Is Ranieri doing an "O'Neill"?

[brisfox]

When Martin O'Neill took over Celtic, he told the press that Celtic would not win the league in his first year. However, behind closed doors he told the players that they would. The intention was to take the pressure off the players, and it worked as Celtic won the championship. I was wondering if Ranieri is doing he same, he must realise we are in with a chance but doesn't want to put the players under the spotlight any more than he has to.

[Zed4q]

You do come up with some great/strange/wild threads brisfox

[Babylon]

Yes and No... Yes he's playing down expectation by saying he's concentrating on 40 points and that we can't win the league. But for good reason... we're Leicester and it would still take something pretty astonishing to win the league. Celtic either win the league or come second, not really comparable.

[CharlieCharles]

No, we dont have a chance at the league. I doubt very much Claudio is saying otherwise. The amount of Leicester fans getting massively ahead of themselves is ridiculous. 1 loss and we could go 4th..

[Buce]

No, we dont have a chance at the league. I doubt very much Claudio is saying otherwise. The amount of Leicester fans getting massively ahead of themselves is ridiculous. 1 loss and we could go 4th..

You must be a bundle of fun at parties.

[foxes21]

When we reach 40 points, Claudio will just tell the press their aim now is 43 points, and so on

 

 

[deep blue]

You must be a bundle of fun at parties.

Apart from which, it should. Be "number" of Leicester fans.

[Harry - LCFC]

You must be a bundle of fun at parties.

 

It's fantasy-land thinking to say we're in with a even a half-decent chance of the league. Pointing this out doesn't make you a miserable person.

[Fox92]

It's a different situation though. Celtic were one of the strongest teams in the SPL - a division they usually win or finish runners up too - we aren't the equivalent in this league.

 

Saying our ambition is to survive is correct, it's exactly what O'Neill used to do here. Doesn't matter how well we are doing the first aim is the 40 point mark.

[Guest Col city fan]

It's fantasy-land thinking to say we're in with a even a half-decent chance of the league. Pointing this out doesn't make you a miserable person.

Based on what?

Have you seen a better team consistently all season?

Why is it 'fantasy land'?

Sure, we could plummet. My point is we look one of the best teams in the division at present.

[TheUltimateWinner]

Ranieri is better at man management than any of us, I trust what he says and does is in the best interest of the players.

[Countryfox]

Whether the doors are closed, open or half shut I doubt if he would say that even if he believed it himself.   I think it would put pressure on rather than motivate .....    and lets be honest its very unlikely anyway.   However, a nice day out at Wembley for the FA Cup final would be nice and is very achievable !

[DJ Barry Hammond]

Based on what?

Have you seen a better team consistently all season?

Why is it 'fantasy land'?

Sure, we could plummet. My point is we look one of the best teams in the division at present.

If we're still in with a shout with less than 10 games to go, maybe start contemplating it, but for the time being lets just enjoy the novelty without getting ahead of ourselves.

I was pissed off at week 1 when Man City bettered our result to go 'top' because I thought we'd never have as good a chance to be top of the Premier League than that. The fact we did properly after 10 games had passed is a huge bonus - it's a "I was alive when this happened thing" - but let's not start sounding like deluded fans by saying we're gonna win the league.

IMPORTANT POINT: If we start '"believing" as fans, there is no doubt that pressure and expectation will transmit through to the players. We've thrived on playing with freedom, so the last thing we want to transmit as fans is those types of vibes, be it conscious or subconsciously. We saw Liverpool capitulate as they got closer to the line two seasons back, as soon as they started believing they could win the league.

[Harry - LCFC]

Based on what?

Have you seen a better team consistently all season?

Why is it 'fantasy land'?

Sure, we could plummet. My point is we look one of the best teams in the division at present.

 

• We've had what are probably the easiest first 15 fixtures out of all the clubs in the division having played none of our competitors away from home.
• We rely heavily on two players to score and create goals. That makes the team's form unstable as a drop-off from either player would likely affect us quite strongly.
• The depth of our squad isn't poor but it's not what the teams around us have. This may tell later in the season.
• We finished 14th last season. A jump to 1st spot in one year would be unprecedented in world football, especially from a squad that hasn't experienced wholesale changes. Clearly this is a better team than last year - players have been brought in that have strengthened certain positions (e.g. left back) and individuals like Drinkwater and Morgan have improved their game - but to jump 13 places to 1st spot because of a few transfers and individual improvement would be utterly remarkable.

