LCFCJohn

I believe his wife is South (maybe even Southampton) based which made it an ideal job didn’t it? Interestingly that northern France where he has been working is probably more accessible to the south coast of England that northern England is (Middlesbrough). You also find out people’s priorities and whether they drop a bit of a level in order for work/life balance.

I have called for Wellens last season when it was clear we were coming down. Now our standing and expectations have dropped even further, I would go for him. He would need time to clear out the dross as no doubt they would look down on him. But I like the thought of someone from the school of NP! Feels like he’d not take any shit!

Guy hasn’t got a club. Did any of them accept there are actual issues at this club?

Exactly. Ryan Bennett was it The strong mentality around the club peaked under Pearson and carried over to the title season but it was downhill from there, as soon as the following season. They should never have performed so poorly for Ranieri. We then looked in bother at the wrong end under Ranieri, Shakespeare and Puel before we established for a bit under Rodgers before he tanked us. What we can see now is that all the time since the title win but accelerated after Vichai’s passing, the mentality and culture was being eroded after what Pearson built. People like Ken Way who were so pivotal let go and not replaced. Long serving staff like Stowell as well.

Go on. What was said?

Sorry, but it was a failure at the time. Context is an important thing and if you can’t see that and see things so simplistically, I can’t explain it to you. Of course we never expect to finish in the Top 4 or even 5 in the top flight. However, when you have built up a 14 point lead in any situation, you have done the hard bit. We had an excellent squad and many of the usual suspects up there were struggling. In the couple of years after we fell short, sides like Newcastle and Villa managed to do it. All of this is important context in that whilst 5th beforehand would have been fantastic, it was a complete failure of mental strength to fall apart like that, as much as anything else in the circumstances.

Can’t agree. This is not about winning the PL again. You can’t surely think that? And it is far from as simple as just getting rid of the high earners. Do you seriously think we are suddenly going to start making sensible decisions with manager and player recruitment with Aiyawatt and Rudkin? Literally in the past few weeks, Luke Thomas was given an extra 3 years with a wage rise! We are essentially back to circa 2004 but worse as we have PSR hanging over us constantly due to poor decisions that show no sign of letting up (see Thomas example). We will not be going up this season or next. It is almost a certainty that we will see League 1 again before we see the PL as well.

This one is shit across most of the pitch so even more likely to go down imo. Pretty good keeper for this level. Joke of a defence. Some quality in midfield. Good wingers but being nullified by the system and then no striker to put the ball in the net. Add the toxic and weak mentality across the squad and the recipe is there.

True. But it had been built off the work of those brought in by Vichai, Puel and Macia. Aiyawatt’s first decision was to sack Puel and bring in Rodgers. Although I was one of the first to want Rodgers out, I don’t necessarily think the appointment itself was the problem as much as the power handed over to him and keeping him about 18 months too long. The point though, despite an uplift on the pitch, which the squad building had been leading towards anyway, the off field health of the club has been in decline from very early in his reign after taking over from Vichai.

Which of the youth players do we think would either be in starting 11 or leave if we are in the Championship next season or in League 1? I think Monga and Nelson are gone whichever league we are in. If in the Championship, I am unsure many of the rest would be given a chance but may also not be poached. If we were relegated, would we struggle to hold onto Evans, Page or even Cartwright? We might struggle with Evans and Page regardless. I do think if we went down, there would be no reason not to play many of them. Cartwright coming off a season in the SPL and Braybrooke if he continues to do really well in L2 would be seen as the type of young signings you’d look to make if they weren’t already ours. Evans if he was at a PL club you’d see it as a coup of a loan so again, you’d have to play him. If we did go down, you could have all the following in the side; Stolarcryk Aluko Braybrooke Cartwright Alves Page Evans If the remaining areas were filled by experienced players with good attitudes, that’d be a side you could really get behind!

Agreed. I think regardless of whether we are in the Championship or League 1 next season, we will need 2 new central defenders, ideally of the mould of those you have mentioned. Captains and leaders. Problem is, I can’t see us shifting Vestergaard. Maybe Faes. Okoli could probably get a move back to Italy so I reckon maybe we end up with Vestergaard as the only central defender left. But will we remove him as a starter?

