They've all got it backwards.

[Parafox]

1 hour ago, joachim1965 said:

I think he means Derby.

I think he is a she...

[Manwell Pablo]

2 hours ago, Finnegan said:

There's no question they upped their game, they certainly looked happier, more engaged. But the press and all the clueless neutrals crying that the players played for Shakespeare having forced Ranieri out are spectacularly missing the point.

 

The players weren't transformed for Shakespeare, Shakespeare transformed the players. Not with rousing inspiration, not with sensational man management but by taking the shackles off and letting them return to a tactical approach that won them the league - the high press.

 

It's been incredibly obvious this season that the direction from Ranieri has been to sit deeper. With the loss of Ngolo and our defenders another year older, he lost faith in our ability to push on. All season we've sat and invited pressure to our eighteen yard box, that's not the players being lazy, it's a very clear direction from the manager.

 

Peformances haven't been good enough and the players should take a long hard look at themselves, I do agree. But last night it was evident that if anything, they've displayed in recent weeks as much loyalty to the manager and his vision as anything else. They stuck to a system that was failing, to Claudio's vision.

 

I love the man, I'm still sore he's gone, but I've been rallied by the dissenting voices of outsiders I know I shouldn't care about. Because the extent to which they completely missed the point of yesterday was a cruel and undeserved insult to Shakespeare, to our players and to our title winning team.

 

Even the great analyser Gary Neville (get in the bin anyone that wants him here) failed to spot that all of a sudden we'd been allowed the freedom to go and start defending not from the edge of our area but the edge of theirs. What a difference.

 

Has anyone seen Albrighton, Ndidi, Drinkwater, Fuchs, Simpson, even Vardy and Okazaki press that high this season at all? That's not about willingness it's about direction and Craig Shakespeare needs to take a bow.

 

It's only sad that Claudio didn't see it himself. I'll miss the man but I've missed attacking football more.

Absolutely right sir. Wellish as we didn't high press for the entire season, but still. 

 

To be quite honest some of personal bashing and name calling aimed at some (sometimes all) of the players (who won us the league, lets remember, you idiots) which by the way is still going on after last night is disgraceful and those responsible are not fit to follow the club. 

 

I have no idea why you would have an agenda to get a man who oversaw your careers crowning achievement sacked from his job on purpose and damage your own career at the same time, what possible reason would you have to do that. Maybe I'm being naive but if they have been doing that I am thoroughly impressed, they are better actors than me if all of that body language and reactions to conceding was fake over the last 2/3 months. Not to mention they've managed to keep the defeats reasonably narrow, well, for a team that is losing on purpose anyway. Ridiculous.

 

Obviously there was more physical exertion and that was, in parts down to them being told to do so, and probably parts down to psychology, unfortunately you only have so much control in what motivates you,  if you're in a losing team that's playing systems and personal you don't like and it's hampering your game then yes you will not get a performance from a player like last night they obliviously all thought "fresh start, managers put out as close a team as we can to the one we won the league with, using the same system. I'm up for this" and there's your result. 

 

As I've said elsewhere, if it is true the team were consciously not trying their up most then Ranieri was still in the wrong, as it's his job to arrest that, and turning up in post match interviews every week defending these players claiming they are fighting and categorically stating they are doing what they are asked to do is most definitely not how you arrest that. 

 

Still, trying not to get too carried away here, there's plenty more to come before we are out of the woods, this isn't the first time we've turned over a decent side this season and last time it was back to earth with a bump afterwards. Still very encouraging last night.

[MrSpaM]

I think the most obvious thing last night was the support our players were getting when getting forward. Every time we got the ball in their half there were 3-4 players making forward runs, we haven't seen that all season, it's usually just been the two strikers

[Thracian]

Reasons for our slump:

 

1) Involving players in our team who hadn't earned their inclusion resulting in disruption and discontent.

 

2) Cautiously negative tactics.

 

3) Disillusioned individuals who felt their contribution to the title season was undervalued.

 

4) Unkept promises or indications.

 

5) Factions within the dressing room and the resulting erosion of the collective bond.

 

6) Loss of confidence and belief in one another on the pitch as a result of the above.

 

7) Messy pre-season preparation which left no-one fit and properly ready to focus on the campaign ahead.     

 

8) Poor psychological preparation for the defence of our title - starting with the "forty points" target remark which was so inappropriate.

 

9) The media circus surrounding our principal players which diverted attention from the job in hand.

 

10) Poor recruitment.

 

11) The disruption of too-much AFCON involvement.

 

12) Over focusing on the Champions League instead of taking one game - and its decsions - at a time.  

 

 

 

Reasons for last night's resurgence:

 

1) Essentially returning to the title-winning team which saw everyone singing from the same songsheet.

