Momentum is an often overlooked factor at the end of any season. Take the great escape season for example - it was the 7 out of 9 wins at the end of the season which gave the team new found confidence and propelled them to a title win next season.
Conversely - remember what happened in the second part of Taylor’s first season in 2000/1. We went on a dreadful run which saw us slide down from about 7th in the table to 14th, losing to Wycombe in the FA cup in the process. It paved the way for next seasons relegation
If we take the Europa out of it for a second, I’m genuinely concerned about the momentum we are currently set to take into next season. Piece by piece Puel is breaking this side apart and trying to re-assemble it in his own image. The problem with that is that his image is of an achingly dull French defensive sideways passing footballing side. Where will it take us next season?
Puel is safe as houses its only a minority who want him out. As Peasron said its about entitlement, if we had not won the EPL where we are now would be seen as progress. As Birchy said it wasn't that long ago the club nearly folded but we act like we should be a top six team
If the owners want a to six team they will need a full 25 man squad of premier quality players and spend more that £30m on a player.
So Southampton would like a bit of our bordom in eight right now
As for must win Puel did not fudge it he said the same now its down to players to step rather than whinge about the tactics.
I'm on a plane at 3.00pm so when i land tonight we will know whether they are up for it or getting ready for holidays
Nev - where are you getting this idea from the Puel is safe as houses?
Have you learned nothing from our owners previous decisions?
So in Nevs head - once again, puel is absolutely exempt from criticism and if we lose today, it’s solidly down to the players just not being up for it.
The guy is deluded. But everyone knows that
“Puel is safe as houses its only a minority who want him out.”
The thing is, these two statements aren’t synonymous.
Nev, if you are using a comparative, from quite a few seasons ago now, of us nearly going out of business - then of course, financially secure in 2018 is great...but what has that got to do with the playing side of it...even if the point is that we were in League One quite a few years ago, what’s the point in that comparison?
I’m pretty sure a team a couple of years ago proved you don’t need to have players who all cost 30m+ to win the league, in fact, it’s these high costing purchase that on the whole haven’t worked for us.
KTF we won the league because the top teams where in transition and we stole through with our attacking style and a great manager.
The players we have bought show and failed show that you have to spend more and the owners have to show they are up for that as well as getting Puel to develop younger players.
“KTF we won the league because the top teams where in transition and we stole through with our attacking style“
Not that I necessarily agree with either statement here, but you only play the top 4, 8 times, if this really is how simple it was to win the league, surely we can just continue to ‘steal through’ and continue to beat the other sides who aren’t the top 4, which should have us finishing top six every season. Simples.....
“The players we have bought show and failed show that you have to spend more and the owners have to show they are up for that”
Quick fire way of getting into financial trouble again
“We have bought several players for 20+ million Mr Chairman and it hasn’t worked...”
“Well spend 30+ million on them then..”
“....and if that doesn’t work?”
“40+ million.”
I don’t really care about finishing top 6. I care at the moment about us being a secure Premier League team. One season out of four without being in trouble at the bottom of the table for a good proportion of the season is not stable.
Who cares about big squads and big money players and aiming for the top 6 if our current form is in decline and win ratio is also declining and lower than earlier in the season prior to CP.
You see, it’s not the people who want top 6 that are worried, quite the opposite, it’s people who don’t want to see us fighting to stay up next year or even worse, losing that fight.
I believe Puel will be sacked if we lose this weekend, the Owners are that ruthless and he's failing big time when they would expect us to be above Burnley.
Appleton in until the end of the Season while they look for another suitable Manager.
Puel defending his turgid style of Football on RL last night, I don't blame him totally because the direction obviously comes from higher up but he's not achieving anything, ever since his ridiculous rotation system he's lost the plot.
TB you have changed your tune? Puel has been brought in to do a job ate he has just started and run into the same road bloke CR/CP ran into shall we just sack him and get a second rate English manager off the failure merry-go-round or shall we try and build for the future.
KTF i think that's the biggest decision the owners need to make safe or challenging for Europe.
His job is to get us into Europe, the Owners publicly stated ambition.
Ps, I didn’t say I wanted him sacked but I believe they will.
