To do it all again.

[Bob Weasel Fox]

5 minutes ago, Rialto 290352 said:

For whatever reason, the players who did so well last season are not performing as a group and individually.  They have been given enough time to improve and its now essential that a side is put on the pitch who are prepared to fight for 90 minutes. Give their all even if they lose.  Effort and desire needs to be there.  Those who are fringe players need to be given their chance and a few more players brought in during January.  Sadly some players who were rewarded with long lucrative contracts seem to be lacking motivation?  Players should only be selected on current form not sentiment.  

Yep absolutely agree

 

something needs to change for sure 

 

i think don Claudio will tinker with the team, should be a more solid hard to beat formation away with plenty of pace for breakaway counter attack goals 

[StriderHiryu]

Performances thus far this season have definitely been underwhelming, some good points made in this thread as to why that might be.

 

Our owners are doing a terrific job and their original plan was to (1). Stay in the Premier League, (2). Consolidate our position. (3). Get into Europe. What happened along the way was that we skipped about 20 steps and actually won the league!!! This actually puts us in a strange position as we do not have a squad capable of mounting a prolonged challenge in both league and Europe and it will take time before we do. The plan is still good, retain key players and invest in the squad with both signings for now and exciting young talent, with a very reputable manager in Europe.

 

Whilst this season will be a step back after the crazy adrenalin ride of last season, if we consolidate our position in the league and have a good run, that's still a good season. Our next aim should be to a consistent top-7 team and whilst we might even be capable of doing that now the league is so competitive that it's easier said than done. Players like Huth and Morgan are quite old so there will be some transition along the way in the next few years.

 

I personally have a lot of confidence in the club and it's owners. Compare our owners to Cardiff, Leeds, Blackburn, etc and  you can say we have been blessed. They will make mistakes again just like we did in the past with Sven, etc but I think over time they will prove to continue to take the club forwards and that is super exciting!

 

The only slight downer for me this season is that our players don't seem as "up for it." That could be because of the amount of games, etc. But I have to say that as a fan I can accept losing games or even bad performances, as long as the team does me proud. Last year we were on our run of epic comebacks and "never say die" attitude that was inspiring to watch. I hope to see that return! Just rotate more often if the guys out there can chase things down more and put the opponent on the backfoot!

 

 

[Ted Maul]

I don't think you can question this group's commitment or character- they showed last season, and for a good number of them in the 2013/14 season after the play-off loss, that they have it in abundance.

 

The issue is hunger. As people have said, they climbed the mountain last season, and it took all of their guts and resolve; where do you go from there? That's why I think we're seeing a different team in the league to the Champions League- that's a new challenge, a new stage to show what they can do and prove people wrong.

 

I also think that they will get to the point in the league, very soon, where their pride will have been hurt and we will see the hunger and desire return. It will just take a while. Pre-season didn't help, the players would have struggled to knuckle down to work with the same intensity after winning the league, it was the pinnacle of most of their careers. All of a sudden they're swanning around LA like celebrities, playing Barcelona. It was enough to make anyone take their eye off the ball.

 

We'll get there, I have no concerns in the long run this season. All it will take is stringing 3 wins together when we get an easier run of games, and we'll be up to 7th or 8th.

[NotTheMarketLeader]

23 hours ago, Ted Maul said:

I don't think you can question this group's commitment or character- they showed last season, and for a good number of them in the 2013/14 season after the play-off loss, that they have it in abundance.

 

The issue is hunger. As people have said, they climbed the mountain last season, and it took all of their guts and resolve; where do you go from there? That's why I think we're seeing a different team in the league to the Champions League- that's a new challenge, a new stage to show what they can do and prove people wrong.

 

I also think that they will get to the point in the league, very soon, where their pride will have been hurt and we will see the hunger and desire return. It will just take a while. Pre-season didn't help, the players would have struggled to knuckle down to work with the same intensity after winning the league, it was the pinnacle of most of their careers. All of a sudden they're swanning around LA like celebrities, playing Barcelona. It was enough to make anyone take their eye off the ball.

 

We'll get there, I have no concerns in the long run this season. All it will take is stringing 3 wins together when we get an easier run of games, and we'll be up to 7th or 8th.

As you say hunger is the issue but the answer to that is as simple as dropping those who are not 'at it' - I'm pretty sure that would bring back their focus.

 

I'm not trying to be negative but isn't that prediction of 7th or 8th more in hope than expectation?

 

Reasons? (Excl  Kante ffs). 

 

1. Our 'forward looking' players that remain from last season, Mahrez, Vardy & Albrighton have been massively below par in league games. 

 

2. We have ONE midfielder that has proven up to the task to get us up the the heady heights of 7th or 8th in the PL - Drinkwater.  The others we know are not good enough on what we have seen, while Mendy didn't 'pull up trees' in the little we seen of him, so looking towards him as the saviour in that position, has to be merely hopeful.