 

2) The inclusion within that team of Ndidi who clearly does merit his place - and showed it 100%.

 

3) Positive attack-friendly tactics from a coach the players clearly understand and get on with.

  

4) A determination to ram the scurrilous words of some media commentators right back down their throats. 

 

5) Response to the demonstrated support of the fans. 

 

6) The relief of renewed hope.      

 

 

 

 

[joachim1965]

27 minutes ago, Parafox said:

I think he is a she...

I really think she is a he...

[lgfualol]

I will wait until Hull to cast further judgement. We pressed Man City and looked incredible then went back to being shit. I am more hopeful that we won't go back to being shit now, but Hull will give us a tough match. If we go one goal down then it would be interesting to see how we handle it.

[Beliall]

Alright. I have to say something. 

 

I can't blame the players. They're competitive footballers, they want to win, no way are you going to convince me they were shite on purpose just to get Ranieri the sack.

It's painfully obvious to me, and anyone else who has watched us this season that Ranieri has had his tactics wrong all season long. If you tell your squad to hold their shape, sit back when they are bang average footballers used to playing a certain way, they are going to look bad. and they were in a totally different mindset because of this. 

We know the players wanted to go 4-4-2 pressing months ago, and Ranieri kept tinkering. Shakey unleashed them last night, basically saying " go and do what you are good at" they gave 110% for 90+ mins and got their reward. It was our pressing, and not holding formation that opens up the space for vardy and okazaki to work in.

We won the league last year because we wanted to win each game more than the other team. We never stopped running for the whole season. If we do the same against hull, That's all the proof I will need that it Ranieri's fault, and his alone that he got the sack. 

[ZeGuy]

1 hour ago, Kitchandro said:

No, don't agree. I mean I agree Claudio's tactics were wrong this season but you must feel a tinge embarrassment in the dishonesty to claim that these players were trying for Ranieri, or that they had an excuse for not trying.

 

There's no doubt they were pressing higher but they were also sprinting harder and actually tackling when players tried to go past them. Vardy was actually making runs and both he and Okazaki were trying to win headers. Certain players looked fitter, clearly ran more, ran quicker. Even the stats tell you that. Well you don't get that much fitter in 4 days and you don't become that much better a player in 4 days either, even in the tactics are different. These fvckers weren't even doing the very basics last week.

Nobody is having a go at Shakespeare for picking Morgan and Huth or Vardy, or Fuchs ahead of Chilwell, or Albrighton ahead of Gray - or sticking with 4-4-2 which Ranieri was blasted for. All of a sudden these seemingly hopeless, pathetic excuses for footballers who couldn't make one decent tackle or pass and couldn't run looked miraculously competent and even impressive. Bullshit do individual performances change that dramatically due to a change in tactics. I'm talking about the basics.

 

The press (well, not just the press, everyone in football except those that are desperate to worship these players for what they did last season) are absolutely right to lambast these players and I think it's just totally and intentionally blind to suggest they weren't trying harder last night.

 

I don't know why people can't just accept that this is a very good team that has been letting the club down this season with a lack of effort. Forget the manager for a second, what about us? I'm annoyed I've had to put up with their lazy attitude all season when they're capable of playing like that when they give a shit.

You're making fair points.

 

But no one can give their best in something you don't believe in. And remember, at the beginning of the season they did try and the results were slightly better. At some point, after so much shit football, they simply gave up at the first goal conceded. Ranieri should never have been that stubborn and gave them a chance to play and press high.

[Nick]

1 hour ago, Kitchandro said:

No, don't agree. I mean I agree Claudio's tactics were wrong this season but you must feel a tinge embarrassment in the dishonesty to claim that these players were trying for Ranieri, or that they had an excuse for not trying.

 

There's no doubt they were pressing higher but they were also sprinting harder and actually tackling when players tried to go past them. Vardy was actually making runs and both he and Okazaki were trying to win headers. Certain players looked fitter, clearly ran more, ran quicker. Even the stats tell you that. Well you don't get that much fitter in 4 days and you don't become that much better a player in 4 days either, even in the tactics are different. These fvckers weren't even doing the very basics last week.

Nobody is having a go at Shakespeare for picking Morgan and Huth or Vardy, or Fuchs ahead of Chilwell, or Albrighton ahead of Gray - or sticking with 4-4-2 which Ranieri was blasted for. All of a sudden these seemingly hopeless, pathetic excuses for footballers who couldn't make one decent tackle or pass and couldn't run looked miraculously competent and even impressive. Bullshit do individual performances change that dramatically due to a change in tactics. I'm talking about the basics.

