Another great great victory today and another tactical masterclass from Ranieri.
I think it's time for me to admit I was wrong. I was a massive Ranieri sceptic when he was appointed. I didn't rate him at Chelsea and felt he was a man who'd been moderately successful by spending big money on players and getting them to perform 'ok'. A poor mans Eriksson or Redknapp you could argue.
How wrong I was.
2 things have hugely impressed me about Ranieri.
1. His tactics. He's managed to do something Pearson could not, and that is create a winning team with a back 4! We all doubted it. We all questioned it. Some of us still do but we keep winning and credit to Ranieri for getting the players to transition to this and get results.
At the same time he gives us something Pearson struggled with, inspired substitutions that do just the right thing at the right time. I was on holiday for the Villa game and I was watching us on tv with my wife. I was screaming at the to when we Ranieri made changes at 2-0 because it looked it was working. How wrong I was and how much my wife enjoyed pointing this out for the remainder of the evening!!
Ranieri has massively stepped on our tactical play during games.
2. His willingness to 'fit in'. With the city, with the owners, and most importantly, with the existing staff and culture. He's made tweaks, not wholesale changes. They've worked and built on the great foundations already laid down. He's embraced our city and our club. You can't help but love the man for it.
I've been hugely impressed by the way he's kept the existing staff engaged.
I'm a Pearson fan. Anyone who has read more than 2 of my posts on here will know that and I still credit 70% of this year's success to him and his staff for what they have built over the last 4 years. But there's no denying that Ranieri has come in and taken us forward. Could Pearson have done that? I think he could, but I don't think he could have developed the tactical qualities that Ranieri has brought this season.
Three things Claudio:
1. Sorry. I got you wrong.
2. Welcome to the family, keep doing what you're doing.
3. Thank you.
Thank you for keeping our dream going. Great great times.
Raises glass - 'To Ranieri'.
Tactics and apologies
posted on 7/11/15
comment by Merseysidefox (U4842)
posted 40 minutes ago
Thanks Champers. Lived in Hudd for a year and have a few Town friends do keep an eye out for your results.
Bad one today losing to Leeds. Was gutted to see Powell sacked as he was much lived here at Leicester. Did you think it was right for him to go?
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It's a tough one. His win ratio was appalling, however he had to put up with his best players being sold then not being given much money to reinvest. Seems we've now gone for someone who fits the chairman's philosophy of buying cheap (and young), selling big. We're stagnating to be honest and it may be a blessing for his career to move on. He should never have got the chop from Charlton in all honesty and I hope to see him at another club soon.
posted on 8/11/15
We're having a fantastic season - so far. I'm as surprised as anybody (bar Arro perhaps) that we are where we are at present - 15 points from safety after only 12 games.
I'm always very wary of overstating achievements at this early stage in the season, but we're looking good at present, so credit to Claudio for that.
What could go wrong?
We have a really difficult set of fixtures to the New Year which could see us go on a bad run and perhaps lose confidence.
We have an improved, but still dodgy defence (only one pizza night for the lads so far). This is not at all relevant whilst we continue to match or outscore our opponents but against the very best sides we may well come unstuck playing 4 at the back (to be able to say that in November is quite unbelievable by the way!).
We have some key players with no obvious replacements - Vardy and Mahrez. Their brilliant form has got other clubs interested but we'll hopefully at least keep them beyond January. There could be injuries - viz yesterday's heart in mouth moment as Vards went down clutching something and apparently in agony. Cue the sighs of relief as he got up and carried on!
Losing other players to injury could be problematical, Fuchs for example. As willing and enthusiastic as Jeff is, playing him at LB will usually end up with him two yards behind the rest of the back line at some stage during the game making it easy for quality opposition players to beat offside.
This isn't meant to be negative, just to spot some potential clouds on the horizon - they are however far away and look pretty thin at present!
We were lucky to get all three points yesterday against a quite impressive Hornets, but I suppose that's another sign of a good side, not perhaps playing at our best and still finding a way to win.
posted on 8/11/15
True/Nuneaton - I agree with both of you in that we can't judge our league position until we see how we turn out midway through January.
We've had a very good run of fixtures, but no game is easy in the premier league and for Ranieri to have got us this many points so early on deserves huge credit.
I also still have reservations about getting carried away Arro style. The Peter Taylor years are far too fresh in the memory for me to get confident.
However, we look a totally different club now and Ranieri seems to be backed in every way by our owners, players and backroom staff. It looks good.
posted on 8/11/15
I don't think you can compare Taylor and Ranneri as i don't think you can compare NP and CR.
But we have been here before and no city fan will think we are going to win the next match every week.
posted on 8/11/15
Good post Mersey you don't have to say sorry i'm sure he would understand put an arm on shoulder and say no problem.
posted on 8/11/15
Terrific start from CR who hasn't do much wrong. He does seem to make the right substitutions at the right time, which is something that NP always struggled with. In fact arresting a decline in fortunes was something the previous regime seemed to struggle with all round. It was all great when it was all working.
The strength under NP was building teams and we don't yet know how CR will cope with a downturn in fortunes, injury crisis or what will happen when he needs to start recycling the team. They are all questions for the future, however, and right now CR is answering them all.
It may be a team built by NP, but CR should take the credit for getting it up to 3rd - as ultimately he'll cop for all the flack as soon as it starts to unravel.
posted on 8/11/15
Peter Taylor - First manager to be sacked in the Indian Premier League.
posted on 8/11/15
comment by True Blue (U9486)
posted 17 minutes ago
Peter Taylor - First manager to be sacked in the Indian Premier League.
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God what were we doing with that t*** c*** jolly fellow
posted on 9/11/15
Another former Manager sounds like he's ready to get back in the game and is reminding people he's still there.
The Sunday Times had an excellent article on Nigel Pearson today, nearly a full page spread, he obviously has engaged a very good PR Company to get his name out there.
Interesting that Harry Rednapp was on 5 live the other evening ( been listening a lot backwards and forwards to the hospital in the evenings) and he a right old rant about Foreign Managers, he was so incensed you'd think he was a candidate for UKIP.
Still he made some very good points about how many Clubs just look immediately abroad and how it is also happening now in the lower Leagues.
He and all the other pundits couldn't believe NP wasn't even mentioned for Villa job and what a good fit he'd have been.
posted on 9/11/15
I love the ranting of these middle aged racist managers ( not saying Harry is heaven forbid )
They are up in arms about these foreign managers but don't help apart from the likes of NP the likes of Powell get positions.