Foxholer
Blackballed
From top of Scottish Premiership to (current) bottom of English Championship!
Will be interesting to see how he fares!
Will be interesting to see how he fares!
Neil Lennon Appointed Bolton Manager
- Thread starter Foxholer
- Start date
Birchy
Money List Winner
Well I didn't think we would be in the news again anytime soon after how cack we have gone but it seems the chairman has pulled off a bit of a coup getting Neil Lennon. 
Hopefully he can shake the players into life because the confidence is at an all time low. If he can get through this early period I think he will do well. 1 year rolling contract so its fair for both parties :thup:
I can actually look forward to the match again now rather than getting smashed so I cant remember it :rofl:
Hopefully he can shake the players into life because the confidence is at an all time low. If he can get through this early period I think he will do well. 1 year rolling contract so its fair for both parties :thup:
I can actually look forward to the match again now rather than getting smashed so I cant remember it :rofl:
Birchy - What is the score financially at Bolton. The last I heard they had huge debts that just continued to mount. I can not see how they can get out of this spiral without getting back into the Premier League and there is no sign of that happening. I assumed you are near the bottom now as Freedman was having to clear the wage bill. Is that correct or have you managed to keep your better players? What is the plan to get some financial stability back at the club or is there not one?
Fyldewhite
Tour Winner
We have a huge debt (~£160m) but it is all owed to Eddie Davies a lifelong fan and benefactor who's been bankrolling the club for years. However, it's been made clear that it can't continue and they have had to reign in the wage bill massively after falling out of the Premier League. I think that's now more or less done but the toll this has taken on the team is clear. Had to be done due to the Financial Fair Play rules as well. Basically, we paid and punched above our weight for many years, the gravy train dried up and we are now back with the old style "big" clubs in the second tier....if we can stay up!!
Birchy
Money List Winner
As mentioned below by Fyldewhite yes in theory we have a big debt but its all to the owner of the club and he no longer charges interest on that so its not really a problem.
What is a problem is becoming more self sufficient with the FFP regulations and coming from where we have been paying big wages and all the rest it has made that difficult. We got relegated at a really bad time financially with all these changes. We have been clearing the decks and starting again etc.
Dougie Freedman was a clueless idiot though and couldn't get the team playing at all. Its not the best squad in the league but there is miles more ability than bottom of the league. Hopefully Neil Lennon is the man to start the resurrection :thup:
Val
Ryder Cup Winner
I think he'll do a decent job at Bolton, I said to Birchy and Andy Greg yesterday that what Lennon will likely do is build a spine from British players and build from there. He was very under rated at Celtic due to the fact we've been a one horse league up here since Rangers disappeared and people tend to forget how well we did in the CL with the obvious highlight of taking down Barcelona at Celtic Park and narrowly losing at the Nou Camp to a last minute goal to go down 2-1 the same season. The last 16 in the CL is an amazing feat given the financial resources in Scotland in comparison to other leagues, I maintained for years success in Europe for Scottish clubs was getting to the CL, Neil Lennon brought that and more, he will forever be a Celtic legend.
My fear for Lennon at Bolton is what patience the fans have given their position now, Neil Lennon will try and mix things up on the park to achieve the end result, easy when you are cruising at the top of the league with points to spar but not so easy when every point is crucial.
Best of luck Lenny, im sure you'll do ok with the backing of both the club and the board.
My fear for Lennon at Bolton is what patience the fans have given their position now, Neil Lennon will try and mix things up on the park to achieve the end result, easy when you are cruising at the top of the league with points to spar but not so easy when every point is crucial.
Best of luck Lenny, im sure you'll do ok with the backing of both the club and the board.
The replies matched what I thougt the situation was. One of those where as long as you stayed in the PL you were okay but the moment you drop the club can not match the wages. Bolton are not alone in this, look at the other decent sized clubs who dropped down and went into meltdown for a number of years. I hope the situation sorts itself out. Even if promotion is a few years away every fan deserves to see some decent football and have a bit of excitement.
