"All we do is pass the ball sideways and backwards" - Not any more!

[Vardinio'sCat]

9 hours ago, Babylon said:

I wish I'd known I even had a time.

 

Since you hit 20k you've changed... 

[Gamble92]

The reality of it is, until we start winning games, teams will be happy to play against this team. Despite our phases of great play.

 

As brilliant as we were, we still condeeded clear cut chances against a depleted spurs side. 

 

If we were beating Cardiff,Southampton, Wolves and then losing these games in a spirited fashion you'd maybe accept it and say okay things look promising.

 

But we are playing catch up in these games. Man City and Chelsea wins have to happen because we lost at home to two sides who wouldnt look out of place in the Championship. If we end up in 14th/15th then very few people will be talking about progress, and furthermore players who have the opportunity to leave will probably think stuff this and get out.

[lifted*fox]

5 hours ago, whoareyaaa said:

I honestly don't think the people in charge are that blind to see the progress made and the direction the club is heading...

 

it's safe to say that the people in charge at our club made their way up in the world by having greater foresight, patience and judgement than the knee-jerk, boo-boys knocking about on here and down the KP. 

[Vardinio'sCat]

5 hours ago, whoareyaaa said:

I honestly don't think the people in charge are that blind to see the progress made and the direction the club is heading...

 

People say Puel has done so much good by bringing through young players, I'm pretty sure this is the clubs plan and Puel is overseeing the long term 'project'

 

I don't think Puels dreamt this up himself.

 

I think you are right, this is the clubs plan just as much as it is Claude's.

 

When they interviewed him, it's pretty clear he had the cv for the kind of job they were looking for. We could say that it was the final version of Vichai and Top's dream, and even if we got rid of Claude, the idea would be to get another manager who is committed to the club's plan.

[RumbleFox]

  19 hours ago, kingfox said:

The best poster on Foxestalk strikes again 

Babylon will be really upset at this 

 

What about me?  X

[Dames]

9 hours ago, Babylon said:

I just think there is far too much shit around the manager now for him to stay, clearly some of the players don't fancy him, the fans aren't on board. Only an unreal run for the end of the season would would save him now, but even then I'm not sure.

I actually don’t think its too late. There are many ways Puel could heal the rifts with the players and the fans but he has to be willing to stop being so stubborn. From all accounts his communication isnt great, he doesnt explain his decisions to the fans very well and from what we are told the same is with the players. He doesnt currently appear to embrace change or accept criticism of his methods. He can still implement the new style of play and bring through youth but he’s got to keep the players onboard as well, its give and take and it seems Puel takes alot but doesnt quite give back.

 

If we go on a run until the end of the season it gives him the chance to say he needs to finish the job and needs the right players and use Tielemans as evidence but if he shits the bed in the next 3 games and tries to shoehorn Mendy and Ndidi in the team and we play awful he’s going to be a goner.

 

I like what i’ve seen the past few games but that now needs to translate to performances and wins against the lesser opposition, if that happens he’ll have my backing at least.

[Vardinio'sCat]

42 minutes ago, Plastik Man said:

Sadly I think this will be the case.  Too much under the bridge. 

 

Puel is by no means perfect but who else could've come in and so stubbornly stuck to his guns in the face of an incredibly strong senior player culture and a style of play with which we've all experienced the highest of highs.

 

Conflict was probably inevitable, but we must ensure we retain the gains made under him. 

 

 

 

Good post, I'm of a similar mind.

[lifted*fox]

23 minutes ago, Vardinio'sCat said:

I think you are right, this is the clubs plan just as much as it is Claude's.

 

 When they interviewed him, it's pretty clear he had the cv for the kind of job they were looking for. We could say that it was the final version of Vichai and Top's dream, and even if we got rid of Claude, the idea would be to get another manager who is committed to the club's plan.

 

absolutely and it's a superb long term plan and model to aspire to. 

 

a club with a great reputation for having amazing facilities that develops and plays promising young players.

 

that reputation is what will set us apart from the likes of west ham, everton, etc. and make it all the more likely that we'll attract top talent which will bring more and more success as it continues. 

 

we will be much more self-sufficient and it'll be much more satisfying to watch the progress than to watch us buy the league like Man City.

 

it's the direction chosen by the owners and even if they sack Puel, they're not going to drop the business plan which means we will always have younger, inexperienced players who might occasionally make mistakes, etc - whoever the manager might be. 

