The old saying goes, you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it sign Ivan Toney.  Well, I think that’s the saying!

I wasn’t surprised to see Nicky Hammond cut ties with the club on Wednesday evening. I had been told a few weeks back his exit was all but a formality. What I was surprised about was some of the abuse aimed at the outgoing head of football operations.

No, he’s not helped deliver ten in a row but does he shoulder a third of the blame, even? I’m not so sure.

Signings that have been made under Nicky Hammond’s watch have been hit and miss but even when they’ve seemed like a hit they’ve turned out to be a miss. That’s down to Neil Lennon. There’s no doubt the team has been severely mismanaged this season, players out of position, confidence shattered and egos provoked.

The collage below shows every player signed, it’s a mixed bag. But what’s evident is the lack of confidence Neil Lennon had in many of them. Even David Turnbull had to wait for a Europa League dead rubber and play out of his skin to get a second look.

The Barkas signing looks to have been a poor piece of business but again we have a goalkeeper who has had his confidence shattered by a flip-flopping manager.

A few people made the argument it’s the players he didn’t sign that Hammond will be remembered for – specifically Ivan Toney. Correct me if I’m wrong but Hammond was never put in charge of the cheque book and was not the man to pull the trigger on the guys we did sign.

Down the line, we will get a clearer picture of how much Nick was micromanaged and who the club missed out on because our chief executive decided the player wasn’t worth it.

He’s not been a flop, some of the talents above could still come good if given a chance.