The first three points all lead me to believe this run of results will not continue as strongly for the rest of the season. The last one is more of a general point about how odd it would be for a team to make such a giant leap forward without making radical change over the summer.

 

PS - You may see my change my mind if we remain top after the Manchester City game

[Babylon]

Based on what?

Have you seen a better team consistently all season?

Why is it 'fantasy land'?

Sure, we could plummet. My point is we look one of the best teams in the division at present.

Yes we do, but for all that we're still only three points ahead of some of the most expensively assembled squads in history. We don't have squads as strong, we don't have the proven players and we still do have to play many of the bigger teams twice... or at least away. Every reason the press has said it's unlikely are all true. Surely we all know how highly unlikely it is?

 

It's brilliant, it's a laugh, I'm enjoying every second and I'd be lying if I hadn't day dreamed about winning it... but I know what the likely outcome is.

[Guest Col city fan]

• We've had what are probably the easiest first 15 fixtures out of all the clubs in the division having played none of our competitors away from home.
• We rely heavily on two players to score and create goals. That makes the team's form unstable as a drop-off from either player would likely affect us quite strongly.
• The depth of our squad isn't poor but it's not what the teams around us have. This may tell later in the season.
• We finished 14th last season. A jump to 1st spot in one season would be unprecedented in world football, especially from a squad that hasn't experienced wholesale changes. Clearly this is a better squad than last year - players have been brought in that have strengthened certain positions (e.g. left back) and individuals like Drinkwater and Morgan have improved their game - but to jump 13 places to 1st spot because a few transfers and individual improvement would be utterly remarkable.

The first three points all lead me to believe this run of results will not continue as strongly for the rest of the season. The last one is more of a general point about how odd it would be for a team to make such a giant leap forward without making radical change over the summer.

PS - You may see my change my mind if we remain top after the Manchester City game</p>

Can't argue with any of that H but to counter it a little, the Prem League is probably the most wide open in years with anyone beating anyone this season.

Man City are probably the best squad? But they've had some stinking results. Man Utd will somehow scrape wins but are the worst Utd side in decades. Liverpool will improve. Spurs are strong and Arsenal, we know can do what they did last night then go and get beat at West Brom or summat.

At present we are where we are on merit I think. Perhaps a couple of shrewd signings in January could cement us still further?

I see the Chelsea game as a biggie personally. Beat them at home and we really are in with some sort of half decent shout.

Fair enough though to you and Babs above. You're just being honest and realistic I guess.

[Harry - LCFC]

Can't argue with any of that H but to counter it a little, the Prem League is probably the most wide open in years with anyone beating anyone this season.

Man City are probably the best squad? But they've had some stinking results. Man Utd will somehow scrape wins but are the worst Utd side in decades. Liverpool will improve. Spurs are strong and Arsenal, we know can do what they did last night then go and get beat at West Brom or summat.

At present we are where we are on merit I think. Perhaps a couple of shrewd signings in January could cement us still further?

I see the Chelsea game as a biggie personally. Beat them at home and we really are in with some sort of half decent shout.

Fair enough though to you and Babs above. You're just being honest and realistic I guess.

 

I think it probably is the most open it's been, yes. No runaway candidates have emerged so far and we're well into the season now. I'll say this about it: if there ever was time for an outside to win it, now may well be it.

 

Needless to say I want to believe and I feel a bit bad declaring how unlikely I think it is, but atm I have my eyes on Tottenham, Liverpool and a narrowly preserved 4th-place finish.

[ScouseFox]

It's fantasy-land thinking to say we're in with a even a half-decent chance of the league. Pointing this out doesn't make you a miserable person.

everyone said it was fantasy land to think we'd finish above about 15th a few months ago.

championeees championeees ole ole ole

[fuchsntf]

Chelsea at Home....

Somewhere between Boomtown rats, Bangles, the Mamas and the Papas, right through to Carol king.

