Claudio Fannieri

Imagine if we had sold Vardy for £5m to WBA …….when most fans were offering to drive him to the Hawthorns, 2015/16 would never have happened and we wouldn’t have our goat 🐐 makes you realise as fans just how impatient and the expectations we place on players to be an immediate success.

What a bizarre game, we absolutely dominated but for some reason, our passing. movement and decision making was miles off the standards we have set. Despite being off our levels, we still managed to miss 4 absolute sitters. As for Middlesboro they were absolutely awful, literally just hoofed it forward and hoped for the best, and on two occasions we defended poorly and gifted them the goals, after that they completely shithoused their way to a victory, any sustained quality from us at any stage of the game and we would have won by 5 or 6. i had no issues at all with the subs today, KDH, Mavididi and Fatawu were all shockingly poor and guilty of giving ball away on countless occasions, hopefully a bit of a kick up the arse before Friday. special mention to the referee who managed to look like he had won a competition to referee a professional football match, one of the most weak, embarrassing and inept officiating I have witnessed for some time. I bet he had posters of Michael Carrick on his bedroom wall as a kid. Hopefully this will have hurt everyone and fire up a suitable reaction on Friday.

1st half was some of the most scintillating football I have seen for a long time, Wednesday were poor because we made them look poor, some of our movement, patterns of play and the way we won the ball back was obscene. Thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining to watch. 2nd half without really getting out of 2nd gear we could and probably should have scored 5, we rightly took the foot of the gas and conserved energy, which meant the 2nd half was a bit flat but thoroughly professional result and performance, which hopefully leaves lots in the tank for Boro and Leeds. I thought Praet was excellent, kept possession ticking over, never flustered and brings a lot more composure and continuity in possession than Ndidi or Casadei, however you can see he is rusty and still getting up to speed both fitness and with the patterns of play in a real game scenario, unfortunate not to get a couple of assists. If we can keep him fit for the remainder of the season he will be a very good option as rotation with Wilf for the no 8 role. Also did anyone else notice Enzo going mental on the touchline at McAteer on a couple of occasions for going back rather than being positive and aggressive? I know Enzo comes in for a lot of criticism about sideways and backwards passing, but if you listen to what he has said about Nelson needing to be more aggressive and positive with the ball and then last night with McAteer shows that he wants the players to be brave and to try and play forwards whenever possible, the time to play back and sideways is when the passing lines are closed and the defensive set up is very much set, at that stage the plan is to recycle and maintain possession whilst trying to pull the opposition out of their shape and create opportunities to progress. It was good to see Enzo challenging McAteer to be more positive.

Fantastic episode, Guillem was a top guest and gave a great insight into Enzo and also dropped some little hints that maybe one or two within the club heirarchy were not fully behind the vision, I also get the impression that Enzo, because of his time and experience with Man City will not be afraid to challenge areas of the club where he feels is under performing or where there needs to be a shake up in how we operate, if we truly want to become a top club.

Was good to see us win when a long way from our best and good to see us hold on and not concede in last 10 of game. Thought we missed Vesty and Mavididi today but good to give Stephy a break from 90 minutes. Workmanlike win and keeps the momentum going.

PS that Porteus is a bit of a helmet

I think whilst we have looked reasonably comfortable, we have been a bit disjointed in possession and when we have got in good positions we have been pretty wasteful with our final ball. If we can sharpen up in the final 3rd I can see this being 3 or 4

I did listen to that episode, it was more in relation to potential change in FFP and also if he has a view of what our FFP position is currently looking like and whether we do have a need to cash in on a player or two before the end of June

What will be interesting with FFP is whether this changes the demands of players and actually if this gives a little bit of power back to the clubs. The landscape has changed over the last 12 months and I wouldn’t be surprised if this coming summer, some players who were expecting to move for a bumper pay day, now end up extending with their current club on reduced terms. Top players will always do well from this scenario as they will move to the big clubs who aren’t as constrained but players such as Vesty, Praet, Albrighton, even Kelechi and Vards will struggle to get anywhere near there current deals and renewing with us at 50%-60% of current deal may still be the most lucrative option. This could present us with an option to keep one or two of our choosing that we perhaps didn’t envisage was possible 12-18 months ago.

