it is there for the taking. and no one would say you didn't deserve it.
I think you’ll get it no bother
Hope so guys, we have a good cushion and crucially we’ve responded well to the battering we got from Liverpool
Pretty much spot on mate. I feared the worst after those 2 defeats, but our reaction has been brilliant, with teams below us continuing to lose we still find ourselves well clear from the teams below 4th.
If we do manage to get CL football we must use it to continue to strengthen with some real quality, unlike the shambles of the last window last time round.
Would you take Juan Mata as part of a deal...
comment by StringerBell (U11749)
posted 7 seconds ago
Would you take Juan Mata as part of a deal...
----------------------------------------------------------------------
No - 12 months ago maybe but Mata just looks knackered to me, well past his best now
I reckon you can add N'didi and Soyuncu to the list of sought after players - hopefully, as that means they will have a good second half season.
I don't see the owners letting the guts be ripped out of the side in one window, possibly one or at most two to leave. Top four, or at least Europa League football would help with retention. I suspect Madders will be on his way in any event.
I agree, BS. At the start of the season, it felt like we’d built a team capable of claiming a Europa League spot, and that that would be necessary for keeping most of the squad together. In some ways we’ve become victims of the team’s success in the sense that that requirement has now elevated to Champions League qualification.
But even if the opportunity is missed, even with what now be big disappointment, it’s important to note that life continues. We still have a great structure at the club. Yes, it would be a dent to the development of the club and likely cost us a couple of players, but the club will still be there and we’ll go again. We started the last decade having just come back up from League 1 and just re-establishing ourselves as a decent Championship team. That we’re now not only fighting for a Champions League spot but double digits in points clear of fifth is breathtaking.
Plus, this feels different to a few years ago. Now, this is an opportunity to grow the club so that it can compete with the elite - either occasionally or regularly. While it’s all still exciting and joyous, the pressure feels a lot less than the title challenge, where it felt like our only chance ever to claim the top league crown.
comment by The_Dungeon_Master (U4830)
posted 1 minute ago
Plus, this feels different to a few years ago. Now, this is an opportunity to grow the club so that it can compete with the elite - either occasionally or regularly. While it’s all still exciting and joyous, the pressure feels a lot less than the title challenge, where it felt like our only chance ever to claim the top league crown.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I reckon that the only serious pressure most of us would feel this year is if we go deep in the FA Cup, with just Liverpool being absolutely on top form, there's a big opportunity to have a good shot at getting that monkey off our back (cue losing to Wigan on Saturday ).
I agree I’m that if we want to hold on to our top talent, offering them champions league football at a clubs that’s enjoyable to be at and we’ll run is the way to do it.
Players should look at Drinkwater and Maguire as to how it can go when you move to a big club in transition. It’s not always the best idea. Utd May change managers again. Only Arsenal look to have appointed a manager they will get behind long term.
However, our scouting network has been very strong again recently and if we only let 1-2 players leave at a time I think we can continue to evolve and build.
I only see Evans, Ndidi and Vardy as players that will be hard/impossible to replace.
comment by Merseysidefox (U4842)
posted 20 minutes ago
I agree I’m that if we want to hold on to our top talent, offering them champions league football at a clubs that’s enjoyable to be at and we’ll run is the way to do it.
Players should look at Drinkwater and Maguire as to how it can go when you move to a big club in transition. It’s not always the best idea. Utd May change managers again. Only Arsenal look to have appointed a manager they will get behind long term.
However, our scouting network has been very strong again recently and if we only let 1-2 players leave at a time I think we can continue to evolve and build.
I only see Evans, Ndidi and Vardy as players that will be hard/impossible to replace.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
What about Ricardo?!
^
I think we’ve already sought to replace him.
Yep. Justin looks ready made.
This is what I mean. There are very few players and roles that can’t be replaced. I think we’re already on the lookout for Chilwell and Maddison’s replacements.
😂 a couple of promising performances from James and he’s the perfect replacement for Ricardo.
Let’s hope so but we have no idea do we? A few poor performances and he’ll be terrible and worse than DeLaet
Football fans 😂
Not saying he’s perfect by any means. But then Soyuncu didn’t look like a starter last season and look how he’s come on.
