STUHILL

I would like to see him be a bit more adventurous. Even if just for a game, just to show us he has the balls to shake things up. His line-ups and tactics are painfully predictable. We have a squad full of talented players now. He can afford to experiment a little. I really think he missed a chance with the cup game against Liverpool. Yes I know we won, but only after he was forced into a change and Liverpool were unable to make those chances count. Pairing Ulloa and Slimani together was very odd. Would love him to explain his thinking behind that. A red flag indeed. The players are definitely playing for him though. Effort and desire is there still, but I just hope he starts making some bold decisions and not sticking to the old system and players no matter what.. just in the hope of recreating some 2015/16 form. It might win him some games, but I think the issues are there for all to see and he has to be pro-active, especially if we want to really push to be a top 8 club.

I think Chilwell has done very well and it's great that he seems ready for a starting spot. I still think Fuchs is ahead of him, but not by much now. I would be happy to see the two rotate a little. Will keep an older Fuchs fresher and the give the younger Chilwell some more valuable game time. I'd expect it to be about 70-30 in favour of Fuchs this season and then perhaps switch to 70-30 in favour of Chilwell for the 18/19 season. Great to have two decent options at LB. Just need the same for RB now. Still mystified why we haven't signed a genuine RB for a few seasons now.

Players are definitely playing for him. Just think he is being too cautious with sticking with the same formation and his subs have been a bit iffy, especially today. He killed the balance of the team by trying to load us with firepower. Still hopeful, but he must win against the teams around us coming up, or he could be under immense pressure to keep his job.

This is very true of course and was strongly confirmed on Tuesday when Shakey played a 4-4-2/4-4-1-1 with a pairing of Ulloa and Slimani, which was very odd thinking! Perhaps Shakey will be loyal to the 4-4-2 no matter what the players he has available to him, which is quite concerning. I remember Claudio saying that the player's didn't want to change from the 4-4-2 when we went on our woeful run. Perhaps this is in Shakey's thoughts too much.

and how many times do we see Mahrez cut in on his left, many times with no positive outcome, but on those occasions it does work, that can win us a game. Gray was very close to scoring with it on Tuesday and he will score goals using that move in the future, so I see no harm in being a little one dimensional, if it can result in goals/chances, which I think it will but obviously only on some occasions, similar to Mahrez's success rate etc. Glad to see he is saying the right things again and also offering explanation to his frustrations at not playing and feeling stifled in his development etc, which is down to lack of game time but also himself too. I would like to see him rotating with Albrighton for the next few games, with perhaps starting him this weekend and seeing if he can take that chance to shine.

Disagree. This is exactly why we should be encouraged by having players like Iheanacho and Slimani in the squad now. Two very good strikers at this level. It may mean we have to adapt our style/formation, but we are in much better shape than we have been in years with covering an injury to our top striker. Slimani has scored goals for us, and more than anyone else in terms of goals per mins ratio. Great to have that type of player available if Vardy does get injured. I just hope Iheanacho can also score goals for us, as we will then have 3 top strikers in our squad plus Okazaki to share the work load etc.

Gray and Mahrez would benefit greatly from moving away from a rigid 4-4-2. Having 2 sitting DCM's for example would reduce their defensive duties and allow Gray and Mahrez to stay further up and be much more effective in attacks

I think whereas Pearson was too set in his ways and stubborn to change players/formations.. Shakey seems to be against change, out of lack of confidence or fear. I thought last night was the perfect time to try something different. We have struggled as a 4-4-2 for a while now and could really do with exploring some other formations. We are always over run in midfield and having 2 CM's with one not being Kante, just doesn't seem to work on a consistent basis. We also have to play Okazaki for it to be successful and that means relying on Vardy for most of our goals, rather than having him and another capable goal scorer on the pitch. It worked well when Mahrez was scoring so often, but he looks unlikely to ever get back to those scoring days. If he is set on keeping 4 at the back, then fine, but at least try a 4-3-3/4-5-1. I don't think he will change it anytime soon though and so I just hope Iheanacho is able to do the Okazaki role but also chip in with a load of goals too. We will also need N'didi to rediscover his form of last season and hope Iborra turns out to be a top signing.

I thought he was forced into a change due to Ulloa going off injured?