 

we've had tons of chances to win games recently and we haven't because the players with the chances couldn't find the net.

 

that ain't Puel's fault and it won't be the fault of the next manager who can't strap his own boots on and knock them in himself either. 

 

Edited 11 February 2019 by lifted*fox
added a couple of bits.

[Vardinio'sCat]

4 minutes ago, RumbleFox said:

  19 hours ago, kingfox said:

The best poster on Foxestalk strikes again 

Babylon will be really upset at this 

 

What about me?  X

 

Bit too needy, fella. Strider and Babs would never ask that question. 

[Dahnsouff]

2 minutes ago, lifted*fox said:

 

absolutely and it's a superb long term plan and model to aspire to. 

 

a club with a great reputation for having amazing facilities that develops and plays promising young players. 

 

we will be much more self-sufficient and it'll be much more satisfying to watch the progress than to watch us buy the league like Man City.

 

it's the direction chosen by the owners and even if they sack Puel, they're not going to drop the business plan which means we will always have younger, inexperienced players who might occasionally make mistakes, etc - whoever the manager might be. 

 

we've had tons of chances to win games recently and we haven't because the players with the chances couldn't find the net.

 

that ain't Puel's fault and it won't be the fault of the next manager who can't strap his own boots on and knock them in himself either. 

That is spot on 

[Babylon]

31 minutes ago, Dames said:

I actually don’t think its too late. There are many ways Puel could heal the rifts with the players and the fans but he has to be willing to stop being so stubborn. From all accounts his communication isnt great, he doesnt explain his decisions to the fans very well and from what we are told the same is with the players. He doesnt currently appear to embrace change or accept criticism of his methods. He can still implement the new style of play and bring through youth but he’s got to keep the players onboard as well, its give and take and it seems Puel takes alot but doesnt quite give back.

 

If we go on a run until the end of the season it gives him the chance to say he needs to finish the job and needs the right players and use Tielemans as evidence but if he shits the bed in the next 3 games and tries to shoehorn Mendy and Ndidi in the team and we play awful he’s going to be a goner.

 

I like what i’ve seen the past few games but that now needs to translate to performances and wins against the lesser opposition, if that happens he’ll have my backing at least.

"Stubborn".... there isn't a manager out there who isn't. Because essentially what you mean is he isn't doing what I want.

 

He's not stubborn he just believes in what he's trying to do. I'll take that over someone caving in to the will of others.

[Plastik Man]

21 minutes ago, Dames said:

I actually don’t think its too late. There are many ways Puel could heal the rifts with the players and the fans but he has to be willing to stop being so stubborn. From all accounts his communication isnt great, he doesnt explain his decisions to the fans very well and from what we are told the same is with the players. He doesnt currently appear to embrace change or accept criticism of his methods. He can still implement the new style of play and bring through youth but he’s got to keep the players onboard as well, its give and take and it seems Puel takes alot but doesnt quite give back.

 

If we go on a run until the end of the season it gives him the chance to say he needs to finish the job and needs the right players and use Tielemans as evidence but if he shits the bed in the next 3 games and tries to shoehorn Mendy and Ndidi in the team and we play awful he’s going to be a goner.

 

I like what i’ve seen the past few games but that now needs to translate to performances and wins against the lesser opposition, if that happens he’ll have my backing at least.

It would be nice if it happens, but I'm not sure Puel can change.  Perhaps the weaknesses you referred to - his communication and managing change - are all part of what also makes him stubborn?

 

If he had no weaknesses then he wouldn't be managing Leicester. 

 

His best chance of surviving this period might lie with the growing number of younger players he's given an opportunity to. If they start to add consistency and results with his style of play then they might become the dominant group in the squad.

[Dames]

23 minutes ago, Babylon said:

"Stubborn".... there isn't a manager out there who isn't. Because essentially what you mean is he isn't doing what I want.

 

He's not stubborn he just believes in what he's trying to do. I'll take that over someone caving in to the will of others.

I’m not saying that but any good manager in any profession has to listen to their staff and take their recommendations on board. All the noises coming out of the club are that of Puel not doing this. 

 

You don’t have to cave to the will of others but a fine balance of listening and giving a few inches here and there wouldn’t go amiss. 