I am just asking what positives you are seeing that make you think we can stay up, particularly should we get a deduction. And not things like ‘there will be 3 worse sides’ or ‘we are too good to go down’ as these are based on anything. People said the same in 2022/23 but it was obvious to some of us that we were going down that season.

I agree it’s the DoF’s job. But as fans, why are people backing the short term thinking and justifying the continued selection of Faes and Vestergaard? They weren’t even good last time. We lost 11 games and conceded an amount of goals expected from a mid table side. The likes of KDH, Vardy, Fatawu, Mavididi and even Ndidi and Ricardo dragged us to promotion and the title with their goals, despite the rest of the defence (not including Ricardo). They are now 2 years older, off the back of a season in the PL that will have completely destroyed whatever was left of them. They are no longer even fit for purpose at this level. And yet going into next season, we will likely be stuck with them two as our only CB’s, assuming Okoli gets the hell out as well.

Which apart from Marti? Nate’s a fave him minutes as a young lad 2 years ago. He was sent for a development loan to the Championship whilst we were in the PL so you can’t say Cooper and definitely not RVN don’t fancy him. He wasn’t ready for that league whereas he is for this league.

No offence, but what a load of rubbish. I can’t be arsed. It’s been done to death. All I will repeat is this nonsense about waiting his chance. For when? He won’t even be here beyond this season!

Ok I’ll bite. And no, I’m just not particularly keen seeing the club f*** itself yet again. But if you are, please continue

Surely having too much of an issue with the current incumbent (Vestergaard/Faes) would mean you want to Nelson in but that has not been your stance on here. Either way, it’s somewhat irrelevant now. Nelson is no more the future here than Vestergaard and Faes.

What oh what did Nelson do to you But, sometimes it gets to the point where those playing are just so so bad, you try something else. At this point, that is simply justification enough for why he shouldn’t be 4th choice. I have said it so many time before, but if he is genuinely 4th choice, because he is worse than Vestergaard, Faes and Okoli, we should flog quickly as quite honestly, it would make him L2 standard at best. But I think it’s pretty obvious from his spells elsewhere that he is a very good player and will be operating at a much higher level than this club will over the next 10 years, once he gets out of here which will hopefully be January. Regardless of whether we are still in the Championship next season or L1, he won’t be here anyway so it’s past the point of introducing him now anyway.

Vestergaard both of the above.

Can’t believe there are actually people still banging on about the Huddersfield game and justifying him being 4th choice Just get yourself out this club Ben lad. Genuinely going to laugh when he gets sold for pennies in January.

Why not? Where’s this confidence coming from? We look every bit one of the 3 worst sides in this league. We won’t get a bounce from a new manager and potential points deduction. I’m thinking it’s more likely with every passing game.

This BS again. What about the weekly shit shows from the others? Why is it that it’s only Nelson that gets one chance and out?

Do people just put a team they would like to see or actually put any realism into it? I’m seeing Page named who isn’t available and away with England and Nelson who isn’t in first team contention put in line ups.

I wonder who we will lose of the young crop. Regardless of whether we survive and are in the Championship or are relegated to L1, I think we know Monga and Nelson are gone. Page? Evans? I don’t know if we could keep them if relegated. If we did go down but had something like Stolarcryk Aluko - New - New - New Cartwright - Braybrooke New - Page - Alves Evans That’d be fun! You’d need some experience in the gaps. I do think some of these would be poached off us though.

I’ve been saying this for weeks and weeks and get pounced on by the ‘he’ll get his turn’ lot. This is clearly more than on field capability. His contract is up in 2027 and if people are so sure his future is here, why hasn’t a new one been signed? People have said it’ll be an agreement that Ben will be happy with to wait his turn. Why the hell would that be the case when he is watching what is happening with those selected ahead of him? This is absolutely ripe for a PL side, a Palace or Sunderland type, to grab themselves a bargain in January, loan him to a Championship side for the second half of the season to get him minutes and more experience with him integrated with them for next season. Quite possible that he is actually playing 2 divisions higher than us by August. How mad is that?