Did they TB i must of missed that did they say this season because as we where one point of relagation that would of been laughable.
KTB it has nothing to do with us beating the top four although we needed to do that it was the top four lost to everyone in the league and could not mount a challenge leaving Spurs and later Arsenal to challenge.
There was never any threat of relegation, only in the minds of those who never wanted Shakey in the first place!
Oh and you believe that TB if that was the case why was he fired we should be up in arms against the owners for sacking such a great managerWho has gone to manage....who?
I totally believe it, fired because he didn’t understand the Politics involved and made mistakes with DOF, sacked as the fall guy!
Shakespeare was rightly sacked because he shouldn’t have been given the job in the first place. He showed against Arsenal that he was tactically naive. Yes he had a tough start but we were dreadful against teams like Huddersfield under his tenure - we simply had no way of playing except hoofing the ball up to Vardy
Basically Puel showed fairly quickly that with a bit of tactical nous, this is comfortably a top 8 side. However, with just 2 wins from the last 10, Puel is firmly in Craig Shakespeare territory.
He will be measured against the owners objectives of European football - not against where Leicester were when he came in. Simple as that.
TB - I'd expect the intital task for Puel was to get us out of trouble, not into Europe, so I'd be surprised if he got sacked after losing to Burnley (but not completely shocked given the owners propensity to panic - we'll have to agree to disagree on that one Dunge) .
Next season's target would be Europe for sure, so the question in my mind is will the owners lose faith in Claude if we finish the season poorly, and replace him with someone else to take us through the summer and in to next season?
He's stated that he's going to continue with the changed tactics so there's a fair chance we're not going to have the greatest end to the season pending arrival of players who are more comfortable on the ball. It will be interesting to see if the owners give him the chance to continue the transition.
One thing that would be in his favour next season is the fixture computer probably won't be as nasty to him as it was to Shakey.
A good indication of the owners expectations can be gained by looking at the latest financial report.
When released in early March, Leicester were where they are now - 8th. Despite having steered us from relegation places, Puels current performance was described as ‘satisfactory’. Not ‘good’, not ‘outstanding’.
Top 7 and Europe will be mission accomplished and - good season. 2 wins in 10, throwing away 7th and losing momentum will not be acceptable
“KTB it has nothing to do with us beating the top four although we needed to do that it was the top four lost to everyone in the league and could not mount a challenge leaving Spurs and later Arsenal to challenge.”
It’s strange blowing this myth out of the water to a Leicester fan, but as it was completely invalidated post league winning season, it only continues to be more so as the last season or two have passed.
Fat boy Micky Quinn and Paul Merson, along with many, many lazy pundits tried to argue the point that it was ‘just a lucky’ season and ‘other teams were just having a poor season....here’s the game, set match argument that simmers them down:
2015/16 :
Without any points against the 5 teams below us, we still finish in the CL places (even if those points accrued to the relevant team).
2016:17
‘Yeah but it was a lucky season and teams ‘had a wake up call’ in 2017’
We still finish Champions League with that points tally.
‘Yes but it was the games against the top 4 that won it for them...’
No it didn’t, keep the results against those teams in 2016/17 and transfer the other points against other teams in 2015/16 and we still finish Champions League places.
2017/18
Transfer our points from 2017/18, or if you like, transfer our points but maintain this seasons results against those ‘top teams’ - we would still be challenging for the champions league places.
Don’t get me wrong, I completely see why embarrassed pundits and unprofessional journalists want to save face, but unfortunately they can’t wipe our memories and just have to live with the fact that they looked like idiots - not for predicting Leicester would be relegated (despite us being the inform team over the last couple of months the season before) but for continuing to make excuse after excuse as they watched in frustration as we won the title and then retrospectively embarrassed themselves with lazy and cliches reasons for it, which as I said, continues to only become more obvious.
Whichever way you want to look at it, Leicester won the league because they were very good that season and that ‘very good’ would still have been good enough for Champions League places in the following season and probably this season even with the ‘top 4’ having had ‘a wake up call’ and becoming ‘much better teams again’. Statitistically there just isn’t an argument against it.
And again, if the old ‘hoof ball/counted attack’ excuse is going to be regurgated - watch the DVD.
