digitalalba Posted 17 May 2016 Posted 17 May 2016 Difficult one I know. How can you call it, 24 goal Striker, wizard winger, massively experienced manager, die hard defenders, fox to box midfielders, phenomenal team spirit, decent owners with a good war chest. I wouldn't blame anyone for using one of the above. But in a real technical sense, Craig Shakespeare is/was that pivital single person that had that connection to most of what happened. It was Craig that persuaded Ranieri to keep things going from last season. It was Craig that helped Nigel Pearson guide us too that position. It was Craig, with the help of Steve Walsh senior, that created Leicester's world wide scouting mission to bring in very key players at knock down prices to fit a jigsaw. If Nigel Pearson had of found a job last July, there would've been a very likely chance Craig and Steve would've left, and that meant Ranieri would've brought in his own backroom staff, and that would've meant playing a different way, possibly somewhat alien to what had been happening. It's easy to understand why players and managers get the praise, they are the front cover of a story whether good or bad. But every book has a back cover, and no book is a complete book without one. Over to you.
Dan Posted 17 May 2016 Posted 17 May 2016 I do see Shakespeare as sort of the 'glue' if you like. I'm not trying to take it away from Ranieri as at the end of the day it's a quality of a manager to listen to the people at the club rather than arrogantly going and changing everything (which for all we know could've been his plan) but I've seen very little of the positive things we had in 2014/15 change and most of the wrongs put right, and I think he's a very big part of that, he knew the squad and I think would've made the transitional period a hell of a lot easier.
UPinCarolina Posted 18 May 2016 Posted 18 May 2016 The Great Escape. We never believe that it's possible to win the League without battling tooth and nail for 9 consecutive weeks (and looking damn good doing it)
Guy Posted 18 May 2016 Posted 18 May 2016 Yes, a very good observation here - Craig Shakespeare has undoubtedly been instrumental in the continuation of this amazing 'fairy tale' if you like - 'glue' being a very apt description as regards the role of his - in this subtle. yet crucial transition of sorts from Pearson to Ranieiri - with mostly the same team barring Kante, Fuchs and Okazaki, minus Cambiasso.......this from the amazing survival last season against all odds to the 'you'd never get odds under 5000-1' unthinkable this, as PL Champions! Ranieri also deserves huge credit too for using his intelligence from the start. I was told that when Claudio arrived last summer he just sat back whilst pretty much just observing the entire character/make up of the team as it was for an entire week in training , all without any of his own input whatsoever......whilst listening intently to the likes of Shakespeare, Walsh and co. too. It seems to have been the perfect recipe for unbelievable success. Like has been said, we've been lucky along the way too though re non distraction of cup competitions and very few injuries. Even more fortunate in a way was that Pearson didn't land a job elsewhere with immediate effect last summer after being shown the door here, as you'd have fancied he'd have had more chance to take Shakespeare and Walsh with him early doors had he done so. Who knows where Ranieri's 'would be' new backroom staff may have lead us to then.......
Finnegan Posted 18 May 2016 Posted 18 May 2016 Anyone who puts the title down to one person or thing has missed the point so spectacularly that they should be banned from football for life.
AyewJoking Posted 18 May 2016 Posted 18 May 2016 Anyone who puts the title down to one person or thing has missed the point so spectacularly that they should be banned from football for life. n'golo
Ebok Posted 18 May 2016 Posted 18 May 2016 The Thai monks... they told the owners to pick Raneiri because he had good karma and needed to fufill his destiny... Ok I made that up....
kingcarr21 Posted 18 May 2016 Posted 18 May 2016 Everybody must surely know that there isn't 1 reason why we have achieved the impossible. If you think it comes from the focal point of Craig Shakespeare then why stop there? The reason why we won it is because Craig's dad shot his muck inside his mum rather than on her tits. He should get the plaudits.
