Have we become too dependant on Lennon?

[Alfieconnman]

I think that, in a fairly short space of time, we have become as reliant on Lennon as manure were with Ronaldo. This is all very well when he is available to play but there has to be a contingency plan when he is not. Ours seems to be to play Crouch and lump high balls into him. It worked quite well when he was used as a sub "impact" player but not any more. Other sides have worked out how to deal with him very effectively and there is the added handicap that his sheer size (vertical not horizontal) and awkward looking style leads refs to consistently award free kicks against him - often when he is not at fault at all. Sadly, Harry does not seem able to come up with an alternative. We are at our best when playing at pace and playing in to our strikers from the wings and in my view, if there is no Lennon, we should go for the next best option, Gio or Rose or A.N. Other, but someone with genuine pace on one or both wings. We need to address this problem quickly since we may well have to face the possibilty that Lennon will be gone this summer, as all our best players have done in the past. A stratospheric salary and a huge transfer fee will, lets face it, be irresistible.

 

[Dr Know]

You should have done a poll m8 but yes most definitely. I would like to see Gio given a chance on the right. He may not be as quick as Lennon but he must be quicker than any other player we have? I've seen little of Gio but when I have seen him play I can't understand why Harry don't play him or at least bring him on as a sub for the last 20mins

 

[alfie103]

i think we need to bring in another quick winger. We just need to get the game spread as we have really good technical passers we can then play with more freedom and more chance of forward passing. If we did against Liverpool, we would have won.

 

[Legacy]

We can't have both Modric and Kranjcar on the wings. We can get them in the same team, but one of them will have to be in the centre. We need one winger to stick primarily to the byline to spread the opposition defence, which gives Huddlestone, Defoe and Modric/Kranjcar more room to play with the ball in the centre.

With both Modric and Kranjcar constantly roaming infield, defences close up, which leads to us constantly running into dead ends.

We already have a few alternatives and back ups for Lennon. Bale or Rose on the left and Giovani on the right. But they're just not being given a chance.

For whatever reason, Redknapp is deciding to play a team of his best players, not the players that'll make the best team.

 

[Krafty]

We havent become too reliant on Lennon, but we do miss the width he (and others that arent in the team) offer.

I think Harry has been a little guilty of trying to play his best players, rather than playing the best system. We really did lack width on wedsnesday, and against Hull to a certain extent. We need someone who will hug the touchline once in a while., even if they are not an out and out winger.

 

[donny1013]

Its a shame Hollywood Bentley hasn't been professional enough during recent months as the problem of Lennon being inured now would be halved.

 

[defoe18]

For whatever reason, Redknapp is deciding to play a team of his best players, not the players that'll make the best team.

Yup, pretty much.

I think Redknapp finds it hard "dropping favourites" and instead plays them out of position to accomendate them in the team.

In theory, saturday should see a majority of fringe players given a game, especially with us having a game on tuesday too.

Defoe and Crouch should not start, go Keane and Pav
Modric and Kranjcar should not start, go Rose and Bentley (or Gio)

Let some of the players show Redknapp abit more of themselves, because atm soon "his favourites" are goona pick up knocks and injuries and he may be forced to play a different hand which is completely untested

 

[sharky127]

Do we miss Lennon? Of course we do, name me one club that wouldn't.

Do we rely on Lennon too much? Probably, but again most clubs would. His speed and directness have proved so effective this season that it is hard not to give him the ball whenever the option arises.

It's all good and well Harry sticking someone like GDS or Rose on the wing to replace Lennon, but they are totally different players. The problem we have had with Lennon out is not the lack of chances created by the midfield, but more the fact that we are not finishing the chances like we were a month ago!

We are still creating plenty of chances (maybe Liverpool aside) and against Hull we had more then enough chances to brush them aside. When Lennon comes back it will help but only if our strikers are in form.

 

[bubble07]

Yes

 

[mil1lion]

I still think we play well enough without him. We sure as hell miss him. But i wouldn't say we rely on him necessarily. I think Bale gives us good width on the left. I'd like to see Modric on the left rather than the right. But i'm sure we can still create chances. I think our main problem is with the strikers, not so much the supply from midfield. They're not taking their chances at the moment. Keane and Crouch especially (they struggle to score with or without Lennon in the team). I know we looked lost for ideas against Liverpool, but they defended well for most of the game, and when Liverpool get players behind the ball they often make even the best teams look lost.

 

[StartingPrice]

The evidence would appear to suggest this is the case.

But, as has been suggested above (see also the 'Plan B' thread), 'Arry seems to be more concerned with fitting his best players into the team, rather than making the best team based on the players he has. He also doesn't seem to have any way of coping with teams who park the bus - perhaps it is just conincidentla that these games often concide with Aaazas abscence:shrug:

As I have said elsewhere, IMHO he should have either started with Bentely or GDS, or started with Hutton to support Modric on the right (or bothmg.

 

[Legend10]

No.

 

[Gilzeanking]

I reckon along with sussing Arry's game plans , some teams have worked out how to stop Aaron ..so not too dependant on him ,tho he helps .

Lets hope that the message over favouritism is getting through and we see the start of plans B and C forming today .

 

[full-frontal-nudity]

Yess.

 

[sim0n]

Yes

Ditto -- this should've been a poll :razz:

 

[Alfieconnman]

Ditto -- this should've been a poll :razz:

Poll option added, as requested by you and others.

 

[EmperorKabir]

i just voted no.

technically, tottenham hotspur are not dependant on lennon.

harry redknapp however has made a bit of a hash of midfield (eg modric on the right = pure fail). i'm a redknapp lover btw and was so from the second we signed him up. just this and a few other things he has messed up. harry redknapp has made his team dependant on lennon.

 

[sim0n]

Poll option added, as requested by you and others.

Cheers for that :up:

I think we all see that Spurs are a totally different team with Lennon. I've not seen Rose play much, so I'm not too sure about him. I have seen GDS play a bit -- seems to have speed and guile. He might be just the thing to fill in for Lennon for now?... :shrug:
Harry doesn't seem too overimpressed with him.

 

[DJS]

I think Dos Santos needs to get a chance on the right when Lennon is unavailable or Rose on the left with Modric / Krancjar on the right.

Then we retain the balance a bit more.

 

[double0]

Yes without him theirs no pace in the team, and their no wizardry from central midfield to compensate.