‘That season’ isn’t what has Puel in a bit of trouble at the minute and nor will not finishing 7th or losing to Burnley (hopefully we won’t) - it will be, as is always the case, the form leading up to a game over several months.
As previously mentioned, Puel’s win ratio is worse than Shakespeare over slightly more games (and if you want to take off a few games at the beginning or end of CP’s reign to balance the ‘games played’ and make it fair, it doesn’t help his ratio).
Whilst I have preferences for types of football and tactics, at the end of the day, I simply look at them as ‘manager A, B etc’ when it comes to the welfare of my club and at the minute- there is a slight concern that our current manager is involved in a bit of decline with regard to our form. Hopefully this will just be decline in ‘ current form’ rather than a longer,significant period but it is obviously the owners’ jobs to determine where that line falls and when to be proactive as opposed to reactive.
I personally don’t think we have reached that line, but let’s not kid ourselves, Puel ‘being safe as houses’ is about as a suitable an idiom as ‘Leicester were lucky to win the league.’
Let’s also then get rid of this myth that pundits couldn’t face us winning the title and have tried to poo poo it ever since. It’s just a silly generalisation
I don’t think I’ve heard a single pundit say we didn’t deserve it, but let’s acknowledge the fact that it would never have happened without United, city and Chelsea being off the boil. KTFs stats back that up completely
KTF so we have finished in the champions league places in the last three seasons. The only stat's that matter are the table. if you think we could win the premier league without Man utd Chelsea,Manc city and Arsenal Even Spurs had the chance all under performing all season you are deluded.
It was a prefect storm and an indescribable achievement but since then we are where we would normally be.
You have literally ignored the majority of my post if that is a serious response.
So who's playing Centre half today. Maguire or Choudhury?
Sign in if you want to comment
Cliched biggest game of the season...
Page 1 of 2
posted on 14/4/18
Momentum is an often overlooked factor at the end of any season. Take the great escape season for example - it was the 7 out of 9 wins at the end of the season which gave the team new found confidence and propelled them to a title win next season.
Conversely - remember what happened in the second part of Taylor’s first season in 2000/1. We went on a dreadful run which saw us slide down from about 7th in the table to 14th, losing to Wycombe in the FA cup in the process. It paved the way for next seasons relegation
If we take the Europa out of it for a second, I’m genuinely concerned about the momentum we are currently set to take into next season. Piece by piece Puel is breaking this side apart and trying to re-assemble it in his own image. The problem with that is that his image is of an achingly dull French defensive sideways passing footballing side. Where will it take us next season?
posted on 14/4/18
Puel is safe as houses its only a minority who want him out. As Peasron said its about entitlement, if we had not won the EPL where we are now would be seen as progress. As Birchy said it wasn't that long ago the club nearly folded but we act like we should be a top six team
If the owners want a to six team they will need a full 25 man squad of premier quality players and spend more that £30m on a player.
So Southampton would like a bit of our bordom in eight right now
As for must win Puel did not fudge it he said the same now its down to players to step rather than whinge about the tactics.
I'm on a plane at 3.00pm so when i land tonight we will know whether they are up for it or getting ready for holidays
posted on 14/4/18
Nev - where are you getting this idea from the Puel is safe as houses?
Have you learned nothing from our owners previous decisions?
posted on 14/4/18
So in Nevs head - once again, puel is absolutely exempt from criticism and if we lose today, it’s solidly down to the players just not being up for it.
The guy is deluded. But everyone knows that
posted on 14/4/18
“Puel is safe as houses its only a minority who want him out.”
The thing is, these two statements aren’t synonymous.
Nev, if you are using a comparative, from quite a few seasons ago now, of us nearly going out of business - then of course, financially secure in 2018 is great...but what has that got to do with the playing side of it...even if the point is that we were in League One quite a few years ago, what’s the point in that comparison?
I’m pretty sure a team a couple of years ago proved you don’t need to have players who all cost 30m+ to win the league, in fact, it’s these high costing purchase that on the whole haven’t worked for us.
posted on 14/4/18
KTF we won the league because the top teams where in transition and we stole through with our attacking style and a great manager.