C
c1973
Guest
Vastly overrated manager imo (which probably wouldn't surprise folks). He was only successful in winning the league due to the meltdown across the city.
Having said that, getting a Scottish team into the knockout stages of the CL is a decent achievement nowadays (even if we did aim higher in days of yore) and he does deserve credit for that.
No disrespect to Bolton, but I'd hazard a guess that when he turned his back on celtic he'd have been thinking a 'bigger' name beckoned, maybe a mid table EPL team.
What he will do well is in fostering a bunker mentality, an everyones against us from refs to the FA mentality, and that will be no bad thing for a team in the relegation area. It will in all probability get a wee bit more out of the players in doing this, it certainly worked at his last club.
It also shows the gulf between Scottish and English football when he says he wanted to sign half a dozen of Boltons team when he was at celtic (today's paper, only read the header so may not be an actual reflection on what he said).
Having said that, getting a Scottish team into the knockout stages of the CL is a decent achievement nowadays (even if we did aim higher in days of yore) and he does deserve credit for that.
No disrespect to Bolton, but I'd hazard a guess that when he turned his back on celtic he'd have been thinking a 'bigger' name beckoned, maybe a mid table EPL team.
What he will do well is in fostering a bunker mentality, an everyones against us from refs to the FA mentality, and that will be no bad thing for a team in the relegation area. It will in all probability get a wee bit more out of the players in doing this, it certainly worked at his last club.
It also shows the gulf between Scottish and English football when he says he wanted to sign half a dozen of Boltons team when he was at celtic (today's paper, only read the header so may not be an actual reflection on what he said).
I think he'll do a good job. I'm a tad annoyed as Fulham allegedly came in for him at the 11th hour (why wait) and I think he'd have done well for us too.
Birchy
Money List Winner
Listened to his press conferences and interviews yesterday and was really impressed with how he spoke. Seems bang up for it and knows a lot about the club and the players we have already etc.
My favourite bit was when asked about his background and the trouble he had in the past.
He said "I don't think I will have too much trouble here in Bolton. There might be a few postmen sweating a bit though" :rofl:
My favourite bit was when asked about his background and the trouble he had in the past.
He said "I don't think I will have too much trouble here in Bolton. There might be a few postmen sweating a bit though" :rofl:
Piece
Tour Winner
Val
Ryder Cup Winner
Loving your avatar Birchy, that if i recall was taken at Ibrox :rofl:
Birchy
Money List Winner
I wanted the one where he was on the pitch but it wouldn't fit properly
Good to see us finally hire a manager with a bit of bottle for a change. If he can do that at Ibrox imagine what he will do at a tinpot place like Wigan
bluewolf
Money List Winner
I wanted the one where he was on the pitch but it wouldn't fit properly
Good to see us finally hire a manager with a bit of bottle for a change. If he can do that at Ibrox imagine what he will do at a tinpot place like Wigan
I thought that your avatar was a picture of him trying to hear the last remaining few of your die hard fans slinking away from the Macron 10 minutes before the final whistle....Again....
FairwayDodger
Money List Winner
Potentially a good manager, I think, hard to assess his time in Scotland given everything that was going on but I came to grudgingly admire him.
Will be good to see how he gets on without all the OF nonsense.
Will be good to see how he gets on without all the OF nonsense.
davidy233
Tour Rookie
I've met Neil a few times - he's the kind of guy who cares about everyone at his club from the board down to the tea ladies. Not at all like his public image.
Birchy
Money List Winner
I thought that your avatar was a picture of him trying to hear the last remaining few of your die hard fans slinking away from the Macron 10 minutes before the final whistle....Again....
He is trying to hear what you and the 3 other Wigan fans are singing at the game. Sounds a lot like peas rattling around a drum
bluewolf
Money List Winner
He is trying to hear what you and the 3 other Wigan fans are singing at the game. Sounds a lot like peas rattling around a drum
Easily recognisable noise to you as it sounds just like the inside of your head..:smirk:
