Alan Frost

Sorry. I was writing loosely they are not in trouble as far as I know, I was comparing them with Burnley who survive in the PL. I think Bolton Wanderers are still going in some form.I used to lunch at the club not many years ago. I'm a sentimental fool and whenever I drive through Burnley I detour just to pass by the ground, really as a mark of respect, stupid as it seems,(twice last year.). The multinational where I spent most of what I jokingly call my career had a huge , really huge factory in Blackburn now closed so I imagine between that and covid the town's had a rough time. If Burnley keep doing LCFC favours I shan't regret my detours ,in fact I might take a candle and flowers, next time..

I don't know enough about AVP to know ( they've only put peanuts in so far) but I will say this Bolton, Blackburn and Burnley used to be a scarier place to visit for football teams than Merseyside when I was young and only tiny Burnley F .C. ( pop under 80k roughly half the size of the other two ) looks like surviving. I think of them as the English Auxerre . They always used to play the most cultured football per Pound sterling in the first division but whether Sean Dyche could manage that again I don't know. That distinguished list of players they.ve had to sell since the sixties were I believe nearly all locals. Auxerre (pop about 30k I think ) won what was the European Cup (maybe twice), not all that long ago. Mind you so did my works team PSV ( Philips Sports Club) but I don't think many worked in our factories:=). I was Centre Forward. (i made that bit up) Still it was nice when I was asked how's your sports club team doing and to be able to say just won the European cup. I dream of being able to say it about LCFC.

I would n't knock Burnley, I think Sean Dyche has now got a bit of cash (and a penalty !!!) and imo any team managed by Dyche even a cheap one will always be tough to play as will any team that get 110% out of players. Burnley have been doing that since the 1950s and maybe before that. If he has got money he won't rush to spend it. he knows he can't win the league this year.

Few lessons , good result considering what happened elsewhere. Lesson 1 No team can play for anything serious with ten men and a weakness. Perez was much improved but stll zero product, and maybe put his price up to £15M. This team needs and deserves at least a £40m striker. We have one, worth minimum £80m for us, who hopefully will be back soon. I'm still not convinced we need to buy for a while until Brendan is convinced he's buying a fit for the team. Mendy immense in a country of giants, Evans sheer culture, Castagne , Justin and Tielemans maybe a little below par i.e. just excellent. Under proved himself totally to me. Barnes rightfully MOTM, imo. I never mention Kasper but I trust him absolutely, I can live with the few tiny faults. Fofana and Ndidi immense with Fofana making a small mistake which unluckily he and we were heavily punished for. Soyuncu also v. good, and I think we scored a goal from a corner, not all would agree but I think that would count in the ststs. Maybe an authority can pronounce.. but I assume that the following play I.e. when the big men are still up counts. We did n't vary our set piece takers, black mark, forgiven , as we ran them ragged. One other lesson for Ancelotti and the watching Southgate, never play ten men and a weakness.

A short PS, a great manager these days (Morinho, Pep and I hope BR) has to have a quality I have already admitted to, the ability to lie like an Aden watch. If they have scruples they call it motivation. I don't think BR's about to buy a striker but he might.If I was buying a Striker I would n't admit it. Also Wes's part in the season would ideally be to come on as captain at Wembley when we are leading 3-1, to score a goal from a corner and lift the cup. What a dream.

Maybe but it is massive. Losing it would n't be a total disaster but would open up a gap at the top especially as Man U have a run of very easy games,unbelieveeably easy, and Man C are really running into form even without De Bruyne.. Of course they'll have tough games to come but just like long distance running closing a gap is very tough. I'm really looking forward to it as it might decide if we make top 4,or better. There's no guarantee that OGS's shortcomings as a manager and de Bruyne's absence will guarantee either manchester will drop back and we've got to assume they won't. I think we'll win. I thouight and hoped we'd get six points from Chelsea and Saints but i'm less certain about this. It really depends I think on BR finding an effective forward line and even my preferred line of Barnes, Madison and Under will do well to pull this off. I'd feel happier if I was sure that we'd been practicing headers and corners as its the only time we can get at least two of Ndidi, Soyuncu, Fofana and Evans (depending who plays) forward into the box. Its nice to talk about diamonds, centre pivots, W Plans,false 9s, channels and pockets and other ngumba;. but match results more often depend on far simpler things, like height and speed, two footed players, effort and commitment, pass accuracy, and set pieces (all kinds of). I watched Chorley v Wolves , Cheltenham v Man. City, Luton v Chelsea as well as our match last w/e and if we regard this as our cup match,but keep relaxed, we'll do it. Call. me fussy but I'd like to see a good win by at least a couple. Get the other B------s thinking if they can do this without JV what will they be like when he's back ? Do it for JV but I'll still be sweating.

