Claude Puel defends his Leicester City record

[Bunyip]

Is anyone looking forward to any games anymore? that is the real test of how much faith most fans have in Puel. There is no atmosphere in the stadium just a sense of the inevitable. Puel playing a style of football no one likes or understands least of all the players. He's either stubborn or thick or maybe a combination of the two. He never fields the same side and can anyone explain why he left out Choudry when it has been obvious for weeks that Mendy and N'didi are going from bad to worse? The rest of the season is going to be one hell of a struggle if he is left in charge until the end of the season, just more boring football more howlers and the next three matches fill me with dread. No wonder the players feel compelled to spill the beans.

[knitro]

39 minutes ago, Bunyip said:

Is anyone looking forward to any games anymore? that is the real test of how much faith most fans have in Puel. 

No, that's a dumb anecdotal, subjective, hard to quantify way to judge anything and thankfully those in charge fold fan reaction/moody punters in with a whole host of other more important considerations when assessing leadership and coaching positions. Your post is basically advocating mob rule, which as we all know has worked so well throughout sport and history.

 

Personally, I'm looking forward to the games because I support this team and enjoy seeing the young players grown in ability and confidence each week. I understand it's a work in progress which will frustrate but if you want to enjoy the great with the teams you have to be around for the bad and the mediocre. 

[Babylon]

9 hours ago, Freeman's Wharfer said:

So you didn’t feel that collective togetherness in the stadium and you think that we’d have won the league playing in an empty stadium every week?

 

Nonsense.

 

The great atmosphere started during the great escape when we were bottom of the league. Sure, winning helps. But Pearson created a unity that ran throughout the club from the owners down to the fans.

 

It’s gone now. The manager cares not for the fans. The fans aren’t particularly taken with the manager. I wouldn’t be surprised if the likes of Vardy and whoever is talking to those in-the-know journalists who are breaking stories of an unhappy camp are also not so fond of Mr Puel.

If it was there, It was gone the second we stopped winning games, where was this wonderful atmosphere and bond when we were utter trash under Ranieri the second season? With rumoured discontent in the dressing room and a silent miserable stadium? People on here like the 18 months of shitness before he turned up didn't happen. So blaming him for ruining that "collective togetherness" for me is just another over the top stick to beat him with.

[HKFox]

8 hours ago, knitro said:

No, that's a dumb anecdotal, subjective, hard to quantify way to judge anything and thankfully those in charge fold fan reaction/moody punters in with a whole host of other more important considerations when assessing leadership and coaching positions. Your post is basically advocating mob rule, which as we all know has worked so well throughout sport and history.

 

Personally, I'm looking forward to the games because I support this team and enjoy seeing the young players grown in ability and confidence each week. I understand it's a work in progress which will frustrate but if you want to enjoy the great with the teams you have to be around for the bad and the mediocre. 

I too am looking forward to the games purely because it is our team. However I do have to disagree with your comment "young players grown in ability and confidence". Puel picks them but they are not getting any better..

Choudhry has been superb and yet he was the one dropped in favour of Mendy and Ndidi.

Ndidi has regressed since he first payed for us.

Gray is exactly the same, some great moments in patches followed by being woeful.

Puel has done well making Chilwell first choice full back but he still has no final cross or pass and still gets caught out of position hence the neves pass behind him for the 4th. Maddison started the season United away and looked supremely confident. This has been kicked or / coached out of him I fear. Playing him different positions every week does not help. Cant play AM and then next week left midfield, then on the wing. Play him in his best position. 

Now Barnes has been on loan and does look confident, he will be a big test for Puel to see if he still looks confident in a few games time. 

 

I thoroughly enjoy watching a young core of players getting game time. And this I do give Puel lots of credit for. But I can not see the improvements in the players. 

[Guest Bob Hazels shorts]

31 minutes ago, HKFox said:

I too am looking forward to the games purely because it is our team. However I do have to disagree with your comment "young players grown in ability and confidence". Puel picks them but they are not getting any better..

Choudhry has been superb and yet he was the one dropped in favour of Mendy and Ndidi.

Ndidi has regressed since he first payed for us.

Gray is exactly the same, some great moments in patches followed by being woeful.

