Levein

[Thracian]

When will Craig Levein ever learn?.

You try to help the bloke and what does he do - ignores you.

First principal of good tactical management. You play your best team, your best players.

That means playing Hume.

Secondly when the defence musters a rare clean sheet then the last thing you do is mess it around unnecessarily (was Sheehan injured?).

Third. I said that Williams should have been left out against Cardiff cos he's not the battling type and the Welsh capital is a place for battlers.

Williams has been involved in too many non-victories to have any argument against that decision.

Finally you don't concede anything right from the off. Leicester gave Cardiff the initiative and then tried to make amends..

Levein's Championship away record is so abyssmal that you think he would have learned by now. But no.

Certainly he is an excellent manager in many ways that I have already outlined. But tactically he's suspect.

Leicester only committed themselves to attack in the last 15 minutes when they could only have saved the game at best.

Why?

I said from the start the midfield should have been Hughes, Joey, Hume and one other, probably Kisnorbo, with Hume playing behind the front two.

This would have given us energy, passing ability, running off the ball and determination.

Once these players were on the field tonight there was hope. We held the upper hand. Why did it take so long to get the best players (and certainly the best away match players) on the field?

Levein presents himself as a tough man but he's the sort who would probably go bungee jumping with pleasure but would never risk his last pound note on the flick of a dice. Underneath he seems to lack the unswerving belief necessary to make players outperform their wildest dreams.

He's got wonderful qualities as a talent spotter, organiser, business strategist, but tactically he doesn't seem to learn or adapt from things that go wrong.

I've also said loads of times he needs a motivator. Someone who can persuade those players to be like an SAS squad on the field. Controlled, aggressive, fast, ruthless and lethal.

Instead, we concede the initiative like a bunch of softies and furthermore get sucked into playing the opposition's sort of game with long punts and lots of head tennis. F.....g sacrilege.

Believe me that doesn't come into it with a real motivator. With the Shankly's, late of this world, the game was played as he dictated.

How many times have I had to say we didn't lose a game, we conceded it?

Doubtless tomorrow Levein will be grumbling about this player and that player. The truth is he should look to himself first.

Just as at Sheffield United with the substitution of Stearman, and against Ipswich and Crewe with being too negative, he cocked up big time.

He messed an effective defence around, failed to select his best available team, conceded ground unnecessarily, allowed his team to ignore the full-press passing game he has preached for so long and in doing all those things, lost the game.

In summary he didn't show enough faith and he didn't show enough conviction.

You tune football team's Craig. You don't change what works and you certainly don't sacrifice your playing principals except as a very last resort.

Winning is the only option in this league. Never mind trying to contain and grab something. Go out to win. Fill your team with winners. People who would want to go forward if they were one against 100.

How could it hurt you Craig. We lost tonight. In fact when we play away in the Championship we lose pretty well every time. What the hell more is there to lose by having a rethink?

I have sung your praises as a manager for umpteen reasons and will continue to do so. But we've got to stop forever playing catch up. We've got to get what we do right. Make the opposition worry about us.

[Jimmy]

rant over ::

seriously though i agree with what you said, sheehan was solid enough to deseve another run out, was sylla injured? if not why drop him? hume deserved a start, hopefully he'll get 1 on saturday.

but if we play then like we did tonight, a potential hammering is in the offing

[martyn]

It's going to be getting to a point where fans get tired of hearing about Levein's grand plans, some action needs to be forthcoming. We've heard lots about players moving within 20 miles of the ground and, buying 'hungry' players with something to prove. I'd like to hear fans coming back from a meek surrender tonight and say that Leicester side played with a 'hunger' and a 'desire'.

I know CL has been lumbered with crap from the MA era, but really by now he should have imposed his ideas and style on the players. I wonder whether there is an inherent problem with the coaching side, and a lack of game plan. Obviously tactically the jury is still out on Levein and worryingly we've seemed to regress to the long ball style in the last 2 fixtures.

Good post btw.

[Hullfox]

When will Craig Levein ever learn?.

You try to help the bloke and what does he do - ignores you.

First principal of good tactical management. You play your best team, your best players.

That means playing Hume.

Secondly when the defence musters a rare clean sheet then the last thing you do is mess it around unnecessarily (was Sheehan injured?).

Third. I said that Williams should have been left out against Cardiff cos he's not the battling type and the Welsh capital is a place for battlers.

Williams has been involved in too many non-victories to have any argument against that decision.

Finally you don't concede anything right from the off. Leicester gave Cardiff the initiative and then tried to make amends..

Levein's Championship away record is so abyssmal that you think he would have learned by now. But no.

