Five Things: Bolton Wanderers 1-2 Norwich City

1) Ambition

I know that we are not in the midst of a ten match winning run and nor are we as a club playing for much other than our personal pride and a few hundred thousands for our final league position. But these players are playing for their futures, or they bloody well should be. I can't fathom whether the lack of a real push from us to win this game in my eyes was down to Neil Lennon's instructions, an unwillingness to change his tactics in case Norwich took advantage or if the players had simply ran out of ideas and the ability to create chances or win their individual battles.

I appreciate Norwich are a team pushing for promotion to the Premier League but it worried me that we seemed to settle for a point when we would have lost nothing by going for it. Disappointing.

2) We need to sign Barry Bannan

The Scottish Iniesta is a real gem and just needs to add a genuine goal threat to his game. He reminds me of Andy Reid at Nottingham Forest in the way he plays and how he is constantly on the move, driving forward. Except for the fact that he probably eats about twenty less Ginster's Pasties per week and weighs about 5 stone less.

He was the only player really trying to make things happen while the others seemed to be going through the motions, illustrated by his lung busting run to try and get on the end of Adam Le Fondre's reverse pass in the last few minutes of the game.

I really think we should build our midfield around him but the nagging doubt is his miserly total of just 4 career goals, which doesn't bode too well with him adding that vital goalscoring instinct that we need more of from our midfield.

I feel that the 25 year-old is settled and enjoying his football for the first time in his career and a fee of under a million may be enough to secure his services, which is well worth it for the tenacious playmaker.

Bannan, Ben Amos and Le Fondre are a great example of how the loan market should work for a club like ours but the likes of Coke, Rochinha and McNaughton have been a waste of time. Lennon amassed a ragtag bunch of players that have turned into a collective bunch of Tungsten tip screws. Never gonna use 'em. Never gonna use 'em...

3) Three at the back - does it work?

I think it has been a mixed bag to be honest and although in theory it should play to the strengths of Liam Feeney, I think we need to look at buying two new wing-back's with the right attributes to better fit this specialist position demands.

We have defended well on the whole, barring the Rotherham debacle, using this formation but our game becomes fragmented at times due to the players struggling with their roles within the team. It is nice to have various strings to our bow in terms of playing styles and adapting to differing formations for next season and I can see that Lennon is targeting making us more robust, physically and mentally.

If we intend to use 3-5-2 as our primary formation next season we need to play it every game until the end of the season to give the players a chance to adapt properly. It can certainly work but only with the right personnel and with enough practise.

4) Substitutions

Usually Lennon is quite decisive in his changes, not usually leaving it too late to recognise that someone needs to be dragged off. Gudjohnsen and Feeney were afforded twenty minutes too long on this occasion which impacted on our efforts to put Norwich under the cosh as time drew on.

I hope that this wasn't an indication that Lennon is losing his ability to spot when a change is needed and that all the rebuilding works that are buzzing around his head are making him lose focus on his day-to-day job.

Substitutes and the timing of them in regards to the flow of the game are a much underused weapon in my opinion and it is vital that we make use of them to better effect in the future. They really are game changers.

5) Matt Mills

The rumours of his refusal of the new deal put on the table are yet to be confirmed but if it is the case then Lennon was in the right to take him out of his team and slot Tim Ream into the centre.

Mills is a divisive figure within our fan base and hasn't been the warrior he was under Freedman earlier this season and in Lennon's opening few games of late. He would command wages that are far more expensive then another player of similar ability would demand.

I say get rid and gone are the clumsy challenges, the rushes of blood to the head and those piss poor diagonal passes that go to fucking no-one.

We can use his wages on some quality full-backs/wing-backs we so desperately require instead.