The players we have bought show and failed show that you have to spend more and the owners have to show they are up for that as well as getting Puel to develop younger players.
posted on 14/4/18
“KTF we won the league because the top teams where in transition and we stole through with our attacking style“
Not that I necessarily agree with either statement here, but you only play the top 4, 8 times, if this really is how simple it was to win the league, surely we can just continue to ‘steal through’ and continue to beat the other sides who aren’t the top 4, which should have us finishing top six every season. Simples.....
posted on 14/4/18
“The players we have bought show and failed show that you have to spend more and the owners have to show they are up for that”
Quick fire way of getting into financial trouble again
posted on 14/4/18
“We have bought several players for 20+ million Mr Chairman and it hasn’t worked...”
“Well spend 30+ million on them then..”
“....and if that doesn’t work?”
“40+ million.”
I don’t really care about finishing top 6. I care at the moment about us being a secure Premier League team. One season out of four without being in trouble at the bottom of the table for a good proportion of the season is not stable.
Who cares about big squads and big money players and aiming for the top 6 if our current form is in decline and win ratio is also declining and lower than earlier in the season prior to CP.
You see, it’s not the people who want top 6 that are worried, quite the opposite, it’s people who don’t want to see us fighting to stay up next year or even worse, losing that fight.
posted on 14/4/18
I believe Puel will be sacked if we lose this weekend, the Owners are that ruthless and he's failing big time when they would expect us to be above Burnley.
Appleton in until the end of the Season while they look for another suitable Manager.
Puel defending his turgid style of Football on RL last night, I don't blame him totally because the direction obviously comes from higher up but he's not achieving anything, ever since his ridiculous rotation system he's lost the plot.
posted on 14/4/18
TB you have changed your tune? Puel has been brought in to do a job ate he has just started and run into the same road bloke CR/CP ran into shall we just sack him and get a second rate English manager off the failure merry-go-round or shall we try and build for the future.
KTF i think that's the biggest decision the owners need to make safe or challenging for Europe.
posted on 14/4/18
His job is to get us into Europe, the Owners publicly stated ambition.
Ps, I didn’t say I wanted him sacked but I believe they will.
posted on 14/4/18
Did they TB i must of missed that did they say this season because as we where one point of relagation that would of been laughable.
KTB it has nothing to do with us beating the top four although we needed to do that it was the top four lost to everyone in the league and could not mount a challenge leaving Spurs and later Arsenal to challenge.
posted on 14/4/18
There was never any threat of relegation, only in the minds of those who never wanted Shakey in the first place!
posted on 14/4/18
Oh and you believe that TB if that was the case why was he fired we should be up in arms against the owners for sacking such a great managerWho has gone to manage....who?
posted on 14/4/18
I totally believe it, fired because he didn’t understand the Politics involved and made mistakes with DOF, sacked as the fall guy!
posted on 14/4/18
Shakespeare was rightly sacked because he shouldn’t have been given the job in the first place. He showed against Arsenal that he was tactically naive. Yes he had a tough start but we were dreadful against teams like Huddersfield under his tenure - we simply had no way of playing except hoofing the ball up to Vardy
Basically Puel showed fairly quickly that with a bit of tactical nous, this is comfortably a top 8 side. However, with just 2 wins from the last 10, Puel is firmly in Craig Shakespeare territory.
He will be measured against the owners objectives of European football - not against where Leicester were when he came in. Simple as that.
posted on 14/4/18
TB - I'd expect the intital task for Puel was to get us out of trouble, not into Europe, so I'd be surprised if he got sacked after losing to Burnley (but not completely shocked given the owners propensity to panic - we'll have to agree to disagree on that one Dunge) .
Next season's target would be Europe for sure, so the question in my mind is will the owners lose faith in Claude if we finish the season poorly, and replace him with someone else to take us through the summer and in to next season?
He's stated that he's going to continue with the changed tactics so there's a fair chance we're not going to have the greatest end to the season pending arrival of players who are more comfortable on the ball. It will be interesting to see if the owners give him the chance to continue the transition.
One thing that would be in his favour next season is the fixture computer probably won't be as nasty to him as it was to Shakey.
posted on 14/4/18
A good indication of the owners expectations can be gained by looking at the latest financial report.