Puel has done well making Chilwell first choice full back but he still has no final cross or pass and still gets caught out of position hence the neves pass behind him for the 4th. Maddison started the season United away and looked supremely confident. This has been kicked or / coached out of him I fear. Playing him different positions every week does not help. Cant play AM and then next week left midfield, then on the wing. Play him in his best position. 

Now Barnes has been on loan and does look confident, he will be a big test for Puel to see if he still looks confident in a few games time. 

 

I thoroughly enjoy watching a young core of players getting game time. And this I do give Puel lots of credit for. But I can not see the improvements in the players. 

Totally agree with all you have said although....

 

He clings on to this and its a myth.

 

Chilwell -  made his debut 2 full years pre Puel + had played in Englands U18 / U19 / U20 /U21 before Puel arrived, struggle not to play him,

Barnes -  made his debut 1 year before Puel. + played in Englands U18 / U20 before Puel. Pulled back from Barnsley last Jan and not used. Had to plead to go out on loan this season, pulling up trees at WB and should've seen out the season. Called back on Thursday before a game so the victim of a panic

Hamza - Made his debut pre Puel

 

The average first team is getting younger but this is normal as fairly old previously

[The Doctor]

48 minutes ago, Bob Hazels shorts said:

Totally agree with all you have said although....

 

He clings on to this and its a myth.

 

Chilwell -  made his debut 2 full years pre Puel + had played in Englands U18 / U19 / U20 /U21 before Puel arrived, struggle not to play him,

Barnes -  made his debut 1 year before Puel. + played in Englands U18 / U20 before Puel. Pulled back from Barnsley last Jan and not used. Had to plead to go out on loan this season, pulling up trees at WB and should've seen out the season. Called back on Thursday before a game so the victim of a panic

Hamza - Made his debut pre Puel

 

The average first team is getting younger but this is normal as fairly old previously

Except Chilwell then spent ages not getting played while Fuchs retained the position, and Hamza & Barnes played a total of 20 minutes senior football between them before Puel arrived. This "made their debuts before" is lazy revisionism trying to hide that Puel is the one that actually showed faith in them and played them in more than just the odd cup game. 

[Voll Blau]

12 hours ago, Bunyip said:

Is anyone looking forward to any games anymore? that is the real test of how much faith most fans have in Puel. There is no atmosphere in the stadium just a sense of the inevitable. Puel playing a style of football no one likes or understands least of all the players. He's either stubborn or thick or maybe a combination of the two. He never fields the same side and can anyone explain why he left out Choudry when it has been obvious for weeks that Mendy and N'didi are going from bad to worse? The rest of the season is going to be one hell of a struggle if he is left in charge until the end of the season, just more boring football more howlers and the next three matches fill me with dread. No wonder the players feel compelled to spill the beans.

 

Our atmospheres have been pretty wank home and away, by and large, since we won the league (Euro home games and Bruges away aside). Just seems to be something else people want to blame on Puel when the reality is that it's a problem which pre-dates his time here.

[Hanan96]

2 hours ago, Bob Hazels shorts said:

Totally agree with all you have said although....

 

He clings on to this and its a myth.

 

Chilwell -  made his debut 2 full years pre Puel + had played in Englands U18 / U19 / U20 /U21 before Puel arrived, struggle not to play him,

Barnes -  made his debut 1 year before Puel. + played in Englands U18 / U20 before Puel. Pulled back from Barnsley last Jan and not used. Had to plead to go out on loan this season, pulling up trees at WB and should've seen out the season. Called back on Thursday before a game so the victim of a panic

Hamza - Made his debut pre Puel

 

The average first team is getting younger but this is normal as fairly old previously

Chilwell - always second fiddle to Fuchs even until few days before puel arrival. The only time he play is when fuchs unavailable or rested before champions league

Barnes -made debut then disappear for 2 years with just handful of minutes

Hamza - just same with Barnes 

 

Sooo to develop youth all what we need is just give them debut and odd minutes, much much better than faith in them and start giving them more and more minutes.. Good luck with that 

[That_Dude]

20 hours ago, The Doctor said:

Not that daft a suggestion, when things aren't happening he drops deeper anyway and iirc played there for Norwich.

I might be wrong but I just can't see it happening in the PL yet. He's dropping deep because of the DMs unable to pass forward. I have no problem with deep lying playmakers, you don't even need to be very fast or a unit for that I just don't think he's cutting it now. He's shrugged off the ball by a breeeze and don't have inherent passing range (something that can get better). Our movements forward are non-existent anyway, the other players technical ability is limited as well, that's why he should stick close to the attacking players.