Certainly he is an excellent manager in many ways that I have already outlined. But tactically he's suspect.

Leicester only committed themselves to attack in the last 15 minutes when they could only have saved the game at best.

Why?

I said from the start the midfield should have been Hughes, Joey, Hume and one other, probably Kisnorbo, with Hume playing behind the front two.

This would have given us energy, passing ability, running off the ball and determination.

Once these players were on the field tonight there was hope. We held the upper hand. Why did it take so long to get the best players (and certainly the best away match players) on the field?

Levein presents himself as a tough man but he's the sort who would probably go bungee jumping with pleasure but would never risk his last pound note on the flick of a dice. Underneath he seems to lack the unswerving belief necessary to make players outperform their wildest dreams.

He's got wonderful qualities as a talent spotter, organiser, business strategist, but tactically he doesn't seem to learn or adapt from things that go wrong.

I've also said loads of times he needs a motivator. Someone who can persuade those players to be like an SAS squad on the field. Controlled, aggressive, fast, ruthless and lethal.

Instead, we concede the initiative like a bunch of softies and furthermore get sucked into playing the opposition's sort of game with long punts and lots of head tennis. F.....g sacrilege.

Believe me that doesn't come into it with a real motivator. With the Shankly's, late of this world, the game was played as he dictated.

How many times have I had to say we didn't lose a game, we conceded it?

Doubtless tomorrow Levein will be grumbling about this player and that player. The truth is he should look to himself first.

Just as at Sheffield United with the substitution of Stearman, and against Ipswich and Crewe with being too negative, he cocked up big time.

He messed an effective defence around, failed to select his best available team, conceded ground unnecessarily, allowed his team to ignore the full-press passing game he has preached for so long and in doing all those things, lost the game.

In summary he didn't show enough faith and he didn't show enough conviction.

You tune football team's Craig. You don't change what works and you certainly don't sacrifice your playing principals except as a very last resort.

Winning is the only option in this league. Never mind trying to contain and grab something. Go out to win. Fill your team with winners. People who would want to go forward if they were one against 100.

How could it hurt you Craig. We lost tonight. In fact when we play away in the Championship we lose pretty well every time. What the hell more is there to lose by having a rethink?

I have sung your praises as a manager for umpteen reasons and will continue to do so. But we've got to stop forever playing catch up. We've got to get what we do right. Make the opposition worry about us.

All things that are easily spouted from an armchair I'm afraid.

None of us are in and around the club enough to know who might not have recovered enough to play the ninety minutes or who's impressed in training.

I'm sure Craig isn't going to sleep tonight knowing he's ignored your advice.

[Hullfox]

I know CL has been lumbered with crap from the MA era, but really by now he should have imposed his ideas and style on the players. I wonder whether there is an inherent problem with the coaching side, and a lack of game plan. Obviously tactically the jury is still out on Levein and worryingly we've seemed to regress to the long ball style in the last 2 fixtures.

3 Players in the squad tonight hail from the Adams era, this is his team.

[Bert]

All things that are easily spouted from an armchair I'm afraid.

None of us are in and around the club enough to know who might not have recovered enough to play the ninety minutes or who's impressed in training.

I'm sure Craig isn't going to sleep tonight knowing he's ignored your advice.

How do you know?

if Craig was really bothered about what hapened tonight, he won't be sleeping much!

[Thracian]

All things that are easily spouted from an armchair I'm afraid.

None of us are in and around the club enough to know who might not have recovered enough to play the ninety minutes or who's impressed in training.

I'm sure Craig isn't going to sleep tonight knowing he's ignored your advice.

No but I doubt he'll be sleeping much at all after his results this season and it's my bet he'll be desperately trying to work out what went wrong.

And I might be "spouting from an armchair" (just like you) but I've done my stints in managerial hotseats, thanks, so my opinion is probably as valid as the next.

[Steven]

3 Players in the squad tonight hail from the Adams era, this is his team.

Two of those he resigned himself.

[Hullfox]

No but I doubt he'll be sleeping much at all after his results this season and it's my bet he'll be desperately trying to work out what went wrong.

And I might be "spouting from an armchair" (just like you) but I've done my stints in managerial hotseats, thanks, so my opinion is probably as valid as the next.

Never said your opinion wasn't valid. Just pointing out that your current managerial hotseat is only hot due to being too close to the gas fire these days.

[lush]

Listen, this isnt rocket science. CL made basic errors, no one here thinks bad of him, we just cannot understand why hes done it.

Thracian makes very good points, and you can tell he cares about what he says.