ALC Fox

The Festive Perineum

I think what we proved in 2015/16 and what Ipswich are proving now is that the gap between success and failure is actually quite slim, it's just really, really hard to get it right and sustain it. That consistent high performance is what attracts the huge fees and wages, and clubs chasing it can get it really wrong because they're paying many magnitudes more for players who are perhaps only fractionally better than cheaper players and can be overhauled by improving clubs and players with a good structure and plan.

It will be tough for sure. I would be most worried about Fatawu and Wilf's absences. Casadei just isn't good enough and Fatawu's style of play and defensive work is crucial to how we play. Akgun has shown flashes of good work and Kasey was on fire at the start of the season but we'll need one or the other to step up during AFCON.

A proper jammy goal to equalise in a game I think we deserved to win. We were the better team overall but they did cause us problems. There wasn't a great deal between us on the night but I think we deserved to shade it. Can't be too disappointed with a point away at the next best team in the league, especially as it moves us another point away from third and maintains the six-point gap between us and second. What is clear is that we should be beating them on our own patch, and tonight we should have had a penalty and an extra man on the field.

This is from Maresca's interview with Rob Tanner in the Athletic isn't it. It also says that when Maresca arrived there were reminders of the FA Cup and Community Shield wins at Seagrave but not the Premier League. Something that didn't sit well with players who were still around from the PL winning era. Symptomatic, perhaps, of Brendan Rodgers's fragile ego?

Just caught up with the extended highlights. What a game by Wout Faes. Pivotal contributions to two of the goals and generally imperious throughout. You can only play what's in front of you, of course, but he really thrived in that role today. Having CBs who can pass the ball is such a weapon against these low block sides. Really nice to see Praet and Yunus coming back and playing well too, as they'll be required during AFCON. Hopefully Casadei's goal spurs him on a bit too as his contribution to the team should only increase in January. And what a redemption arc for Daka. He was abysmal in a disjointed, brow-beaten team last year. But the guy who lashed 4 past Spartak Moscow was always in there. And he seems to have found his mojo again. I'm not entirely sure why he wasn't being used earlier in the season. Although they were scoring on occasion, Vardy and Iheanacho have both looked a little awkward at times. Perhaps somebody else has more info on Patson's issues? Maybe it was simply because he was just one of those who expressed their desire to leave in the summer? It'll be a shame (for us) when he goes away with Zambia as he's really providing an option now. Hopefully Vardy can return fairly quickly and Cannon is able to deputise and make an impact too. Maybe the versatile Yunus could be used as a false 9 as well.

Will be sad to see you go. It's genuinely been interesting reading your points of view. On our best days, every poster on here will be able to have a good exchange of views without resorting to arguments or tit-for-tat name-calling. Honestly, I've thought about walking away from here numerous times, especially after reading match threads. But there's a lot of good on this forum, especially the tactics chat, and some of the funny stuff has had me laughing out loud on numerous occasions. So I'm taking the rough with the smooth. Maybe one day I'll knock it on the head, who knows. I'm sad to hear that you've been negatively impacted by others' words on this forum, but I applaud you for having the self-awareness to recognise it and do something about it. More power to you Hopefully one day we'll see you back on the forum if you feel like joining again. If not, best of luck for the future - and all the best supporting the Foxes in all the other ways you do

This is why our title win was so special. People can compare our title win with Villa's good form all they like. What we did was incredible. You can bang on about bigger clubs having off seasons or the playing field levelling out at the top for a season, but whatever record you're setting, if you're not beating the bottom-placed side at home about halfway through the campaign, you're not winning any titles. I'm sure Villa will put this result behind them and go on to have an excellent season. But they're not winning the league, even though it would be great for the league if they did.

Benalouane with skills

Starting to make his dominance felt now by adding end product to his often scintillating performances. Celebrations like the one for his first are how heroes are born. Keep it up Stephy!

Shame for both. With the other players missing, it could've been a chance for one or both to be involved during the winter schedule. Hopefully they're back in training soon and pushing for a place in the first team squad.

Thought he looked a little suspect defensively at times early on in the season but he gives us a fantastic option creatively. In that sense he could also allow us to give Vestergaard a rest and therefore Coady a go in the middle of the three. Squad depth is going to be crucial coming up so the sooner the sidelined players are back the better.

Love both of them so don't mind who it's given to. But it's definitely Ndidi's goal.

They've got the quality and the momentum. No reason they can't stay the course if injuries are kind to them. As always with these things, the winter schedule will be a big test for all teams in the division and their respective ambitions.

Could this be because they couldn't quite believe that someone of Vincent Kompany's stature in the game was managing in their division, someone who's been touted as a top manager since retiring as a player at the very top of the game? Also, the fact that he turned Burnley from Sean Dyche's Brexitball merchants to swashbuckling, libertine, tiki taka conquerors of the second tier? With us it's a bit different. Maresca wasn't an elite player, not many had heard of him, he failed at his previous job in management and nobody in the media was following him with interest. Also, it would have been regarded that we were too good to go down, too big and too successful in very recent memory, with too many PL quality players for a swift return to the Prem to be a romantic story, despite the change in playing style. Could it be that these weird opinions from some pundits are based on feeling and context rather than the cold, hard facts?

Totally agree with this. He's taken to this new role extremely well and is a very able backup to Ricardo. I would still question his passing slightly even though he has improved a lot since Maresca has come in. If he can continue in that vein, he'll be a good squad player in the PL next season, which is far and away above what I expected from him a season or two back. Fair play to him for getting stuck into the new role instead of just pushing for a move and actually improving as a footballer as a result.

We do look vulnerable on our right-hand side. Calum Wright is getting a lot of joy there. Hopefully a tweak at half-time will fix that.

Also the boys don't exactly look thrilled to bits to be in those shirts do they?

Is it just me but do they look really off? Like fake versions of the proper kits. I know retro versions are often not 100% identical but these look really weird. Maybe the originals were just baggier and these 'retro' versions are made to be better fits and that's where the discrepancy is hurting my brain.

I find the chat on Alves' size a bit baffling really. He looks like he's ready to me, and no more lightweight than, say Yunus or Kasey.

I don't want any country's players, I want...

Drivers who think that indicating means they can just go ahead and do whatever they like. Namely, those that indicate to change lanes but start the manoeuvre at the instant they flick their indicator on when I'm in the lane they want to move into and have to brake quite suddenly as soon as they indicate/move across. Generally, if people actually understood that you should only perform a manoeuvre if the road is clear for you to do so, it would make such a difference. Changing lanes, navigating junctions and using roundabouts would be a much better experience for all.

It isn't ideal and we only have two separate recycling bins. But for those soft plastics referred to in the OP, we just put the first one on the side after it's been rinsed out and dried, then put all other ones inside until it's about bursting and then take it round the co-op nearby when we next need to go. A bit of a ball ache but I'm not buying a separate bin for them.

Always felt that as red cards are being looked at then second yellows should also be looked at because a second yellow card is a red card offence. But it needs to improve massively. Semi-automated offsides should do that but corners, etc. might be a step too far. I'd be happy with just goal-line tech and then VAR for offsides and that's it. The rest is subjective and mistakes can either be made on the pitch or in the VAR room so just let the game flow and keep the majority of decisions with the ref and assistants.