 

If you see his role differently and could tell me how it would work, I'd be glad to hear it.

[The Doctor]

16 minutes ago, That_Dude said:

I might be wrong but I just can't see it happening in the PL yet. He's dropping deep because of the DMs unable to pass forward. I have no problem with deep lying playmakers, you don't even need to be very fast or a unit for that I just don't think he's cutting it now. He's shrugged off the ball by a breeeze and don't have inherent passing range (something that can get better). Our movements forward are non-existent anyway, the other players technical ability is limited as well, that's why he should stick close to the attacking players.

 

If you see his role differently and could tell me how it would work, I'd be glad to hear it.

I don't disagree that he might not be ready to play that sort of role in the top flight, but with 15 games left of the season why not try it and find out? It then tells us what positions need to be a focus on recruitment in the summer

[BKLFox]

16 hours ago, Bunyip said:

Is anyone looking forward to any games anymore? that is the real test of how much faith most fans have in Puel. There is no atmosphere in the stadium just a sense of the inevitable. Puel playing a style of football no one likes or understands least of all the players. He's either stubborn or thick or maybe a combination of the two. He never fields the same side and can anyone explain why he left out Choudry when it has been obvious for weeks that Mendy and N'didi are going from bad to worse? The rest of the season is going to be one hell of a struggle if he is left in charge until the end of the season, just more boring football more howlers and the next three matches fill me with dread. No wonder the players feel compelled to spill the beans.

I've watched quite a few Man City games this season & in the main was bored rigid. Ok i'm neutral to the teams but having read your post it got me thinking would i look forward to a game if i was a Man City fan and surprisely the answer based on those games i'd seen was a resounding No. Yes they play free flowing football & they score goals but where's the excitment when you know you just have to turn up to win, atleast with us you don't know what your going to get..no Merson pun intended..surely thats more exciting.

[Stadt]

I've defended Puel a lot on here but can't be arsed anymore, he doesn't help himself and he hasn't learned that whinging to the press only alienates more fans. As for the looking forward to games point, the malaise has set in for me since 17/18 under Shakespeare at the beginning of the season but it's at a terminal point now, we're such a drab side to watch at home.

[fairbanksh]

I didn't get this negativity under Shakey .I don't think he was the right man for the job but inherited the recruitment nightmare. It really is time for Rudkin and co to get a grip at long last 

[Analysethis]

Ive always been an advocate of giving people a chance. In Claude, he came to the club with a reputation of being boring and the Southampton fans wanting him out. With that, you could tell some of our fans had made there minds up on him before he even managed a game! Still, I was one who thought it would be nice to play possession football for once and pass our way to another prem win LOL but unfortunately despite his efforts. it hasnt worked.His stubbornness in continuing to flog a dead horse was annoying but then we get unreal wins against Chelsea and Man City which makes you think maybe the players are coming around. However, those results just covered the cracks IMO. 

 

Strangely I have gone off Puel since he started to speak more LOL. He has been really defensive with some of his comments and I really dont like how he is now allegedly defending team selection in the cup. I also dont like how he is thinking small saying that 7th is great when not taking into account our points haul. We have lost more games than we have won regardless of position. We have Liverpool, Man Utd and Spurs in our next three and we could easily drop to 13th in the league with one eye looking down.

[Dr The Singh]

Puel definitely knows how to make friends and bring those against him on his side.

 

He is using language of someone who has the backing of the board, or desperation........

[DANGEROUS TIGER]

The main problem as I see it is that it's not  the defeats, but the manner of them.

[That_Dude]

On 22/01/2019 at 16:11, The Doctor said:

I don't disagree that he might not be ready to play that sort of role in the top flight, but with 15 games left of the season why not try it and find out? It then tells us what positions need to be a focus on recruitment in the summer

I'm all for trying but the manager is in a difficult position and I certainly wouldn't against Liverpool or Manchester United. I do think that a ball playing CM like Neves, a target man and a right winger are three critical positions we absolutely need to fill.

 

A 4-3-3 with Ndidi/Mendi before the back four, Hamza and Maddison as CMs would be worth a punt against a bottom team though.