Georgi Kinkladze in the FA Cup replay at Maine Road vs Man City in January 1996. Alan Ball was their manager and they pumped us 5-0. Kinkladze was an absolute Rolls Royce of a player and he scored an absolute gem of a goal, going on a jinking run and seemingly dribbling past half our team before scoring past Kevin Poole. it was in the very early days of Martin O’Neill and at that stage we were really poor as we transitioned from Mark McGhee’s brand of football. Best thing was at the time.Man City were awful and the ever obliging Leicester City managed to make them look like prime Real Madrid. on a good note for me, I was lucky enough to be invited into the players lounge after the game and got to meet my hero Steve Walsh, and despite the fact I was 22 years old, still managed to look all fanboy 😂

Would be interesting to get his take on where we are now and how that may or may not impact next season

For any football finance geeks like myself, if you are interested in FFP and the business side of the game then I can whole heartedly recommend listening to the price of football podcast, it is released twice a week and covers all aspects of football finance and right across the football spectrum. The latest episode is an interesting one as it focuses on the possible revision of the current FFP rules. @Ric Flair @BSLBPod - would be great to have a Leicester City FFP special on the pod at some point, if you could get Kieran McGuire on as a guest he is very knowledgable around this subject and monitors all clubs so has a good understanding of each clubs current accounting position, compliance and challenges.

This is a great statement and shows what can be achieved with clear and open communication. However I would add that Rudkin hasn’t really come in for much criticism or abuse at games, the odd half hearted chant or occasional banner, most of the criticism has been levelled on forums such as this. So even if Top or the club were to engage with the supporters, I am not really sure the current situation necessarily merits such a.statement.

I don’t think Rudkin is deemed as the antichrist or that there is some sort of witch hunt. He is employed in a very senior role within the club and just like the manager, who bears the brunt and responsibility for performances on the pitch, then Rudkin has to be accountable for the football operations side of the business for which FFP is a critical element, the fact we are in danger of breaching the rules, the fact we have paid over the odds in both transfer fees and wages to some very average players has very much left us in a perilous position, surely for that reason his performance should be under a level of scrutiny.

The main roles and responsibilities of a Director of Football can vary at each club. but generally include: 1. Overseeing player recruitment: The Director of Football is responsible for recruiting players that align with the team's strategy and goals. 2. Managing player contracts: They negotiate and manage player contracts, including transfers, extensions, and salary negotiations. 3. Collaborating with the coaching staff: The Director of Football works closely with the coaching staff to ensure that the team's playing style and philosophy are aligned with the recruitment strategy. 4. Developing and implementing a long-term strategy: They contribute to the development of the club's long-term strategy, including player development, scouting networks, and youth academy. 5. Building and maintaining relationships: The Director of Football establishes and maintains relationships with agents, other clubs, and scouting networks to stay informed about potential player opportunities. 6. Budgeting and financial management: They work with the club's management to set and manage the transfer budget, ensuring that player acquisitions align with the financial resources of the club. 7. Monitoring player performance and development: The Director of Football tracks the performance and development of players, providing feedback and guidance to coaches and players. 8. Representing the club: They act as a representative of the club in negotiations, meetings, and public events, maintaining the club's reputation and image. What is clear is that if Rudkin’s role is largely as above then our FFP position does sit largely at his door, I have no issue with the contracts dished out to players such as Vardy, Barnes, Madders, Fofana, Tielemans, Wilf etc as they were at the top of their games the time and integral to us trying to disrupt the big 6, where I think he has massively failed is the contracts and renewals handed out to the squad and fringe players where we have massively over rewarded players of the ilk of Ward, Hamza, Praet, Soumare, Bertrand, Vesty etc

I think he did pretty well for his first outing playing as one of the 8’s he is quite similar to KDH in the fact he presses high and is very high energy. Will definitely get goals in that role in this system. Yellow card could be deemed stupidity although we don’t know what was said, clearly Burger said something, and McAteer is usually fairly level headed, so I imagine it was not your bog standard insult for him to react in the way he did, I actually quite liked the fact he gave a bit back and didn’t just shit his pants and disappear. Obviously needs to be careful as we can ill afford any red cards. It’s a good option to have that flexibility that he can operate both as an 8 and as a winger option, both him and Yunus give us good options and flexibility.