Start with Vardy no.9/Iheanacho no.10 role. Slimani to replace Vardy if injured/banned/for cups in that role, as well as appearances from the bench each week. Okazaki to share no.10 role with Iheanacho in similar vein. Obviously Slimani will want to be starting in the League, but for 6-12 months, this is a really decent strike force for us and Vardy will miss games and need to come off earlier in some. Maybe people should stop being concerned about Slimani and Vardy not being able to play together, or Slimani not being happy at being on the bench, and just be thankful we finally have players to come off the bench or start our cup games, that can have a real impact. We haven't had that for years! Hopefully with Silva situation being sorted, our starting 11 and bench will be full of quality.

Not really a conundrum if Vardy gets injured though is it. We need a squad full of quality. He is a top striker and a decent option to replace Vardy with. We do need to stop worrying about having "unhappy" players on the bench and just like the bigger teams, have more ambition and let these top players battle it out for starts. Slimani has done himself no harm when given a decent amount of game time. He scores goals and rightly should be considered to get a fair chunk of Saturday's game.

Stunning goal on his weaker foot! I know it's the cup, albeit against a tough opposition, but what a finish that was! Shows he can score with his feet too and in some style. I honestly think, if he is given enough game time, like tonight - then he will score goals and lots of them too. I think Okazaki also showed his usefulness tonight. Vardy/Slimani should share the traditional no.9 spot and Iheanacho and Okazaki should share the no.10 role. I don't think in our 4-4-2/4-4-1-1 formation we can play both Vardy and Slimani, but I'm more than happy for Slimani to be starting more games and getting more minutes from the bench. With the squad we have now, we shouldn't be afraid of some rotation, especially with those two. Will keep Vardy fresher and Slimani sharper IMO.

As I thought. Agent/Player suggest they are open to a move - clubs are alerted and come in with bids. Forces Leicester's hand to offer new bumper contract and also perhaps guarantee of more playing time. In Shakey's words, he is very committed to the club (now).. aka thanks for doubling my wages, I was never that fussed about leaving I like Gray though. Think he could become a top player outside the top 4-5 clubs. Still young(ish) and actually think although he has oodles of talent, he is actually maturing slower than many other players his age. Glad we can tie him down to a new contract as I think a bit of patience from him and ourselves, could be really beneficial in the future.

Yes he is. Incredibly harsh that people are judging him on such few minutes from the bench. Give him a run of games, and he will undoubtedly score. He is a goal scorer and has shown that for us when given a proper chance. Record of 1 in 3 games (mostly sub appearances). This was also in a team that was woefully under performing last season, on top of being in and out of the team and picking up injuries. What more can he do with the limited time he has had and not being able to have a sustained run of games to be in top form/sharpness. Can he play with Vardy? That is a better question. Perhaps not, but with Vardy picking up an injury - I know who I would want to be starting out of Ulloa, Okazaki and Slimani. Slimani all day long. Get Albrighton and Mahrez whipping in some crosses and let him do the business for us. Great player to have in our squad. I want a squad full of quality and pushing for starts, not squad fillers aka Ulloa/King. On a side note, people often seem to suggest he has this attitude problem, but all I have seen is someone extremely competitive out on the field but equally laughing and joking with all members of the squad whenever warming up/training etc. Attitude problem? Complete myth IMO!

I think the top 5 teams have all strengthened dramatically, and there will most likely be a big gap between them and the other teams. I think we aren't too far away from having everything click into place. We have such a strong squad now, especially if we can get Silva playing this month. We've had a very difficult start, so it's not easy to predict how we are shaping up so far. I think we should finish well clear of the relegation scrap, but perhaps fall short of a top 8 finish. I am going for a comfortable 10th. I just can't see us struggling, unless we suffer from injuries and Silva can't join us until Jan. It's been a tough start and Huddersfield was disappointing, but I am still optimistic we can have a decent season.

He's great for a club like us. Shows us moments of pure brilliance but is far too inconsistent to play for a top 4 club. Think we should consider ditching the 4-4-2. Hopefully can free him up to focus more on attack and less on having to get back.

Starting to think that this is his only chance of a future with us and perhaps one as a Premier League player too. Switch him to CB cover and play him in the cup games and lets see if he shows more promise there. He is OK as a DCM, but just doesn't look comfortable enough on the ball. Give him a chance at CB and he could flourish there. If not, then I just don't see him developing enough to become a top Premier League player, which is what we should be aiming for now. Hope to see him start at CB tomorrow

Well done for recognising 4 play for other teams. We have been linked to all of them in the past and can afford them, so I don't see why we wouldn't have a chance of landing some, especially with the ability to pay up to 100k a week wages if deemed necessary. Check out the transfer thread if you want some genuinely unrealistic targets.. It was more to demonstrate how I would like to see us progress next season anyway and how I see King not even making the bench if we do what I think is necessary to take us to a consistent top 8 team and go after players like these.