To me he always looks like that, altho not always muttering. I don't dislike him and certainly don't hate him, but in a way something worse, I feel sorry for him, either because he's trying to do a good job in a team he just does n't fit in, or because he has a problem outside football. I think he came to England with his brother .Maybe he's homesick because maybe his brother's gone back. I'm only guessing, but trying to do a good job and failing when a club has shelled out a small fortune for you is something even an unscrupulous bastard like me would not like, (I'd keep taking the money though). BR has a good reputation for giving as much help as he can with his players problems (which imo is very sensible). If it is something else he must know Brendan speaks Spanish, I don't know how fluently and anyway Perez's English should be good now even though he was in Newcastle. I don't want this to sound like a lonely hearts column but in the words of one of my favourite songs, "Son. I made a living out of watching peoples's faces" and believe me he's quite unhappy. Even on the photo on the first team profiles although he has a slight smile, he to me still looks unhappy about something. We tend to look on footballer's lives with envy (unless they've had a spell at Newcastle) but being talented at football with all that potential money means you are going play and in his case it meant leaving the Canaries,young, leaving family and friends, and not everyone is cut out for that. I'm hope i'm wrong but if i was a manager I would n't be playing a player who's not enjoying what he should be loving. He's not a kid, but men are notorious for fighting problems until they get old and smart enough to realise thats not always the best thing.

Think that would work well especially with Madison playing well forward. I'd be very happy to see it tried especially as i think our defence and midfield seem to be improving all the while from what was already a very good standard. Be even heppier if i see yet more evidence of practice at defending and attacking corners and set pieces . I don't guess teams for a match but with any two from the trio of JJ, Castagne and Pereira I 'd be hoping we would look more like the home team, and with a bit of luck we might inflict a mauling. BR favours Madison over Barnes in the Vardy role judging by his comments but second half if we're doing well then I'd like him to try Barnes slightly ahead of Madison when the ball is carried upfield by the team althogh when breaking out Barnes is probably the best ball carrier. Could be exciting , I did fancy us for six points from Saints and Chelsea but they were a bit easier than I expected (as was Brentford in the end) so I'm forecasting nothing this time. I don't know whether Mendy will play but I'd hate to see him defending centrally against corners again.

Managed to get my first TV look at KDH playing for Luton. Not as good at instantly picking out a player by movement as I used to be but I was very impressed and I think the commentator mentioned he was either in for .or had been player of the season. He started back 5 and when they changed to four at the back was the guy they sent forward as an attacking MF in a pretty free roving role. He had a good game, opposition was Chelsea ( I think--i watched a lot of cup action at the w/e ). Be up to BR and the scouts as to whether they think he could make it in the PL but I was impressed. Mind you he did n't do anything as impressive as the two goals i'd watched on video for Blackpool ( fuzzy video) and Luton. The great thing about those was his technique, they'd have been goals against any quality of defender in any league.

Does n't read like the usual media guff to me altho no doubt there's a little of that in it. Call me naive and a dreamer but that reads exactly as I think of our squad as feeling, and is a credit to the squad, the manager and the whole club. Inevitably a few will be putting in less effort than others but from what I see and read i suspect and hope most of the squad feel the same.way as Christian Fuchs.Loved it ,go Foxes. I'm a bit of a new boy on here and curious as to whether you're the same D.Gibson I used to admire from the half way line in the shed back in the early sixties along wih Banks, Mclintock,Cross etc. .

