LCFCJohn

I agree, I have spoken very positively about the future if we utilise the young players we have. I guess you need a mixture of players and I’m not as against Ayew as others are (although finances are a concern). But if you make too many Ayew type signings, you really have to stay up as they are geared up for that not for the level below.

It’s was poorly worded by me. It wasn’t meant to refer to the signings made but just answering the point of us being unable to plan for the future. I suppose the point you have highlighted in a way what I was trying to say. @MGLCFCyou made the same point so same reply to yourself.

Planning for the future is what we should be doing. Get the costs down, sign younger players who will either be with us a few years or turn a profit. Short term is a mess either way so planning for the future is the way to get out of the mess we are in.

Yep, Sheffield United supporters I know and work with don’t rate Ahmedhodzic. I had lunch with one the other day and the view is that Souttar will get in the side shortly as the defence including Ahmedhodzic is poor. Apparently he is quite lazy and lacks paying attention!

I don’t know why some people are being so negative about the first half. It was our first game back, behind the scenes seems to be quite in turmoil and we were playing a good side who have spent well and have a settled manager and ideas from last season. We defended really well. None of their chances caused saves from Mads that you wouldn’t expect a competent keeper to make. They were a lot of huff and puff without making good chances, a bit like we have been in recent years. I have been very negative about this season, not at the manager or players but because I feel Top and co have set them up to fail. To pull off that result and play as we did second half showed all kinds of traits we haven’t seen from a Leicester side in years. We worked hard, defended well and took our chance when it came. If we bring a couple more in, we should only get stronger. It may or may not be enough but it was a much more positive start than I thought it would be!

This. For the saves Hermansen made, were any really ones a competent goalkeeper wouldn’t expect to? Taking nothing away from Mads and not to diminish his performance but he’d have been disappointed to not make those saves. So they weren’t great chances.

I was disappointed with him first half, seemed the ball was just bouncing off him and breaking down play. Second half though he brought last seasons form impressively against higher quality opponents. The ball to Vardy was great and he was much better on the ball causing them a headache. Promising signs from him for the season! Shame I have left Fats and Vards on the bench on my fantasy side

Really pleased with that so far. Remember Spurs are a good side under a settled manager so it wasn’t surprising they came out stronger. We have had much stronger sides on paper under Rodgers that were repeatedly turned over by them (apart from when on course for relegation when we beat them soundly)! Our fate won’t be decided by these games so that was a great point Cooper has grinded out there and the players do seem to be playing for him. I personally would have had Mavididi and Ricardo in over BDR and Justin but he must have had his reasons. I reckon he gives us as much of a fighting chance as anyone would have.

Really pleased for him. Almost like writing him off based on a handful of games at the end of our relegation season was a bit silly by some! It does seem like Cooper could be the right sort of manager for him. He is a grafter and it’s no wonder he was pissed off with others (if that was true) in his first half season as that side had no fight whatsoever. And he has a great delivery as others have said. That ball before the goal was what I love to see, hard and low! Those kind cause chaos for a defence.

I’d disagree here in part. Well Iheanacho you have already excluded from that so I’d agree with you. And Daka I’d agree at the other end of the scale that he hasn’t showed nearly enough despite the fact I still want him to find it from somewhere! Perez and Slimani, I actually think it was the price tags on them that were used against them. Perez had plenty of moments, just not consistently enough. But for the bad games he had, he was often just a low key part of a good side like Albrighton in a way. He was part of the side who finished 5th twice and won the FA cup so wasn’t a bad player or signing. Same with Slimani, scored some important goals in Europe that paid some of his fee. Just never fitted and was behind Vardy. Both of those had they been half the fee, so around £13/£14 mill, would have been remembered more as players who contributed albeit not in a key player way, rather than players who did not live up to their fee.

Sounds like they would compliment each other. Alves is a bit unknown in terms of how he will break through and whether he would play centrally as more of a 10 or if he’d be wide but you could have Winks - Skipp Fatawu - Alves - Mavididi Cannon? Or other striker But that looks very promising. Depends if the likes of Winks, Fatawu and Mavididi would all be retainable.

How is Skipp style wise compared to Winks? To be honest, I’m already looking past this season to the Championship next season. I feel it is realistic to do so. So I wonder whether they would play together or whether they are too similar. Winks, Skipp, Braybrooke, Golding seems a good start. That’s not taking into account that Choudhury and/or Ndidi would still probably be around. Not bad options potentially….

I’m feeling as negative about the season as anyone but for those melting down over the media saying ‘excess of £20mill’, bear in mind they are London centric media who will be trying to pass this off as good of a deal as possible for Spurs. Also, total cost could come to excess of £20mill but might include unrealistic conditions such as if we stay up. If we did, he probably becomes worth it. Going to next season, he will probably be a very good option for us in the Championship. Id like us to sign a goal threat like Hamer as well (would likely replace KDH’s numvers), but Skipp is decent.

Agreed. Here are Blades fans thoughts https://www.s24su.com/forum/threads/defence.100460/ https://www.s24su.com/forum/threads/harry-souttar-is.100396/page-4#post-5326125

Gilchrist seems to be RB for them and Robinson is traditionally a left back who seems to have moved to centre back. But their fans are suggesting Robinson was at fault for both goals today and haven’t really rated him for a while so it was an odd choice to make captain. They seem to want Souttar in the side so I don’t think he is a squad filler and reckon he’ll be in alongside Ahmedhodzic before long.

Early days of course but I feel Sheff Utd and Burnley will be far too strong for the rest and be quite a comfortable top 2 as they were the season before last.

Staying at Sheff Utd surely seems like a more attractive prospect than coming here right now if a straight choice you’d think….

