Aaron Lennon - Honest Opinions

[Pimp_Spur]

Has great pace that frightens defenders but he does not use it enough. He needs to take his man on a lot more than he does but he keeps checking back and restricting himself.

His final ball has improved over the last 8 years but it is still not good enough. Needs to score more goals too.

Overall I would like an upgrade or at least give Andros a good run in that position. Keep Lennon as a squad player and one of the first choices to come off the bench and help change the dynamic of the game

 

[absolute bobbins]

He is a good player and I like him but he won't be No. 7 if we sign El Guaje

 

[thinktank]

He was having a great season up until we went to leeds in the cup then he had quite a quiet spell, personally i think Azza is one of those players who's value to the team can't be shown based on stats, i'd rather have him in the team than be facing him if he rocked up with another team.

Also don't forget he counts as home grown and i might be mistaken but we're a bit skinny on top drawer home grown english players plus who's out there that's an upgrade? We can't play 4-3-3 all the time, injuries, and tic-tacs will see to that.

I'd be gutted if the little bastard left.

I think as fans we can grow a little too attached to players. Look at how the fans still chant for Defoe to come on and hack away. Makes no sense. We need to learn to be more honest about our situation and seek to improve where we can - even if it means wishing away players that we love.

 

[thinktank]

Has great pace that frightens defenders but he does not use it enough. He needs to take his man on a lot more than he does but he keeps checking back and restricting himself.

His final ball has improved over the last 8 years but it is still not good enough. Needs to score more goals too.

Overall I would like an upgrade or at least give Andros a good run in that position. Keep Lennon as a squad player and one of the first choices to come off the bench and help change the dynamic of the game

Exactly, just not good enough for what we need. If he had proper competition he might take more of the chances he should going past players as there would be a fire under his arse to perform at a higher level.

 

[mpickard2087]

I'd say he is a player that looks threatening without actually being threatening a lot of the time.

For me he is someone I look at and question his motivation and determination, often the thing that separates a 'good' PL player from the very best. In his time with us has he improved areas of his game, such as goalscoring and his final ball? Very questionable. To me he is someone who is comfortable with the level he is at and doesn't have the hunger to improve further. Fine when we were where we were at when he burst on the scene, but now the club needs better. We definitely need a more creative type of wide player to offer different, quite possibly more effective options.

 

[kendoddsdadsdogsdead]

flatters to to deceive, doesnt do enough to get involved and really influence games imo.

 

[SpainSpur85]

I think he is a very good winger, in the traditional sense, but the way we play we need a right forward. Someone who can cut in and get shots/ passes away, Lennon is (was) at his best with chalk on his boots, going down the outside of the fullback to the byline. There will be games next season where we need this, but there will be probably more games where we need a rightsided forward.

To be fair to him, his pace pushes defences back which will lead to space for other players and if we play counter attacking football, he is 1 of the fastest dribblers in the league. Is that enough though? It seems wierd to think he was bought as a backup/competition to Routledge then we tried to upgrade on him with Bentley and he has survived both challenges, maybe he does need competition? I think we'll have that in Townsend and the possibility of Bale playing on that side where a lot of his goals have come from recently. I wouldn't sell him this summer, but I wonder, what would he be worth? I think he could start a bidding war, Lennon may not get into any teams above us, but below us? Most or all...

 

[SEANSPURS1975]

One of my favourite players. Without Aaron Lennon in our team we always seem to struggle. Gives great balance and pace to the team. He always seems to pick up niggling injuries which doesn't help. I'm sure with quality coaching from AVB he still has a big part to play for us. I certainly wouldn't be looking to get rid of Azza...

 

[JimmyG2]

Very dangerous player. Does more than his share defensively
Spreads the opposition defence wide to create gaps.
Effective on either wing as he showed on Sunday.
When he skins his marker he has nobody in the box for a cross
and often nobody coming in on the pulled back ball. Where's VDV when you need him?
Townsend would have the same problem.
Would be very expensive to upgrade unless Townsend proves to be an answer
He can play on either wing too.
Keep him, pray he keeps fit which has been a problem.

