who would we replace in top six?

[Mark 'expert' Lawrenson]

On 02/04/2019 at 15:13, Ric Flair said:

Absolutely no idea, the PL is constantly getting stronger but the top 6 remain untouched really. To get back amongst it and then back it up for a few years after will take a huge operation but we are probably the team to do it out of anyone. We have a team with a massive amount of potential and a manager who improves young players, I think top 6 is a real possibility however daunting it seems.

 

The real question is, can we break in to the top 6 next season if we were to finish 7th this season and get in to the Europa League qualifying stages, 6 qualifying games before and just after the start of the season is relentless, we will pretty much play 3 games a week every week at a time where we need to trim the squad due to finances. We best have some real quality coming through the U18's and U23's.

I’d disagree with you on the strength of the Premier League, yes the top 6 are getting stronger but as for the rest it’s pretty mediocre stuff, partly due to some of the top 6 stock piling players who in the past would of been playing for other teams in the league and making the league stronger as a whole.

[Stoopid]

Being a top-half club, going for cups and the odd European jaunt is gravy for Leicester fans.

Wanting to be a 'Top Six' club seems a strange ambition to me. 

A bit like wishing Leicester was a bigger city than Liverpool, Manchester or London.

Our title win was so great mainly because we're NOT a big city club.

We are what we are. Outsiders who are more than capable of landing the big boys a very satisfying smack in the gob.

That's just fine with me, long may it continue. 

 

[Foxymcoxy]

25 minutes ago, murphy said:

I agree.

 

I wish the thread title read who would we replace, rather than will replace.  This is just fantasy.  The reality is we are in  a three way battle for seventh with West Ham and Everton close behind.  To win that group would be an amazing achievement but sixth, only one place further is a massive 14 points beyond that. 

 

There are a clutch of clubs that want to break the top sixth and have as much chance as we do and I'm sure that fans of West Brom and Stoke talked about the same thing until recently.

 

 

The whole thread has been in the context of would - just go witth it. Spurs for me unless off-the-pitch problems prevent Chelsea from getting back to their best. Spurs just still haven't done anything to truly establish themselves as untouchable like those others.

[Simoken]

17 minutes ago, Foxymcoxy said:

The whole thread has been in the context of would - just go witth it. Spurs for me unless off-the-pitch problems prevent Chelsea from getting back to their best. Spurs just still haven't done anything to truly establish themselves as untouchable like those others.

 

Edited 5 April 2019 by Simoken

[Foxymcoxy]

14 minutes ago, Simoken said:

 

That would be the thread title. I'm saying the thread has clearly been mostly around would, not an assumption we definitely will replace any of them. It's just a bit pointless to try to act as the voice of reason when everyone else is speaking in hypotheticals.

[Ashley]

48 minutes ago, Stoopid said:

Being a top-half club, going for cups and the odd European jaunt is gravy for Leicester fans.

Wanting to be a 'Top Six' club seems a strange ambition to me. 

A bit like wishing Leicester was a bigger city than Liverpool, Manchester or London.

Our title win was so great mainly because we're NOT a big city club.

We are what we are. Outsiders who are more than capable of landing the big boys a very satisfying smack in the gob.

That's just fine with me, long may it continue. 

 

That was Manchester City a few years back. If you go with that mind set you'll never change anything. 

 

Big things are happening with Leicester we have a serious serious potential to be huge and challenge the top 4, 6 heck even titles. Dont even get me started on a next generation potential of fanbase because I could go forever. 

 

New training ground and our ground will be expanded. 

 

Moving. On. Up. 

[Simoken]

17 minutes ago, Foxymcoxy said:

That would be the thread title. I'm saying the thread has clearly been mostly around would, not an assumption we definitely will replace any of them. It's just a bit pointless to try to act as the voice of reason when everyone else is speaking in hypotheticals.

I'm no foxes-talk dictator i'm just pointing out the facts.

[Babylon]

40 minutes ago, Simoken said:

 

[Nicolo Barella]

35 minutes ago, Ashley said:

That was Manchester City a few years back. If you go with that mind set you'll never change anything. 

 

Big things are happening with Leicester we have a serious serious potential to be huge and challenge the top 4, 6 heck even titles. Dont even get me started on a next generation potential of fanbase because I could go forever. 

 

New training ground and our ground will be expanded. 

 

Moving. On. Up. 

Manchester City has the GDP of a wealthy nation

[Stoopid]

19 minutes ago, Ashley said:

That was Manchester City a few years back. If you go with that mind set you'll never change anything. 

 

Big things are happening with Leicester we have a serious serious potential to be huge and challenge the top 4, 6 heck even titles. Dont even get me started on a next generation potential of fanbase because I could go forever. 

