They've both been top class this season. I think Pearson edges it because although Leicester probably have a bigger squad, I think Burnley have a slightly better first 11 and therefore it has taken an amazing job to get those players playing so well and so consistently.

In a fight I think Pearson would just about edge it too although Dyche looks quite mean.

I think Dyche edges it. Take Ings and Vokes out and Burnley have the most ordinary first 11 around. We made it look easy at Turf Moor without those two.

They don't have anyone of Knockearts quality, nor Mahrez, Kasper, Morgan, Drinkwater or James. Not sure why Caniggia keeps insisting we have such an ordinary squad (worst out of the top 6 I think he said!??) but you won't find a single pundit agreeing with him. Nor many fans...

I agree Blackstarr. How on earth anyone can seriously say Burnleys starting 11 is better than Leicesters is a joke. Remove ings, vokes and trippier and you are not left with much to shout about. All about opinions though I guess.

Don't be so touchy guys! Trippier is a better fullback than Leicester have. Kightly is a quality winger, he's been as good as Knockeart this season and Arfield on the other wing is a talent, more consistent than Dyer. Shackell has captained them just as well as Morgan amd is easily that quality. I'll repeat something you said to me Blackstarr that if you saw Burnley play more often you might appreciate their quality

But yeah, it's all about opinions.

"They don't have anyone of Knockearts quality, nor Mahrez, Kasper, Morgan, Drinkwater or James."

Who bought 5 of those 6?

Caniggia, you're a great guy but you're talking gash. I haven't seen a single forest fan, leicester fan, derby fan or any other fan agree with you on this one. I haven't heard a single pundit or manager agree. Mick McCarthy, Paul Dickov, Chris Powell, and the Barnsley manager have all been unanimous in saying we are the best in this division by a mile.

That couldn't be the case if as you say we have one of the worst squads in the top 6. Shackell as good as Morgan?! Come on, you're a Forest fan, you know how good he is.

You know pretty much next to nothing about our squad and you've seen us play poorly twice, which happens to be against Forest. You have based your opinions on that. I have watched Burnley many times this season - do the maths on the results they've got with ings and vokes and without them.

You keep forgetting to mention players like Mahrez who is out of this world, Jeff Schlupp (Swansea were in for him), Liam Moore (PL interest), Drinkwater (almost on a par with Reid for midfield quality), Chris Wood (did you see that finish against Burnley!?)

Our side is stacked full of quality. Now for the love of God, give this one up lad

comment by True Blue (U9486)
posted 22 minutes ago
"They don't have anyone of Knockearts quality, nor Mahrez, Kasper, Morgan, Drinkwater or James."

Who bought 5 of those 6?
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was it Sven?

Don't tell me how many times I've seen Leicester play or what I'm basing my opinions on. You're the one talking gash there. My mum lives in Leicester and I've seen you play a lot more times than that I can assure you. Morgan is a quality player at this level but to be honest I didn't rate him that highly when he was at Forest. He's improved a lot but Shackell is a very similar player. What are you basing your opinion of Burnely on? Is it the same as all the people who said they would never get promoted because they weren't good enough? People who thought that obviously don't know much about football.

Saying take Ings and Vokes out and Burnely are hubby's his a ridiculous statement! Who do you think creates the goals for them? Who do you think has contributed to their fantastic defensive record? How many games have they lost this season? Is that all down to Ings and Vokes? Take Nugent and Vardy out and does that make Leicester rubbish?

I know Leicester are the best team in the Championship, any idiot can see that! I'm just saying that it's not just about having the best players because I don't believe Leicester have that. They have some quality players of course but there are teams around them with better players.

Rubbish not hubby

Is true blue making the point that those players may be quality but Sven didn't get them promoted. Pearson has turned them into easily the best side in the league. Have they dramatically improved in the last three years or is it down to the manager?

Can I just clarify this isn't a high brow discussion about who has the best squad - I'm asking who would win in a scrap

Lets just revisit this. You said Leicester had the worst squad out of the top 6. This wasn't early in this season, this was pretty much when we were about 11 points ahead of everyone. You made this statement quite recently. Its unbelievably daft and fairly insulting although I know you didn't mean it that way.

I don't care if your mum lives on a step in Block B2 in the West stand at the King Power stadium and you've both watched Leicester for 10 years solid, this statement is absolutely ludicrous and its going to get a reaction from most Leicester fans.

Burnley have other players who can step up, not saying they don't but everyone knows strength in depth is their issue. Vardy has been absent a number of times this season and yet we have so much quality to fall back on that Burnley don't have. Even Sean Dyche has repeatedly said this. You are on a hiding to nothing by making out that their squad or anyone else's in the top 6 is better than ours.

What would you think if I said Forest were a one person team. Take Reid out and they're not very good. You'd probably say I was talking rubbish and point to other players I may not have considered like Paterson, Hendo, Wilson, Lascalles etc.

The reason I can tell that you are basing your opinions based on a couple of performances against Forest, is that no one in their right mind who had watched Mahrez, Drinkwater, James, Wood, Knockeart, Wood, Nugent, Schmeichel, Dyer play on a regular basis would make such a statement

comment by caniggiaforforest (U6917)
posted 6 minutes ago
Is true blue making the point that those players may be quality but Sven didn't get them promoted. Pearson has turned them into easily the best side in the league. Have they dramatically improved in the last three years or is it down to the manager?
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No Caniggia, he was making the point that Pearson signed them all except Schmeichel. Most of them were also performing exceptionally for most of last season - Mahrez was only signed this January but is amazing

I'd say you aren't far wrong by saying Forest are a one man team! Without Reid we're average and that is clear.

