Lawrence: Verdict so far

By: Richard Lord
Date: 10/01/2001

The appointment of Lennie Lawrence as manager of GTFC was a welcome boost for those die-hard fans who have committed themselves to the club over the last season and a half. Finally there was the prospect of scoring more than 2 goals and also new faces, just what the club needed.

Lawrence was quick to spot the weaknesses in the team, and brought new faces to the club. It was so apparent how weak and feeble we were up front, a strike-force of Michael Jeffrey and Daryl Clare was extremely light-weight to say the least. Finally we had a manager who injected a bit of enthusiasm in the team, and brought in the irrepressible David Nielsen, a deal which would have been very unlikely under the Buckley era, with Lawrence's contacts spread far and wide across the globe - Denmark and now China. Lawrence also has the ability to spot potential within the team, quick to praise the youth system by giving Matt Bloomer a chance in the first team, even young Jonathan Rowan got his chance and took it with both hands against Wolves in the Worthington Cup earlier this season. The manager was quick to spot the apparent lack of pace and power up front, immediately re-instating Livvo back to his preferred striker's role, which has got the best out of him. Listening to the players and playing them in their preferred role has boosted the morale within the club, which must have been at an all-time low under Alan Buckley. The introduction of the foreign legion - Knut Anders Fostervold - was just what the team needed. A 'no nonsense' defender who has butchered up the defence, and for once we have a Town team that looks mean and ready to do business, we won't roll over easily against any team. We have now become a threat at set-pieces, corners where we were weak before. But unfortunately for Lawrence, he has not seen the full potential of the side, not being able to judge such players as Alan Pouton. Installing goalkeeping coaching for both Croudson and Coyne, Lawrence has had the incredible ability to get the best out of the team and many feel, myself included, that there is a lot more on offer...

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