ALC Fox

Alves's development is surely 12 to 18 months behind what it would have been had he not been injured. Maybe even two full years when you consider he's not just had to return physically but mentally and reach the level he was at before injury. He has a high ceiling. A confidence-boosting loan will do him the world of good.

Under Pearson and Ranieri we had a likeable team, manager and backroom staff. Since Ranieri, I think only Maresca had that likeability (maybe Smith but his football was incredibly negative). The hiring of Cifuentes, the bringing through of young players, and some of the summer signings we've made make me think we're going back in that direction. And I think it will make a difference. The aloof nature of Rodgers and the blunting of Vardy's edge kind of softened the side and the crowd's attitude towards them I think, although when Vardy did produce moments of needle, the crowd was carried along with him. Proper connection with the fans is paramount, likeability of staff and players next, then actual ability of the players and performance of the team will be crucial at getting those great atmospheres back.

Goals for Alves and Opoku. Braybrooke getting almost the full 90. Yes a defeat for the latter two but for them as individuals, not a bad day. A new backup keeper through the door makes it a pretty decent day for Leicester

I feel like that's exactly the kind of goal Alves needed to score. Getting into those positions will be crucial for him building the kind of confidence that will hopefully lead to him dominating games and scoring the kind of spectacular goals we know he's got in his locker. A great start for him.

Big opportunity for him. Even at only 20 his development is, what 12 to 18 months behind that because of the injury and recovery. A good run and regular football for a first team where it actually matters will be brilliant for him. He had a taste of that last season but it's difficult for a struggling side where managers chop and change just to hopefully strike upon the formula that will keep them up. Hopefully Huddersfield can challenge this season and Alves will be a big part of that. He could come on leaps and bounds this season. I have to admit, in training videos and what little he's played for us, he looks like he needs to find his confidence and swagger again.

I'm hearing (definitely not making up ) that Rennes have deliberately pulled the plug because as payback for when we trashed their stadium a few years back

Yes please. Always looked a quality player at this level with Birmingham

I absolutely love what Scott McTominay has done in Napoli, but I can absolutely endorse Vardy bagging the winner in the Diego Armando Maradona and giving McTominay the shush gesture.

This guy really cares, you can see it, especially when he made that late save from close range at 1-0. Like Okoli celebrating a block at Charlton and Fatawu screaming at Soumare/Choudhury yesterday. Those three in particular give me hope for this squad if their influence can grow. Stolarczyk is such a good shot-stopper as well and he just looks confident. Having a keeper like that must be so reassuring as a defender. I'm trying not to exaggerate, but we do goalkeeping legends here. He could be the next one.

Nice to get him in the starting line-up. He often looks like a player beyond his years but then also goes missing, as you'd expect from a 17-year-old. The fact that he's playing in central midfield (even in an advanced role) at that age is testament to the kind of player he is. Consistency will come with more game time, which he should get. Sometimes I think he needs to really believe that he belongs at this level. Like a few of our players yesterday he attempted the safe pass when a line-splitting pass was also on. If he can sharpen up that decision making, he'll be one hell of a player. Quite frankly, expecting more from a player that young in the position he plays seems silly, but he looks capable of it and he'll only get better with more games.

I'm not fussed with having a different shade of blue as the away kit. I think the shirt is OK as well. It just isn't enough of a tribute to the original navy and jade kit, i.e. there's too much navy and not enough green. And it looks too much like a training top. But it's a nice-looking bit of gear.

In fairness, there aren't many industries where you have to be bought out of your contract to get a move. Yeah, most people have to work notice or have a period of gardening leave but you're not bound by contract to remain at your employer for potentially years at a time. And, yeah, they get paid an obscene amount of money, but it's our demand that has created it, through subscription TV channels, tickets and merchandise. A player's career is short. Very short, potentially. If he wants to move, fine. I'm not going to hold it against him. A Belgian-Moroccan is hardly going to dream of sitting outside Brucciani's on his days off, loving life in a 400k population city in the Midlands. He wants to play as high a level of football as he can and he'll use whatever methods possible to do it. We only want him because he's good. If he was Rachid Ghezzal, we'd be standing at East Mids Airport making sure he's boarded the plane. He's a good player. We'll have better who play for us again, probably very soon.

It's not Seagrave, it's the culture. Sort out the culture and Seagrave will work. It already is working for the academy. No reason why it can't for the first team as well. We just need a coherent club ethos. As with all things, it's the board and those running the club that are the problem.

Luke Thomas really isn't good enough is he. Great save Stolarczyk!

Feel really sorry for him to be honest. A desperation signing who was no better than what we had at the time. I'm sure the money and 5-year contract is good from a financial security point of view but it can't be good for your mental health training with a group who all know they're not wanted knowing that all the work you put in during the week will have absolutely no impact on the team.

Happy 80th birthday, Birch. A true club legend. A huge personality but also a very extremely humble man. I'm sure the staff will rustle up something decent for his 'ron today.

Under the rules at the time, apparently the year we were fighting Chelsea for Champions League qualification, we would have only been guaranteed a fraction from Uefa for qualifying in comparison to Chelsea. It's a closed shop. Sporting merit means next to nothing, except for the fact that sporting achievement from 25-50 years ago protects you from someone who is achieving more than you today.

Don't want him to go but £32m is very good money for us and I'd rather he went to Palace than newly promoted Sunderland. I can see him progressing well and maybe earning a bigger move in a couple of seasons.

I don't know if it's Leicester that has a lot to answer for thanks to 2015/16. I think it's the Premier League and football collectively. All clubs have sleep-walked into their own pigeon-holing at a certain level. Even the likes of Newcastle and Villa have had to reluctantly sell some of their better home-grown players who got/would get into their sides in the Champions League in order to satisfy PSR. Villa - with their wage expenditure currently at 96% of their turnover - are firmly on the Leicester highway towards the bottom reaches of the Premier League and possibly beyond. They'll have to cut their cloth and sign cheaper players and offer less wages and, when Emery decides he's had enough, they could easily plummet. 'We don't want another Leicester' isn't our fault, I think. Football could have encouraged a more egalitarian league where more teams could win the division and it be more exciting as teams rise and fall and rise again. But it didn't in the belief that the league only does well if its elite does well. It's football's governance that has ****ed it.

Surely it can't be long before Okonkwo is back as their first choice.

Judging from the comments in here I presume this is either ironic or Preston fans have been having a giggle.

I expect either we price them out of a move or we don't get as much as we'd like for him. I can't see him going for as much as we value him at. Hopefully we make a profit on him. At the very least a profit on his remaining book value. If we lose him we need someone. We can't hang our hats on Alves, Page or Onanaye, however promising they may be. If they break through, brilliant, and I really hope they do, but we'll need someone to keep the momentum going and be the main guy that those young players are trying to challenge.

I like it but yeah it does look more like a training top or pre-match shirt to me. Could've been more of an homage to the original with more jade involved as well. I do like the incorporation of the original pattern though.

We had 28 shots against Sheffield Wednesday as well as 75% possession and an xG of 2.42. I know the squad could look quite different at the end of the transfer window, not least we are probably going to lose the guy who changed that game after half-time. And I know that's only one game to be used as a sample. But if those stats are indicative of Cifuentes's methods, I'm confident we'll be strong enough to avoid the drop.

Looked decent