I think what people are saying is, I am pretty sure Enzo wants to play this way but when teams park the bus you have to play differently, be more patient and try to draw them out of their shape and discipline and then when you do manage to create a gap then try to capitalise. Ironically yesterday shows we do have a plan A and plan B, and we will adapt to how the opposition set up against us. What is pleasing, is whichever way teams set up we are finding a way to beat most teams. 11 goals in 3 games playing against differing tactical set ups shows overall the style of our play is the right way to go. We will not always have the opportunity to play as we did yesterday but it’s good to see we are flexible.

Let’s hope he does stay and become club captain but I have a feeling one season at premier league level and the bigger teams will come calling. Unfortunately I think FFP will ensure this happens more and more

Looks an absolutely unreal talent, think he can go to the very top. Massive kudos to the academy and also to Enzo who despite having an unbelievable squad at his disposal has given young players from the academy lots of opportunities, this is a very special manager we have and if we can keep hold of him, I think we will continue to see a number of our academy prospects being given their chance in the first team. Could be massive in finding a way to be competitive and staying very much within FFP compliance.

That was a fantastic performance, if you ain’t entertained by a team that scores 11 goals in 3 games then i am at an absolute loss. Not one poor performance out there and absolutely ruthless could have been 8 or 9 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

Funnily enough people moaning about Enzo’s brand of football need to realise the style of play is exactly how the owner and Ridkin want us to play, once Enzo leaves we will appoint another possession based Manager/Coach. This is the style they want and why they target the managers we do such as Puel, Rodgers and now Maresca.

Absolutely superb post 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

Rudkin has negotiated the transfer deals and contracts that have taken us to the brink of breaching FFP, he is responsible and accountable which ever way people want to cut and dice it.

This is where I am at with Rudkin and this has nothing to do with him not just signing players willy nilly, last season I felt so frustrated that Rodgers had clearly given up and didn’t have the clubs interest at heart and was blatantly sabotaging the club for his own means and agenda. in the case of Rudkin, I honestly believe he is out of depth and not qualified to be the Director of Football at a football club with the ambitions and aspirations we have to be disrupting the big 6. We have a world class training facility and a very exciting young manager, and yet we have Rudkin who I believe is massively holding us back. If anyone says FFP to me, I will reply it is Rudkin, who has in the main, negotiated the exorbitant transfer fees and dished out massive wages and contracts to some very bang average players, which has completely hamstrung us for 3/4 windows where we have ended up with a bloated and unbalanced squad,. in addition have a look at the recruitment heads, scouts, analysis team and medical staff who have moved on over the last 10 years, nobody has come knocking at his door, for a club that was identified as a model club, if we are so innovative and creative why do we have such a high turnaround of staff. We clearly have had some very talented people working for us and yet it’s very rare we see these people promoted and have to move on to take senior roles elsewhere. it feels to me he suppresses any real talent we have as they are a direct threat to him and having high calibre people in roles will only further highlight his shortcomings so he protects his interests and position. Enzo is an interesting one as he seems to be very focused and very professional, with very high standards, and he doesn’t seem to be a shrinking violet, his opinions on how the club is performing in certain areas may well be putting Rudkin under the spotlight and under some uncomfortable scrutiny. I hope Top realises what a good coach and manager we have and makes sure we don’t lose him, if we really want to progress again, we need a fresh pair of eyes and a different outlook, a sporting director who can open up new markets where we can unlock value. It all seems very stale and samey from Rudkin.

Or this is the narrative the club are peddling to Tanner to try and absolve blame.