[Thracian]

Ranieri's doing just what a good manager should, concentrating on the next match and on the first priority of ensuring survival. There's nothing negative about it either.

 

I am quite sure by now that he realises there's a special spirit within the team and even the club - the kind of spirit I'm not sure existed even in MON's day because, deep down, I don't think MON believed we could aim even as high as Celtic never mind top of the English League let alone Europe.

 

Being fair they were different days and MON was never going to have the money to use that Ranieri has. But it's deeper than that. Our owners haven't bought success they've bought into an aim and every decision they've taken whether in relation to the club, the team, the Academy or everything else has been considered as a step towards those aims.

 

In other words they've backed their own dream and done everything they can to fill the club with others who have the same psyche...people who believe in themselves and those around them - our own SAS squad.

 

In Ranieri they've got a man with the vast experience that helps so much in with everything that running the football side of a top club is all about from handling the media, dealing with talented but sometimes temperamental or highly strung winner-type footballers, taking an interest in the emerging players, smiling at the world and people around him from Top (literally) to bottom and attending to every detail that makes a difference.

 

He talks of 40 points because that's the minimum requirement - survival. He talks about the importance of the next match and answers questions put to him with dignity because he realises other people have their job to do and he sees the same value in treating them with respect as other clubs, other players and everyone else around him.

 

Not because he's soft or lacking but because it means he can focus on important decision-making rather than creating problems where none need to exist.

 

He'll not be thinking negatively for an instant. We're two points clear for good footballing reasons but he'll know it might have helped that the top teams - for all their advantages - have also had to deal with European matches plus the logistics and expectations that go with them.

 

Some of those teams have collected injuries along the way but they've also collected either more games for their success or more pressure for their failings. There might be other psychological consequences too. Our being top has certainly got people treating us with respect and some may decide to smash and grab their way to points - especially those in the throes of relegation battles.

 

The bad think is it'll perhaps be harder for us to break them down but the good thing is that they may be reluctant to chase a another goal if they get in front therefore we might always be in with a chance.

 

Underneath though Ranieri will be a proud man.  Proud of his team, proud of all they've done for him, themselves and each other, proud of the way they've faced every challenge, proud of their willingness to give their best every week whatever and already knowing that that this unlikely team from this under-the-radar club has the character and the nerve to see the job through.

 

Look what Brian Clough did. He took a group of largely unheralded specialists and moulded them into English and later European champions. How? Because he took his mixture of different parts and shone em up special enough to win football matches in all sorts of ways and against all sorts of opponents. And that's what Ranieri seems to be doing. Creating exactly the right balance and tweaking the engine according to the particular demands of the day.

 

What a gem!                       

[fuchsntf]

Ranieri's doing just what a good manager should, concentrating on the next match and on the first priority of ensuring survival. There's nothing negative about it either.

 

I am quite sure by now that he realises there's a special spirit within the team and even the club - the kind of spirit I'm not sure existed even in MON's day because, deep down, I don't think MON believed we could aim even as high as Celtic never mind top of the English League let alone Europe.

 

Being fair they were different days and MON was never going to have the money to use that Ranieri has. But it's deeper than that. Our owners haven't bought success they've bought into an aim and every decision they've taken whether in relation to the club, the team, the Academy or everything else has been considered as a step towards those aims.

 

In other words they've backed their own dream and done everything they can to fill the club with others who have the same psyche...people who believe in themselves and those around them - our own SAS squad.

 

In Ranieri they've got a man with the vast experience that helps so much in with everything that running the football side of a top club is all about from handling the media, dealing with talented but sometimes temperamental or highly strung winner-type footballers, taking an interest in the emerging players, smiling at the world and people around him from Top (literally) to bottom and attending to every detail that makes a difference.

 

He talks of 40 points because that's the minimum requirement - survival. He talks about the importance of the next match and answers questions put to him with dignity because he realises other people have their job to do and he sees the same value in treating them with respect as other clubs, other players and everyone else around him.

 

Not because he's soft or lacking but because it means he can focus on important decision-making rather than creating problems where none need to exist.

