Neil Lennon

NL: The game is all about us. We’re at home and it’s one leg. The preparation has been good even though we missed a couple of games which would’ve helped


NL: on squad - “Griffiths is still out and Mikey Johnston has had surgery so we’re looking at a time frame for him of maybe 3-5 weeks.”

NL: “We’re very much looking forward to playing. It’s been a little bit disruptive but you’ve got to make the best of it and we’ve had a good week’s training. We all know what our responsibilities are going forward.”


NL: on one legged ties - “It’s the new norm and it’s been exciting but if you’re on the other end of a defeat it’s pretty hard to consume. Personally I prefer 2-legged affairs but we know what we have to do and we know what lies ahead if we negotiate Reykjavik.”


NL: on
@ChampionsLeague
qualification - “It’s one of the priorities of the season and the players will be focussed. It’s important for the club. We’ve had a long time back training and 2 competitive games so this game is really important for a lot of reasons.

NL: on Albian Ajeti - “He’ll be in the squad tomorrow but he’s not ready to start as he’s got a little more work to do. He’ll be a good signing for us. He’s a natural goalscorer and that was a position we were looking to strengthen.” #CELKRR

 

Doesnt sound very happy. Reckon that start of the questions has probably caused that.

 

Lenny is still * off!

 

has the club been charged over bolingoli *. heard we had.whats the punishment.if its points then we should be all over this.HH

 

Depends how far behind the huns drop as to how many points

 

Can tell he can't stand that Hun * Charles Patterson. That's 2 week's on the trot now..

 

Tell them to stick their sanctions up their * pipe Lenny.

 

NL: It was a good performance and I'm delighted with the result and the amount of goals we scored. To get going again, and that match rhythm will do us the world of good.


NL:
Hatem was very strong and nice for him to get 90 minutes under his belt. With Hatem and
@JeremieFrimpong
we’ve got a good two to pick from.



NL: The next round is going to be difficult. They are two very strong teams and we'll watch the game tomorrow.

 

So reading this morning that lennon said last nights win gives 'breathing space' for transfers...hope that doesn't mean a complete cool off of interest because we beat a part time outfit? That defence would get ragdolled against a better team.

 

No it means that we can keep trying for our main targets, which can take a bit longer than the ones we know would absolutely jump at the mere mention of being linked with us.

Getting Moussa Dembele took us 6 months, look at the situation with Ajeti as well. It means we don’t need to panic and go get a Comper or Hendry etc

 

Was chatting to a few mates in a group about this comment this morning. Doesn’t make sense to any of us.

Why would a match which was always a foregone conclusion affect our position with regards to transfer targets/dealings?

There is an urgent need for a CH and LB or we run the risk of not making the group stages for the exact same reason we have failed in recent seasons i.e. weakness/lack of depth in defence. Not to mention potentially dropping more points in the league. Yes it was Julien who will be a 1st choice that made the error at Killie but we lack cover and I suspect that bringing in someone like Duffy to play alongside him as opposed to Ajer who doesn’t breed confidence and hasn’t done for some time now will make us a lot more solid defensively.

 

This.

 

Yeah didn't really understand that either. Wild guess would be he's thinking about Elhamed getting 90 minutes under his belt in the RB and RCB positions.

But you're absolutely right. Last season we didn't have Julien ready and McGregor played at LB. i.e. CB and LB the problem areas. It feels like we're heading that way again (although I like Taylor, we have no cover or depth at the minute).

 

Closer we get to the CL group stages the better calibre of player we can attract. That two game suspension might turn out to be a blessing in disguise. We will be a much more stronger unit by the time those games come around.

 

I think Lennon's comments On transfers this year are deliberately a lot more coy after making a bit of an idiot of himself last year with the 2 or 3 in by a given date or qualifier.

So is just putting out non statements to answer the question. I can only guess the breathing space comment meant that we were now in a position to move to the next round. A win there means we have at least a shot at making either CL hopefully or EL groups stage football.

 

If we get much deeper into CL qualification with only Taylor at LB and Bitton our only half recognised CB cover then someone needs shot. Every year we do this and more often than not it doesn't pay off

 

Honestly, I think Elhamed and Bitton showed they’re good cover. What we need is a bonafide starter that will lift the full defence like Julien did last year.

One step closer to the CL helps that