Realism - Lenny.

[Kevin Hogg]

By all accounts he was not himself last night and obviously does not want to be with us. He wants to play for Sheffield United.
Is there any point at all in keeping such an influential player - sulking and making it obvious to all at the club?
Much as we would all love Lenny to stay - he no longer loves us.
Time to get rid and get someone in who will relish the opportunity to give his all for Southend United.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

Up to a point I agree, and Lenny has been a good servant to the club. However the club also gave him the chance and the development he needed so the benefits flowed both ways.

Most of all though, the trolls from Sheffield can do one if they think they are going to pick up an excellent player on the cheap. Even their own fans recognise this is what they've been trying, if multiple comments on their forum are to be believed. Learning point Ron: we should have made a serious contract offer to Lenny (who was our POTY let's remember) LAST summer. Leaving it until there is 1 year left for someone clearly so important before we offer a decent new deal, just to save a few pennies, will in football actually cost you money in lost transfer revenue.

 

[Kevin Hogg]

This is no criticism of Lenny. He is a good pro. When "your head's gone" - you're heads gone.
Keeping a player against his well does not give the rest of the squad motivation to show they too have what it takes.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

Agreed, as I said. But until Sheffield make a serious offer he is, and should remain, our player. They do not deserve to 'fill their boots' for nothing. They've got the money. Open your wallets you tight northern gits if you're so serious you want him or jog on and stop unsettling other teams for nowt.

 

[Ricey]

Question is do they still want him? They signed that bloke from Oxford yesterday was he the 2nd option? Do they want two players the same or was there only one slot?

It's all gone a bit quiet on the Lenny front.

 

[onceknownasrab]

By all accounts he was not himself last night and obviously does not want to be with us. He wants to play for Sheffield United.
Is there any point at all in keeping such an influential player - sulking and making it obvious to all at the club?
Much as we would all love Lenny to stay - he no longer loves us.
Time to get rid and get someone in who will relish the opportunity to give his all for Southend United.

Obvious? It may appear he is under par but the reasons could be varied. Unless you are saying, that he has had a conversation with you and confirmed his current performances are down to his desire to leave, then I suggest it is conjecture rather than obvious.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

While I do think it is likely you're right Lenny's head has been turned Kevin, it is also worth noting that there were several below par performances last night. We aren't putting the others down to wanting away though? Lenny was also played out of position. If he's still ours at the end of August I'll be well happy. BUT we need to smash it out of the park in League One this year. If we do, and get promoted, then Lenny can have his free transfer with our blessing - or he may be tempted to sign again for us as a Championship side.

Irrespective of any of this though, we need another really decent CM and CB to complete the squad for this year or we might find promotion just outside our reach again...

 

[OldBlueLady]

I've seen Lenny like this before, and during the proper season, as I've mentioned before, you can't underestimate the effect of losing his long term room-mate and former house-mate. He wasn't playing his normal role last night and, to me, looked like someone trying to play alongside people he wasn't comfortable with and with absolutely no creative outlet!

 

[Kevin Hogg]

Obvious? It may appear he is under par but the reasons could be varied. Unless you are saying, that he has had a conversation with you and confirmed his current performances are down to his desire to leave, then I suggest it is conjecture rather than obvious.

You really do not like me or have anything but criticism.
Almost every single comment made on SZ is conjecture. And you know it.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

You really do not like me or have anything but criticism.
Almost every single comment made on SZ is conjecture. And you know it.

That's conjecture, in my opinion

 

[Kevin Hogg]

Get the Conjecture Police on to SZ and we will have - tumbleweed.
NO MORE CONJECTURE here please!

 

[TTS]

By all accounts he was not himself last night and obviously does not want to be with us. He wants to play for Sheffield United.
Is there any point at all in keeping such an influential player - sulking and making it obvious to all at the club?
Much as we would all love Lenny to stay - he no longer loves us.
Time to get rid and get someone in who will relish the opportunity to give his all for Southend United.