 

He'll not be thinking negatively for an instant. We're two points clear for good footballing reasons but he'll know it might have helped that the top teams - for all their advantages - have also had to deal with European matches plus the logistics and expectations that go with them.

 

Some of those teams have collected injuries along the way but they've also collected either more games for their success or more pressure for their failings. There might be other psychological consequences too. Our being top has certainly got people treating us with respect and some may decide to smash and grab their way to points - especially those in the throes of relegation battles.

 

The bad think is it'll perhaps be harder for us to break them down but the good thing is that they may be reluctant to chase a another goal if they get in front therefore we might always be in with a chance.

 

Underneath though Ranieri will be a proud man.  Proud of his team, proud of all they've done for him, themselves and each other, proud of the way they've faced every challenge, proud of their willingness to give their best every week whatever and already knowing that that this unlikely team from this under-the-radar club has the character and the nerve to see the job through.

 

Look what Brian Clough did. He took a group of largely unheralded specialists and moulded them into English and later European champions. How? Because he took his mixture of different parts and shone em up special enough to win football matches in all sorts of ways and against all sorts of opponents. And that's what Ranieri seems to be doing. Creating exactly the right balance and tweaking the engine according to the particular demands of the day.

 

What a gem!

This is my take on it too, quietly, slowly.

The Cloughie angle in your last paragraph, nail on the head.....

[richardsfoxes]

I never thought i'd see this again, im 25 now and when we went down to league 1, i for one never thought with in 6 years we'd be where we are now, so anything is possible, i just hope the players keep there feet on the ground and keep proving people wrong. 

[Kitchandro]

It's fantasy-land thinking to say we're in with a even a half-decent chance of the league. Pointing this out doesn't make you a miserable person.

 

It's only fantasy land because we're Leicester. If we're looking at purely logical points and facts - the players we've got, our form over a sustained period of time, the sort of football we play, the ease in which we're beating teams in the same division - then we've got a chance.

 

It's true that the real test was always going to be this month, but we've earned the right to play top of the table clashes halfway through the season. We could fall away during December but should we be in a similar position by 2016 you've got one less argument to suggest it's fantasy land. We'll have played everyone then.

As for our squad not being deep enough; apart from the point that you take the 2 best players out of any team and they'd struggle (and that there is no certainty that either of those 2 will be injured for us or leave the club), January is an opportunity to strengthen parts of our squad. If we bring in just a couple of quality players it could make a huge difference. And even then, even Man City's squad isn't perfect. I don't think much to Mangala, for example, and he starts games.

 

Which reminds me, never underestimate a managers ability to fvck things up with their selections. That includes Pellegrini and Wenger.

It's unlikely we'll win the league but I don't agree with people scoffing at the suggestion that it's possible. Certainly I've seen nothing to suggest that the top 4 isn't achievable, as miraculous as even that sounds to a fan of this club.

 

As for Claudio, I'd like to think he's telling his players that they can achieve great things here, as it's vital that they feel that we can match their ambitions if we want to keep them.

[Jimothy]

No, we dont have a chance at the league. I doubt very much Claudio is saying otherwise. The amount of Leicester fans getting massively ahead of themselves is ridiculous. 1 loss and we could go 4th..

Saying we don't have a chance is as bad as saying we'll definitely win it. Of course we have a chance, and much better chance than the likes of Newcastle, Villa and Chelsea. Will if be difficult? Yes. Will it be unpresidented for a team like Leicester to do this? Yes. Is it only a small chance because of the quality of the team's chasing us? Yes. But it's still a chance. To say otherwise is monumentally stupid and pessimistic.

[Strokes]

Saying we don't have a chance is as bad as saying we'll definitely win it. Of course we have a chance, and much better chance than the likes of Newcastle, Villa and Chelsea. Will if be difficult? Yes. Will it be unpresidented for a team like Leicester to do this? Yes. Is it only a small chance because of the quality of the team's chasing us? Yes. But it's still a chance. To say otherwise is monumentally stupid and pessimistic.

I'll still be delighted if we finish top ten, anything else is an absolute bonus. We are playing some terrific football but until we start taking points of the big teams in their own backyard, I will remain a little pessimistic of our chances of being in top six.