DJ Barry Hammond

What was it, £8 million over 5 years so £1.6 million a year on the PS&R. That’s hardly significant in the scheme of things - and as things turned out with injuries / Afcon we have needed a fourth striker during the season.

If no one else is available - he’s by default making a significant contribution is he not?

Who would have played in midfield if he wasn’t available and playing recently.

That is pro-rata. £35 million for the two Premier League seasons, £15 for this year’s Championship season.

Wait - you’re criticising two deferred deals for players that have significantly contributed to the teams efforts this season? The clauses are triggered based on appearances and promotion, with the fees coming out of the following PS&R period. I’d say that’s more astute than madness.

You’re misunderstanding the position. King Power continue to underwrite losses in the form of converting debt to equity - that’s part of what PS&R requires. So the club remains solvent. The issue is the prescribed boundaries for the amount of losses that are ‘allowable’ under each leagues PS&R rules. For a club of Leicester’s relative income size and ambition, £100 odd million in losses over a 3 year rolling period really isn’t that much. But that £100 odd million is based on 3 consecutive years in the Premier League - the allowable losses in the Championship are much lower (upto £13 million a season compared with £35 million). Promotion this season would therefore mean the allowable losses over the rolling 3 year period would be £83 million. With the last set of published accounts showing a loss of £92 million (March 2022), things obviously don’t look great for our PS&R calculation going forwards. BUT - what we don’t know is how much allowable expenditure is contained within that years loss and would therefore be exempt from the clubs separate PS&R calculation. Expenditure towards the clubs infrastructure, youth academy and women’s football are set aside from the calculation - and we know the club has put a considerable amount of expenditure into those areas over the last few years. So the club could be within the financial parameters it needs to be. HOWEVER! What shouldn’t be in doubt is we are likely running close to the line - and there’s a fair reason for that. A second season in the Championship would not only mean a further years reduced income for the club - it would also add a second year of lower allowed losses onto the PS&R calculation (£61 million over 3 years - assuming promotion at the end of year 2). That makes going up this season really important for the clubs ongoing PS&R calculation as things stands.

He can’t establish a ‘factual’ position given the accounts haven’t been released. But he can report on conjecture he’s received from in and around the club - and we know he’s well connected within the club and has regularly reported matters with substance when it comes to us. Add to this the level of losses already known from previously released accounts and the ‘we’re having PSR difficulty’ smoke signals that have been coming from the club itself for years now… it would be foolish to not take this reporting seriously.

Those accounts are due and get sent off for auditing before being published I believe - so the figures will be known across certain circles in and outside the club.

I agree on the depth situation to a degree… but this is where Enzo’s flexibility in approach starts coming into question. If you don’t have the players to do what you want to do - change it to something the players you have can do effectively. For example, we’re overstocked on centrehalf’s, suggesting a formation switch to 3 at the back on certain occasions wouldn’t be a bad idea - especially as in that scenario you could have one of them step forward into midfield to create the desired overload. We also have 4 strikers of quality in the squad - so playing two up top could also be an option in terms of effectively distributing game time across the squad. Personally, where I am with Enzo is that he’s ok for now, but I wouldn’t be too disappointed if, assuming things go well this season, he’s pinched from us in the summer. I don’t see us being able to make huge personnel changes this summer and I think we’ll need a manager that’s willing to mix up their approach both overall and during a game.

As a distinct contact sport, played on grass and outdoors, football is quite different in terms of injuries and the fatigue profile. Additionally in your early 20’s you won’t feel the effects anywhere near a player who’s had a decade at the top level will. It’s also not just physical fatigue at play here - mental fatigue can easily creep in.

Rigidity in approach isn’t going to work long term - we will never be good enough to be able to play a single way, week in, week out. And regardless - even the top teams tinker, evolve, adapt their systems to suit available personnel and the opposition. It’s fine to have an underlying philosophy - but if you don’t have the players to make it work, it ain’t gonna work is it!

If an entire system depends on a certain player or players that you don’t have available to you… as a manager you need to adjust the team to what you do have.

Wonder if Enzo has considered having a centre half - namely Faes - as the one to step forward into midfield rather than our right back given the absence of Ricardo? In this scenario, he can play Justin at right back and Doyle at left back, creating a back three as Faes steps forward to provide our overload midfield.

Found on Twitter that could be of interest to many on here.

The thing I was much more pleased to see was him go “ah **** it” and shut up shop a little in those last 15. It might even have been a 442 at the end there 😂

I’m sure Enzo just said to Yunis, as he was hugging him and Fawatu, “this guy show you how to score” or something similar!

Get in son!

Been our best midfielder tonight by a mile regardless!

Our central midfield is so light weight. We don’t have much on the bench to change it either do we?

He’s doing what he’s been told to do - play it out from the back. He just needs to get better at deciding when not to do that and just get rid.

A tracksuit off warmup no less!

Decided tonight a extra time & pens if needed.

Waste of a substitution for now. Think he’d look better with a more competent midfield. We’ll struggle to get that, but I’d move Hamza to the base of our midfield and either go with Pereira / Justin at right inverted wingback - taking Raikhy off.

The big problem with it tonight is our midfielders not working as a unit to show options for the ball. Or put simply - no Winks, no KDH.

He’s lacking confidence. Watch him when we have the ball in own half - he goes and gets himself marked. He’s done that ever since he was played the ball to feet deep and our half, he had a heavy touch and it resulted in a chance for Bournemouth.