[Guy]

On ‎20‎/‎01‎/‎2019 at 20:11, Freeman's Wharfer said:

The guy has no regard for the fan base and the fact that they may want to be entertained when they go to watch the football and to at least be able to beat bottom half sides at home (particularly when they go down to 10-men).

 

Fair enough to him for showing some lesser seen personality but I’d respect it a lot more if he didn’t come across as so bitter about the fact that supporters are asking valid questions. These kind of reactions tell me that he can’t see the problems and is happy to blame everyone except himself.

 

Hooefully he’s raising his profile in France in the expectation he’ll be needing a job there soon. The guy’s ripped apart the togetherness that saw this club achieve it’s greatest triumph.

 

Get him out.

I've been a bit 'on the fence' on the whole Puel issue all season long so far, even going back to the second half of last season also. It's still hard to know what to make of the guy, his tactics at times, his demeanour. Clearly though the crowd have never warmed to him and probably never will. My feel towards him all along has been veering from positive to negative - then back again to positive then negative - and so on and so forth! - mainly depending on the results and the way we've played with it. I think he will still be given to the summer though and then have his position reviewed

While it's true that we should collectively be beating the likes of a 10 man West Ham or Southampton at home and even our scratch side shouldn't be going out to a League Two team in the FA Cup, the sweetener is that we're capable of beating arguably three bigger teams than us in near succession over the festive period! All in all it adds to the frustration that is this Leicester side under Claude Puel - while I remain totally on the fence on the matter!!  Brendan Rogers?? - ummmmm….

[Albert]

On 22/01/2019 at 10:23, The Doctor said:

Except Chilwell then spent ages not getting played while Fuchs retained the position, and Hamza & Barnes played a total of 20 minutes senior football between them before Puel arrived. This "made their debuts before" is lazy revisionism trying to hide that Puel is the one that actually showed faith in them and played them in more than just the odd cup game. 

....Fuchs retained his position because he’s a top class player & a legend of the club who at that time & in that system was clearly the 1st choice. It wasn’t Rocket science putting Chillwell into the team that had a system which relied on the full backs getting forward.

 

....Hamza & Barnes had only ‘played a total of 20mins senior football between them before Puel arrived’ because they were 19yrs old & not even close to being at Premier league level!

Despite giving him game time towards the end of last season Hamza hadn’t even had a look in until the Man City Cup game & still gets overlooked by Mendy/Wilf even after his highly impressive performances. 

Barnes has also only been recalled because the 2/3 of Puel’s signings in Diabate & Gazzell have been complete flops! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Crispin LA]

The thing that gets to me is he so stubborn and keeps playing the same 2 players who seem to make the same mistakes over and over again. The other thing is his tactics, are they abit to complicated for are player, playing sideways backwards passing the ball, then players don't know what to do going forward. 

I am in out with Puel, but thinking he should stay until the summer and move him up to DOF and bring in Brendon Rogers. Think there will be other mid table clubs in the summer who will be also interested in him because he can't take Celtic any further. 

[Hanan96]

1 hour ago, Albert said:

....Fuchs retained his position because he’s a top class player & a legend of the club who at that time & in that system was clearly the 1st choice. It wasn’t Rocket science putting Chillwell into the team that had a system which relied on the full backs getting forward.

 

....Hamza & Barnes had only ‘played a total of 20mins senior football between them before Puel arrived’ because they were 19yrs old & not even close to being at Premier league level!

Despite giving him game time towards the end of last season Hamza hadn’t even had a look in until the Man City Cup game & still gets overlooked by Mendy/Wilf even after his highly impressive performances. 

Barnes has also only been recalled because the 2/3 of Puel’s signings in Diabate & Gazzell have been complete flops! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For all the defensive problem chilwell create for us last season, what kind of science does it take to keep him ahead of fuchs? 

 

Then Amartey instead of Simpson, what is this? Simpson is clearly better than him by the season start

 

Then, last season we were almost broke our bank had our 50 mill bid for sigurdson were accepted.. What the heck we are going for 20 Mill championship player? 

 

By the time Ricardo struggle with England priemer league, and rumour around Clyne, why don't just play more defensive Simpson  until transfer window? 