 

New training ground and our ground will be expanded. 

 

Moving. On. Up. 

Hmm...

Think we start straying into slightly delusional territory here.

In terms of population and demographics you can't really compare us to the Man Citys of this world.

We're a great club who punch way above our weight these days. Long may it continue. 

I just don't think we do ourselves any favours when we start acting like big-time Charlies.

Leicester isn't a big city, and never will be. Nothing wrong with that. Being 'big' means nothing - ask people in Birmingham or Sheffield - but it does mean there's a limit to this fan base growth I keep hearing about.

Looking forward is a myth. Just enjoy the here and now.

[Babylon]

46 minutes ago, Ashley said:

That was Manchester City a few years back. If you go with that mind set you'll never change anything. 

 

Big things are happening with Leicester we have a serious serious potential to be huge and challenge the top 4, 6 heck even titles. Dont even get me started on a next generation potential of fanbase because I could go forever. 

 

New training ground and our ground will be expanded. 

 

Moving. On. Up. 

We aren't Man City, or Chelsea, christ we aren't even Spurs who have just spent £1b on a ground.

 

The club have said they are doing things in s sustainable way, which mean long term. Because without silly investment we aren't breaking any barriers on a regular basis any time soon. It's going to be about edging forwards inch by inch over a decade or two. It's already been 8 years and as far as I'm concerned, we've only just become a solid mid table club, and that's the easy bit, plenty of clubs have done that before. 

 

Breaking through our glass ceiling is going to take a lot of skill in ownership and management, quick a bit of luck, lots of time and a lot of investment in infrastructure to grow off the pitch and on. 

[Col city fan]

On 02/04/2019 at 16:03, sm1 said:

Most likely Spurs,  especially when the likes of Poch, Kane, Ericsson & Deli leave. I'm not sure about Chelsea and Utd either,  I think both Sari and Ole are going to find it difficult next season. 

You could be right. If Poch leaves Spuds could implode. Erikssen is a fantastic player imo. I can see him at Barcelona or Real Madrid

[Goober]

2 hours ago, Ashley said:

That was Manchester City a few years back. If you go with that mind set you'll never change anything. 

 

Big things are happening with Leicester we have a serious serious potential to be huge and challenge the top 4, 6 heck even titles. Dont even get me started on a next generation potential of fanbase because I could go forever. 

 

New training ground and our ground will be expanded. 

 

Moving. On. Up. 

That’s all well and good for those who work at the club but I’ve never seen how fans having higher expectations helps anything.  

 

Makes things harder for the club if anything and only creates a toxic atmosphere when things aren’t going as well as people would’ve hoped.

[Ashley]

4 hours ago, Babylon said:

We aren't Man City, or Chelsea, christ we aren't even Spurs who have just spent £1b on a ground.

 

The club have said they are doing things in s sustainable way, which mean long term. Because without silly investment we aren't breaking any barriers on a regular basis any time soon. It's going to be about edging forwards inch by inch over a decade or two. It's already been 8 years and as far as I'm concerned, we've only just become a solid mid table club, and that's the easy bit, plenty of clubs have done that before. 

 

Breaking through our glass ceiling is going to take a lot of skill in ownership and management, quick a bit of luck, lots of time and a lot of investment in infrastructure to grow off the pitch and on. 

 

2 hours ago, Goober said:

That’s all well and good for those who work at the club but I’ve never seen how fans having higher expectations helps anything.  

 

Makes things harder for the club if anything and only creates a toxic atmosphere when things aren’t going as well as people would’ve hoped.

 

Oh don't get me wrong, we are moving slowly yes but Tottenham did the same, just as an example. They were a 'solid mid table side' until they broke the top 6 then 4. 

 

I honestly think we can do that too, its exciting times to be around. Our potential for a future generation of fanbase is there too. Let's be honest we have a catchment area for the Midlands from say Birmingham to Peterborough, from Northampton to Stoke there is a bigger picture there. 

 

Let's not forget IF Coventry do go bust and they're not a club there a kids growing up who could support Leicester why not? 

 

People never thought we'd win the Premier League, so why cant we break the top 6 or further?

 

Just saying.... 

[knitro]

4 hours ago, Nicolo Barella said:

Manchester City has the GDP of a wealthy nation

Leicester City is not exactly paupers. 

[l444ry]

Just finishing closer to the top six would be an achievement in itself. With a proper manager in place now we can live in hope and not the despair of the last 14 months.

[Nicolo Barella]

2 hours ago, knitro said:

Leicester City is not exactly paupers. 

We're not a wealthy nation either. And all the clubs around us are more or less the same level of wealthy.