I'm not sure I said Leciester have the worst squad in the top 6, or if I did then I'll clarify. What I mean to say, and hopefully this won't upset you so much, is that on paper, Wigan, Reading and Forest look stronger in terms of the size and cost of their squads. Clearly that hasn't meant much this season.

I made the point about having roots in Leciester because you made an assumption that I base my opinion on Leciester's poor performances against Forest this season. I didn't.

Some of the things you say are pretty daft too Blackstarr. Your list of players is quite funny, I mean Chris Wood? I rate him but he's barely played for you this season! I don't think players like Nugent and Dyer would have performed as well for Forest as they have under Pearson and I think that's because of his quality as a manager. And you can't tell me what I'm basing my opinions on so don't. Or I'll tell you that you think average players are quality and that you're making up how many times you've seen Burnley play this season.

By the way Knockeart is a quality player who would get in any side and will be in the team of the year. He combines skill with top,work rate and should have the quality for the Prem.

Danger, sorry for hijacking this thread!

But yes I'll give it a rest as it's clearly winding you up and that's not my intention.

Pearson would kick the crap out of Dyche.

Caniggia - this is what I'm basing my responses to you on;

comment by caniggiaforforest (U6917)
posted 2 weeks ago
Then there is Leicester who I believe have a weaker squad than most of the top 7 but have been by far the best team in the league.

This is one of a few posts where you adhere to the fact we have some average players who are being brilliantly managed by NP and that other teams have better squads than us. I can't really be bothered to pull out the other posts, but its a point you've made time and again this season.

You also posted after the last Forest game that you hadn't actually watched Leicester play much this season, so what am I supposed to think you are basing your opinions on?

Chris Wood was on my list of players as an example of the strength in depth Burnley don't have. I assume you watched the Burnley v Leicester game at Turf Moor. You will have noted that when Vokes went off, Burnley had no option but to leave Barnes on his own upfront. They didn't have any other strikers. We have Wood (who is very good at this level), GTF (who is fat but ok), Phillips (who can still take a chance), and a couple of other options. Burnley don't have the quality in depth.

I think Nugent and Dyer would have been fine at Forest. They were performing well before Pearson, I remember Nugent being our best performer under Sven. Dyer didn't get picked enough but was excellent when he did come on.

What Pearson has done incredibly well, and where unfortunately you are wrong on this, is that he has scouted abroad and youth players and signed exceptional young talented players. Last season they weren't consistent enough. This season they are.

What he hasn't done, is take a bunch of average players and turn them into world beaters. He has had to clear out the overpaid junk and start again. These are his signings and they are some of the best in the championship

Sorry to get wound up on this, but I'm afraid I just take exception to a view (which isn't shared by anyone else) that even on paper we have one of the weakest squads in the top 7 which NP has got performing. I know you're not trying to wind me up, and apologies that it has - its just that no fan likes being their team being underestimated I guess..or players not being given credit where due.

Danger, sorry for hijacking this thread!

___________________________________________



Crack on son, I was only on a micky take anyway

Fair enough and I take your points. Do you think Billy Davies or Nigel Adkins, or even Dyche would have won the league if they'd be in charge of Leicester this season?

Fair enough and I take your points. Do you think Billy Davies or Nigel Adkins, or even Dyche would have won the league if they'd be in charge of Leicester this season?

No!

Me neither

Caniggia good question. I don't think so, I think Dyche may have been able to but not many others. Huge credit has to go to Pearson for organising and motivating the players, but his greatest strength. Along with his scouting network, is his ability to find hidden talent and bring it to the club

My point about the 6 Leicester players mentioned was actually almost a counter argument against BS.

Who had heard of these players before NP bought them, none of them were high profile, many Leicester fans thought NP crazy for bringing Morgan over from Forest so on paper at the beginning of the season even many Leicester fans complained we had a poor squad, obviously now that has been turned on it's head.

As football management is far more than just the results on the pitch and success can also be defined where you started from I'd say Pearson edges Dyche.

Of course to answer Dangers question, one head butt from NP and it'd be all over, just ask any of the Sven signings that NP allegedly headbutted on his return

TB, yes we're saying the same thing. The squad is excellent and contains players mostly unearthed by NP and his staff from the unknown. The exception to this is Wes and I think a lot of Leicester fans were fairly pleased with that signing. He was excellent for Forest

I think you would agree with me that we don't have a weaker squad than other top sides, more of an unknown squad maybe

In a scrap, I think Dyche would land a couple of punches but Nige would take them and then land a solid head butt to end the contest.

As for who deserves manager of the season, I'd probably give it to Dyche. I know certain sections of the Burnley support (and Dyche himself) like to bang on about finances and how they're up against these financial behemoths around the top of the Championship, but I think he has a point - although Leicester really haven't spent as much on the current squad as the media like the report.

I didn't think Burnley were going to do anything this year, neither did most people. It's amazing not only that they've competed at the top but that they've stayed there. It seems they're going to push us all the way for the title as well - their win today will hopefully focus the minds of our players as we go into the QPR match.

I believe we have a better squad and team than Burnley, which makes Dyche's job all the more impressive. At the start of the season I'd have put it similar to Forest's, although it's clear that some of our players have really grown and I'm now convinced that it's better. Even so, they remain a force in the championship and, if they can get their fitness regime sorted next year, they should be properly challenging for promotion. Whether Pearce can deliver that is an interesting question though.


And True Blue - Would any other manager have been able to do at Leicester what Pearson has this year: No, but for the simple reason that they weren't the ones that put it together. It's Pearson's squad, compiled by him and his coaches for him to manage. Who knows what anyone else would have done, so it's something of a moot point for me.