 

He is showing signs of easing off in his stubborness with team selections. Morgan is no longer and automatic pick and he seems to be lessening the amount of times he switches the attacking players up. If he can now just drop Mendy without prompt he might just be redeemable.

[The Doctor]

3 minutes ago, Dames said:

He is showing signs of easing off in his stubborness with team selections. Morgan is no longer and automatic pick and he seems to be lessening the amount of times he switches the attacking players up. If he can now just drop Mendy without prompt he might just be redeemable.

Oh come off it. The plan has obviously been to phase Morgan out for months, hence why he's not got a new contract (see also Simpson, Fuchs and Okazaki). Difference is he didn't have someone like Ricardo, Chilwell or Maddison, who've easily taken the other 3s positions, at CB. Evans was poor until about the end of November, Maguire missed a month & a half, Soyuncu is still a kid adapting to a new country. It's taken till about now for him to have the options performing to enable dropping Morgan (who at this point probably just gets a couple of farewell appearances at the end of the season if Evans and Maguire stay fit and available).

 

Similarly with the wide players, Gray, Ghezzal and Albrighton were all a much of a muchness, none really set out their stall to be fixtures in the side rather than competing with each other - let's be honest, he'd not be rotating them if he had two prime mahrezes rather than a bloke with good work ethic but really only one dimension, a poundland mahrez and a kid who is still "potential" 3 years after signing.

[Swalshed]

19 hours ago, StriderHiryu said:

Last one, Gray's header straight at Lloris. Another good team move and again Tielemans and Ricardo are highly involved. Those two and Barnes / Chilwell were real creative outlets for us in this game:

 

It's a beautiful dinked cross from Ricardo, so difficult to do as he was running at full tilt!

[Freeman's Wharfer]

What a great platform for someone like Brendan Rogers to come in and build upon...

 

And if he can do it whilst having a connection to the fans, getting us beating the bottom half teams at home and getting us up into 7th then all the better.

[ozleicester]

4 hours ago, RumbleFox said:

  On 11/02/2019 at 08:01, kingfox said:

  19 hours ago, kingfox said:

The best poster on Foxestalk strikes again 

Babylon will be really upset at this 

 

What about me?  X

time for the FT poster awards again 

[That_Dude]

On 11/02/2019 at 00:17, StriderHiryu said:

 

*Great OP*

 

 

 

You know what's absolutely great with this goal is? The Spurs only "touched" the ball once. For more almost one and half minute, which is at this football level an eternity, they just looked at a bunch of kids toying with them, without being able to do anything ,and only got the ball for the face-off. 

[Leeds Fox]

5 hours ago, Dames said:

I actually don’t think its too late. There are many ways Puel could heal the rifts with the players and the fans but he has to be willing to stop being so stubborn. From all accounts his communication isnt great, he doesnt explain his decisions to the fans very well and from what we are told the same is with the players. He doesnt currently appear to embrace change or accept criticism of his methods. He can still implement the new style of play and bring through youth but he’s got to keep the players onboard as well, its give and take and it seems Puel takes alot but doesnt quite give back.

 

If we go on a run until the end of the season it gives him the chance to say he needs to finish the job and needs the right players and use Tielemans as evidence but if he shits the bed in the next 3 games and tries to shoehorn Mendy and Ndidi in the team and we play awful he’s going to be a goner.

 

I like what i’ve seen the past few games but that now needs to translate to performances and wins against the lesser opposition, if that happens he’ll have my backing at least.

 

He doesn’t need to come out and explain why he dropped Vardy (for example). Unless you want to hear a pack of lies. Assuming they don’t see eye to eye, Puel’s showing them who’s boss. 

 

I’m fairly impartial to the Puel in/our debate at the moment, but he’s obviously not willing to fall on the same sword as previous managers. 

 

We may not be winning games we should be, missing chances and not have the most experienced squad, but were talented. Look at the players who’s value has skyrocketed since he’s been in charge... Maguire, Chilwell, Barnes, Maddison, Ricardo. Even Benkovic who hasn’t played for us yet but signed under his tenure. The club is in a very healthy position due to this. E

 

He’s managed to ship out some deadwood with more to leave in the summer. Once he gets a couple more players with the experience and quality we need coupled with the youngsters gaining experience, we’ll be a very good side. 

 

We’re relatively safe, albeit below where many of our fans think we should be. The future is bright and the plan is long term. 