I do realise this and what league they are in. See my reply to another post above which highlights why I used them as an example. I think the positive traits they have displayed since taking on that club, are transferrable despite what league you are in, I.e having sensible heads running your club that know the game. I just feel that if Top and the KP family, were more willing to show change behind the scenes and show the club to be well run, they would not being under the kind of pressure they find themselves. Nobody is asking or expecting that we keep winning the league or FA Cup, but currently we just seem a complete shambles on and off the pitch. It honestly wouldn’t bother me to see us relegated if there seemed like a longer term plan in place to come back stronger but we seem stuck between and neither ‘going for it’ nor bringing the finances under control by sensibly investing for the future (in terms of the playing squad).

I must have missed the posts where I have called for a change of ownership but feel free to dig them out if you think they exist 👍 I haven’t called for a change so your little questions are moot. I simply highlighted a couple of areas where yes, I used Wrexham as an example as they have made their workings very public via the series. I am also well aware of the league they are in and the likelihood is we will be playing league games against them next season. I made two points. 1 - An owner doesn’t need to be a football know it all themselves if they surround themselves with the right people. That is why the Wrexham example was a good one as they by their own admission didn’t even know the sport when they took on the challenge but have good people who do around them. Top has Jon Rudkin…. 2 - Maximisation of commercial sense and using this to the advantage of the club. Again, the example I used is a case of them doing this to great effect. Will in continue if they go up again? Who knows. Their USP is the owners themselves. We had a USP in our clubs achievements and absolutely failed to have the commercial sense within the club to take advantage of that to take the club to the next level. And that includes Vichai as well who was still with us for a couple of years after. And before you pipe up, that does not make me ungrateful for what Vichai did for us, just commenting on a missed opportunity. And by the way, I don’t play football manager and do remember the admin and going down to League 1 etc. However, being a happy clapper and being in the ‘well we were in League 1 for a season 15 years ago so the owners can do what they please’ club doesn’t help anyone!

I’m surprised how many people seem to be missing the point of the OP by quoting for example, 2008. I clearly read this as worst season as a stand alone car crash and not in the context of the fact it is still the top flight. Lets say for example, we did break or come close to Derby’s record, losing by 4-0/5-0 or more every week and who knows, maybe ship double figures in a game. As a stand alone season, that would be worse than the season we were relegated to league 1 as we were still competitive and only narrowly relegated. Obviously if you’re referring to low point, then yes 2008 all day. As others have said, we have finished bottom of this league before, but I understand the concern that with the leadership of the club, we could do it in an unprecedented, embarrassing (in the context of this club) style.

Obviously you’re just using Kasabian as an example but just to pick up on the bolded bit. As well as Top clearly not having a clue, I would say the owner of the club doesn’t particularly need to know themselves, they need to bring the right people in to bring that side. Top neither has a clue himself nor has made appropriate (or any) changes to those below him to run the club well. Look at Wrexham. What do Ryan and Rob know about football? By their own admission, they didn’t even understand football. Rob was interested after Humphrey Ker got him to watch a couple of games. This is the same Humphrey who is an exec with the club despite being nothing more than a very intelligent and football loving person, no career in the sport. They then brought Shaun Harvey who is the one with a career in English football to add that knowledge. This is what has been interesting about their series. It is a perfect example of owners who have employed the right people, respect the community and fans and have nailed it commercially to give them the competitive advantage and drive them up the leagues. If Top had the slightest fraction of their intellect and commercial minds, we would not be in the mess we are.

1 win 9 draws? 2 wins 6 draws?

I mean if we are back in the Championship then the likes of a Vestergaard or Coady if they can retain their standards would be fine alongside Nelson. I guess I just meant it doesn’t pick itself like the forward positions might do.

Thing is, in terms of past work, Cooper as is as close as you will get to working with and giving youth a chance. The England U17’s role and was it Liverpool academy? Clearly has credentials in this area. This is why it’s a bit odd that he hasn’t used them more in pre-season. I have a feeling it is to send the board a message like Maresca and Rodgers did before. Pep does it when he puts less subs rather than use youngsters when he wants signings. Obviously Rodgers was a petty little goblin and let it get in the way of him remaining the slightest bit professional and from taking any pride in the job. Enzo remained professional, did the job and then gave the middle finger and walked out. If…and it is if, Cooper chucks the youth players in once the season starts or at least when the window closes, if he is making a statement, I will back him regardless of what happens on the pitch this season as if he is developing our future, he is probably the best option for next season. We just need to wait and see. The next few weeks will make it clear.

I see both sides of the debate above. Think probably most will agree that the short term future, I.e this season is extremely bleak and personally I think there is very very little chance we stay up and more likely we are in for an embarrassing season ala Sheffield United. In terms of the medium and long term, have lost confidence in Top so am not particularly confident but at the same time, I agree with @Heskey2011 that there are reasons to be positive if we could suddenly become better managed. We have a string of young players with a lot of promise that we should focus of getting experience either loaning them to the Championship to be ready for that level or at least getting them significant minutes this season. Look at Sheffield United last season, they blooded players and the one that stands out is Arlbaster who appears to be central to their team this season. We have: Alves Braybrooke Nelson Stolarcryz (sp) Golding Cannon All of those should have the potential to be key in the Championship as soon as next season given a chance. Then you have a couple like Marcal and McAteer where the jury is still out in terms of their ability. Then it becomes can you keep Fatawu and Mavididi. If so, your forward line is sorted. Would Winks stay as an experienced head in midfield? Defence wise I think could be ripped up and built around Nelson. We will need a manager who relishes playing those young guys and giving them a chance. I did think Cooper was that guy. Pre-season hasn’t really indicated that but we will see. If it carries on my patience with him will go quickly.