 

The press (well, not just the press, everyone in football except those that are desperate to worship these players for what they did last season) are absolutely right to lambast these players and I think it's just totally and intentionally blind to suggest they weren't trying harder last night.

 

I don't know why people can't just accept that this is a very good team that has been letting the club down this season with a lack of effort. Forget the manager for a second, what about us? I'm annoyed I've had to put up with their lazy attitude all season when they're capable of playing like that when they give a shit.

 

 

 

Kitchandro in 'still not happy' shocker.

 

 

 

[Westerby]

Why are people assuming we played against a top team in top form last night.

 

Liverpool have won just once in 12 games this year - guess what, it was when they played a lot better against Spurs. Draws have included Chelsea and Man Utd, but they have lost to Hull, Wolves, Southampton (twice), Swansea and now Leicester, managing draws against Sunderland and Plymouth.

 

Has anyone suggested that Liverpool only turn it on when it suits them? No, but Klopp's reaction in defeat has been somewhat more animated than Ranieri's.

 

I am not one of the anti-Ranieri brigade, but reshuffling the team and formation (particularly the diamond at short notice with no practice) was always denying the players the chance to settle into any sort of rhythm was never likely to be the solution.

 

Last season we were fortunate inasmuch as circumstances meant no injuries, same team, same style, and usually the same result.

 

Various pundits have come out with Leicester is a team of poor players and deserve to be where they are - yet the same pundits say they should be adaptable to play with an unsettled team in untried formations on a week to week basis.

 

[MarriedaLeicesterGirl]

4 hours ago, stripeyfox said:

Do they even still have a team?

I meant Derby. Complete brain fart on my part...

[Wymsey]

6 hours ago, Finnegan said:

There's no question they upped their game, they certainly looked happier, more engaged. But the press and all the clueless neutrals crying that the players played for Shakespeare having forced Ranieri out are spectacularly missing the point.

 

The players weren't transformed for Shakespeare, Shakespeare transformed the players. Not with rousing inspiration, not with sensational man management but by taking the shackles off and letting them return to a tactical approach that won them the league - the high press.

 

It's been incredibly obvious this season that the direction from Ranieri has been to sit deeper. With the loss of Ngolo and our defenders another year older, he lost faith in our ability to push on. All season we've sat and invited pressure to our eighteen yard box, that's not the players being lazy, it's a very clear direction from the manager.

 

Peformances haven't been good enough and the players should take a long hard look at themselves, I do agree. But last night it was evident that if anything, they've displayed in recent weeks as much loyalty to the manager and his vision as anything else. They stuck to a system that was failing, to Claudio's vision.

 

I love the man, I'm still sore he's gone, but I've been rallied by the dissenting voices of outsiders I know I shouldn't care about. Because the extent to which they completely missed the point of yesterday was a cruel and undeserved insult to Shakespeare, to our players and to our title winning team.

 

Even the great analyser Gary Neville (get in the bin anyone that wants him here) failed to spot that all of a sudden we'd been allowed the freedom to go and start defending not from the edge of our area but the edge of theirs. What a difference.

 

Has anyone seen Albrighton, Ndidi, Drinkwater, Fuchs, Simpson, even Vardy and Okazaki press that high this season at all? That's not about willingness it's about direction and Craig Shakespeare needs to take a bow.

 

It's only sad that Claudio didn't see it himself. I'll miss the man but I've missed attacking football more.

Comment of the year/best comprehensive comment for a while thus far.

Couldn't agree more.

[foxes21]

Okazaki is key

[Captain...]

3 hours ago, Beliall said:

Alright. I have to say something. 

 

I can't blame the players. They're competitive footballers, they want to win, no way are you going to convince me they were shite on purpose just to get Ranieri the sack.

It's painfully obvious to me, and anyone else who has watched us this season that Ranieri has had his tactics wrong all season long. If you tell your squad to hold their shape, sit back when they are bang average footballers used to playing a certain way, they are going to look bad. and they were in a totally different mindset because of this. 

We know the players wanted to go 4-4-2 pressing months ago, and Ranieri kept tinkering. Shakey unleashed them last night, basically saying " go and do what you are good at" they gave 110% for 90+ mins and got their reward. It was our pressing, and not holding formation that opens up the space for vardy and okazaki to work in.

We won the league last year because we wanted to win each game more than the other team. We never stopped running for the whole season. If we do the same against hull, That's all the proof I will need that it Ranieri's fault, and his alone that he got the sack. 

Bang average is harsh, but limited for sure. As we have seen for England Vardy can play one way effectively. You don't play to his strengths he looks awful. Support our back four and defend as team then they are a great unit. If you give teams time and space to run at them/pass round them they will look poor. They need support round them to help clean things up and nearby outlets so they don't hoof it forwards.