At some point we have to hope the players we currently have and potential new players, buy into the clubs vision of us being a top four/six regular and challenging for league titles, which would make it less necessary for them to move on. Of course our team name isn't Manchester United or Liverpool but let's be fair, Chelsea and Manchester City were nothing special not all that long ago so why can't Leicester City be the next to become a "big club"?
We have a state of the art training ground on the way and at some point this issue with the electricity board will be resolved and the extension will finally happen, the latter is imperative in my opinion before we can truly be considered a top club. Get that 40,000 stadium, CL football, challenging for leagues and cups and it will elevate our status within English football so that we are considered as one of the best in the country. This is something spoken of for the past few years but the reality is getting closer and closer.
It's clear this is what the club want and Rodgers is reaffirming our position by stating we want to improve and find different players, with more quality, so that we can challenge the likes of Liverpool and City. We need to become a club that players want to stay at because they feel like they can win things here and also enjoy their football and I think we are finally heading in that direction.
comment by The_Dungeon_Master (U4830)
posted 2 hours, 50 minutes ago
Not saying he’s perfect by any means. But then Soyuncu didn’t look like a starter last season and look how he’s come on.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
He looked a starter for me after his performance at Huddersfield, he was class.
Great post arro. I think the moment of truth will be next season really. This has been a season where both Spurs and Arsenal have been in disarray and Chelsea are in the middle of a rebuild.
The season after we won the title, Guardiola and Mourinho arrived at City and United, teams improved, we of course had our own internal issues to deal with. Should we get top 4, next season will be far tougher - I expect Arsenal to hugely improve, Chelsea will be a much tougher prospect, United at some point will get their act together etc
The question for us is how will we respond? I’m really hopeful we can continue our recruitment and stay towards the top end of the league
How’s about a more cautious approach BS?
What about we don’t go all out big to try to stay in the top 4 next season. We balance our squad with a few sensible signings, and we get rid of the deadwood whilst maybe losing a couple of top players.
We go again in the next season aiming for top 6, and treating the champions league as a welcome distraction, not a tournament to focus on.
My fear is if we suddenly believe we ‘are’ a top 4 team and we realign all our finances to require that, we’re in trouble.
A balanced approach is one if prefer. Sustained, slow and sensible building. Like we’ve done since our owners arrived but for the season after our title win.
Arro - We'll have to get you on scouting duties.
In terms of a next step, I'd be interested to know where you guys see us right now. I appreciate it's difficult because of our rather unique trajectory over the last few years, but which clubs out there are of equivalent size to us right now? Where do we sit as a club in the grand football pyramid?
For instance, I would argue that our "next step" would be to be seen as something equivalent to Everton - not so much in history but in sustainability and moving forward. But I'd be interested to know whether you feel we're already at that stage and are looking to move on beyond that?
In terms of next season, I'd expect all of Man City, Chelsea and Man Utd (under new management; possibly Pochettino at the end of the season) to improve; also Wolves to continue upward. Spurs I can't call - they look like they need a rebuild with a proper building manager but they still have good players. Arsenal on the other hand look a mess in need of a new manager and squad. I'm not buying it yet that Arteta can cut it.
comment by Merseysidefox (U4842)
posted 11 minutes ago
How’s about a more cautious approach BS?
What about we don’t go all out big to try to stay in the top 4 next season. We balance our squad with a few sensible signings, and we get rid of the deadwood whilst maybe losing a couple of top players.
We go again in the next season aiming for top 6, and treating the champions league as a welcome distraction, not a tournament to focus on.
My fear is if we suddenly believe we ‘are’ a top 4 team and we realign all our finances to require that, we’re in trouble.
A balanced approach is one if prefer. Sustained, slow and sensible building. Like we’ve done since our owners arrived but for the season after our title win.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Yeah I definitely agree with that. The title win in a way hampered our progression as a club, it came out of the blue and white I wouldn’t trade it for anything, the season after was carnage. It actually took us 2 years to recover from
I wouldn’t want the same thing to happen next season, back in the CL (amazing) but a complete disaster in the league with players distracted, wanting to leave etc
comment by The_Dungeon_Master (U4830)
posted 7 minutes ago
Arro - We'll have to get you on scouting duties.
