by no means complete but a steady-ish 12 goals conceded in the opening nine games, four of which were at Huddersfield, is a small step in the right direction.
Lennon has voiced reservations over the lack of physicality in his side and once Darren Pratley, Emile Heskey and Dervite are fit again we may be in a better place to judge the true extent of defensive improvements.
The manager has brought a different side out in Neil Danns’ game in midfield and harnessed Mark Davies’ natural energy to make sure his two holding players can contribute at both ends of the pitch, remedying the stagnation in possession that was often felt in Freedman’s time.
Derik Osede and Prince-Desire Gouano have also looked solid purchases in the first couple of months of the season, and David Wheater’s return to fitness is also a big boost.
Gap Up Front – Missing out on the permanent transfer of Lukas Jutkiewicz was a massive blow for Freedman and while he tried to plug the gap once more with Joe Mason and get more out of Jermain Beckford, his system was geared up exclusively for the former Middlesbrough front man.
Wanderers had scored seven goals in 10 games by the end of that nightmarish night at Craven Cottage, one better than the current crop.
Has Lennon Solved It? The short answer is, no. The Whites had never scored fewer goals after eight games, and took an age to get off the mark at all when Stephen Dobbie scored against Nottingham Forest.
Now that Gary Madine has broken his duck the situation looks a little brighter and in fairness, the number of chances being created seems much higher than 12 months ago.
Source
That result proved the final disappointing act in Dougie Freedman’s near two-year stay as manager and paved the way for a new regime under Neil Lennon.
By his own admission, the Northern Irishman has not managed to push the club on with the pace he would like - but considering the issues he inherited, is that really a surprise?
Wanderers head towards this weekend’s away game at QPR just one place above the relegation zone. But how far have they really come under Lennon? And what major problems are left for him to fix?
Here we examine some of the key issues of the Freedman regime and what has been done in the last 12 months to remedy them.
Squad Balance – Freedman spent nearly two years assembling a squad jam-packed with midfielders but with very little depth at full-back where Dean Moxey had yet to hit his stride and Chris Herd was struggling for form and fitness on his arrival from Aston Villa. The lack of trust in his back four was reflected in the number of defensive players used in front of the back four as extra insurance.
Has Lennon Solved It? – After using Josh Vela as an emergency right-back last season Lennon recruited Francesco Pisano and Lawrie Wilson, plus Jose Manuel Casado as cover for the now-rejuvenated Moxey.
The weight of midfield has been pushed further forward with Medo Kamara and Jay Spearing the big casualties as Neil Danns and Mark Davies – two players used as attacking options by Freedman – have been positioned in front of the back four. That allows Lennon to use a trio of attacking players in behind a target man, which has led to the rise of Zach Clough, Wellington Silva and Max Clayton.
Relationship With The Fans – It is fair to say that Freedman was never fully embraced by the Wanderers fans, even as he led the team to within a point of the play-offs. Many believe the root of that problem was his continual insistence that he was ‘educating’ regulars at the Macron, who would come round to his way of thinking.
As the protests built up in intensity the decision to sack Freedman was undoubtedly influenced by the fact there was a home game against Bournemouth on the immediate horizon.
Has Lennon Solved It? – If the manager has one thing going for him, it’s the common touch, and it was a characteristic that served him extremely well at Celtic. Football fans like his passion for the game because it mirrors their own.
There have been some clever little PR touches along the way – such as responding in person to a young fan’s letter applying for the vacant job – but the majority of the good work has been down to Lennon’s own honest and straightforward demeanour.
The league position is not dramatically different between the two points in time yet the feeling around the club feels poles apart.
Leaky Defence – Freedman’s side had conceded 19 goals in their opening 10 games and this despite the perception the Scot’s team had been set up with defence in mind.
The back four was very unsettled. Nine different players were used in defence over the first eight games with Tim Ream filling-in every position.
Has Lennon Solved It? – The job is by no means complete but a steady-ish 12 goals conceded in the opening nine games, four of which were at Huddersfield, is a small step in the right direction.
Lennon has voiced reservations over the lack of physicality in his side and once Darren Pratley, Emile Heskey and Dervite are fit again we may be in a better place to judge the true extent of defensive improvements.
The manager has brought a different side out in Neil Danns’ game in midfield and harnessed Mark Davies’ natural energy to make sure his two holding players can contribute at both ends of the pitch, remedying the stagnation in possession that was often felt in Freedman’s time.
Derik Osede and Prince-Desire Gouano have also looked solid purchases in the first couple of months of the season, and David Wheater’s return to fitness is also a big boost.
Gap Up Front – Missing out on the permanent transfer of Lukas Jutkiewicz was a massive blow for Freedman and while he tried to plug the gap once more with Joe Mason and get more out of Jermain Beckford, his system was geared up exclusively for the former Middlesbrough front man.
Wanderers had scored seven goals in 10 games by the end of that nightmarish night at Craven Cottage, one better than the current crop.
Has Lennon Solved It? The short answer is, no. The Whites had never scored fewer goals after eight games, and took an age to get off the mark at all when Stephen Dobbie scored against Nottingham Forest.
Now that Gary Madine has broken his duck the situation looks a little brighter and in fairness, the number of chances being created seems much higher than 12 months ago.
Source