 

They are also massive confidence players, this isn't the first bad run we've seen these players go on. Drinky, Vardy, King, Morgan, Kasper all involved in 3 long winless runs. Nobody accused them of trying to get the manager sacked then. Confidence is such a fragile thing and, if reports are to be believed, Ranieri undermined it and our team spirit.

[DANGEROUS TIGER]

6 hours ago, Finnegan said:

There's no question they upped their game, they certainly looked happier, more engaged. But the press and all the clueless neutrals crying that the players played for Shakespeare having forced Ranieri out are spectacularly missing the point.

 

The players weren't transformed for Shakespeare, Shakespeare transformed the players. Not with rousing inspiration, not with sensational man management but by taking the shackles off and letting them return to a tactical approach that won them the league - the high press.

 

It's been incredibly obvious this season that the direction from Ranieri has been to sit deeper. With the loss of Ngolo and our defenders another year older, he lost faith in our ability to push on. All season we've sat and invited pressure to our eighteen yard box, that's not the players being lazy, it's a very clear direction from the manager.

 

Peformances haven't been good enough and the players should take a long hard look at themselves, I do agree. But last night it was evident that if anything, they've displayed in recent weeks as much loyalty to the manager and his vision as anything else. They stuck to a system that was failing, to Claudio's vision.

 

I love the man, I'm still sore he's gone, but I've been rallied by the dissenting voices of outsiders I know I shouldn't care about. Because the extent to which they completely missed the point of yesterday was a cruel and undeserved insult to Shakespeare, to our players and to our title winning team.

 

Even the great analyser Gary Neville (get in the bin anyone that wants him here) failed to spot that all of a sudden we'd been allowed the freedom to go and start defending not from the edge of our area but the edge of theirs. What a difference.

 

Has anyone seen Albrighton, Ndidi, Drinkwater, Fuchs, Simpson, even Vardy and Okazaki press that high this season at all? That's not about willingness it's about direction and Craig Shakespeare needs to take a bow.

 

It's only sad that Claudio didn't see it himself. I'll miss the man but I've missed attacking football more.

A good post, if that's what you believe.

 

I will agree to disagree with you, however.

[Conscript Fox]

Very tired of the media banging the drum of nonsense on this now while willfully ignoring one key point in it all. The sides key players, to a man bar Kante, chose only six months ago to stay and play for Ranieri and for Leicester when they had moves on the table which they could not have expected be offered in their careers. They were loyal, remarkably in this day and age, as everyone waited for the big clubs to pick off our better players. They chose to stay and fight because its something special here. If Ranieri fupped that up, and lets face it, he did ..... well he needs only to look in the mirror here as to why its gone tits up on him.

 

We don't owe him relegation, no matter what he achieved, and that's what was coming next.

[Durnerz]

7 hours ago, Finnegan said:

There's no question they upped their game, they certainly looked happier, more engaged. But the press and all the clueless neutrals crying that the players played for Shakespeare having forced Ranieri out are spectacularly missing the point.

 

The players weren't transformed for Shakespeare, Shakespeare transformed the players. Not with rousing inspiration, not with sensational man management but by taking the shackles off and letting them return to a tactical approach that won them the league - the high press.

 

It's been incredibly obvious this season that the direction from Ranieri has been to sit deeper. With the loss of Ngolo and our defenders another year older, he lost faith in our ability to push on. All season we've sat and invited pressure to our eighteen yard box, that's not the players being lazy, it's a very clear direction from the manager.

 

Peformances haven't been good enough and the players should take a long hard look at themselves, I do agree. But last night it was evident that if anything, they've displayed in recent weeks as much loyalty to the manager and his vision as anything else. They stuck to a system that was failing, to Claudio's vision.

 

I love the man, I'm still sore he's gone, but I've been rallied by the dissenting voices of outsiders I know I shouldn't care about. Because the extent to which they completely missed the point of yesterday was a cruel and undeserved insult to Shakespeare, to our players and to our title winning team.

 

Even the great analyser Gary Neville (get in the bin anyone that wants him here) failed to spot that all of a sudden we'd been allowed the freedom to go and start defending not from the edge of our area but the edge of theirs. What a difference.

 

Has anyone seen Albrighton, Ndidi, Drinkwater, Fuchs, Simpson, even Vardy and Okazaki press that high this season at all? That's not about willingness it's about direction and Craig Shakespeare needs to take a bow.

 

It's only sad that Claudio didn't see it himself. I'll miss the man but I've missed attacking football more.

Fully agree, just a shame the vast majority of social media can't see it.

You can't run a club on sentiment.