I'll be honest, I'm disappointed by the reaction of most City fans towards the appointment of Ranieri. He wasn't my first choice, I said that over the weekend, but now he's here we have to support him and not write him off before he's even coached his first training session.
I think we need to realise that we are still new to this league. We're the third least experienced side in the last 10 years, only Bournemouth and Watford have less experience. We'll still be one of the 5 or 6 clubs expected to battle relegation, and we can't expect to run before we can walk.
Last season was not a roaring success - we only just avoided relegation by the skin of our teeth. We had a good start and fantastic end to the season, but had a terrible in between. We cannot rely on a once in a decade type survival act if we want to remain a Premier League club - we have to consistently pick up points throughout the season, not in 2 or 3 blocks. Last season Pearson was unable to achieve this and there's no guarantee he would've been able to do it this season.
Of course, there's no guarantee Ranieri will either. But I feel much more assured of survival this season under Ranieri than I would have if Pearson had stayed. I don't believe Ranieri will see us relegated - whether he can take us to 'the next level' is debatable, but if he can keep us steady, consistently picking up points and keeping us above the drop zone, he will have done a good job. Consistency is key. If Ranieri can build a good quality squad that, in 2 years, a younger manager can take forward, then he will have been a success.
We went for Hiddink and he turned us down. We're not yet at the stage where we can attract that calibre of manager. Ranieri is the next level down. Those who were so keen to give Pearson time to get things right now need to afford Ranieri the same opportunity.
Time to be realistic
posted on 14/7/15
I'm pretty sure it is, True Blue.
I find it strange to state that I preferred King Power's old corporate logo, but there you have it.
posted on 14/7/15
Oh well, I guess we should be thankful it's still blue and not 'lucky red' !
posted on 14/7/15
There is always a possibility in times like this that people will confuse a healthy or constructive scepticism with a lack of support. I don’t think anyone here is suggesting that they won’t get behind the new guy, but it’s not necessarily wrong to voice some concern about the appointment. At this stage it can only be a concern based on evidence of performance at previous clubs, because we have no evidence of what he’ll do for Leicester City.
The issue of whether he’s more chance of keeping us up than Nigel Pearson is largely redundant, although we can call as evidence the fact that NP has kept us up once whereas we can only speculate about where we’ll finish under Claudio Ranieri. My personal view is that the chances of success have probably increased slightly, but the chances of relegation have also increased greatly. In other words we’ve gambled and hugely increased the risk.
The reason I think that we’re at much greater risk of going down following this appointment is not because CR is better or worse than NP, but simply because he isn’t NP. There is always some risk in changing the manager, which is why I never like to see it done unnecessarily. We’ve progressed relatively quickly under Nigel, but this squad is still average to poor in Premier League terms. In our favour we’d finally established a formation and a way of playing last season that enabled us to pick up points. I was looking for us to build upon this with perhaps the right quality recruitment.
Instead we’ve now got a bloke who is likely to want a different style and a different sort of player. I’m guessing he might chase a better quality of player than Nigel and establish a less frenetic style of play with more emphasis on quality than teamwork. This might well be a good thing, but it could tear the fabric of what we eventually found last season apart and take us back to square one. We could have gone for a continuity candidate, we could have taken a risk on someone up and coming or we could do what we’ve done and roll the dice on a journeyman manager with an impressive CV – but some worryingly short lived appointments.
Should we get behind the manager and judge him only on what he does for Leicester City? Yes, of course we should - but I can’t shake my initial reaction that we’re playing a high stakes game with our Premier League future.
posted on 14/7/15
I understand your concerns Joby, we were definitely going places with Pearson and the change is worrying but I have to completely disagree with your assessment of our squad. We are not average to poor, not by any stretch of the imagination.
You don't win 7 out of 9 in this league with an average to poor squad. We've also stenghtened with signings like Huth, Fuchs and Okazaki with no doubt more to come. We have a better squad than a lot of clubs in this league. I firmly believe we have a top 10 squad and I firmly believe we'll finish in the top 10.
I don't see us struggling with Ranieri and I'm not judging him on his performabce for Greece because they're in a world of trouble and football is quite frankly insignificant considering what they're going through as a nation. He was always on a hiding to nothing in that job.
He has done a good job everywhere he's been and then for whatever reasons things have gone south but there's always more to it than the players on the pitch.
He's inheriting a very good squad of players who have a great attitude and I'm certain his influence will move us forward. I think we're a good match for him right now and we're a good opportunity for him to put the past disappointments behind him. i have no doubt that he'll build a very capable team and I'm really excited about what he can do.
Maybe I'm being overly optimistic but that's me I guess though I just have a feeling we'll do well and my feelings aren't often wrong. Time will tell I guess.
posted on 15/7/15
Whatever the what would NP would of done i am happy we have a realistic signing. there is no way we would of got some of the names banded around. Some of the other just made me shudder.
Players are players and will just get on with it and try and impress the new man they will forget about NP quicker than we will if they are picked and play regularly.
Some of them will go to join NP when he has a new club and if that's there choice we don't want them anyway.
As for the coaching staff they might be relieved than that the new man does not have a ready made retinue and will keep them on and they will learn from his experience and make them better.
I not sure what he will make of our warm up games although they are mainly for match fitness.
Good post my Boacialist buddy judging by some of the reactions on here you would of though we have signed my Maggy Thatcher and allowed the Quorn to go fox hunting at Belvoir Drive
posted on 15/7/15
“….. but I have to completely disagree with your assessment of our squad. We are not average to poor, not by any stretch of the imagination.”
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There are 20 teams in the Premier League.
Average would be somewhere between 7th and 13th
Poor would be somewhere below 13th
posted on 15/7/15
Most of us can see we were punching above our weight towards the end of last season.
Lets not start kidding ourselves that the likes of Wes Morgan, Paul Konchesky, Andy King, Matty James (when fit) and Danny Drinkwater are really going to be helping us to achieve a mid table status. I believe they are championship players who gave their all under Pearson.
I don't see Ranieri getting the same out of them as he employs rotating tactics and gives them a different set of tactical instructions.
We need some top talent....
posted on 15/7/15
Yes BS
posted on 15/7/15
"Good post my Boacialist buddy "
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Is that a cross between a Bolshevik and a Socialist?
posted on 15/7/15
Nev has been calling me a 'Bolshevik' for 2 years now and I still have no idea what one is...I'm too scared to put it through Google