The Lennon has no end product myth. (Assists/goals)

[Legend10]

I think the priorities arein no particular order)

GK
Midfield
Striker

Positionally, it will depend (as is usually the case) on availability/money/need & blending into the side.

Barring departures which would obviously change things I would proiritise (in a particular order)

Central midfiled 1 or even 2 players
Central defender
keeper
Left midfield

If Berba were to go then obviously a striker would go to the top of the list.

But any which way I look at it I can't see the right sided positions being anywhere near priority and therefore can't believe that young Aaron will be going anywhere any time soon.

 

[DC_Boy]

I dunno. I love the glory of a trophy, but not at the expense of the league.

Boro and Rovers won trophies, but they were shit and some could call it a one off. Looks like a 2nd rate club will win the FA Cup, it doesn't sit well with me. Average teams win cups at the expense of league form. Good teams do both.

I'll let you have the last word Kendall I profoundly disagree but it's all about opinions so I won't go on arguing the point

 

[Berbati]

I dunno. I love the glory of a trophy, but not at the expense of the league.

Boro and Rovers won trophies, but they were shit and some could call it a one off. Looks like a 2nd rate club will win the FA Cup, it doesn't sit well with me. Average teams win cups at the expense of league form. Good teams do both.

:up:

 

[paulspursman]

letting lennon go would turn out to be a big mistake thats all i know

 

[Stoof]

I dunno. I love the glory of a trophy, but not at the expense of the league.

Boro and Rovers won trophies, but they were shit and some could call it a one off. Looks like a 2nd rate club will win the FA Cup, it doesn't sit well with me. Average teams win cups at the expense of league form. Good teams do both.

I hope you expect your kids be able to sprint by the time they're 6 months old, otherwise you're going to be very disappointed.

Our league form has picked up during the course of our successful cup runs. Your judgment is far far too harsh. And I don't really know how you can form it. Technically you may be right. But to expect what you are expecting is just off the scale mate. It really is.

Yes, aim high etc. But don't forsake reality for it. :?

 

[drjimmy]

Barring departures which would obviously change things I would proiritise (in a particular order)

Central midfiled 1 or even 2 players
Central defender
keeper
Left midfield

I see them all as a priority!

Don't think the midfield, for instance, can do with an odd player here & there.

Midfield in the modern game, is where games are more often lost and a good quality midfield (not just decent component parts) is where we have been sorely lacking for many years.

As you say, departures are another thing entirely, but we do need significant strength in depth, if only to prevent half a team having to play out of position. And strength in depth is what we don't have a lot of.

 

[Kendall]

I hope you expect your kids be able to sprint by the time they're 6 months old, otherwise you're going to be very disappointed.

Our league form has picked up during the course of our successful cup runs. Your judgment is far far too harsh. And I don't really know how you can form it. Technically you may be right. But to expect what you are expecting is just off the scale mate. It really is.

Yes, aim high etc. But don't forsake reality for it. :?

I'm not

last year we had a 5th placed finish, 2 quarter finals and a semi final

I don't think it's unreaonable to suggest that 11th place and being 20 points off 5th after £50m spent is underachieving, even with a league cup win.

We have improved on our early start, but I still don't think we're anywhere near as good on the pitch as we look on paper.

 

[Stoof]

I'm not

last year we had a 5th placed finish, 2 quarter finals and a semi final

I don't think it's unreaonable to suggest that 11th place and being 20 points off 5th after £50m spent is underachieving, even with a league cup win.

We have improved on our early start, but I still don't think we're anywhere near as good on the pitch as we look on paper.

OK, OK. I see what you're getting at. But surely you had to reset your ambitions after that first Ramos meeting expose?

To be honest, after it all started going really downhill, I would have just taken staying in the League!

 

[SpurSince57]

I hope you expect your kids be able to sprint by the time they're 6 months old, otherwise you're going to be very disappointed.

Our league form has picked up during the course of our successful cup runs. Your judgment is far far too harsh. And I don't really know how you can form it. Technically you may be right. But to expect what you are expecting is just off the scale mate. It really is.

Yes, aim high etc. But don't forsake reality for it. :?

Despite some disappointing results we've averaged 1.65 PPG since Ramos took over, only marginally worse then Villa and slightly better than Pompey over the whole season; that equates to 62-63 points. Considering the starting-point, that's pretty damn good.