When released in early March, Leicester were where they are now - 8th. Despite having steered us from relegation places, Puels current performance was described as ‘satisfactory’. Not ‘good’, not ‘outstanding’.
Top 7 and Europe will be mission accomplished and - good season. 2 wins in 10, throwing away 7th and losing momentum will not be acceptable
posted on 14/4/18
“KTB it has nothing to do with us beating the top four although we needed to do that it was the top four lost to everyone in the league and could not mount a challenge leaving Spurs and later Arsenal to challenge.”
It’s strange blowing this myth out of the water to a Leicester fan, but as it was completely invalidated post league winning season, it only continues to be more so as the last season or two have passed.
Fat boy Micky Quinn and Paul Merson, along with many, many lazy pundits tried to argue the point that it was ‘just a lucky’ season and ‘other teams were just having a poor season....here’s the game, set match argument that simmers them down:
2015/16 :
Without any points against the 5 teams below us, we still finish in the CL places (even if those points accrued to the relevant team).
2016:17
‘Yeah but it was a lucky season and teams ‘had a wake up call’ in 2017’
We still finish Champions League with that points tally.
‘Yes but it was the games against the top 4 that won it for them...’
No it didn’t, keep the results against those teams in 2016/17 and transfer the other points against other teams in 2015/16 and we still finish Champions League places.
2017/18
Transfer our points from 2017/18, or if you like, transfer our points but maintain this seasons results against those ‘top teams’ - we would still be challenging for the champions league places.
Don’t get me wrong, I completely see why embarrassed pundits and unprofessional journalists want to save face, but unfortunately they can’t wipe our memories and just have to live with the fact that they looked like idiots - not for predicting Leicester would be relegated (despite us being the inform team over the last couple of months the season before) but for continuing to make excuse after excuse as they watched in frustration as we won the title and then retrospectively embarrassed themselves with lazy and cliches reasons for it, which as I said, continues to only become more obvious.
Whichever way you want to look at it, Leicester won the league because they were very good that season and that ‘very good’ would still have been good enough for Champions League places in the following season and probably this season even with the ‘top 4’ having had ‘a wake up call’ and becoming ‘much better teams again’. Statitistically there just isn’t an argument against it.
And again, if the old ‘hoof ball/counted attack’ excuse is going to be regurgated - watch the DVD.
‘That season’ isn’t what has Puel in a bit of trouble at the minute and nor will not finishing 7th or losing to Burnley (hopefully we won’t) - it will be, as is always the case, the form leading up to a game over several months.
As previously mentioned, Puel’s win ratio is worse than Shakespeare over slightly more games (and if you want to take off a few games at the beginning or end of CP’s reign to balance the ‘games played’ and make it fair, it doesn’t help his ratio).
Whilst I have preferences for types of football and tactics, at the end of the day, I simply look at them as ‘manager A, B etc’ when it comes to the welfare of my club and at the minute- there is a slight concern that our current manager is involved in a bit of decline with regard to our form. Hopefully this will just be decline in ‘ current form’ rather than a longer,significant period but it is obviously the owners’ jobs to determine where that line falls and when to be proactive as opposed to reactive.
I personally don’t think we have reached that line, but let’s not kid ourselves, Puel ‘being safe as houses’ is about as a suitable an idiom as ‘Leicester were lucky to win the league.’
posted on 14/4/18
Let’s also then get rid of this myth that pundits couldn’t face us winning the title and have tried to poo poo it ever since. It’s just a silly generalisation
I don’t think I’ve heard a single pundit say we didn’t deserve it, but let’s acknowledge the fact that it would never have happened without United, city and Chelsea being off the boil. KTFs stats back that up completely
posted on 14/4/18
Excellent post KTF.
posted on 14/4/18
KTF so we have finished in the champions league places in the last three seasons. The only stat's that matter are the table. if you think we could win the premier league without Man utd Chelsea,Manc city and Arsenal Even Spurs had the chance all under performing all season you are deluded.
It was a prefect storm and an indescribable achievement but since then we are where we would normally be.
posted on 14/4/18
You have literally ignored the majority of my post if that is a serious response.
posted on 14/4/18
So who's playing Centre half today. Maguire or Choudhury?
Page 1 of 2