Home
Just when Neil Lennon thought he’d solved one problem at Wanderers, along comes another to bite him in the behind.
Goals had been the problem at the start of the campaign, as Gary Madine and Co laboured to get themselves on the scoresheet.
Meanwhile, Lennon’s defence was being praised to the hilt, particularly as it featured a previously unknown quantity in Prince-Desire Gouano and three free transfers – Lawrie Wilson, Dorian Dervite and Dean Moxey.
Yet as Wanderers resume after the international break at Burnley the praise for their defensive efforts has dried up completely, leaving the manager yearning for a return to the clean-sheet mentality he had seen in the first few games.
“We have been working hard with the players on the psychology of the game and trying to find that balance of keeping it tight at the back and yet still scoring goals,” he explained to The Bolton News.
“We need to get some wins. You might say we need a spark but we’ve just scored three goals away from home, so how can we complain about that?
“The problem is that we have started to concede goals as well. We are leaking goals at the back and it was the reverse a few weeks ago.
“The work never stops and it’s a different set of problems but we’re working hard to put them right.”
Wanderers will come up against a high-profile attack at Turf Moor, with £9million man Andre Gray and on-song Wales international Sam Vokes likely to lead the line for tomorrow’s opponents.
But Lennon argues that too much has been made of his side’s decline over the international break, during which the 4-3 defeat at QPR has been ruminated by fans over and over again, and that his team are not – as some suggested at Loftus Road – soft-centred.
“You are talking about a specific game but over the course of the whole piece the mental strength has been decent,” he said.
“We’re not the best team in the league, we know that, but I don’t think we’re the worst by any means either. We’re better than our league position reflects too.
“There is room for improvement and that’s what I’ll endeavour to find. There are three games coming up over the next week but I think if we can bring a point home to the next two games here we can be pleased with it.
“Burnley is a tough prospect but it’s one that doesn’t faze us.”
Wanderers sit third bottom of the Championship going into the all-Lancashire clash and will be backed by more than 1,500 travelling fans on the day.
Frustration levels have certainly increased in recent weeks, with the manager himself coming in for criticism in some quarters, but Lennon believes the club’s current position at the wrong end of the table will only be a temporary one.
“We’re just not winning the games,” he said. “We’ve put ourselves in good positions or played well enough to win them, so it’s a source of frustration.
“The form, one win in nine, isn’t a reflection of the way we have played. But it’s the reality.
“You go to QPR and score three goals but come away with nothing it pretty hard to take.
“It’s game management and that’s what we’ve emphasised to the players since day one, really. Sometimes you have to make sure you get a point and come away from the game pretty happy with it.
“We are not a million miles away from being a decent team at this level but we need to start getting over the line and putting teams away.”
Burnley suffered a poor start after relegation from the Premier League last season but have since won five out of their last seven games, losing just once.
Sean Dyche’s men are among the favourites to go straight back up and Lennon admits it could be tough to stop them with the squad they managed to retain after the drop.
“You never can tell in this division but they've been there and done it,” he said. “The squad hasn't changed hugely. They lost Trippier and Ings but brought in quality players and the core is the same.
“They've a very good manager in Sean and they've good experience at this level. They've spent money as well so I'd imagine they'll be there or thereabouts.”
Source
Goals had been the problem at the start of the campaign, as Gary Madine and Co laboured to get themselves on the scoresheet.
Meanwhile, Lennon’s defence was being praised to the hilt, particularly as it featured a previously unknown quantity in Prince-Desire Gouano and three free transfers – Lawrie Wilson, Dorian Dervite and Dean Moxey.
Yet as Wanderers resume after the international break at Burnley the praise for their defensive efforts has dried up completely, leaving the manager yearning for a return to the clean-sheet mentality he had seen in the first few games.
“We have been working hard with the players on the psychology of the game and trying to find that balance of keeping it tight at the back and yet still scoring goals,” he explained to The Bolton News.
“We need to get some wins. You might say we need a spark but we’ve just scored three goals away from home, so how can we complain about that?
“The problem is that we have started to concede goals as well. We are leaking goals at the back and it was the reverse a few weeks ago.
“The work never stops and it’s a different set of problems but we’re working hard to put them right.”
Wanderers will come up against a high-profile attack at Turf Moor, with £9million man Andre Gray and on-song Wales international Sam Vokes likely to lead the line for tomorrow’s opponents.
But Lennon argues that too much has been made of his side’s decline over the international break, during which the 4-3 defeat at QPR has been ruminated by fans over and over again, and that his team are not – as some suggested at Loftus Road – soft-centred.
“You are talking about a specific game but over the course of the whole piece the mental strength has been decent,” he said.
“We’re not the best team in the league, we know that, but I don’t think we’re the worst by any means either. We’re better than our league position reflects too.
“There is room for improvement and that’s what I’ll endeavour to find. There are three games coming up over the next week but I think if we can bring a point home to the next two games here we can be pleased with it.
“Burnley is a tough prospect but it’s one that doesn’t faze us.”
Wanderers sit third bottom of the Championship going into the all-Lancashire clash and will be backed by more than 1,500 travelling fans on the day.
Frustration levels have certainly increased in recent weeks, with the manager himself coming in for criticism in some quarters, but Lennon believes the club’s current position at the wrong end of the table will only be a temporary one.
“We’re just not winning the games,” he said. “We’ve put ourselves in good positions or played well enough to win them, so it’s a source of frustration.
“The form, one win in nine, isn’t a reflection of the way we have played. But it’s the reality.
“You go to QPR and score three goals but come away with nothing it pretty hard to take.
“It’s game management and that’s what we’ve emphasised to the players since day one, really. Sometimes you have to make sure you get a point and come away from the game pretty happy with it.
“We are not a million miles away from being a decent team at this level but we need to start getting over the line and putting teams away.”
Burnley suffered a poor start after relegation from the Premier League last season but have since won five out of their last seven games, losing just once.
Sean Dyche’s men are among the favourites to go straight back up and Lennon admits it could be tough to stop them with the squad they managed to retain after the drop.
“You never can tell in this division but they've been there and done it,” he said. “The squad hasn't changed hugely. They lost Trippier and Ings but brought in quality players and the core is the same.
“They've a very good manager in Sean and they've good experience at this level. They've spent money as well so I'd imagine they'll be there or thereabouts.”
Source