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Twelve months ago the FA Cup had been kind to Neil Lennon – Wanderers had dumped out local rivals Wigan Athletic and held Liverpool to a goalless draw at Anfield.
The eyes of the nation were on the Whites boss and the progress his side had made during his first few months in charge.
But 90 cruel minutes later Liverpool scraped a 2-1 win thanks to a Philippe Coutinho wonder strike and the rot started to set in.
Wanderers staggered to the end of the season where the true extent of their financial problems began to surface. Now, as they prepare to dip their toes into the competition once again it is hard to tell who needs a lucrative cup run more – non-league opposition, or the cash-crippled Whites?
Lennon let his thoughts drift back to last January and facing his fellow Northern Irishman Rodgers at a time when his own stock at Bolton was at its highest.
And he admits the FA Cup might owe his side something after proving an unnecessary distraction to league progression last season.
“We were strong at the time of the Liverpool game,” he told The Bolton News. “It did effect our league form eventually. But we did sell Chungy at that time who was a big player for us.
“Then we picked up a horrendous amount of injuries. I was thinking about the changes in the squad from then until now. We were so much stronger than we are now.”
Whereas many were rooting for Wanderers when they went to Anfield last year, tomorrow they are cast as villains in a late festive pantomime.
Lennon would like to think another big draw lies ahead in the fourth round but cannot look too far into the future.
“It would nice to go on a run but we have to negotiate Eastleigh first,” he said. “It is their big day and we have to make sure we are prepared.
“It means a lot to the people of Eastleigh. They have done well to get this stage of the cup. So, we have to do our job properly.”
As Eastleigh did not play last weekend, scouts were unable to run their eye over tomorrow’s opponents in the usual manner. But thankfully, Wanderers have someone in the know.
“We have some footage of Eastleigh but ironically one of our analysts’ dad is the assistant manager there,” grinned Lennon.
Vinny North, son of Chris Todd’s right hand man Shaun North, has worked at Wanderers since being installed by Dougie Freedman in 2013.
“They’ll be getting a bit of insight on us and we’ll do it on them,” Lennon added. “I’ve been trying to get as much info as I can. I’d imagine his loyalties are a bit split so he’s been trying to stay out of my way.”
Nothing but victory will be seen as good enough against the only non-league side left in the competition but Lennon reckons the fear of failure should drive his side on.
“It could be a reality, we could go out,” Lennon added. “It is something we’re not trying to think about too much. We’re not playing that badly. We’re inconsistent, I’ll give you that, but we’re not playing that badly.
“It’s a game we need to have our full concentration on and then look towards Sheffield Wednesday after that.
“We must try and get through the tie – it’s really important.”
Source
The eyes of the nation were on the Whites boss and the progress his side had made during his first few months in charge.
But 90 cruel minutes later Liverpool scraped a 2-1 win thanks to a Philippe Coutinho wonder strike and the rot started to set in.
Wanderers staggered to the end of the season where the true extent of their financial problems began to surface. Now, as they prepare to dip their toes into the competition once again it is hard to tell who needs a lucrative cup run more – non-league opposition, or the cash-crippled Whites?
Lennon let his thoughts drift back to last January and facing his fellow Northern Irishman Rodgers at a time when his own stock at Bolton was at its highest.
And he admits the FA Cup might owe his side something after proving an unnecessary distraction to league progression last season.
“We were strong at the time of the Liverpool game,” he told The Bolton News. “It did effect our league form eventually. But we did sell Chungy at that time who was a big player for us.
“Then we picked up a horrendous amount of injuries. I was thinking about the changes in the squad from then until now. We were so much stronger than we are now.”
Whereas many were rooting for Wanderers when they went to Anfield last year, tomorrow they are cast as villains in a late festive pantomime.
Lennon would like to think another big draw lies ahead in the fourth round but cannot look too far into the future.
“It would nice to go on a run but we have to negotiate Eastleigh first,” he said. “It is their big day and we have to make sure we are prepared.
“It means a lot to the people of Eastleigh. They have done well to get this stage of the cup. So, we have to do our job properly.”
As Eastleigh did not play last weekend, scouts were unable to run their eye over tomorrow’s opponents in the usual manner. But thankfully, Wanderers have someone in the know.
“We have some footage of Eastleigh but ironically one of our analysts’ dad is the assistant manager there,” grinned Lennon.
Vinny North, son of Chris Todd’s right hand man Shaun North, has worked at Wanderers since being installed by Dougie Freedman in 2013.
“They’ll be getting a bit of insight on us and we’ll do it on them,” Lennon added. “I’ve been trying to get as much info as I can. I’d imagine his loyalties are a bit split so he’s been trying to stay out of my way.”
Nothing but victory will be seen as good enough against the only non-league side left in the competition but Lennon reckons the fear of failure should drive his side on.
“It could be a reality, we could go out,” Lennon added. “It is something we’re not trying to think about too much. We’re not playing that badly. We’re inconsistent, I’ll give you that, but we’re not playing that badly.
“It’s a game we need to have our full concentration on and then look towards Sheffield Wednesday after that.
“We must try and get through the tie – it’s really important.”
Source