Andy King - Interview in The Times

[Oxfordfox83]

On 31/07/2019 at 21:41, UpTheLeagueFox said:

People around the club were not shy in volunteering information about the major problems.

For the record, I never felt the ‘information’ you shared here sounded like actual information. My feeling was that when you wrote about Puel you didn’t seem to have facts, it just read like he’d offended you personally and you were writing anything to support the agenda of getting rid. You might have been right, but because of the feverish way you presented it, it only ever read like an opinion piece

 

Clearly Puel was worse than just an incompetent communicator, but he wasn’t all bad or we wouldn’t have Ricardo, improved Chilwell, Tielemans and Maddison. Given what King has said, he had to go before he poisoned the spirit of the club, but as many have said, he did a job that needed doing, and the club wisely identified that it needed someone else to take it onwards.

[UpTheLeagueFox]

45 minutes ago, Oxfordfox83 said:

For the record, I never felt the ‘information’ you shared here sounded like actual information. My feeling was that when you wrote about Puel you didn’t seem to have facts, it just read like he’d offended you personally and you were writing anything to support the agenda of getting rid. You might have been right, but because of the feverish way you presented it, it only ever read like an opinion piece

 

Clearly Puel was worse than just an incompetent communicator, but he wasn’t all bad or we wouldn’t have Ricardo, improved Chilwell, Tielemans and Maddison. Given what King has said, he had to go before he poisoned the spirit of the club, but as many have said, he did a job that needed doing, and the club wisely identified that it needed someone else to take it onwards.

I hear you @Oxfordfox83 and perhaps the way I described stuff didn't always come across how I intended. But I can assure you it wasn't through any personal dislike for the bloke. The stories just kept coming and coming - from a plethora of people - so I knew this wasn't just one disaffected player with an axe to grind. Maybe I got a bit frustrated that some fans just wouldn't take the blinkers off about their club and believe things were getting increasingly nasty behind the scenes. Fortunately we're in better shape now and the players (and lots of other club staff) are in a much happier working environment. Onwards and upwards.

[Dan]

Puel's definitely had some positives about his time here, but he's made some absolutely basic fundamental errors that are beyond belief for an experienced manager. You can produce the same outcome with Andy King in terms of phasing him out - but to treat a top pro who has been at the club eleven years like he's nothing? I'd imagine that was the tip of the iceberg. What was the point of freezing him out like that? It's avoidable, weak management.

 

He's just a very poor man manager. He was the architect of his own downfall.

[Koke]

4 hours ago, fuchsntf said:

What about the players,who have confirmed they were happy with Puel and he had helped them...

I don't support or back,anyone!!!

What's wrong is trying to immaturely

Box people and how they think,and how they roll...

 

We can practically guess the players who hated Puel. 

 

Simpson

Morgan

Fuchs

Vardy 

Slimani

 

5 of the 6 were holding us back from progressing. I think Puel didn't say a word to Simpson either.. Shinji is too nice of a guy to dislike someone. On the other hand I'm sure Maddison, Ricardo, Hamza, Chilwell and Tielemans will speak about Puel in positive terms. 

 

Puel was clearly a poor communicator according to tgis piece, we can all acknowledge that without being revisionist about his time here. Anyone who says Puel didn't move the club foward and left us in a much better state than when he arrived clearly has a personal vendetta against the man. 

[KingsX]

I’m too old to have sports heroes.  Too old to buy shirts.  But what can I say, I have a few and they are all #10s.  I never, never will regret my choice of club nor the man who brought me to it. 

 

If there was a contest to have dinner with any City player and I won, I wouldn’t even have to think about which one.  Here’s the man who’s lived it all since League One and has the maturity and perspective to value it properly.  (And would have time for a fan.) 

 

As an adult you learn to value human beings, not media-created sports “gods”.  So, no heroes ... but Kingy is close enough.  I’ve made my peace with the idea that it’s time he moved on.  But I will never have time for the orifices on here who go out of their way so disrespectfully trying to make a joke out of him.

[Guest Cujek]

So Puel is a cvnt, confirmed. 

 

Say what you like about King but the guy is true blue Leicester and should always be treated with the utmost respect by everyone. 

 

I hope he retires here and becomes a coach with us, we would be lucky to keep him. 

[volpeazzurro]

3 hours ago, KingsX said:

I’m too old to have sports heroes.  Too old to buy shirts.  But what can I say, I have a few and they are all #10s.  I never, never will regret my choice of club nor the man who brought me to it. 

 

If there was a contest to have dinner with any City player and I won, I wouldn’t even have to think about which one.  Here’s the man who’s lived it all since League One and has the maturity and perspective to value it properly.  (And would have time for a fan.) 

