Im a big Ainsworth fan, but it looks to me that McGhee is trying to get him to work as part of this fluid front three and maybe Lionel just isn't cut out for it. My view is that unless we are going to stick him on the right wing and play balls infront of him, then really, theres no point in bringing him on.
Saying that, even when it looks as though he's not doing much, more often than not he still is the guy who provides the assist, whether from a cross or a corner.