Home
This was the appointment designed to put Bolton Wanderers back on the footballing map and yet Neil Lennon left the Macron Stadium yesterday with the club staring League One football straight in the face.
The world took notice when Lennon – winner of three SPL titles with Celtic, slayer of mighty Barcelona – walked into a job at the foot of the Championship.
Dougie Freedman had left behind a team bereft of confidence and a deeply-dissatisfied fan-base that had also turned against the Wanderers’ ownership. Little did they realise that by the end of the Northern Irishman’s 17-months at the helm, he too would have completely lost faith with the men who first employed him.
Lennon was on the verge of accepting a job in the Middle East when Phil Gartside made his move. The former Whites chairman had spoken with Chris Hughton, Malky Mackay and also sounded out Tony Mowbray but felt the former Leicester City midfielder had the charisma and gravitas he had searched for in a manager since Sam Allardyce left.
Capturing his signature was regarded as a coup, and Gartside knew it. Whereas previous managers had been unveiled with a minimum of fuss, the attention lavished on Lennon’s arrival really did underline what a reputation he had in the game.
Lennon wasted little time signalling his intent to get the club back to the big time, proving his own worth to the top flight clubs that had overlooked him in the summer.
Articulate, charming, he quickly got Bolton under a spell. Even being sent to the stands in his first game in charge at Birmingham City was viewed as cheeky, rather than childish.
Lennon learned quickly there would be a world of difference between the group he left behind at Celtic, one accustomed to winning games and filled with leaders in his own image, to the one he inherited at Bolton.
Early defeats against Charlton and Norwich hinted at his unease with the balance of the squad but having found a straightforward system and style of play, results quickly picked up.
One early PR masterstroke was to break down the internal walls that had been created under Freedman between the academy and the first team. That signalled the rapid rise of players such as Josh Vela, Zach Clough and Tom Walker whose talent looked like being wasted before his arrival as manager.
At the other end of the scale, Lennon reached quickly for some lieutenants he could trust. In came former Foxes team-mate Emile Heskey and ex-Wanderers star Eidur Gudjohnsen, both players who intensified the media glare the club was now basking in again.
By the time Heskey scored on debut against Blackburn on Boxing Day 2014, the club was talking of a genuine play-off push.
FA Cup success brought another blaze of national attention – Clough’s goal to beat Wigan in round three enough to earn a tie at Liverpool. With echoes of White Hot nights under Bruce Rioch, Lennon’s side bravely earned a replay and were desperately unlucky in the second game too.
Little did we know, that was the high point. It was all downhill from there.
He was not the first Bolton boss to be unlucky with injuries but Lennon’s list was particularly cruel as 2015 began. It was here the manager’s recruitment skills were tested for the first time, and the results were decidedly mixed.
Of a raft of loan signings only Adam Le Fondre and Barry Bannan could be described as successful, both coming at a significant cost.
Lennon saw the team over the line, fulfilled the criteria set out in his job interview, and set his sights on rebuilding.
At the same time, Eddie Davies’s decision to withdraw funding left Gartside in a difficult position trying to appease the ambitious manager.
The Northern Irishman wanted to re-sign Le Fondre but lost out to Wolves, he wanted to keep Adam Bogdan but lost him to Liverpool, he wanted money to spend but was forced to make do and mend.
Gudjohnsen was released without explanation, while big earners such as Matt Mills, Jermaine Beckford and Andy Lonergan also helped to curb the wage bill by more than £10million a year.
Lennon was briefly mentioned as a possible replacement for Nigel Pearson at his old club Leicester – who were destined for great things in the season ahead.
Steadily the sheen was coming off for Lennon as first his pre-season preparations were strongly criticised by renowned football fitness coach Raymond Verheijen, then the bookmakers made his side favourites for the drop.
The sale of Tim Ream was a turning point for the manager, who had been promised the proceeds of the American’s move to Fulham. But just a few months later he was told the tank was empty and that two planned loan moves for Wolves’ Rajiv van la Parra and Liverpool’s Joao Teixeira would have to be scrapped.
With no cash to spend Lennon had to get the best out of what he already had in the squad. But it was here that aspects of his own man-management was called into question.
On his arrival the previous October, Lennon's fierce and uncompromising approach had snapped the players out of their malaise. Players like Jay Spearing and Liam Trotter had been jettisoned but suddenly he needed to get the best out of them once again.
As the financial situation went from bad to worse and chairman Gartside retreated from active duty, Lennon found himself answering questions on takeovers and administration that were simply not designed for a football manager.
Lennon had been kept in the dark – and fans sympathised with him over it – but revelations in a Sunday tabloid about his private life would prove to be a hammer blow to his popularity.
Wanderers seriously examined the option of sacking Lennon for gross misconduct but in the end the club felt they should stand by him as recompense for him staying with them through the financial mess.
Performances generally improved over the last few months but the team’s rigid tactical base left some players feeling woefully under-used.
Rob Holding and Kaiyne Woolery’s rise to prominence gave some promise for the future but Lennon’s own signings – Lawrie Wilson, Prince Desire-Gouano, Jose Manuel Casado, Francesco Pisano – were either frozen out or shipped out altogether as costs were cut further.
By the time the protracted takeover reached a conclusion, Lennon looked like the proverbial sitting duck. It was always a matter of when, and not if, the new ownership would make a change.
He did not help his own cause by falling out publicly with his own players, Gary Madine and Josh Vela to name but two. Frustration had got the better of him long before yesterday’s appointment.
What damage has been done to the reputation of the man that arrived in October 2014 remains to be seen. For Wanderers, the destruction witnessed on Lennon’s watch could take a lot longer to heal, even if the manager cannot be held chiefly responsible.
