NO TROUBLES TO SEEK FOR BHOYS IN ENGLAND

FORMER Celtic boss Neil Lennon watched Bolton flop 3-0 to Middlesbrough and said: “Blame me!”

The Trotters boss took heavy criticism for his team’s first-half mauling against Boro after his tactics dramatically backfired.

Lenny watched in misery as Diego Fabbrini opened the scoring in the seventh minute, before Kike notched two more before the break.

The Irishman admitted: “I accept full responsibility for the first-half. I set the team up and the formation and it didn’t work.

“Our players obviously didn’t get to grips with it very well and we let Middlesbrough dictate and dominate the game.

“The first goal you can stomach as it’s a great individual goal, but the second and third are disappointing.

“Even with the responsibility I take, I still expected the players to compete and press which they’ve done in the previous three games, but it’s a learning experience for me.

“I apologise to the supporters for the first-half. I was left with Emile Heskey and I didn’t want leave him up front on his own against a team with Boro’s quality because it would be some shift for a guy his age.

“I went with the back three and there was a lack of understanding obviously and Middlesbrough fully capitalised on that.”

Lennon’s side have now gone three games without a goal, after an opening day stalemate with Derby followed by a 1-0 defeat to Burton Albion in the Capital One Cup.

But he added: “I think there was a lot in the second-half we can take away from the game against Boro.

“However, we didn’t get our distances right, we were off the pace. I thought they looked the stronger team and won the majority of the 50/50 balls.

“If you come away to anyone in this league you have to compete and we didn’t.

“I take responsibility for the way I set the team up, but it can’t have been all down to that.

“I’m relishing the challenge and Bolton is a good club going through a transitional period.”

Meanwhile Adam Matthews for the second weekend on a row must be wondering what he has done by joining a struggling Sunderland side which defensively looks to be the biggest shambles in the Premier League.

The Sunderland squad apparently met the management today for a crisis meeting to discuss the two shocking defeats at Leicester last week and at home to the Premier League new boys Norwich, which saw supporters leave as early as the end of the first half. Matthews was not in the starting eleven yesterday.

Celtic play Malmo in the Champions League qualifier on Wednesday. Not sure when the next Wales squad is announced.