 

As an adult you learn to value human beings, not media-created sports “gods”.  So, no heroes ... but Kingy is close enough.  I’ve made my peace with the idea that it’s time he moved on.  But I will never have time for the orifices on here who go out of their way so disrespectfully trying to make a joke out of him.

Bloody good post.

[The whole world smiles]

8 hours ago, Goober said:

Can't agree mate. We weren't GREAT when he joined but he certainly didn't 'save' us from the drop, we could've appointed Pardew and stayed up with that squad. He had 18 months of bang average results and left us where he found us in midtable. I know this team has history of a bounce when a new manager comes in but the contrast from Claudeball to what we saw under Brendan last season was huge. He had a very good squad underperforming come the end of it all. 

 

I suppose some would attribute the rebuild of our squad to him too but for me it seems to be a vision that the club's hierarchy have looked to impose, rather than some sort of Puel revolutionary masterplan. A mixture of good planning and scouting by those at the club. Speculation of course but I think those who completely credit Puel with the rebuild are being naive. 

 

I was very patient with the guy and saw positive signs at times. Backed him a fair bit in the face of some criticism in fact. But **** me I'm glad he's gone now. Didn't realise how shite it actually was until we had a proper gaffer back in charge again

Claude Puel had the best track record of bringing on youth players in the whole of Europe that again is a stone cold fact https://www.sportskeeda.com/amp/football/10-managers-used-youth-players-most-last-decade-2018/10

 

The last time the club's hirearchy tried to rebuild we spent nearly 100 million on Musa, slimani, Mendy, Hernandez and Ron Robert Zieler. So I would suggest it's you being naive for not giving him proper credit for the rebuild. Having said that your right I'm glad he's gone too.

[l444ry]

10 hours ago, UpTheLeagueFox said:

If you think this is 'one player only' who had major issues with Puel then your own 'agenda' of blind support for him is very, very strong. And very wrong.

The body language spoke volumes, especially that game when the players went to the touchline for a drink and virtually every player had his back to a lonely looking Puel who was pacing back and forth with his hands behind his back.. Was so obvious.

[Babylon]

8 hours ago, Goober said:

Can't agree mate. We weren't GREAT when he joined but he certainly didn't 'save' us from the drop, we could've appointed Pardew and stayed up with that squad. He had 18 months of bang average results and left us where he found us in midtable. I know this team has history of a bounce when a new manager comes in but the contrast from Claudeball to what we saw under Brendan last season was huge. He had a very good squad underperforming come the end of it all. 

 

I suppose some would attribute the rebuild of our squad to him too but for me it seems to be a vision that the club's hierarchy have looked to impose, rather than some sort of Puel revolutionary masterplan. A mixture of good planning and scouting by those at the club. Speculation of course but I think those who completely credit Puel with the rebuild are being naive. 

 

I was very patient with the guy and saw positive signs at times. Backed him a fair bit in the face of some criticism in fact. But **** me I'm glad he's gone now. Didn't realise how shite it actually was until we had a proper gaffer back in charge again

It was clearly both, people can't say it wasn't Puel because it seemed as clear as day Wes and Fuchs were on their way out until Rodgers came in. I have no problem with Puel sweeping the cupboard clean and wanting to move on. The squad and team we now have is testament to that being exactly the right thing to do, King and the others were always clearly going to have their nose put out of joint about that. But you can still do that and be a normal human being and treat people like adults and not school children. 

[TheSomersetFox]

27 minutes ago, The whole world smiles said:

Claude Puel had the best track record of bringing on youth players in the whole of Europe that again is a stone cold fact https://www.sportskeeda.com/amp/football/10-managers-used-youth-players-most-last-decade-2018/10

 

The last time the club's hirearchy tried to rebuild we spent nearly 100 million on Musa, slimani, Mendy, Hernandez and Ron Robert Zieler. So I would suggest it's you being naive for not giving him proper credit for the rebuild. Having said that your right I'm glad he's gone too.

Oh yeah he definitely played his part in bringing a lot of these players through and giving them minutes. I'm just not going to completely credit the bloke for the rebuild. 

[Dahnsouff]

Enough Puel talk - back on track.

 

Kingy 

 

Could he be a coach here? (For a start  )

[HighPeakFox]

7 hours ago, UpTheLeagueFox said:

I hear you @Oxfordfox83 and perhaps the way I described stuff didn't always come across how I intended. But I can assure you it wasn't through any personal dislike for the bloke. The stories just kept coming and coming - from a plethora of people - so I knew this wasn't just one disaffected player with an axe to grind. Maybe I got a bit frustrated that some fans just wouldn't take the blinkers off about their club and believe things were getting increasingly nasty behind the scenes. Fortunately we're in better shape now and the players (and lots of other club staff) are in a much happier working environment. Onwards and upwards.

