I still think we're going to finish top 8. Am I mad?

[Royston.]

On 13/12/2017 at 21:53, FIF said:

At the moment we're only 5 points from CL qualification. Incredible.

Bit of a myth.

 

Assuming the season ends now, you are correct.

But even being in the top 4 at this stage qualifies you for fùck all.

 

[fuchsntf]

Now going into the 2017 last game...Having a little showing and inkling, of what Puel has done with the

squad he inherited....

If we actually do finish in top 8, it will be a job damn well done..with or without Mahrez.

ditto for top 10. 

A positive 12th, no relegation fear, just a job well done, but still well done.

12th-16th, big questions and depends on January new blood developement, and performance,

any injuries could see us slip down, so I wouldnt hack-off Puel for that.

January repair jobs rarely lead to European or top 10 guarrantee.

Though 14th and below would lead, to melt down tendencies...

P

Not 6th, but even now and after L'pool result. A good top 8 is not a mad, but a fair

ambition fans side.With a real chance of achieving it....

But I wouldnt see it has a threat, to Puels position, if we hang near top 10-12..

Edited 29 December 2017 by fuchsntf

[Guest]

Well in my world we should have got 1 point from Everton away, 3 points from Swansea at home and nothing from Mancs. so we failed to get 3 points in the last 3. Still we're in 8th and a point behind 7th and ahead of 9th. Arsenal are playing so shit that we should have been pushing for 6th by now. I like the way Puel is trying to play though and I'm really happy that Silva, Diabaté and Iheanacho are starting to look good.

 

I'm still confident. 

[Guest]

Bump.

 

And yet those who thought I was mad are mad that we're only 8th.

[ZeGuy]

3 hours ago, FIF said:

Bump.

 

And yet those who thought I was mad are mad that we're only 8th.

Lol, at that time you made your wild guess out of thin air with not even the slightest evidence to back it up.

 

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, ZeGuy said:

Lol, at that time you made your wild guess out of thin air with not even the slightest evidence to back it up.

 

 

The evidence of a life time watching football in general and Leicester City in particular.

[ZeGuy]

1 minute ago, FIF said:

 

The evidence of a life time watching football in general and Leicester City in particular.

Gimme a break.

[TiffToff88]

3 hours ago, FIF said:

Bump.

 

And yet those who thought I was mad are mad that we're only 8th.

I used to sit next to a bloke who moaned about everything. We won a game 4-0 and he complained about the missed chances, saying it should have been 6 or 7 - 0.

 

Some people will always find something to complain about.

 

At the start of the season i would have taken 8th. And i would still consider this to be a successful season if that's where we end up.

[Foxaholic ME]

On 2/11/2018 at 10:39, FIF said:

Well in my world we should have got 1 point from Everton away, 3 points from Swansea at home and nothing from Mancs. so we failed to get 3 points in the last 3. Still we're in 8th and a point behind 7th and ahead of 9th. Arsenal are playing so shit that we should have been pushing for 6th by now. I like the way Puel is trying to play though and I'm really happy that Silva, Diabaté and Iheanacho are starting to look good.

 

I'm still confident. 

If Silva is looking good please give me something you are on.

[Ted Maul]

Not sure why people are knocking the OP- yeah, we didn't start the season well but we obviously had the quality to finish 8th if we got our act together, which we did (for a while).

[RutlanderFox]

10 hours ago, TiffToff88 said:

I used to sit next to a bloke who moaned about everything. We won a game 4-0 and he complained about the missed chances, saying it should have been 6 or 7 - 0.

 

Some people will always find something to complain about.

 

At the start of the season i would have taken 8th. And i would still consider this to be a successful season if that's where we end up.

I don’t think it’s finishing 8th that has somewhat disappointed people. It’s the fact the season evolved into offering big prizes in giving the cups a serious go and qualifying for Europe but none materialised without much of a fight either. I agree though most people would have taken 8th at the start of the season and certainly would’ve done when the OP created this thread 

[TiffToff88]

8 hours ago, RutlanderFox said:

I don’t think it’s finishing 8th that has somewhat disappointed people. It’s the fact the season evolved into offering big prizes in giving the cups a serious go and qualifying for Europe but none materialised without much of a fight either. I agree though most people would have taken 8th at the start of the season and certainly would’ve done when the OP created this thread 

So people should take an objective look at the season as a whole, rather than focusing on the recent form, which has obviously been quite disappointing. Yes, it's frustrating that we could have finished in a Europa League place and a potential cup final, but people seem to forget where we were when Puel took over. 8th place is a vast improvement whatever way you look at it 

[MC Prussian]

1 hour ago, TiffToff88 said:

So people should take an objective look at the season as a whole, rather than focusing on the recent form, which has obviously been quite disappointing. Yes, it's frustrating that we could have finished in a Europa League place and a potential cup final, but people seem to forget where we were when Puel took over. 8th place is a vast improvement whatever way you look at it 

In 18th place, after defeats against Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool. 

 

Mind-boggling to what great lengths people go to undermine Shakespeare and his tough start to this season. It's as if we were a complete shambles before Claude "The Messiah" Puel walked in.

[Corky]

1 minute ago, MC Prussian said:

In 18th place, after defeats against Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool. 

 

Mind-boggling to what great lengths people go to undermine Shakespeare and his tough start to this season. It's as if we were a complete shambles before Claude "The Messiah" Puel walked in.

