Team Focus: Daunting Task Ahead for Lennon at Rock Bottom Bolton

Usually the international break is a time to take stock and prepare for what lies ahead. Not quite a period of relaxation but still a time for reflection where the pressure valve is loosened a little. In one particular corner of the north-west, however, the gauge has continued to ascend.

These are worrying times for Bolton Wanderers. The appointment of Neil Lennon last weekend is a welcome boost but the former Celtic manager faces a daunting task.

Dougie Freedman’s dismissal after one win in 11 games has them at the foot of the table. The threat of League One looms large. They are a long way from the Sam Allardyce Premier League era. Other sides have been here before – Southampton the best example of all – and bounced back but this is a situation no club wants to be in.

Freedman had been treading a fine line for some time and his position had simply become untenable. Indeed it could be argued that, much like Felix Magath at Fulham, Freedman should probably have been ushered through the exit door some time earlier. That’s not to say he is a bad manager but it was evident that things were not working out and Bolton under his guidance had reached a point beyond recovery. Not so long ago he was considered one of Britain’s best young managers when at Crystal Palace. He may return from this disastrous episode stronger and it’s safe to say we have not seen the last of him.

But Bolton this season have been a team with zero redeemable qualities. It is a squad performing a long way below its capabilities. Confidence is on the floor, they need to improve before it becomes too late.

Only Fulham have conceded more. Blackpool are the only side to have scored fewer. Freedman’s second last match, the 4-0 defeat to a rejuvenated Fulham, signalled the end. There were some improvements in the 2-1 defeat at home to Bournemouth but not enough to alter the minds of the club’s hierarchy, led by the chairman Phil Gartside.

Perhaps worst of all, however, is that they currently reside below Blackpool – their local rivals who in August appeared destined to spend the season at the bottom having patched together a squad at the last minute after spending the summer stumbling from one farce to another.

Wanderers solitary win came at home to Rotherham in mid-September when Joe Mason scored a hat-trick to give them a 3-2 win. Even then there was cause to fret but things have spiralled out of control since. Mason, courtesy of those goals, is not only their top scorer with four but the only player to have found the net more than once. Despite averaging 12.3 shots per game, they are only registering 3.6 on target. Three of their eight goals have come from open play.

And that’s not even their biggest problem. Defensively, they have been a mess – shipping 21 times. An average of 17.3 shots conceded per games signals their defensive slackness. Only 47% possession backs up the theory that they were too inclined to play it long, uncomfortable and hurried. Lennon will seek to change that immediately.

A glance through their characteristics reveals the horrific state they find themselves in. At present there is not a single positive to take from recent games, plenty of weaknesses that require fixing.

Jay Spearing has been the best of a bad bunch, with an average WhoScored rating of 7.42. He is the only player to have endured every minute of the season to date and Lennon should place a huge emphasis on getting him on the ball in a holding midfield role, where he is most effective despite possessing a decent knack further up the field.

Lennon’s opening game comes at Birmingham on Saturday, a side with plenty of their own struggles. The Northern Irishman may not be able to transform a faltering team immediately but his first target must surely be to look down on Blackpool, who presently lie one point and one place ahead, by the time they meet in mid-November.

Will Bolton improve and avoid the drop under Neil Lennon? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below