Source
The world took notice when Lennon – winner of three SPL titles with Celtic, slayer of mighty Barcelona – walked into a job at the foot of the Championship.
Dougie Freedman had left behind a team bereft of confidence and a deeply-dissatisfied fan-base that had also turned against the Wanderers’ ownership. Little did they realise that by the end of the Northern Irishman’s 17-months at the helm, he too would have completely lost faith with the men who first employed him.
Lennon was on the verge of accepting a job in the Middle East when Phil Gartside made his move. The former Whites chairman had spoken with Chris Hughton, Malky Mackay and also sounded out Tony Mowbray but felt the former Leicester City midfielder had the charisma and gravitas he had searched for in a manager since Sam Allardyce left.
Capturing his signature was regarded as a coup, and Gartside knew it. Whereas previous managers had been unveiled with a minimum of fuss, the attention lavished on Lennon’s arrival really did underline what a reputation he had in the game.
Lennon wasted little time signalling his intent to get the club back to the big time, proving his own worth to the top flight clubs that had overlooked him in the summer.
Articulate, charming, he quickly got Bolton under a spell. Even being sent to the stands in his first game in charge at Birmingham City was viewed as cheeky, rather than childish.
Lennon learned quickly there would be a world of difference between the group he left behind at Celtic, one accustomed to winning games and filled with leaders in his own image, to the one he inherited at Bolton.
Early defeats against Charlton and Norwich hinted at his unease with the balance of the squad but having found a straightforward system and style of play, results quickly picked up.
One early PR masterstroke was to break down the internal walls that had been created under Freedman between the academy and the first team. That signalled the rapid rise of players such as Josh Vela, Zach Clough and Tom Walker whose talent looked like being wasted before his arrival as manager.
At the other end of the scale, Lennon reached quickly for some lieutenants he could trust. In came former Foxes team-mate Emile Heskey and ex-Wanderers star Eidur Gudjohnsen, both players who intensified the media glare the club was now basking in again.
By the time Heskey scored on debut against Blackburn on Boxing Day 2014, the club was talking of a genuine play-off push.
FA Cup success brought another blaze of national attention – Clough’s goal to beat Wigan in round three enough to earn a tie at Liverpool. With echoes of White Hot nights under Bruce Rioch, Lennon’s side bravely earned a replay and were desperately unlucky in the second game too.
Little did we know, that was the high point. It was all downhill from there.
He was not the first Bolton boss to be unlucky with injuries but Lennon’s list was particularly cruel as 2015 began. It was here the manager’s recruitment skills were tested for the first time, and the results were decidedly mixed.
Of a raft of loan signings only Adam Le Fondre and Barry Bannan could be described as successful, both coming at a significant cost.
Lennon saw the team over the line, fulfilled the criteria set out in his job interview, and set his sights on rebuilding.
At the same time, Eddie Davies’s decision to withdraw funding left Gartside in a difficult position trying to appease the ambitious manager.
The Northern Irishman wanted to re-sign Le Fondre but lost out to Wolves, he wanted to keep Adam Bogdan but lost him to Liverpool, he wanted money to spend but was forced to make do and mend.
Gudjohnsen was released without explanation, while big earners such as Matt Mills, Jermaine Beckford and Andy Lonergan also helped to curb the wage bill by more than £10million a year.
Lennon was briefly mentioned as a possible replacement for Nigel Pearson at his old club Leicester – who were destined for great things in the season ahead.
Steadily the sheen was coming off for Lennon as first his pre-season preparations were strongly criticised by renowned football fitness coach Raymond Verheijen, then the bookmakers made his side favourites for the drop.
The sale of Tim Ream was a turning point for the manager, who had been promised the proceeds of the American’s move to Fulham. But just a few months later he was told the tank was empty and that two planned loan moves for Wolves’ Rajiv van la Parra and Liverpool’s Joao Teixeira would have to be scrapped.
With no cash to spend Lennon had to get the best out of what he already had in the squad. But it was here that aspects of his own man-management was called into question.
On his arrival the previous October, Lennon's fierce and uncompromising approach had snapped the players out of their malaise. Players like Jay Spearing and Liam Trotter had been jettisoned but suddenly he needed to get the best out of them once again.
As the financial situation went from bad to worse and chairman Gartside retreated from active duty, Lennon found himself answering questions on takeovers and administration that were simply not designed for a football manager.
Lennon had been kept in the dark – and fans sympathised with him over it – but revelations in a Sunday tabloid about his private life would prove to be a hammer blow to his popularity.
Wanderers seriously examined the option of sacking Lennon for gross misconduct but in the end the club felt they should stand by him as recompense for him staying with them through the financial mess.
Performances generally improved over the last few months but the team’s rigid tactical base left some players feeling woefully under-used.
Rob Holding and Kaiyne Woolery’s rise to prominence gave some promise for the future but Lennon’s own signings – Lawrie Wilson, Prince Desire-Gouano, Jose Manuel Casado, Francesco Pisano – were either frozen out or shipped out altogether as costs were cut further.
By the time the protracted takeover reached a conclusion, Lennon looked like the proverbial sitting duck. It was always a matter of when, and not if, the new ownership would make a change.
He did not help his own cause by falling out publicly with his own players, Gary Madine and Josh Vela to name but two. Frustration had got the better of him long before yesterday’s appointment.
What damage has been done to the reputation of the man that arrived in October 2014 remains to be seen. For Wanderers, the destruction witnessed on Lennon’s watch could take a lot longer to heal, even if the manager cannot be held chiefly responsible.
Source