[Sir Shep]

Well after yesterday’s performance and looking at the gap between us and Man U I think it’s fair to say we are a long way off, but that’s ok, I’d love Us to win a cup, qualify for Europe that way. 

[TheStig]

On 02/04/2019 at 18:18, Sol thewall Bamba said:

A lot of arrogance in this thread. Why do people think we have some kind of right to break into the top 6? Do you not think Watford and Wolves are having the same conversations? We're not the only "ambitious" club in the league lads. 

 The "big 6" have no divine "right" to be there. Any of the top 6 could be replaced. The respect of all of us to the fact that there is a so called "top six" is helping to state this fact.  They can all be replaced and the 4-5 clubs just below all have ambitions and changes will occur. 2-3 clubs have of the 6 have won the PL - Spurs and Arsenal not for effing ages - In my opinion there will be changes - and that is good for football as was our PL win that certainly "rocked the boat".

[Bezzanator89]

Spurs: Could be able to lose some of their big stars like Christian Eriksen after potentially another failure in collecting any sort of silverware. Those players of such quality can only go so long without anything to show for their individual efforts.

Chelsea: Transfer bans, managerial revolving-door policy, persistent rumours about some of their key players being targeted. Could be some testing times ahead at Stamford Bridge.

Manchester United: May just well be coming out of a little dodgy patch of their own after the departure of José Mourinho. OGS seems to have steadied the ship but long term success is still far from certain.

Arsenal: One of those that are unplayable on their day, but those days are few and far apart. Just never know which team is going to show up. They were seriously stagnating under Wenger and maybe this is the season where things gradually turn around, with next season being watching under a microscope.

 

Liverpool and Manchester City are obviously out of the question. But if I had to pick one, I would pick Chelsea, it's not like they can improve their squad this season. A wounded beast so to speak.

[HybridFox]

It's actually not as far fetched as it seems at the moment, because we have been shocking for the most part. 

 

Albeit we did pick up certain surprise wins, we have dropped so many stupid points from games we were in commanding positions.

 

If we had been more clinical:

 

Man Utd (A) Draw +1

Liverpool (H) Draw +1

Everton (H) Draw +1

West Ham (H) Win +2

Cardiff (H) Win +3

Southampton (H) Win +3

Wolves (A) Draw +1

Man Utd (H) Draw +1

Spurs (A) Draw +1

Watford (A) Draw +1

Newcastle (H) Win +3

 

18 points. Without considering the subsequent less points for these opponents.

 

We need consistency and the ability to play different tactics against different teams. That'll be Rodgers' biggest challenge to bed in that mindset amongst his squad.

 

Based on current form, I'd say Chelsea are the team for the taking. Potentially Arsenal although I expect them to improve now that Emery has had one season.

Edited 14 April 2019 by TK95

[shailen]

I think we aren't miles away from Arsenal and Chelsea. 

 

Arsenal have better strikers and forward thinking players than us but we have better defensive and midfield options imo. Chelsea have a great midfield but take out hazard who could be on his way out and Kante playing out of position they are an average side for me. 

 

Both teams have those star players (Hazard, Aubameyang, Lacazette, Kante) who have all performed to take them above us, but overall both squads for me are weaker than ours. Also we have a better manager than both teams who understands the league and has had success nearly everywhere he has been. 

[Trav Le Bleu]

Who will replace us in the top ten?

 

 

 

[Manwell Pablo]

On 05/04/2019 at 14:06, Stoopid said:

Hmm...

Think we start straying into slightly delusional territory here.

In terms of population and demographics you can't really compare us to the Man Citys of this world.

We're a great club who punch way above our weight these days. Long may it continue. 

I just don't think we do ourselves any favours when we start acting like big-time Charlies.

Leicester isn't a big city, and never will be. Nothing wrong with that. Being 'big' means nothing - ask people in Birmingham or Sheffield - but it does mean there's a limit to this fan base growth I keep hearing about.

Looking forward is a myth. Just enjoy the here and now.

 

Think your selling the whole thing short in terms of demographics, the city is a reasonable size, especially when you consider we are a one club city. We’ve got plenty of fans in the county which has a population of 1 million and decent fan bases in Nuneaton and parts of Northamptonshire like Kettering, among other places. Plus Fan base on the whole isn’t as an important discussion as it used to be either, domestically at least. 

 

I do agree whilst not impossible the vision of cracking and maintaining a place in the top six is an ambition we will struggle to achieve.

[foxinsocks]

Man city..liverpool arse manutd chelsea even spurs.  Will they be top 6 in 10 years?  Post abramovic... post pouch... if klopp left?  When arde fans tutn on emery? Which club with young players, a great coach and the best owners will make the break through.  Its wolves watford or us.  We can each believe it is possible