As people seem to be so bothered about wins in certain number of games as a stick to beat Puel with, Shakespeare won 3 in 16 before he was sacked, culminating in the desperate performance against West Brom. And this was under a manager who apparently the players loved.

[MC Prussian]

6 minutes ago, Corky said:

As people seem to be so bothered about wins in certain number of games as a stick to beat Puel with, Shakespeare won 3 in 16 before he was sacked, culminating in the desperate performance against West Brom. And this was under a manager who apparently the players loved.

Well, if we're going down that route, the current record of four wins in 17 doesn't bode well for next season, then. Especially if the season peters out like it did under Puel at Southampton (and all indicators point in that direction).

And that with a manager who tends to confuse his own players.

 

But this discussion is somewhat deflecting from the fact that Shakespeare did have a very tough start to the season before Puel came in.

Besides, when we're talking about Shakespeare's poor record in his last 16 matches, may I remind you against whom we lost in that period?

2016/17

Everton

Arsenal

Manchester City

Tottenham

 

2017/18

Arsenal

Manchester United

Chelsea

Liverpool

 

And in five out of those eight defeats, we only lost by a one-goal difference.

 

Seriously.

Edited 21 April 2018 by MC Prussian

[TiffToff88]

3 minutes ago, MC Prussian said:

In 18th place, after defeats against Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool. 

 

Mind-boggling to what great lengths people go to undermine Shakespeare and his tough start to this season. It's as if we were a complete shambles before Claude "The Messiah" Puel walked in.

And under Puel we have taken points from Man U, Tottenham and Chelsea.

 

I don't deny that Shakespeare has a tough start, and I was one of the first to say he should never have been sacked when he was. But the fact is that we are 10 places higher now than we were when Puel took over. How can anyone say that's not an improvement?

 

Puel needs to bring in the kind of players he wants who can play under his system. Without that how can anyone judge what kind of job he has done?

[Corky]

1 minute ago, MC Prussian said:

Well, if we're going down that route, the current record of four wins in 17 doesn't bode well for next season, then. Especially if the season peters out like it did under Puel at Southampton (and all indicators point in that direction).

And that with a manager who tends to confuse his own players.

I've said that I don't think Puel will last much longer, I just don't see the need to go back to Shakespeare in a "what have we missed?" scenario.

 

Our last three managers have all had very good starts but have tailed off (although obviously Ranieri's start lasted far longer), it seems like a new voice works for a while and then we fade which is an issue that needs addressing.

[MC Prussian]

4 minutes ago, TiffToff88 said:

And under Puel we have taken points from Man U, Tottenham and Chelsea.

 

I don't deny that Shakespeare has a tough start, and I was one of the first to say he should never have been sacked when he was. But the fact is that we are 10 places higher now than we were when Puel took over. How can anyone say that's not an improvement?

 

Puel needs to bring in the kind of players he wants who can play under his system. Without that how can anyone judge what kind of job he has done?

How difficult is it to be higher up after taking over in 18th place? With this squad and the money at our disposal?

It would've taken a monumental cock-up by everyone involved for our club to finish below 18th right now.

 

Again, why using this as an argument in favour of Puel?

[CosbehFox]

10 minutes ago, MC Prussian said:

In 18th place, after defeats against Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool. 

 

Mind-boggling to what great lengths people go to undermine Shakespeare and his tough start to this season. It's as if we were a complete shambles before Claude "The Messiah" Puel walked in.

I thought Shakespeare was harshly dealt with. 

 

However, the signs appeared at end of the season where the 6-1 loss against Spurs suggested someone tactically inept. 

 

The reason he got the sack was the performances against Bournemouth, Huddersfield and West Brom. Results comparable to Puel but performances where we had no control of play and played defensive. 

[MC Prussian]

4 minutes ago, Corky said:

I've said that I don't think Puel will last much longer, I just don't see the need to go back to Shakespeare in a "what have we missed?" scenario.

 

Our last three managers have all had very good starts but have tailed off (although obviously Ranieri's start lasted far longer), it seems like a new voice works for a while and then we fade which is an issue that needs addressing.

Haven't done that. I never saw Shakespeare as a proper manager. A brilliant (assistant) coach and a great guy who knows/knew the club inside out.

The step up to manager was too big for him, but I can't say I have a bad word to say about him.

[MC Prussian]

8 minutes ago, TiffToff88 said:

And under Puel we have taken points from Man U, Tottenham and Chelsea.

 

I don't deny that Shakespeare has a tough start, and I was one of the first to say he should never have been sacked when he was. But the fact is that we are 10 places higher now than we were when Puel took over. How can anyone say that's not an improvement?

 

Puel needs to bring in the kind of players he wants who can play under his system. Without that how can anyone judge what kind of job he has done?

The Chelsea game was probably the last really great game under Puel, where we fought like crazy, and that with a man down. I think we could've even won that match!

The Tottenham home game was part of that great initial eight-game spell after Puel took over, but even there we were lucky to cling onto the win after going 2-0 up at half-time.

[lestajigs]

No your not mad, we are shit and so boring to watch, but we have been lucky the teams behind us are not much better 

[RutlanderFox]

We are actually in danger of not finishing in 8th. We could finish in the bottom half if recent performances and results continue the way they have done

[fleckneymike]

9th

[Beechey]

Just now, fleckneymike said:

9th

Game in hand against Everton