What should be obvious from the past three seasons is that when we are able to put out our best XI we can take on anyone with a good chance of success. If we can't—and for the past two seasons that's particularly been the case with the defence—we struggle.

As for Lennon, he was wildly overpraised in his first season and now we're seeing the reverse of the coin. We build 'em up, then knock 'em down—and then some people have the brass neck to complain when the tabloids do this. If he hasn't progressed as much as we'd hoped there are some pretty good reasons for this, and how anyone can assert that he (or the Hudd, for that matter) will not improve further when he's still only 20 beats me entirely. If they were 25 or 26 it would be a different matter entirely.

 

[yanno]

Apparently his omission from the starting line-up on Thursday is a clear indication that his days are numbered. :roll:

Which of course shows how pig-ignorant the football hacks really are. We pretty much concurred in the other threads that Lennon was omitted for tactical reasons (Juande wanted to outmaneouvre PSV in CM with a diamond), and because of our lack of available quality wide players (Hutton ineligible, Gilberto, Bale, BAE all unfit/injured).

Still, Inter apparently inquired after him in the January window. And having watched (well endured) 90 minutes of Inter Milan earlier this week, I can confirm unequivocally that they desperately need a player of Lennon's qualities...

 

[diegooners]

Think we ought to forget about any 'lemmon love-in' and just look to strengthen the side, in whichever position needs it.

Personally, I believe that Lemmon will not improve beyond the level he is currently at; which means that other players are improving.

Therefore, the question ought to be: "can a position/player be improved-upon" and if the answer is "yes" (and it suits the management's requirements) then we ought to do just that.

It's the way any club progresses.......

Your right. Hallelujah for rationality!

 

[paxtonyiddo]

Lennon offers no height at set pieces so imo he should be takin the kicks allowing hudd and JJ to get a head on the ball from his cross. This is an ideal situation.

 

[Kendall]

Your right. Hallelujah for rationality!

That is not rationality, there's nothing rational about it.

So we shouldn't look to develop our young talent into better players? bullshit

I don't want to be chelsea

 

[jonnie83]

I think his crossing will improve, I remember when Giggs first come on the scene it took him a few years to improve his crossing and he used to do extra training just on that

 

[Evolution]

Another thing to also note is that Cristiano Ronaldo's end product (crossing and shooting) was also bobbins when he first started out at Utd...now look at the guy. Probably the world's greatest player. I'm not saying Lennon can be up to that level but he has the ability within him to not be a million miles out.

 

[JKD76]

Has Lennon really improved over the last few seasons ?I dont think he has.
Will he improve in time ? Well who knows,but im not overly confident.The whole midfield needs drastic improvement.

 

[DC_Boy]

Oh and I know I promised to leave the us v Everton debate I was having with Kendall - but I just have to post this - currently we're leading the Toffees 6-2 in terms of league finishes this decade - so not only do we have the glory we have the lge consistency over them too-

our Cup may be a one-off - but their 'none-off' over this decade hasn't helped them in the lge to overcome us -

they'll make it 6-3, but we've got the decade in the bag and I reckon it'll be 7-3 come 2009

apologies again for coming back on this - but couldn't resist the stats

actually I've got some more stats - i'll make a new thread of it

 

[diegooners]

That is not rationality, there's nothing rational about it.

So we shouldn't look to develop our young talent into better players? bullshit

I don't want to be chelsea

You can make young players think more about positioning, decision making etc. YOU CANT TEACH SOMEONE HOW TO KICK A FUCKING FOOTBALL IF THEY STILL CAN'T AFTER 15 YEARS OF PLAYING THE GAME!!!.

 

[muffwah]

no

 

[Kendall]

You can make young players think more about positioning, decision making etc. YOU CANT TEACH SOMEONE HOW TO KICK A FUCKING FOOTBALL IF THEY STILL CAN'T AFTER 15 YEARS OF PLAYING THE GAME!!!.

If he really couldn;t kick a football he wouldn't be playing at the highest level, have 9 england caps and have every commentator/pundit saying we need to get him more of the ball.

he makes things happen, your obsession with crossing is a joke, lest you forget how many goals we've scored this season.