In terms of a next step, I'd be interested to know where you guys see us right now. I appreciate it's difficult because of our rather unique trajectory over the last few years, but which clubs out there are of equivalent size to us right now? Where do we sit as a club in the grand football pyramid?
For instance, I would argue that our "next step" would be to be seen as something equivalent to Everton - not so much in history but in sustainability and moving forward. But I'd be interested to know whether you feel we're already at that stage and are looking to move on beyond that?
In terms of next season, I'd expect all of Man City, Chelsea and Man Utd (under new management; possibly Pochettino at the end of the season) to improve; also Wolves to continue upward. Spurs I can't call - they look like they need a rebuild with a proper building manager but they still have good players. Arsenal on the other hand look a mess in need of a new manager and squad. I'm not buying it yet that Arteta can cut it.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Good question and not an easy one to answer because the title win kind of threw things up in the air
I would say at the moment we are on a par with Everton. I evaluate these things based on where clubs are now, not this historical ‘yeah but sheff wed are a big club’ nonsense.
Right now we have accelerated ourselves into competing (and being ahead of) clubs like Everton as being the best of the rest - with the ambition of stabilising ourselves as an established top 6 club before pushing onwards to possibly even bigger things
Key to this however will be the stadium and the commercial arm of the club. We can’t really establish ourselves in that bracket long term and push onwards with the stadium we have. Equally I’d like to see the club really push a lot more on the commercial sponsorship side of the business.
While we are big deal in Thailand and maximise revenues there - for the size of the club and the attention we are getting in the premier league, we should really be developing ourselves commercially in this country more than I think we are doing.
There is one fly in the ointment however - one spanner in the works to us progressing...........
Vardy.
We are so reliant on him and when the time comes for him to take a back seat (which could even be next season) then the failure to adequately replace his goals could see us drift towards the bottom half of the table
Sign in if you want to comment
Top 4 this season is a must
Page 1 of 2
posted on 2/1/20
it is there for the taking. and no one would say you didn't deserve it.
posted on 2/1/20
posted on 2/1/20
I think you’ll get it no bother
posted on 2/1/20
Hope so guys, we have a good cushion and crucially we’ve responded well to the battering we got from Liverpool
posted on 2/1/20
Pretty much spot on mate. I feared the worst after those 2 defeats, but our reaction has been brilliant, with teams below us continuing to lose we still find ourselves well clear from the teams below 4th.
If we do manage to get CL football we must use it to continue to strengthen with some real quality, unlike the shambles of the last window last time round.
posted on 2/1/20
You'll be fine for Top 4
posted on 2/1/20
Would you take Juan Mata as part of a deal...
posted on 2/1/20
comment by StringerBell (U11749)
posted 7 seconds ago
Would you take Juan Mata as part of a deal...
----------------------------------------------------------------------
No - 12 months ago maybe but Mata just looks knackered to me, well past his best now
posted on 2/1/20
I reckon you can add N'didi and Soyuncu to the list of sought after players - hopefully, as that means they will have a good second half season.
I don't see the owners letting the guts be ripped out of the side in one window, possibly one or at most two to leave. Top four, or at least Europa League football would help with retention. I suspect Madders will be on his way in any event.
posted on 2/1/20
I agree, BS. At the start of the season, it felt like we’d built a team capable of claiming a Europa League spot, and that that would be necessary for keeping most of the squad together. In some ways we’ve become victims of the team’s success in the sense that that requirement has now elevated to Champions League qualification.
But even if the opportunity is missed, even with what now be big disappointment, it’s important to note that life continues. We still have a great structure at the club. Yes, it would be a dent to the development of the club and likely cost us a couple of players, but the club will still be there and we’ll go again. We started the last decade having just come back up from League 1 and just re-establishing ourselves as a decent Championship team. That we’re now not only fighting for a Champions League spot but double digits in points clear of fifth is breathtaking.
posted on 2/1/20
Plus, this feels different to a few years ago. Now, this is an opportunity to grow the club so that it can compete with the elite - either occasionally or regularly. While it’s all still exciting and joyous, the pressure feels a lot less than the title challenge, where it felt like our only chance ever to claim the top league crown.
posted on 2/1/20
comment by The_Dungeon_Master (U4830)
posted 1 minute ago
Plus, this feels different to a few years ago. Now, this is an opportunity to grow the club so that it can compete with the elite - either occasionally or regularly. While it’s all still exciting and joyous, the pressure feels a lot less than the title challenge, where it felt like our only chance ever to claim the top league crown.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I reckon that the only serious pressure most of us would feel this year is if we go deep in the FA Cup, with just Liverpool being absolutely on top form, there's a big opportunity to have a good shot at getting that monkey off our back (cue losing to Wigan on Saturday ).
posted on 2/1/20
I agree I’m that if we want to hold on to our top talent, offering them champions league football at a clubs that’s enjoyable to be at and we’ll run is the way to do it.