Zola Posted 18 May 2016 Posted 18 May 2016 Difficult one I know. How can you call it, 24 goal Striker, wizard winger, massively experienced manager, die hard defenders, fox to box midfielders, phenomenal team spirit, decent owners with a good war chest. I wouldn't blame anyone for using one of the above. But in a real technical sense, Craig Shakespeare is/was that pivital single person that had that connection to most of what happened. It was Craig that persuaded Ranieri to keep things going from last season. It was Craig that helped Nigel Pearson guide us too that position. It was Craig, with the help of Steve Walsh senior, that created Leicester's world wide scouting mission to bring in very key players at knock down prices to fit a jigsaw. If Nigel Pearson had of found a job last July, there would've been a very likely chance Craig and Steve would've left, and that meant Ranieri would've brought in his own backroom staff, and that would've meant playing a different way, possibly somewhat alien to what had been happening. It's easy to understand why players and managers get the praise, they are the front cover of a story whether good or bad. But every book has a back cover, and no book is a complete book without one. Over to you. Who said that Craig persuaded Ranieri to keep things as per last season and what is the same as last season? Ranieri for whole week was looking at the players and saw what players he had at his disposal. Then during the season even he said he will not change much, he made lots of changes; quickly understood that 352 is not the system and even he bought Inler in order to continue similar to last season formation, CR decided to change to 442 in order to better accommodate players. changed full backs changed positions of central defenders integrated Kante, Okazaki, Fuchs into starting 11 (this is one 3rd of the team alone) enabled all players to play like team to get most of them, and keep motivating them. There are 100's other reasons like Craig, Steve etc etc for which we will never hear but all of them helped to achieve this miracle. Kante was for me probably one of best players and shortly followed by Vardy and Mehrez but every single player have done its bit as well as the owner. To open an tread and say that Craig was the most important person is utterly rubbish mate. Those are things we can see that they are changed, but tactics is the biggest change.. "The Foxes line up in a standard English 4-4-2, with Riyad Mahrez’s tendency to drift inside and next to the front two passing as their most complicated wrinkle. When Ranieri came in, he insisted that he didn’t “want to change too much but just give the Italian tactical way” to his new players. The notion of classic Italian tactics conjures mental images of catenaccio and a devotion to defense at expense of all other phases of play, but Ranieri’s approach is a bit more advanced than that. This Leicester team seem highly influenced by the legendary Arrigo Sacchi, who jettisoned man-marking and the libero in favor of a flat back four that defends zonally. His AC Milan teams were pressing machines, playing out of a 4-4-2 in which the highest players chased opponents in their own half and made it difficult to penetrate the lines separating them from goal. Ranieri drew high praise from the master himself during the 2011-12 season. He took over an Inter Milan team lingering just above the relegation zone and rose as high as fourth, and Sacchi commended Ranieri for his efforts in organizing and motivating the squad. After a poor run of results in the spring, though, Ranieri left Inter by mutual consent. Sacchi wanted a maximum of 25 yards between his defenders and forwards and a high line that would compress the playable area of the pitch to his team’s advantage. Out of possession, the current Leicester displays similar tendencies, leaving little space for opponents to play centrally. As the opposition builds out of the back, wingers Mahrez and Marc Albrighton pinch in toward the middle, enticing wide play. Once the ball moves left or right, the near-side forward and winger can close down and win the ball back or force a long ball that Leicester’s defenders can win. As necessary, the fullbacks will step to prevent players from turning with the ball in midfield, and it’s not out of character for center backs Robert Huth and Wes Morgan to follow checking runners into the middle block because the team’s compactness means they’re never far away. If the ball does find a central gap, the receiving attacker will often be met with a strong tackle. The Foxes squeeze the available attacking space and tend to leave opponents frustrated, even when the numbers would suggest that they should be outnumbered in the middle. Leicester can play with two central midfielders against the 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1 systems of the modern game and still keep opponents out of dangerous areas because of the concentration of numbers. With how close Leicester’s players sit in their defensive starting positions, opponents have to break down three lines of pressure in quick succession to get behind without hitting a ball over the top. If they go long, the back line is usually high enough to catch a forward offside, or goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel can easily deal with overhit passes. It’s a simple system, but considering the players’ high-energy approach in attack, the defensive discipline Ranieri has instilled is impressive. Teams struggle to find the ball centrally in the attacking half, and Leicester’s one defeat this season was the result of chances conceded in wide areas. Vardy chases from the front, N’Golo Kanté and Danny Drinkwater protect the middle and all four in the back are comfortable defending one-on-one if the ball gets that far. The midfielders hold their line of confrontation right around the halfway line, marking opponents and cutting off passing lanes to induce long balls. Once it wins the ball team tries to get forward as quickly as possible. That often includes going wide to Albrighton or an overlapping fullback, or looking for a diagonal ball over the top from central midfield to Mahrez as he cuts inside. Schmeichel almost always looks long out of the back. In the last three matches, only two of the passes he attempted weren’t long. His passing percentage is poor, but Leicester prefers having the ball far away from its goal so it can press high. etc etc.... Is this what Craig did?
Izzy Posted 18 May 2016 Posted 18 May 2016 The reason why we won it is because Craig's dad shot his muck inside his mum rather than on her tits. He should get the plaudits. Ive been thinking about a new signature. This could be it
davieG Posted 18 May 2016 Posted 18 May 2016 Me, if I wasn't here I wouldn't have seen it so it couldn't have happened.
Fox Ulike Posted 18 May 2016 Posted 18 May 2016 We’ve won the League in exactly the same way as all the previous Champions have won it. When Manchester United used to win the league, people didn’t ask “What’s their secret? “How have they won it?” They had a stella midfield of Scholes, Keane and Beckham! They had imposing centre-backs. They had a brilliant manager. They had a world class goalscorer. They had a keeper (Schmiechel!) who went the whole season without making a single error. They got the tactics spot on. They had a great team spirit. They were by far the best team in the League! So, if you ask how Leicester have won it, the answer’s the same. We had a stella midfield of Kante, Drinkwater and Mahrez! We had imposing centre-backs. We had a brilliant manager. We had a world class goalscorer. We had a keeper (Schmiechel!) who went the whole season without making a single error. We got the tactics spot on. We had a great team spirit. We were by far the best team in the League! Mystery solved!
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