Aaron Lennon - Honest Opinions

[Mr Pink]

I love wee Azza, hope we keep him indefinitely - such an exciting player on his day.

Just want him in our squad, might not be the right option to start all the time particularly if we move towards the 4-3-3 but nevertheless I don't want him sold.

 

[BringBack_leGin]

You obviously haven't seen much football then if you rate Lennon's first touch that highly. I for one prefers to set the standards high. He's got normal first touch.... but have you ever seen Lennon swish past a player at his first touch? No. You notice it easily when a player got a good first touch or not by how "relaxed" he/his body (or she in some cases) is when receiving the ball and how it becomes a "part" of the body right away; I don't see that with Lennon.
He beats the players due to his pace and not his technique/dribbles; which is why he easily get knocked off the ball - like Defoe - when he's in tight space.
It is true though that he often ties up 2 defenders when he gets the ball, something that should have been taken advantage of more; just as when Bale ties up 3 players.

I believe the first 45 seconds along of this video makes my point about his first touch for me, haven't seen the rest as I'm at work but I imagine it's in the same vein.

 

[Ledders Army]

Great player, very underrated. Yes should score more goals and yes his crossing is frustrating but our strikers movement is shocking. I actually think he's an intelligent footballer who rarely gives the ball away, plays with his head up and always tries to keep posession. His finishing is better than his goal tally suggests (that goal when we beat Chelsea for the 1st time in decades, the one against Bolton just before Lasagne gate and the one this season, can't remember who against, maybe Sunderland away? where he curled it in just inside the post) show that, but the fact I can list them does highlight he doesn't score enough.

Still in no way should we be looking to sell, good player, great squad player and someone who I think would be happy with squad rotation.

 

[PeeEyeEmPee]

Unbelievable first touch.

Great ball retention.

Ability to play a killer pass.

Superb work rate to protect his full back.

I gave you a bonus attribute too.

you've just described Xavi, not Aaron Lennon. re your bonus attribute, you know you're scraping the barrel when you have to describe your winger's defensive attributes to make a case for him. if I were to ask the same question about Bale, you could have listed

dribbling
shooting/finishing
set-pieces
use of both feet
aerial ability

at the very least before even starting to think about defensive qualities. all of the above are indisputable too, unlike Lennon's supposed killer pass and unbelievable first touch. all this is coming across as me not liking or rating Lennon, but that's not the case. I do like him, and he's a good player...but nowhere near good enough for us to not consider replacing.

 

[BringBack_leGin]

If I were to describe Xavi I'd have actually said:

Top 3 in the world for first touch.

Top 2 in the world for ball retention.

Constantly plays killer passers, several times a game.

Unpredictable and imaginative in his attempts to drive a team forward.

Pin pointedly accurate in everything he does.

Looks more like a waiter than a footballer.

Dude, you seriously underrate Xavi was well as seriously underrating Lennon. I pity you.

 

[PeeEyeEmPee]

riiiiight...

 

[brasil_spur]

serious question. other than pace, name three attributes he does have.

Great first touch.
Great tracking back and defensive assistance.
Great ball control.
The ability to beat a man 1 on 1 almost every time.
Good at retaining possession.
Rarely caught offside.
Good vision in advanced positions.

There's probably more...

His main weaknesses however is not using all this more in his game. That and his crossing and shooting skills aren't good.

Don't think we should sell him at all, but we should definitely bring in some competition for him.

 

[BringBack_leGin]

Great first touch.
Great tracking back and defensive assistance.
Great ball control.
The ability to beat a man 1 on 1 almost every time.
Good at retaining possession.
Rarely caught offside.
Good vision in advanced positions.

There's probably more...

His main weaknesses however is not using all this more in his game. That and his crossing and shooting skills aren't good.

Don't think we should sell him at all, but we should definitely bring in some competition for him.

Don't bother, I just gave a similar, but not as expansive, list but it falls on deaf ears. People with agendas tend not to accept reason, even if that reason is watered down for their benefit.

 

[RJ1882]

you've just described Xavi, not Aaron Lennon. re your bonus attribute, you know you're scraping the barrel when you have to describe your winger's defensive attributes to make a case for him. if I were to ask the same question about Bale, you could have listed

dribbling
shooting/finishing
set-pieces
use of both feet
aerial ability

at the very least before even starting to think about defensive qualities. all of the above are indisputable too, unlike Lennon's supposed killer pass and unbelievable first touch. all this is coming across as me not liking or rating Lennon, but that's not the case. I do like him, and he's a good player...but nowhere near good enough for us to not consider replacing.

IMHO, and I beat this drum last year, he is a very good squad player. An ideal impact sub. A ral game changer coming off the bench and off course more than good enough to be rotated in and out of the starting 11. But I think he could be improved upon. Might take a lot of money, but there are better, more productive players out there.
Defoe is the same. I think he'd offer far more as a squad player and impact Sub than the likes of Adebayor would. Much more useful coming off the bench than Ade, who would be sulking, and again good enough to be rotated in and out of the matchday 11.

We need a bench of players capable of coming into the game and making a real difference. There is no point bring someone like Ade on to mope about the pitch when we are chasing the game.

Lennon can be improved upon, but no way I would sell him.

 

[ultimateloner]

Don't bother, I just gave a similar, but not as expansive, list but it falls on deaf ears. People with agendas tend not to accept reason, even if that reason is watered down for their benefit.