 

[Gedson100]

Pros:

1. Fast
2. Works hard
3. Unselfish

Cons:

1. Tiny
2. Kicks the ball as hard as my 3yo daughter
3. Scared of shooting
4. Doesn't score much
5. Doesn't assist much
6. Doesn't fit very well into a 4-3-3
7. Not selfish enough
8. Bit of a soft lad

Yeah, we could do better.

 

[michaelden]

Strikers live and die by the service they get, does Aaron supply enough for a CL chasing team...?

yes he does. some crosses in have been crying out for a striker who can score

 

[michaelden]

Pros:

1. Fast
2. Works hard
3. Unselfish
4. World class dribbling
5. World class ball control
6. Defensively aware


Cons:

1. Tiny
2. Kicks the ball as hard as my 3yo daughter
3. Scared of shooting
4. Doesn't score much
5. Doesn't assist much - can't assist if strikers no score
6. Doesn't fit very well into a 4-3-3 - thank you for that loads of bs. How about RM not RWF
7. Not selfish enough
8. Bit of a soft lad - stood up to a Wrong Erection and slapped it down

Yeah, we could do better.

revised

 

[CowInAComa]

Lennon has all the parts required to be a top class winger but just doesnt seem to be the sum of them.

Hate, absolutely hate, to say it but mid 20s and I think he is never going to be the player we are willing him to be. Still not incisive or decisive enough for me.

 

[Gedson100]

Fucking hell.

'Stood up to a One Direction member?'

Yeah, fucking solid.

How about crying off in the champions league and never finding any form for about a month after every injury.

Thanks for contributing to the debate, Aaron

 

[Syn_13]

Lennon is frustrating. I like him, he's a good player, but he just doesn't have that cutting edge to take it to the next level. He is, quite frankly, at his peak. It's not a bad thing as he's a good player for any EPL team but he'll not get any better.

He's pretty much a classic 4-4-2 wide midfielder. He'll work hard to track back and help his full back out, he's probably one of the best in the league for this, but he lacks any real threat going forward which limits him from being an effective winger. It's not for want of ability though as he's bloody quick and good with the ball at his feet. He just doesn't have the right mentality, perhaps it's confidence or just lacking the footballing brain.

I admire the fact that he's adapted to his inability to cross from deep by working the ball into the box before cutting back or chipping but he doesn't do this nearly enough. He could win us bags of penalties if he utilised his pace more too. Once we move to a 4-3-3 Lennon will find himself on the bench as he hasn't got the goal/assist threat to play as a wide forward. He'd be an excellent squad player to have though, and without sounding too much like AVB, it's nice to have a variety of players to provide different dimensions of playing style. Whether he'd enjoy the bench though...

 

[scat1620]

With Townsend flourishing at QPR and Cebellos looking a real talent, who knows, if a decent bid comes in for Lennon then it might make sense all round to sell.

Like the look of Townsend but I'd be worried if Cebellos was our first choice back-up for RM/RW/RF. Not much to substantiate it beyond a gut feel that I don't think he'd handle the physicality of competitive Premier League football. (I'd love to be proved wrong, btw.)

 

[only1waddle]

Similar problems to Defoe, very limited, lacks vision, lacks variety with delivery, not improved a great deal..

them's me onions..

 

[CowInAComa]

He has to become more productive, simple as that. Yeah the comparison to Walcott is a tough one because recently Walcott has developed his finishing while Lennon has not. When Walcott gets through on goal it's starting to feel more inevitable that he'll score, with Lennon it feels more likely that he'll miss, or try a pass that isn't on.

Still think he's an excellent player but if he doesn't become more productive we need someone better.

Walcott is better than Lennon. But the frustrating thing is there is no real reason that should be the case.

Self belief/self confidence/arrogance

 

[StockSpur]

Think he gets injured a lot then never seems to recover until the next season.

I think it must play on his mind that everytime he stretches his legs he seems to pull something. Maybe he is told to hold back because as rightly stated he does take up a defences time leaving more spcae for others.

 

[double0]

Lennon is decent a def keeper but he now needs serious competition now.