 

3. We almost could not have a worse away record in the league so far. 

 

Consider all this WITHOUT, if possible harking back to last season. That's over and progress for the club as a whole needs to be maintained (I don't mean winning the league again, more consistent top 6 - 8).

 

Finishing 12th / 13th would again have us back in a position of having problems getting the right players in. After all, even with Champions League football we have not got the players we need.

 

Prior to the season, for me anything below 8th would have be an under achievement for us considering we are defending Champions, by a 10 pt margin. At the moment due to what I see as a very poor summer on the recruitment front where knowhere near enough was invested, I would be pretty surprised if we reached that position now.

 

The thread title 'To do it all again' implies to win it again. I don't think most people thought that was possible again. Surely though, what is possible is to have a team with drive and appetite to win games and give 100%, and so I believe there should be no excuses for the players in terms of lack of application.

 

I am big fan of Vardy as he has been the key to how we have played and won so many games over the last 18 months. In league games this season he's not even running into space to receive a pass when its there. That's one example, and it should not be tolerated. If it is, the whole thing comes apart at the seams and that worries me.

 

Wield the axe Claudio, if only for a game and see what happens - it needs a shake up.

 

Yours, 

 

The Prophet of Doom. 

[Babylon]

37 minutes ago, NotTheMarketLeader said:

I'm not trying to be negative but isn't that prediction of 7th or 8th more in hope than expectation?

We're 3 points off Palace in 8th, that's more than a realistic target. Come Chelsea we'll have played 8 games, 4 of which against the top 7 (Liverpool, Arsenal, United, Chelsea.. with three of them away) Palace would have played just two against Everton and Spurs.

 

Get Copenhagen out of the way and we'll see what we're made of after that. When we'll have a run of games where we only played 3 of the top 7 in 13 games.. and those 3 are at home.

 

It's very difficult to get up any sort of form, when you're playing one of the best teams away from home every other game.

[Tommeh]

Blimey, some people really need to pour themselves a beer and stick the Everton game re-run on.

 

Roll on Copenhagen at home....

[NotTheMarketLeader]

13 minutes ago, Babylon said:

We're 3 points off Palace in 8th, that's more than a realistic target. Come Chelsea we'll have played 8 games, 4 of which against the top 7 (Liverpool, Arsenal, United, Chelsea.. with three of them away) Palace would have played just two against Everton and Spurs.

 

Get Copenhagen out of the way and we'll see what we're made of after that. When we'll have a run of games where we only played 3 of the top 7 in 13 games.. and those 3 are at home.

 

It's very difficult to get up any sort of form, when you're playing one of the best teams away from home every other game.

Fair enough.

 

I do hope your view is the more accurate out of the two of our opinions.

[NotTheMarketLeader]

9 minutes ago, Tommeh said:

Blimey, some people really need to pour themselves a beer and stick the Everton game re-run on.

 

Roll on Copenhagen at home....

Yes I have done that a few times tbf. 

Its a bloody fantastic watch even now. 

[Babylon]

6 minutes ago, NotTheMarketLeader said:

Fair enough.

 

I do hope your view is the more accurate out of the two of our opinions.

Not saying that's what will happen, but it will certainly give us a bit more of an idea where we stand.

 

If I'm brutally honest, and forgetting the scorelines in games... it's only really the Hull game where the points return wasn't what I expected before hand. And we should have been 3 up before they ever scored in that one.

 

Compare the same fixtures as last year as well and we're only 3 points off what we were. Put those first half Hull chances away and we'd be sat here with the same points return. So it's far to early to right anything off.

 

Man U away

1 point last v 0 this

 

Arsenal home

0 point last v 1 this

 

Championship Champs home

1 points last - 3 points this

 

Swansea at home

3 points last v 3 points this

 

Play Off Winners away

3 points last v 0 points this

 

Liverpool away

0 points last - v 0 points this

 

Saints home

3 points last v 1 point this

 

 

[NotTheMarketLeader]

30 minutes ago, Babylon said:

Not saying that's what will happen, but it will certainly give us a bit more of an idea where we stand.

 

If I'm brutally honest, and forgetting the scorelines in games... it's only really the Hull game where the points return wasn't what I expected before hand. And we should have been 3 up before they ever scored in that one.

 

Compare the same fixtures as last year as well and we're only 3 points off what we were. Put those first half Hull chances away and we'd be sat here with the same points return. So it's far to early to right anything off.

 

Man U away

1 point last v 0 this

 

Arsenal home

0 point last v 1 this

 

Championship Champs home

1 points last - 3 points this

 

Swansea at home

3 points last v 3 points this

 

Play Off Winners away

3 points last v 0 points this

 

Liverpool away

0 points last - v 0 points this

 

Saints home

3 points last v 1 point this

 

 

Um....that at doesn't look so bad, but the question marks for me are the performances, or to be more specific the lack of intensity, pressing or closing down players that is just not there. There were a few occasions on Sunday where there was space in the channels - DD on the ball -  and Vardy didn't make a run at all. Surely he's not been told to run less. If he has I don't get it, and if he hasn't I suppose that's why he was subbed? 