 

Hmm so many strange things persistently happened and somehow ended with youngest average player team at top half instead of bottom half team with experienced player, who will be struggle in just few season ahead

[The Doctor]

1 hour ago, Albert said:

....Fuchs retained his position because he’s a top class player & a legend of the club who at that time & in that system was clearly the 1st choice. It wasn’t Rocket science putting Chillwell into the team that had a system which relied on the full backs getting forward.

 

....Hamza & Barnes had only ‘played a total of 20mins senior football between them before Puel arrived’ because they were 19yrs old & not even close to being at Premier league level!

Despite giving him game time towards the end of last season Hamza hadn’t even had a look in until the Man City Cup game & still gets overlooked by Mendy/Wilf even after his highly impressive performances. 

Barnes has also only been recalled because the 2/3 of Puel’s signings in Diabate & Gazzell have been complete flops! 

It wasn't rocket science you say, yet Shakespeare never did, despite Fuchs having lost it around the start of 2017 (remember he was the most taken on and beaten fullback in the division in 16/17)...

 

Since that man city cup game Hamza has missed a total of 2 matches, one of which was due to illness, while no-one on here was talking about him as an option before hand.

 

Diabate has hardly been a flop, he is and was a development squad signing that's had a couple of runouts, and even if Ghezzal had set the world on fire we'd still need another winger - Barnes has been recalled because they've seen his performances at West Brom and think he's ready to step up.

[Guest Chocolate Teapot]

3 hours ago, Albert said:

....Fuchs retained his position because he’s a top class player & a legend of the club who at that time & in that system was clearly the 1st choice. It wasn’t Rocket science putting Chillwell into the team that had a system which relied on the full backs getting forward.

 

....Hamza & Barnes had only ‘played a total of 20mins senior football between them before Puel arrived’ because they were 19yrs old & not even close to being at Premier league level!

Despite giving him game time towards the end of last season Hamza hadn’t even had a look in until the Man City Cup game & still gets overlooked by Mendy/Wilf even after his highly impressive performances. 

Barnes has also only been recalled because the 2/3 of Puel’s signings in Diabate & Gazzell have been complete flops! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good point and even then Puel put forward the idea of sending Harvey back so he could get another one of his wingers in last week! ?

 

Seems to be overlooked that Barnes, Chilwell and Hamza are all england youth internationals before anyway. Barnes was sent away for his development. Don't buy this 'he's good with young players' stuff. Actually give Rudkin a load of credit for pushing for this transfer policy.

[Guest Chocolate Teapot]

1 hour ago, Hanan96 said:

For all the defensive problem chilwell create for us last season, what kind of science does it take to keep him ahead of fuchs? 

 

Then Amartey instead of Simpson, what is this? Simpson is clearly better than him by the season start

 

Then, last season we were almost broke our bank had our 50 mill bid for sigurdson were accepted.. What the heck we are going for 20 Mill championship player? 

 

By the time Ricardo struggle with England priemer league, and rumour around Clyne, why don't just play more defensive Simpson  until transfer window? 

 

Hmm so many strange things persistently happened and somehow ended with youngest average player team at top half instead of bottom half team with experienced player, who will be struggle in just few season ahead

Even more weird that he persisted with simpson ahead of amartey last year. So little consistency.

[Albert]

56 minutes ago, The Doctor said:

It wasn't rocket science you say, yet Shakespeare never did, despite Fuchs having lost it around the start of 2017 (remember he was the most taken on and beaten fullback in the division in 16/17)...

 

Since that man city cup game Hamza has missed a total of 2 matches, one of which was due to illness, while no-one on here was talking about him as an option before hand.

 

Diabate has hardly been a flop, he is and was a development squad signing that's had a couple of runouts, and even if Ghezzal had set the world on fire we'd still need another winger - Barnes has been recalled because they've seen his performances at West Brom and think he's ready to step up.

So if you were in Shakespeare’s shoes & had to play Arsenal, Man Utd, Chelsea & Liverpool in your first 6 games as manager you’d of chosen a teenager with zero Premier league experience ahead of a player that has been an integral part to the clubs recent success & played at the highest level throughout his career?!!!

 

Why would’ve anyone of been calling for Hamza before Man City when he hadn’t even been in the squad all season?!?! 

 

Diabate couldn’t get a game for the U23’s & has been shipped out on loan to Turkey because he wasn’t good enough.

 

Barnes got recalled because we’re in desperate need of more attacking options