Players should look at Drinkwater and Maguire as to how it can go when you move to a big club in transition. It’s not always the best idea. Utd May change managers again. Only Arsenal look to have appointed a manager they will get behind long term.
However, our scouting network has been very strong again recently and if we only let 1-2 players leave at a time I think we can continue to evolve and build.
I only see Evans, Ndidi and Vardy as players that will be hard/impossible to replace.
posted on 2/1/20
comment by Merseysidefox (U4842)
posted 20 minutes ago
I agree I’m that if we want to hold on to our top talent, offering them champions league football at a clubs that’s enjoyable to be at and we’ll run is the way to do it.
Players should look at Drinkwater and Maguire as to how it can go when you move to a big club in transition. It’s not always the best idea. Utd May change managers again. Only Arsenal look to have appointed a manager they will get behind long term.
However, our scouting network has been very strong again recently and if we only let 1-2 players leave at a time I think we can continue to evolve and build.
I only see Evans, Ndidi and Vardy as players that will be hard/impossible to replace.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
What about Ricardo?!
posted on 2/1/20
^
I think we’ve already sought to replace him.
posted on 2/1/20
Yep. Justin looks ready made.
This is what I mean. There are very few players and roles that can’t be replaced. I think we’re already on the lookout for Chilwell and Maddison’s replacements.
posted on 2/1/20
😂 a couple of promising performances from James and he’s the perfect replacement for Ricardo.
Let’s hope so but we have no idea do we? A few poor performances and he’ll be terrible and worse than DeLaet
Football fans 😂
posted on 3/1/20
Not saying he’s perfect by any means. But then Soyuncu didn’t look like a starter last season and look how he’s come on.
posted on 3/1/20
At some point we have to hope the players we currently have and potential new players, buy into the clubs vision of us being a top four/six regular and challenging for league titles, which would make it less necessary for them to move on. Of course our team name isn't Manchester United or Liverpool but let's be fair, Chelsea and Manchester City were nothing special not all that long ago so why can't Leicester City be the next to become a "big club"?
We have a state of the art training ground on the way and at some point this issue with the electricity board will be resolved and the extension will finally happen, the latter is imperative in my opinion before we can truly be considered a top club. Get that 40,000 stadium, CL football, challenging for leagues and cups and it will elevate our status within English football so that we are considered as one of the best in the country. This is something spoken of for the past few years but the reality is getting closer and closer.
It's clear this is what the club want and Rodgers is reaffirming our position by stating we want to improve and find different players, with more quality, so that we can challenge the likes of Liverpool and City. We need to become a club that players want to stay at because they feel like they can win things here and also enjoy their football and I think we are finally heading in that direction.
posted on 3/1/20
comment by The_Dungeon_Master (U4830)
posted 2 hours, 50 minutes ago
Not saying he’s perfect by any means. But then Soyuncu didn’t look like a starter last season and look how he’s come on.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
He looked a starter for me after his performance at Huddersfield, he was class.
posted on 3/1/20
Great post arro. I think the moment of truth will be next season really. This has been a season where both Spurs and Arsenal have been in disarray and Chelsea are in the middle of a rebuild.
The season after we won the title, Guardiola and Mourinho arrived at City and United, teams improved, we of course had our own internal issues to deal with. Should we get top 4, next season will be far tougher - I expect Arsenal to hugely improve, Chelsea will be a much tougher prospect, United at some point will get their act together etc
The question for us is how will we respond? I’m really hopeful we can continue our recruitment and stay towards the top end of the league
posted on 3/1/20
How’s about a more cautious approach BS?
What about we don’t go all out big to try to stay in the top 4 next season. We balance our squad with a few sensible signings, and we get rid of the deadwood whilst maybe losing a couple of top players.