Lots of comment about corners . I see signs LCF have been practicing. 3 short corners in the last two matches. we're mixing up corner takers occasionally (and free kick takers ,equally important) , JJ's technique in his Chelsea miss was excellent but he should have been taught , almost always head downwards in that situation. Its not rocket science , everyone can leap upwards quickly using leg muscles and arm swing : Try it, until they install a bar rail across goals you have to use gravity to "leap" downwards, far slower. although you are faster downwards after about 30 feet if the ground is n't in the way. No need to try this, its risky. By definition the goalkeeper will be on his feet (try moving rapidly across your carpet on your knees or even worse on your belly) . Had Justin headed more definitely downwards( the head can rotate only about the neck) I think he'd have got it. IMO he deserves more goals and an OBE. Cags has definitely improved his headers (one abberation against Brentford). That was one time a defensive header would have been better. I think little Wes has improved too. Evans ,Ndidi, Vardy and others are pretty good now but practice never hurts. In one line. Vary setpiece takers (incl. corners), vary set piece plays,practice attacking headers not defensive "tent peg' ones, practice corners (theirs and ours). If we did this we would n't have had Mendy defending the Brentford corner in the middle of the goalmouth (not his fault). Anymore than it was Gray's fault or iheanachos fault what happened at Xtal Palace. What did you expect to happen ? Oh forgot one thing you have to develop a simple code to indicate varied set pieces. I don't see that as taking more than 5 minutes for this squad and BR. Next month as we progress towards a treble I have a new subject to moan about.And a suggestion for overcoming it. Who said "can't wait"

Agreed. Would only add that any goal scorer is usually awarded an additional increase even for a tap in I could have done, whereas someone who saves a certain goal, usually the goalie gets maybe a slight bonus but much smaller than a tapper inner.

I'm not referring to tackles or pressing when he comes deeper , out of position, to try and win the ball. I'm talking about pressing and tackling when he's in the position of either front man or one of two or even 3 front men. His tackles and presses when deeper are admittedly very useful but usually unproductive as most would almost certainly be made eventually by our excellent and improving midfield and defence. That still does n't mean they are not useful but Perez would be more useful himself fulfilling his allocated role as a front man or linkman which presumably is what he's supposed to be doing. Front pressing is a far more thankless task as usually the presser is facing a goal keeper and two or more defenders all of whom are usually unmarked, especially the goalie. Vardy does this by continually adjusting his position, narrowing angles and preventing passes. Often this does n't result in a Vardy tackle which only happens ideally when he spots his speed could result in him arriving very soon after the ball reaches the defender , or even sometimes the goalkeeper. Its a thankless task especially if no one else helps. It's really at least a two man job but Vardy often persists on his own even towards the end of the match. He is IMO very skilled at it and conserves energy very skilfully so that if and when he does win the ball he can still usually accelerate away or get a shot in. I think also its likely his stats . in the area of the stats you quoted , have been affected by his recent mobility problems. I appreciate your stat. which I was unaware of and surprises me but it would indicate Perez is a more useful and effective player than Vardy which I don't think many would agree with. Reminds me of the old saying , you can prove anything with statistics. Perez's tendency to come deeper has been very much evident and much criticised and not just within the club and forum as it prevents or hinders the total strategy of the team. It harms him as it lowers his scoring statistics and thereby the teams scoring statistics. I suppose it means he's not a good fit for the team as a forward which I would agree with.

