Claudio Fannieri

Jacob Greaves from Hull, O’Hare from Cov and Zian Flemming from Millwall

I don’t think he has been treated disgracefully, he has been very unlucky, the injury just before the start of the season meant he was not available and as a consequence Jannick came in and overall has been absolutely superb and has become integral to how we play. However I do wonder if his game time, or lack of, especially in the league is linked to a potential appearance clause, it does seem funny that since January time, there does appear to be less use of the wider squad and players who were being utilised regularly seem to be not as involved as often despite us looking jaded. I imagine the majority, if not all of the summer signings have some level of appearance clause in their loan or permanent contracts that sees add ons payable, it’s too much of a coincidence that Casadei went back to Chelsea to rot and then we have seen very little of Yunus, Coady, Cannon and I also feel it’s similar with Souttar.

There starting XI coat nearly £500m against ours which was around £80m. Whilst Chelsea aren’t quite gelling the individual quality and level of player they had at their disposal, I felt we gave a reasonably decent account of ourselves. Yes we looked exposed at the back, however we also showed that our style can be effective even against top quality opposition, we played well in possession and on numerous occasions we beat their press and got into good positions only for poor decision making or a lack of quality in the final ball letting us down. Being honest, whilst this is a barometer for next season should we go up, the reality is we will not be competing with the Chelsea’s of this world, the guage was Bournemouth and we showed we can go toe to toe with them in the last round. What yesterday showed me, was the gulf in class against the big six and this is what will continue to happen to most clubs. If we go up I think we will give a decent account of ourselves and our target should be to try and be the best of the mid to low range teams and then move from there. Yesterday was an absolute free hit and one where we came out with a huge amount of praise, credit and pride.

I think there are a fair few reasons why fans are feeling this way, firstly the interference from the authorities in how they are attempting to manipulate the game to ensure the bigger and richer clubs continue to prosper and dominate. secondly the finances involved, has totally changed the dynamic of the game, some of it for the better, but the majority of it is taking the game away from its traditional fanbase. And finally social media, there is little escape anymore, before, during and after games, timelines and forums are full of fan emotion and opinion, we don’t play for the best part of 2 weeks and years ago you could pretty much switch off and forget about football until the next game, where as nowadays it can consume your life as there will always be fans debating tactics, players, finance, will we bottle or not etc etc it is no wonder fans are feeling drained and fatigued. I am now 50 so I try to have a fairly balanced view and whilst I love my club with all my heart, I try to keep things in perspective wherever possible however there are times when I sit there shaking my head in disbelief at what I am reading and I do understand how it can be become consuming. Football is at saturation point it’s everywhere and it is very difficult to escape at times.

I thought we gave a really good account of ourselves, yeah we rode our luck at times but we gave them a hell of a fright and the red card really made it difficult for us. Remember they have spent the best part of a billion quid on assembling a squad. not sure there needs to be any bed wetting, if we can take that 2nd half into the remainder of the season then I think we will be ok.

Hamza is such a massive downgrade from Ricardo, lacks vision, everything is laboured in possession sideways and backwards rarely tries anything incisive and he just doesn’t have the football intelligence he is so often caught out on the blindside. We have actually looked bright in possession but decision making in the final 3rd has been poor. Next goal is critical if we can make it 2-1 then it could get tense and nervy for Chelsea.

Just listened to the pod and interview with Albrighton, make no mistake it will be a sad sad day when he is no longer involved on a day to day basis at our club. Speaks so well and passionately about the club, he truly loves Leicester City. What a servant, and to be a Premier League Champion, FA Cup Winner, Charity Shield, Champions League quarter finalist and scorer of our 1st ever Champions League goal……all that for a free transfer signing from Aston Villa. What a great partnership it has been for both parties.

Absolutely love Albrighton, he has been a terrific servant, great professional and very good role model to mentor to the younger players. Probably a little bit of a traditional old school type of winger rather than the modern day inside forward, he has always shown his worth and made vital contributions under all the managers he has played under. Would love to see him stay on at the club working with our academy prospects if a career in coaching is a path he wishes to go down, however I think he will want to carry on his playing career and can see him ending up somewhere like a Walsall or Burton for a couple of seasons, before hanging up his boots. The world moves on but will be a very sad day when he leaves the club at the end of the season.

I think it has changed sounds more of a Kasabian type tune

Can anyone enlighten me to the music that accompanies the when your smiling pods, thanks in advance

Another cracking episode lads, lots of interesting insight from Stefan regarding FFP/PSR and some good chat about our current form. Keep up the great work it’s an absolutely class listen every week 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

I am not defending Enzo here and this is a genuine question, in relation to the lack of use of the subs, I do wonder if there are some appearance based clauses that are trying to be managed/mitigated. Therefore the utilisation of some of the squad is being controlled so not to trigger certain clauses. people say Enzo doesn’t trust the squad and this may be true, however he seems to use pretty much a shadow squad for the FA cup and the players seem to be putting in a shift for him. Perhaps this isn’t a personal thing with the manager but something else.

