Neil Lennon says that Bolton’s performance in the 2-1 loss to Norwich on Friday night was the worst that he has seen from the side since his arrival.
Two Cameron Jerome goals put Norwich in command, and despite Lee Chung-yong’s late consolation, Bolton were soundly beaten.
Lennon, although acknowledging the spirit of his side, bemoaned the lack of quality shown by his players.
“We didn’t deserve to get much out the game. I thought we were second best and I’m disappointed with that performance,” he said.
“Some people are telling me we played well against Norwich. I didn’t see it that way. Maybe I just expect more from the players.
“I thought it was probably the poorest we’ve played in my four games in charge and we have a lot of work to do.
“I’ve got no issue with the battling side of things, my players gave me plenty of that, but we need more quality and I’m going to demand more.
“We’re a sleeping giant. We were bottom when I came in. The next aim is to now get out of the bottom three.
“We have a lot of work to do but this is the challenge. Norwich are the benchmark for most teams in the Championship and that is where we strive to be.”
Wanderers remain second-bottom of the Championship with just three wins and 11 points from 15 games, although two of those wins have come since Lennon’s arrival last month.
They now face two tough games in five days, starting with Tuesday’s visit of another relegated Premier League side Cardiff City before a local derby with fellow strugglers Wigan Athletic.
Trotters’ midfielder Darren Pratley is aware of the stiff test that the next few days pose for the club, but is determined to give the fans something to shout about.
“Friday was a disappointing night,” he said. “We’d like to thank the fans who travelled down – it was a long journey and I’m really disappointed for them.
“It’s gone now and we look forward to Tuesday against Cardiff – it’ll be another tough game, but hopefully we can get something out of it.
“It will be hard, but we’re in front of our own fans and we’re looking forward to trying to get a positive result.”
Lennon called for more consistency in his side’s play, but is taking comfort from the fact that both games this week will be taking place in front of Bolton’s own fans.
“We need to find more consistency in terms of our results,” he added. “We’ve won two & lost two but I’d like more wins.
“We now head in to back-to-back home games against Cardiff and Wigan. It’s a big ask for us because those two sides are very capable.
“It’s going to be a tough week but the fact that we’re at home for both games brings me a lot of comfort.”
Bolton host 11th-placed Cardiff City at the Macron Stadium on Tuesday night with kick-off at 8pm.
Main image courtesy of BWFC via YouTube, with thanks.