We go again in the next season aiming for top 6, and treating the champions league as a welcome distraction, not a tournament to focus on.
My fear is if we suddenly believe we ‘are’ a top 4 team and we realign all our finances to require that, we’re in trouble.
A balanced approach is one if prefer. Sustained, slow and sensible building. Like we’ve done since our owners arrived but for the season after our title win.
posted on 3/1/20
Arro - We'll have to get you on scouting duties.
In terms of a next step, I'd be interested to know where you guys see us right now. I appreciate it's difficult because of our rather unique trajectory over the last few years, but which clubs out there are of equivalent size to us right now? Where do we sit as a club in the grand football pyramid?
For instance, I would argue that our "next step" would be to be seen as something equivalent to Everton - not so much in history but in sustainability and moving forward. But I'd be interested to know whether you feel we're already at that stage and are looking to move on beyond that?
In terms of next season, I'd expect all of Man City, Chelsea and Man Utd (under new management; possibly Pochettino at the end of the season) to improve; also Wolves to continue upward. Spurs I can't call - they look like they need a rebuild with a proper building manager but they still have good players. Arsenal on the other hand look a mess in need of a new manager and squad. I'm not buying it yet that Arteta can cut it.
posted on 3/1/20
comment by Merseysidefox (U4842)
posted 11 minutes ago
How’s about a more cautious approach BS?
What about we don’t go all out big to try to stay in the top 4 next season. We balance our squad with a few sensible signings, and we get rid of the deadwood whilst maybe losing a couple of top players.
We go again in the next season aiming for top 6, and treating the champions league as a welcome distraction, not a tournament to focus on.
My fear is if we suddenly believe we ‘are’ a top 4 team and we realign all our finances to require that, we’re in trouble.
A balanced approach is one if prefer. Sustained, slow and sensible building. Like we’ve done since our owners arrived but for the season after our title win.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Yeah I definitely agree with that. The title win in a way hampered our progression as a club, it came out of the blue and white I wouldn’t trade it for anything, the season after was carnage. It actually took us 2 years to recover from
I wouldn’t want the same thing to happen next season, back in the CL (amazing) but a complete disaster in the league with players distracted, wanting to leave etc
posted on 3/1/20
comment by The_Dungeon_Master (U4830)
posted 7 minutes ago
Arro - We'll have to get you on scouting duties.
In terms of a next step, I'd be interested to know where you guys see us right now. I appreciate it's difficult because of our rather unique trajectory over the last few years, but which clubs out there are of equivalent size to us right now? Where do we sit as a club in the grand football pyramid?
For instance, I would argue that our "next step" would be to be seen as something equivalent to Everton - not so much in history but in sustainability and moving forward. But I'd be interested to know whether you feel we're already at that stage and are looking to move on beyond that?
In terms of next season, I'd expect all of Man City, Chelsea and Man Utd (under new management; possibly Pochettino at the end of the season) to improve; also Wolves to continue upward. Spurs I can't call - they look like they need a rebuild with a proper building manager but they still have good players. Arsenal on the other hand look a mess in need of a new manager and squad. I'm not buying it yet that Arteta can cut it.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Good question and not an easy one to answer because the title win kind of threw things up in the air
I would say at the moment we are on a par with Everton. I evaluate these things based on where clubs are now, not this historical ‘yeah but sheff wed are a big club’ nonsense.
Right now we have accelerated ourselves into competing (and being ahead of) clubs like Everton as being the best of the rest - with the ambition of stabilising ourselves as an established top 6 club before pushing onwards to possibly even bigger things
Key to this however will be the stadium and the commercial arm of the club. We can’t really establish ourselves in that bracket long term and push onwards with the stadium we have. Equally I’d like to see the club really push a lot more on the commercial sponsorship side of the business.
While we are big deal in Thailand and maximise revenues there - for the size of the club and the attention we are getting in the premier league, we should really be developing ourselves commercially in this country more than I think we are doing.
There is one fly in the ointment however - one spanner in the works to us progressing...........
Vardy.
We are so reliant on him and when the time comes for him to take a back seat (which could even be next season) then the failure to adequately replace his goals could see us drift towards the bottom half of the table
Page 1 of 2