Practically every post on this thread is saying neither reading between the lines. Barnes up front , Madison and Under supporting. That leaves JJ. Pereira, Castagne,Thomas,Evans , Fofana, Soyuncu,Tielemans, Ndidi, Albrighton,Choudhury,Amartey, Mendy..All of whom I rste as "better" footballers than Iheanacho or Perez,and all grafters. 13 players several of which are good in several positions . we need 7 of these 13. If you couldn't solve any problem such as who plays on the left , where's the linking men etc from these 12 without playing Perez or Iheanacho I would think you were in danger of losing your fantasy football manager membership. Any ten plus Kasper would be better than playing 9 footballers plus a weakness. Whenever we're 3 up with 15 minutes left send on Perez or iheanacho. I would love one or better still both to come good and enjoy a career at LCFC. I like happy endings. i would n't object to Kristian Fuchs or Wes (when fit) also playing a large part in the rest of the season,as and when BR decides. So 7 out of 15 mostly My reason for playing Barnes most far forward is he's fast, can carry the ball fast and in my opinion would press almost as formidably as JV. He can score,and works very hard, In other words he's quite Vardy like ,except for his shape. Under and Madison (much improved work rate and pressing already) with this example ahead would also press hard I think and the whole team watching these three examples (remember they are at the front) would probably reach even higher levels of motivation and performance. When JV returns I suspect we will still be in touch with the PL leaders , still in the cup and still in the EFL .(6 out of 17 when Vardy returns), We probably won't even have to rush JV back. Then watch our smoke. Admittedly BR probably has a better plan but I don't think this is crazy. Still my job does n't depend on it .I don't see anything until the Liverpool match that this couldn't deal with . 7 from 13 leaves 6 ample room for injuries , and rotation unless we are very, very unfortunate in which case i might at last admit (unlikely there are other alternatives) we are f------d but at least we have n't spent 60-100m for a good striker, (who might or more likely might not fit in immediately ) or wasted 30 m on another low quality striker we have to jettison. Kinder to everyone and in any case BR has already said it ain't gonna happen, and I could n't agree more.

Perez must have more than I see in him. I would n't want to be too hard on him maybe he has some problem although BR has a reputation for consideration when a player has problems. Maybe he looks happy when he does something praise worthy but how can I judge that ? I hate anyone to be unhappy and If I had a player like Perez I would want to know what his problem was. Today ( Brentford) what I could n't understand is why Perez and Iheanacho made no effort to up their reputations. OK no one can guarantee their A game on any one day but they knew we would miss Vardy's pressing. Neither made any attempt to press Brentford's defenders in any way that inconvenienced any defender . When the goalkeeper has it Perez jogs sideways towards the nearest defender. The goalie is n't pressed,and obviously does n't pass to the defender who Perez is leisurely approaching..Net result no one is pressed. Once the defenders have bypassed either of them that's them finished. Well Perez in particular Is not fooling me and i would bet neither he nor Iheanacho are in the squad at the start of next season.if an exit can be arranged. Neither are good enough to go where I hope we are going and they compound that fault with lack of graft.

I must admit that I did n't like the team when announced , too many changes although I agreed with Under, Ward, Ricardo ,Soyuncu who all had pretty good games, Soyuncu particularly although his heading at one point was poor. Keep practicing but credit for improving so much. Defensive set up from which they got their goal was poor and happened again later. Mendy who generally had a good game is too short to be defending in the centre of the goal at corners which was obviouly worrying ,I think it was Amartey,before the corner came in, by luck or judgement aimed at Mendy. Anyway that's where it landed . Mendy had he been 3 inches taller would probably have got an effective challenge in which probably would have prevented the goal. Definite improvement in the quality of Brendan's half time talk judged by what happened. Barnes not quite as effective as usual especially first half but he made the 3rd goal, an assist plus. Perez confirmed my opinion he,s just about worthy of being a squad player, pressed slighty more effectively than usual, but jogs to challenge, Vardy usually sprints. Its just the difference between a token challenge and an enraged wasp. Iheanacho also pressed more than I've seen him do before but never seems to sprint as a result he always arrives too late to make more than a token challenge . He received a couple of good balls for a guy of his height , not chances , but balls he should have got his head on. needless to say he did n't. Only explanation is lack of effort. Once BR further strengthens the squad IMO Perez and Iheanacho will be too low in standard to remain and might as well go now while they retain some value. They are never going to be good enough for where i think we are heading. Nothing relevant to their football but I've never seen either of them smile, Perez in particular looks a miserable so -and -so. Great result I think Brighton might be easier than Blackpool might have been.

I hope I can say after the match right choices Brendan, after all he has at least treble my knowledge. For what its worth I'm glad to see Under, Riccy and Soyuncu, Ward is pretty reliable but I hope the team is strong enough. Don;t know how many changes Brentford have but I would have gone a bit stronger, its a lot of changes. if we are not leading at Half time I would strengthen straight away from the bench. a half should identify what changes are needed , hopefully none. I always feel substitutes should be given 45 minutes if possible.