 

I mean how many chances were made and goals scored by Oka or Vardy forcing a mistake out of an opponent? 

 

I don't mind being beaten if 100% is being given.For all the money being spent I don't rate Manure that highly, and they have struggled against other sides, yet we were thrashed. Liverpool showed us what energy and pressing can do, as we showed others last season - again I feel were our own worst enemies here after a bright start we just collapsed. Hull again out ran and out battled in the end. That to me so far is the big turnaround in last season to this.

 

Anyway.....all this pontificating!

 

We shall have to wait and see if they can get it together.

[Ted Maul]

2 hours ago, NotTheMarketLeader said:

I'm not trying to be negative but isn't that prediction of 7th or 8th more in hope than expectation?

 

Bit of both really; I expect things to get easier when we stop playing the big guns away every other week, and I hope we can regain some form against the lesser sides.

 

2 hours ago, NotTheMarketLeader said:

2. We have ONE midfielder that has proven up to the task to get us up the the heady heights of 7th or 8th in the PL - Drinkwater.  The others we know are not good enough on what we have seen, while Mendy didn't 'pull up trees' in the little we seen of him, so looking towards him as the saviour in that position, has to be merely hopeful.

 

I agree to an extent- in my opinion we desperately needed another midfielder over the summer, but Amartey will continue to improve and Mendy captained a side to 4th in the French league last season- he will be of a good standard when fit and settled, I'm sure.

 

2 hours ago, NotTheMarketLeader said:

Finishing 12th / 13th would again have us back in a position of having problems getting the right players in. After all, even with Champions League football we have not got the players we need.

 

I think the main problem was our strategy in the transfer market, rather than getting players to want to join. We had the captain of a club like Sporting doing interviews saying he was desperate to join to progress his career- we just left it until the last week of the window to show any serious intent, and it cost us.

 

2 hours ago, NotTheMarketLeader said:

 

Prior to the season, for me anything below 8th would have be an under achievement for us considering we are defending Champions, by a 10 pt margin. At the moment due to what I see as a very poor summer on the recruitment front where knowhere near enough was invested, I would be pretty surprised if we reached that position now.

I said before the season that I would be pretty happy with 9th or 10th, if we get out of our CL group- it was always going to be difficult to compete when playing at least 6 games more than 14 of the sides in the division, especially with a still relatively small squad. A good run in Europe and a respectable league position will have been the target from the start.

 

2 hours ago, NotTheMarketLeader said:

I am big fan of Vardy as he has been the key to how we have played and won so many games over the last 18 months. In league games this season he's not even running into space to receive a pass when its there. That's one example, and it should not be tolerated. If it is, the whole thing comes apart at the seams and that worries me.

Agree with you there, said something similar in another thread. He looked like he didn't want to play against Southampton. Needs a couple of games on the sidelines to reassess.

 

All in all mate- don't despair! I think we missed a massive chance to kick on in the summer, but there is still a solid long-term foundation at the club- we're going well in Europe (for the first time in our history) and barring a total disaster, we should be a Premier League club for the foreseeable future.

 

[NotTheMarketLeader]

2 hours ago, Ted Maul said:

 

Bit of both really; I expect things to get easier when we stop playing the big guns away every other week, and I hope we can regain some form against the lesser sides.

 

 

I agree to an extent- in my opinion we desperately needed another midfielder over the summer, but Amartey will continue to improve and Mendy captained a side to 4th in the French league last season- he will be of a good standard when fit and settled, I'm sure.

 

 

I think the main problem was our strategy in the transfer market, rather than getting players to want to join. We had the captain of a club like Sporting doing interviews saying he was desperate to join to progress his career- we just left it until the last week of the window to show any serious intent, and it cost us.

 

I said before the season that I would be pretty happy with 9th or 10th, if we get out of our CL group- it was always going to be difficult to compete when playing at least 6 games more than 14 of the sides in the division, especially with a still relatively small squad. A good run in Europe and a respectable league position will have been the target from the start.

 

Agree with you there, said something similar in another thread. He looked like he didn't want to play against Southampton. Needs a couple of games on the sidelines to reassess.

 

All in all mate- don't despair! I think we missed a massive chance to kick on in the summer, but there is still a solid long-term foundation at the club- we're going well in Europe (for the first time in our history) and barring a total disaster, we should be a Premier League club for the foreseeable future.

 

Yes I would have thought so, but we are singing from the same hymn sheet when you say we missed a massive chance to kick on in the summer. 

[NotTheMarketLeader]

Deary Deary me.

 

I found this thread were even in October we knew (well some of us did) there was something amiss.

 

It started with the basics; of a lack of intensity and pressing and look where we are now ffs.

[ZeGuy]

On 10/3/2016 at 16:28, Countryfox said:

Even CR admits he has maybe asked too much of them.     And with all due respect to the players we aint ManU or Liverpool.

Playing for the top ten or at least not flirting with the relegation is surely not that much to ask, isn't it?