That’s the awful thing with all of this, the only reason I want to see us get promoted is now due to the finances and nothing.else, football as I know it has been destroyed and what is replacing it is a mockery.

There is only one reason for me to hope we won promotion.and that is for the club to get the money and make it easier to stop the implosion. Other than that i really am growing a rapid distain for the premier league, plastic fans and day trippers, VAR and financial sustainability rules that have been put in place to ensure the big 6 retain their dominance, it is a complete and utter shit show and so far removed from what made us all fall in love with the beautiful game. I hate the phrase but I think it’s fully justified, the game has gone ……..

I think given you all have busy lives and it isn’t your primary jobs, you should continue to release the pods as best fits your availability. Really looking forward to the next episode of the pod discussing the current PSR situation and obviously Ric’s very rational and non emotional perception of the position 😂 I foresee some insane levels of swearing and name calling especially towards Sir John of Rudkin, maybe one to invite Graham Brock as a guest, could be absolute fireworks 😂

Whilst FFP was introduced to ensure the big 6 largely maintain their straggle hold and dominance over the rest, it does feel if nearly 50% of the clubs including Chelsea, one of the teams it was introduced to protect, are at serious risk of breaching, plus how it has stagnated the transfer market and runs the risk of literally destroying any interest for half of the clubs, it is in risk of imploding the golden goose. if top flight football becomes like F1 and literally a procession for the top few teams whilst the rest scramble about as also rans it will very quickly lose its appeal and the threat of future TV deals could be significantly reduced. I think this will conclude with a rapid overhaul of the rules and a return to something more palatable and acceptable, whilst also meaning the FA can bury the Man City charges and not have to get into a fight with them over there alleged breaches.

👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 fantastic post and very eloquently and respectfully articulated

Personally I felt last night we eased off in the 2nd half to preserve energy levels given this weeks busy schedule and our limited options in midfield, therefore I don’t see many changes from the starting XI and I certainly doubt Wilf will start, most likely 20-25 minute cameo from the bench. Hermansen Choudhury Faes Vestergard Justin Winks KDH Yunus Fatawu Vardy Mavididi

2nd half was pretty ugly last night but I actually found that quite pleasing, as it showed we can win scrappy and be dogged when required. we cannot expect the team to go and play high intensity week in week out especially when we have limited options in a couple of key positions, it does feel like we are trying to manage player workloads and protect some key players which has definitely impacted performance levels in recent weeks. far from perfect at the moment but results are most important and what is pleasing is we have won 2 tricky away games 1-0 and shown a fair level of resilience, hopefully we can build on this and go on another winning streak which should see hopefully see us over the line

That was his most effective performance last night, his work rate was exceptional and whilst he lacks physicality, he has unbelievable poise and balance on the ball, he offers something different, the amount of times he got himself out of tight spots with some excellent skill and fast feet, all that was lacking last night was a goal. I feel last nights performance was a coming of age for him, I think he has shown Enzo he can be trusted and he is finally getting to grips with what is required to play as an 8 in this team. I fully expect to see a lot more of him in the closing stages of the season and I also think we will sign him in the summer, he will be an assist machine. Last night proved what an exciting prospect he is.

Thought he got better and better as the game went on, he showed some lovely tricks and ability to run with the ball, just seemed to lack the end product and decision making was lacking but that is what you get with young players, overall I thought that was his best game for us so far. Promising signs

I love Jakub, not only is he a very very talented goalkeeper but his distribution is pretty good and allows us to play exactly the same way. Of course he has the odd mistake, but remember he is only playing odd games, so won’t be as fine tuned as Mads but overall he is an excellent back up and if he were to have to step up and have an extended run I wouldn’t have any doubts or fears. Top propsect who will have a very good career.

Was absolutely superb and a leader throughout, that was the kind of performance we were expecting when he signed, I think he may well have played himself back into contention.

Was quite simply magnificent last night and for most parts of this season, his ability on the ball is without question, but what has really impressed me is his aggression and desire. As for his lack of pace he looks to have gained 5 yards, just goes to show the value of having top drawer coaching and a manager who believes and trusts in you.

Fair play I thought he was unreal last night, when he is on it he is a very effective player, his energy and pace is really important and I feel they are both attributes that we lack when he doesn’t play, but what has really impressed me is how composed he is in possession now, he used to be a bomb scare on the ball but this year he has really stepped up, his tactical reading of the game has massively improved as well under Enzo, he has finally become an integral and important part of the squad, rather than a bit part player.