Maybe Vardy has both. Someone on the forum with similar problems claimed that it was probably a hip joint problem which a "lubricating "injection cured for a while. If correct .he probably could have completed the season with injections altho personally I don't think its wise to keep playing with injections . A medic might dfisagree. but pain is often the body's way of saying "Don't do that". Maybe the hernia has happened since,recently . I don't have any medical knowledge but I guess any sort of hernia is something you would n't want anyone playing football with. My main worry was Vardy would have an operation in an NHS hospital which is probably full of corona virus cases.

I also agree but would n't mess around as much with a winning formula , moving Madison and Barnes up a few yards to where you'd expect to see Vardy. and moving the reat of the midfield up a few yards,Ndidi and Youri not far behind Madison and Barnes. Our defence, Castagne , Justin, Fofana (an accurate passer very willing to come forward a bit), Soyuncu (as for Fofana), Evans and Pereira could always stay in various permutations (you could n't play them all, our defence is possibly our strongest squad, and very flexible) This would give us Madison and Barnes as capable twin strikers . As we drinkers say they appear of late as "getting the taste" .Barnes and Madison could also be more effective at pressing. as towards the end of matches Vardy is usually the only one still carrying out this thankless but essential task. Barnes is talented as a striker and is a bigger worker than Madison and Barnes attitude would mean that Madison would also have to follow him in being an effective presser. Even if something else bad happened and we had to resort to Perez , or even iheanacho, I don't think Barnes would be long before getting BR to give them an earful about helping with pressing, or even better doing it himself as his confidence grows. Its not a difficult skill but it is essential they press as Vardy does at his best, like an enraged wasp with the attitude "get away from my ball". A token challenge is worse than useless, just demoralises the team.. There is of course the danger that when JV returns and joins his new helpers and we have mastered a goal every three games from corners plus one every few games from set pieces we may have to accept a ruling from the PL that all our goals count as half goals . but as long as they agree to round up any half goals we should hold our own next season.

Hello Lee, no we are not F====D although as a former youth team player recently promoted to the reserves I would not over criticise your post. First lets get rid of the panic. Oh woe, sackcloth and ashes , we are undone. There ,does that feel better. We are not F-----d because we have a decent manager who is not injured and has had covid so is unlikely to be. Vardy is one of , maybe even the best thing that has ever happened to Leicester but.let me tell you why I think we're possibly only mildly inconvenienced and indeed may be better off as a result of recent events. Firstly Kevin de Bruyne is out for longer according to recent news. Personally at this stage in the season as I've posted before I think the main threat to LCFC is Man C. Despite JV's importance de Bruyne is probably an even bigger loss because apart from Van Dijk (injured) and Pogba he is the only galactico I can think of in the PL. Pogba's manager is OGS ,the worst manager of any of the clubs threatening us. Unfortunately OGS has given uo trying to manage Pogba but dare n't leave him out. As a result Pogba has started playing to his near potential which is bad news .However the rest of Man. U is still managed by OGS, the manager who left Fred on for a second half and thereby got Man u ejected from the ECL, when even the " as it happened -minute by minute" correspondents were pleading with OGS to take him off following a mild head butt and a terrible foul in the first half. As he's a man U player the ref did n't send him off and he came out again at half time !! He did n't stay on long even Refs (most of whom one would think are partly employed by Man U ) can have enough. Its football so Man. U may still be a threst but i think its unlikely with a relatively inexperienced , not too smart manager. De Bruyne is probably a bigger loss to Man C. than JV is to us because he plays more centrally than JV and is therefore more involved in a game although admittedly JV is usually more involved that your average striker. As Jurgen Klopp has found with van Dijk and Pep already knows, replacing galacticos is not immediately possible however rich the club is or however attractive a side is . It took quite a while for even Real Madrid to assemble their Galacticos and fit them together , far longer than to the end of this season. galacticos are very rare creatures. The summary of the above is that the two events ,JV's operation, and de Bruyne's absence has probably left LCFC in an overall stronger position. Liverpool have faded a bit more since Van Dijk's injury, Man U have OGS, Man C are still our biggest worry but have lost De Bruyne. Everton have Ancelotti and Spurs Morinho but neither team has a galactico. Hope this improves your sleep. s

I think you're possibly right but even with the latest JV news I think we should keep pursuing all 3 PL, Cup. and EFL

Definitely and JV was prevented from entering the penalty area on his feet, by a foul. I don't know what the rule is there. Also Vardy won the initial header (against two defenders!!!! ) that led to the pass for the goal.