Sorry to interrupt but I would have to weigh in on this. I don't think its fair.
Your descriptions of Lennon may be appropriate, but for me the same would apply to alot of other wingers.
What matters ultimately, and I think most people here agree, is that for a winger with such advantageous physical traits for his position, his end-product is sub-standard.
As a creative player who is meant to make the difference, end-product is what counts.

 

[ultimateloner]

While i'm at it:
Can someone who doesn't think we should sell Lennon given the right offer answer directly my argument which is as follows?
1) Entering his prime: age 26.
2) Sub-standard end product
3) No signs of improving end-product (since a peak of 0.5, has gone back to 0.3 for 3 straight seasons).

 

[Main Man]

serious question. other than pace, name three attributes he does have.

Serious answer. Walcott is a brilliant finisher, Lennon isn't. There in lies the difference.

 

[parklane1]

You obviously haven't seen much football then if you rate Lennon's first touch that highly. I for one prefers to set the standards high. He's got normal first touch.... but have you ever seen Lennon swish past a player at his first touch? No. You notice it easily when a player got a good first touch or not by how "relaxed" he/his body (or she in some cases) is when receiving the ball and how it becomes a "part" of the body right away; I don't see that with Lennon.
He beats the players due to his pace and not his technique/dribbles; which is why he easily get knocked off the ball - like Defoe - when he's in tight space.
It is true though that he often ties up 2 defenders when he gets the ball, something that should have been taken advantage of more; just as when Bale ties up 3 players.

i suggest its you who have not been to many games if you really believe that rubbish, as for you second point that Lennon and Defoe get knocked of the bal easilyl then it just confirms that you have not.

 

[Twizzle]

While i'm at it:
Can someone who doesn't think we should sell Lennon given the right offer answer directly my argument which is as follows?
1) Entering his prime: age 26.
2) Sub-standard end product
3) No signs of improving end-product (since a peak of 0.5, has gone back to 0.3 for 3 straight seasons).

I tend to agree with this, he is at his peak value wise so if we were ever going to cash in on him, now would be the time.

What would he be worth, 15 mill ?

 

[southlondonyiddo]

While i'm at it:
Can someone who doesn't think we should sell Lennon given the right offer answer directly my argument which is as follows?
1) Entering his prime: age 26.
2) Sub-standard end product
3) No signs of improving end-product (since a peak of 0.5, has gone back to 0.3 for 3 straight seasons).

1) Will selling him strengthen our 1st XI or squad?
2) Would we buy someone better?
3)He’s been a major part of our resent improvement in the last 7 years and gives us width & balance

 

[michaelden]

Just look on YouTube and you can see tons of examples of his first touch skill.

You obviously haven't seen much football then if you rate Lennon's first touch that highly. I for one prefers to set the standards high. He's got normal first touch.... but have you ever seen Lennon swish past a player at his first touch? No. You notice it easily when a player got a good first touch or not by how "relaxed" he/his body (or she in some cases) is when receiving the ball and how it becomes a "part" of the body right away; I don't see that with Lennon.
He beats the players due to his pace and not his technique/dribbles; which is why he easily get knocked off the ball - like Defoe - when he's in tight space.
It is true though that he often ties up 2 defenders when he gets the ball, something that should have been taken advantage of more; just as when Bale ties up 3 players.

 

[rabbikeane]

I tend to agree with this, he is at his peak value wise so if we were ever going to cash in on him, now would be the time.

What would he be worth, 15 mill ?

Probably around 15m yes.
Don't think we should even consider selling him,
clearly currently an important first choice player.
And if we should improve past him, he'll still be vital for us as a squad player.
Not in a risk zone for dropping value at the moment.
I can see Leeds going hard for him the day they get promoted though.

 

[Dharmabum]

I believe the first 45 seconds along of this video makes my point about his first touch for me, haven't seen the rest as I'm at work but I imagine it's in the same vein.

Well, I should have defined "first touch" better. Yes, on the video clip Lennon do in fact "swish" past players with his first touch - but not by "killing" the ball but rather by kicking it past the player; which is very effective when there's plenty of space but in tight situations it doesn't work that way.
With "first touch" I mean having the ball "glued" to the feet at once, even in tight situations; and being able to weave past player with tight ball control. And Lennon does not have those skills, whether some of you fans like it or not.
That does not mean I don't fancy Lennon as a player, far from it - he's been an very important asset this season. But there is a reason why Andre always subs Lennon when Spurs are chasing a goal and the opponents park the bus in front of their goal.

 

[ClintEastwould]

dont ever sell lennon.



after bale smashing one in from 30 yards, my most favourite sight in football is probably watching azza have evra for breakast. every single time.

 

[vegassd]

I'm sure that most players could have a 7/8 year footballing career condensed into a 3 minute Youtube video and end up looking like Maradona, so I'm not sure how valid that video is as an argument in Lennon's favour.

For me, Lennon's best attribute (after sheer pace) is that he can still beat a defender on the outside and deliver a cross even when that defender knows that he's gonna try on the outside. Every time he tries it I'm shouting at the TV to stop being obvious then he proves me wrong and gets a cross in anyway.

The downside is that the cross is often a floater that is easy to defend. Or a cutback that needs to be pinpoint accurate or it won't make it through the forest of legs that are in the box. And he very rarely goes directly towards goal and even more rarely gets a decent shot away.

He's been a great asset to our club though and has certainly upped our level of play over the years. Personally I would sell him, but only if we were sure we were getting an upgrade. And that would mean somebody with a genuine goal threat, and they don't come cheap.