Just to make it clearer: This is how I potentially see us starting next season, if James comes back fit and continues his good form and we do go out and sign a top CM, like we tried in the summer. Something like this anyway... ------------------------------Kasper---------------------------- Trippier----------Gibson-----------Huth------------Fuchs Mahrez--------Adrien Silva-----N'didi--------Albrighton ------------------------Sigurdsson------------------------ ------------------------Vardy------------------------------ Subs - Zieler, Benny, Chilwell, James, Drinkwater, Gray, Slimani Obviously you have to account for suspensions and injuries, but if this is similar to how I expect us to line up next season, then King will be a firm 5th choice CM. If you guys are fine with that, then fair enough. I just believe he would be better off playing week in week out. Just seems a waste if you ask me.

Or maybe you are overestimating it.. We can only judge what we see on the pitch, all the rest about influencing the squad etc is just an assumption. I think it's great we have had a player here for 10 years of his career. That doesn't give him a free pass to sit on the bench for the next 5 years. To be in the squad, I want players on the bench who are pushing the starting 11, and giving our manager a head-ache on who to pick. Drinkwater should have been dropped/rested months ago, but wasn't. I believe that is because we didn't have a CM on the bench as good or better than him. That to me is a concern for pushing on next season and why I believe we should be signing a top CM to start or at least push Drinkwater for that position. I also think James will be ahead of King in the manager's thinking, as he offers more too. That leaves King as 5th choice and if everyone is fit, then not likely to even make the bench. As I said, if he is happy with that, and he isn't preventing a young CM prospect from benefiting from those handful of games, then fair enough. I am not going to grumble over a 5th choice CM with King's experience.

Lets hope you're right then, but more importantly, lets hope he has the quality to force his way into the starting 11 and actually make a real impact, something he has failed to do for a long time now. I have my doubts and think we will see him spend much of his career on the bench with us or even pushed off the bench too, if as expected, James does come back into the fold and we do sign another CM. N'didi, Drinkwater, James, New signing > King. That is how I see it and for his sake, I would prefer him to be playing every week or twice a week with a Championship team, and enjoying being heavily involved in a team. I also think we would benefit from having a space free for a top CM prospect like Harvey Barnes etc, who would benefit greatly from being our 5th choice and getting those handful of games King tends to get, allowing us to bed him in to this level.

That was relevant this season. Not for next, which is what we are discussing. He will be 5th choice for a likely mid-table Prem team with no Europe next season. If he is happy with that and a handful of starts, then fair enough. Could think of a lot worse 5th choice options for us.

He could be playing 46 games in the championship though and having a real impact. Just a bit sad to say, well I've achieved everything I wanted to. Although I am at a peak age for a CM, I am happy being 5th choice and just a handful of starts each season until I retire..

I think if we always worried about upsetting players on the bench, then we wouldn't progress. We would be stuck with the same players, whether performing well or not, just in case one may not be happy that he has more competition for his starting place. I also don't mind a player leaving, if we have signed a better alternative. Damn sure most players would leave if they had a better alternative. If Man U come in for Kasper, he will be off. Loyalty is often overrated and naive in football. I'm all for having an amazing team spirit, but not at the cost of not improving our squad.

I take your point, however I would personally prefer a better midfielder on the bench to come on and really change the game if needed. I would like to see us sign a top CM this summer to compete with Drinkwater. Someone like Adrien Silva. I also think Matty James could come back and put himself ahead of King too, which leaves King as 5th choice and unlikely to make the bench if everyone fit. If we don't sign a CM, and Matty James gets injured again or is sold, then absolutely we will need to keep King. I would like us to be more ambitious though and aim for better options off the bench. I applaud his loyalty and contribution to our club over the last 10 years, but that doesn't affect my decision on wanting an upgrade in overall quality and impact on a game. I suspect we will sign a CM this summer. I also expect Matty James to come back, which potentially puts King as 5th choice. If he and everyone else is happy with that, then fair enough. I'm not going to push a 5th choice midfielder out who is a seasoned pro like King.