Good point. That is a serious blow. I would still be against buying a striker in a hurry, usually means a higher than usual price if the seller knows you are in a hurry, and unless BR is a genius who ever we buy is likely to cost over 30K and might take as long as Vardy is off before he is effective within the team. Generally cheap strkers are a mistake and repented at leisure JV being the necessary exception to prove the rule. I would be inclined to try Barnes and Madison as strikers at Brentford and tell them today they are trial strikers who have to press as hard as Vardy (should n't be too difficult its really a two man job anyway) . Realise we might not be going to win the PL, and EFL and FA cup altho we should keep seriously pursuing them IMO. No need for panic (there never is) . I think the squad as it is can largely cope without Jamie for a few weeks, we have some very flexible players, mainly Justin and Castagne, but there are others such as Pereira probably, He who would have to play Brentford along with HB and JM (to see how that goes) and as a first option after that check the chances of recalling KDH by the Everton match.I suspect he will turn out a good striker and even if he does n't will be a very useful MF almost immediately. Don't really want to rush him in a striker role even if he shows promise. I know I've been against that in posts but no JV is not good as even he might take a week or so after the op . to get back to full effectiveness. That would be my proposal and I'm pretty confident BR will have even smarter proposals as I doubt this has come out of the blue to him. Never the less you make a good point and priority is the two points, then beat Brentford and Everton,(that will take care of the two points) then make sure we don't lose touch in the PL, and carry on in the FA cup ( Next !!) then the ERL Just think how dejected our pursuers will feel if our stride is n't seen to falter. One thing I am pretty sure of is Brendan will have known it was coming and might already have a plan to cope with it. I would suggest we don't win all 3 if possible so as to get a better chance of winning the PL, ECL and cup again next season and to keep our forum members a little bit humble. I can think of a few who could get carried away. Might turn out to be a piece of luck if JV back quickly and playing more effectively than ever, HB and JM cope, and KDH starts knocking in a goal a game. Then with JV repaired, and not having to buy a striker at all.......who knows. Don't forget as well the goals from corners and set pieces practicing is going well with our first goal from a corner since the war, you guys tell me. Burnley probably had't done much better from penalties as they've probably only been awarded 3 or 4 since the war. PS I''m a little worried about JV in hospital during covid times . I hope the club maybe even consider flying him abroad for the op.

I'm not sure he would have got it for the pull back but its a definite penalty. You have to remember when you're running hard a player on the ground in front of you is besr protected by you going down, If you have your stride broken and try to stay up its usually difficult to avoid putting your boot down on the guy on the ground. Barnes (and Vardy if accused ) or any other striker have to be given the benefit of the doubt as to whether they were protecting Allison (in this case). But in any case under current VAR rules it was a penalty

Hello ,Grebfromgrebland, you asked me who my teams were in a thread now closed so I'll post it here.. Apologies for late reply I was suspended (VAR appeal pending and FA enquiry pending). Well I admitted to Chelsea, I lived in London and despite the Arsenal double team playing at Highbury. the Chelsea team were much better to watch, the Chelsea of Osgood , altho I called him Hosgood as at that time it was almost compulsory that your name began with an "H". Hollins,Houseman,Harris, Hudson,Harris again ,Harry Cooke ,(he was Charlie at home) etc. Leicester and Chelsea are the only teams I would go out of my way to watch but I like almost all teams except Man.U, Real Madrid , Bayern Munich and PSG., Oh and temporarily Newcastle. I especially like Notts Forest, Notts County, PSV Eindhoven, Ipswich and all the PL teams who are underfunded, Burnley, The Bournemouth of Eddie Howe and a few others.