To be fair , that would mean around 4 players that started last night want out as well, as quite a few Players were off the pace.

You can't read too much into a friendly. Lennys game is power and strength , something very rarely seen in friendlies due to the nature of the game being mainly about fitness and nothing else.

Yes , if we kick off against blackburn and the drive from Lennys game is gone, I will agree , but I won't agree or comment on basis of a friendly fixture.

 

[shrimperjon]

I've seen Lenny like this before, and during the proper season, as I've mentioned before, you can't underestimate the effect of losing his long term room-mate and former house-mate. He wasn't playing his normal role last night and, to me, looked like someone trying to play alongside people he wasn't comfortable with and with absolutely no creative outlet!

Are you serious. My niece has just returned from Uni after sharing a house with three mates for four years. Of course she misses them, but she is not sulking walking around with her head down. She is getting on with life. Lenny has a lovely girkfriend and is still surrounded by many mates on a daily basis, he needs to grow up

last night as on Saturday he was poor. Unfortunate thing fir him is that Sheff utd won't sign him now as they've signed the lad from Oxford, so the chances of him leaving is less, so PB has a huge job on his hands to get the old Lenny back because based on preseason he has gone missing

 

[Kevin Hogg]

When The Echo offers either fact or indeed conjecture that Lenny not only rejected a contract offer BUT handed in a transfer request at the same time- it rather tells its own story.

 

[shrimperjon]

To be fair , that would mean around 4 players that started last night want out as well, as quite a few Players were off the pace.

You can't read too much into a friendly. Lennys game is power and strength , something very rarely seen in friendlies due to the nature of the game being mainly about fitness and nothing else.

Yes , if we kick off against blackburn and the drive from Lennys game is gone, I will agree , but I won't agree or comment on basis of a friendly fixture.

Who are the four then?

i agree that some didn't have great games, but name the four who put in less effort than Lenny. Timlin, Hendrie are being criticised and they didn't have great games, neither did Kightly but they didn't stop running and didn't stop trying, which sometimes is all u can ask.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

In fairness Shrimperjon I think that was TTS' point too - the players you listed were off the pace, but we can't read anything into that. It's a preseason friendly and some players may be unfit, others a bit leggy from too many games too soon, and yet more possibly out of position or getting to know each other's games. On top of that we were playing a Premiership side. Unless Brighton are going to do a Swindon in the Prem this year and go for an all time low points total, I'd expect them to comfortably beat us...

 

[TTS]

Who are the four then?

i agree that some didn't have great games, but name the four who put in less effort than Lenny. Timlin, Hendrie are being criticised and they didn't have great games, neither did Kightly but they didn't stop running and didn't stop trying, which sometimes is all u can ask.

I'm not criticising, I'm saying some players we're off the pace as well.

I have never and will never pay attention to friendlies really , again, as I said, so close to the season now , it's about getting 90minutes out of the players.

I'm not sure why we should always easily look to criticise , without taking the full context of the game into consideration.

I'm purely saying that you can't tell where Lennys head is on the back of that game and that fitness is better at this stage than performance.

 

[WESTY_SUFC]

I'll give some realism - it's a friendly. None of the established players care as much about these as meaningful games.

 

[Massimo Giovanni]

I'll give some realism - it's a friendly. None of the established players care as much about these as meaningful games.

And I'll give you some more.......if he goes or stays WE need a plan for games without him in the side.

A ball is yet to be kicked in a meaningful game and the negative doubtful posting would appear to be in full swing.

WE have a better quality squad than at any time in the last 5+ seasons.

 

[Jai]

I can't stress this enough. Pre-season friendlies mean ABSOLUTELY NOTHING and if Lenny seemed subdued it's probably because for first-team pros the main priority is not to get injured and to get up to fitness.

Youngsters and trialists like Yearwood and Ba tend to stand out because they're the only ones who are playing for anything.