A post from Callum McKay Smith- if adventure has a name, its Neil Lennon
It’s a been a long time since Big Sam left us, and in that time it seems our club has gone from weakness to weakness. Sure there have been some peaks, but for the longest time now, us trotters seem to be stuck in our trough. During this period I have come to call it a poisoned chalice. Our club has been a place that promising players and managers come to ruin their careers….
Zat Knight was an England international, now a thought of him is met with embarrassment. Chris Eagles was our top scorer in his first season back in the championship, now he is nowhere to be seen. Dougie Freedman was a good young manager who managed a Crystal Palace team with no money to the top 6, now unemployed, having left us bottom of the league some 5 games ago. In fact every manager we have had since Sam Allardyce isn’t employed as a manager anymore (or employed at all).
Now of course all those men were at fault for that, but they are not the only examples. Bolton Wanderers presented to some of these guys as the holy grail, but once given the chance, they selected poorly, and effectively crumbled away. Up steps Neil Lennon, fresh from doing very well with Celtic. Has he chosen wisely? Will he be granted everlasting praise from the fans? Has the poisoned chalice been replaced finally by the holy grail?
5 games may be too few, but, at the time of the writing of this article, we are fresh off consecutive home victories – a 3-0 home victory over a very good Cardiff team and a great 3-1 victory over Brenford. The last time we managed 3 goals or more in consecutive home games was way back in 2011 when we were high flying in the premier league, beating Aston Villa 3-2 followed by West ham 3-0, though following this, there was THAT FA cup semi-final to Stoke.
What these home games show me, is that Lennon is being adventurous, and doing something that no one really thought was possibly again, he has started to restore our home form-fortress. Played 2 Won 2, up against good opposition as well. He really has seemed to fortify our defence, reinvigorate our creative players, and well, now he has stopped playing Beckford, at least, given the forwards a new lease of life. Add to this, his willingness to play the younger players (Vela in particular who was very good against Cardiff), and you have a manager who will get the fans onside whilst playing good football and who (for now) wins games.
Will the game on Friday night against Wigan continue Lennon’s so far fruitful raid for the lost spark, or will it perhaps return our possible home fortress into the footballing temple of doom?