[StriderHiryu]

55 minutes ago, That_Dude said:

You know what's absolutely great with this goal is? The Spurs only "touched" the ball once. For more almost one and half minute, which is at this football level an eternity, they just looked at a bunch of kids toying with them, without being able to do anything ,and only got the ball for the face-off. 

It’s even better for me as there is SO much good with the goal. 

 

- First up our keeper plays it nicely to Maguire who charges 30 yards up field and picks out Chilwell who has bombed on. 

- Chilwell puts in a first time cross that actually is a great cross and had Vardy read it could have stuck it away. So forget passing for the sake of it, we went for the jugular straight away. 

- Then we recycle it and cross it in again. This is perhaps the only part I didn’t like. 

- We then involve the entire team including CBs and shift Spurs from one side to the other. This is classic Guardiola style where the idea is to shift the defensive block to one side then switch it quickly to the other side where the wide forwards get a 1v1 or 2v1 situation. 

- Ihenacho of all people does a solid job of keeping the play going and linking with Ricardo. 

- Look at Maddison throughout the move. There’s a bit where you clearly see him signal that Barnes is free and the pass goes to him. Shows you the player really can see the picture and is vocal about directing play. 

- Chilwell drives at their defence then checks back then passes it. It’s why he’s first choice for England. Their defence literally can’t cope with him. 

- Ndidi of all people is the one that plays the exquisite cross field pass to Ricardo. More of that please Wilf!

- Tielemans who has not touched the ball at all is alert and ominous throughout the move. Just take the time to appreciate his movement and awareness. When he finally gets a touch, his is the killer touch. That is the sign of a top drawer player. He appeared anonymous but was just biding his time. 

- And then the last 10 seconds is just class all round. The 1-2, the cross, the run between two defenders, the finish. It’s just brilliant play. 

 

Anyway lets all hope we see more of this! It’s a great goal but if at the end of the season our highlight is a great goal in a 3-1 defeat then it’s not great! But why I made the thread in the first place is because our team of whippersnappers scored it. I expected this season to be a transition season with inconsistent results.  But I wanted to see signs of what the plan was. If this sort of play is the vision for the club then bring it on!!! And I suspect it is the vision regardless of the manager. The owners always preferred a European coach; Sven, Sousa now Puel because they want a continental style. It’s failed every time so far but now just maybe it’s possible. And I believe we will get there because we have great owners who are great long term planners and executers of said plan. If we can play like that at home regularly... sod the results I’ll be there every week! I want to see exciting attacking football and if it’s made up of young English players and we can get some results out of it... tasty!!!

 

 

Edited 12 February 2019 by StriderHiryu

[Gwyn]

Honourable mention to Ricky for the sublime control. He's some player

[RumbleFox]

12 hours ago, Vardinio'sCat said:

 

Bit too needy, fella. Strider and Babs would never ask that question. 

I've never been one of the cool kids.  x 

[kingfox]

8 hours ago, ozleicester said:

time for the FT poster awards again 

Nah, I've changed my mind.

 

@StriderHiryu is starting to become too much of a show off.

 

Babs is back to being the man now 

[AlloverthefloorYesNdidi]

12 hours ago, Dames said:

I’m not saying that but any good manager in any profession has to listen to their staff and take their recommendations on board. All the noises coming out of the club are that of Puel not doing this. 

 

You don’t have to cave to the will of others but a fine balance of listening and giving a few inches here and there wouldn’t go amiss. 

 

He is showing signs of easing off in his stubborness with team selections. Morgan is no longer and automatic pick and he seems to be lessening the amount of times he switches the attacking players up. If he can now just drop Mendy without prompt he might just be redeemable.

Chelsea were getting stick from Sky pundits the other day for not giving young players opportunities and not developing them

Someone said in Sarri's defense that these days if a manager chooses young players he's more likely to get the sack as they will make mistakes

 

Puel is coming under fire for precisely this and if fans were sensible they'd realise Puel is risking his reputation from game to game playing young players which will benefit the club in the long term

 

This has been even harder for him to do as we have a bad player power situation where some of these older players seem to think the club owes them something, and it seems these players are tightly knitted with the coaching staff

 

The noises coming out of the club for me just show how much push-back he is getting from inside the club to this necessary job he has to do

 

Puel has taken flak from all corners dealing with this and still kept us getting the needed results (I hope results will start to improve now Tielemans is in)