Thanks for this Geoff - I feel that you're in a very difficult position when contributing on here, because one word out of place, or one phrase written slightly in haste, and we're onto you, and those that seek to justify an agenda or some weird hatred will leap on what you've said and say 'see, Geoff said it'. So I understand the invidious spot you can be found in. 

 

I agree with just about everyone in the last few entries, especially @Babylon (I know, I know, I should know better etc) that Puel seems to have gone about trying to do right in entirely the wrong way, and one cannot get away with that for very long. 

[ozleicester]

Kingy is Leicester, I hope we keep him, make him a coach and he is good enough to become Manager.

 

Puel was clearly directed to bring in the new broom, he did that but was a dick, The decision timings to hire and fire seem to have been almost perfect.

 

We need to start crediting our back room teams, again the handling of the Harry saga has been exceptional.

 

All hail Rudders and Whelan

[Sol thewall Bamba]

Mental the shit that gets thrown at him, how can you read that and not absolutely love the bloke. What I'd do to be a fly on the wall of that senior players meeting, Wes, Kasper, Kingy, Vards talking about the identity of the club. 

 

I was previously quite defensive of Puel but reading that he can get to fvck, no one deserves to be treated like that let alone the club's record goal scoring midfielder, utter disgrace. 

[Houdini Logic]

Leicester are growing, an attractive proposition for any player in the world to come here. Leicester have the financial backing to buy who they want and push for European places. None of those players are going to want to play for the club as much as I am

 

[norwichfox]

3 hours ago, Cujek said:

So Puel is a cvnt, confirmed. 

 

Say what you like about King but the guy is true blue Leicester and should always be treated with the utmost respect by everyone. 

 

I hope he retires here and becomes a coach with us, we would be lucky to keep him. 

fixed....

[Sol thewall Bamba]

6 minutes ago, norwichfox said:

fixed....

I like the way you have Vichai as your photo but then disrespect someone he clearly had massive, massive respect for. 

[J.Lisemore]

Just to add another point to the rest, I think Puel would have been respected more had he actually tried to learn the English language ( e.g Bale at Real) he was coming out with the same things every week and didn’t even know what they meant. How are the players going to respect their manager that they can’t communicate with on a personal level? never going to end well. 

[Carl the Llama]

On 31/07/2019 at 21:41, UpTheLeagueFox said:

People around the club were not shy in volunteering information about the major problems.

You've got a bit of a chip on your shoulder over people being sceptical of this but I'm really not sure how else you expect people to respond to anonymous claims of dressing room unrest in an age where media figures like to blow things out of proportion and where that particular accusation's made pretty much every time any team has a bad run of form.  I mean just look at all the bs circling around Maguire and tell us you expect people to take everything they read in the media at face value. 

 

You've been pretty spot on lately but instead of whining at us for being dubious of anonymous info, maybe whine at your colleagues who drag your profession through the dirt?

[WestLothianFox]

12 hours ago, UpTheLeagueFox said:

If you think this is 'one player only' who had major issues with Puel then your own 'agenda' of blind support for him is very, very strong. And very wrong.

I spoke with a couple on holiday a couple of weeks ago, who know Marc Albrighton, when they found out I support Leicester, they told me he didnt like, or get on with Puel

[Voll Blau]

Kingy's just the best isn't he? Whatever time he has left here, I hope he's treated with the dignity and respect he deserves - from both club and supporters - and gets a proper send-off. Get the Testimonial sorted!

[Cameron Davidson]

So looking at our Midfield and the (cover), where does Kingy fit in now? Strangely he might find himself up the pecking order somewhat looking at numbers...

 

DM:  Ndidi,  (Mendy, Choudhury, Silva, James)

 

AM: Tielemans, Maddison, (King, ??) 

[Foxin_Mad]

They don't make players with loyalty like King anymore. 

 

The period under Sven King really was brilliant scoring loads of goals from Midfield. 

 

Never really pushed on from there but has always been a safe reliable player when needed. He not the best player but a decent Premier League midfielder now I feel. 

 

I hope that Rogers gives in some new energy and he can at least make a few bench appearances, he is relatively versatile in midfield. 

[Babylon]

14 hours ago, Hammo said:

It was obvious to all bar his misguided coterie of loyalists on here that Puel was the wrong man for the job. The team just didn't (want to) play for him.

 

I'd love to hear a further insight from other players into his lack of man-management, motivation and communication skills. We already have a pretty good idea of what Vardy thought of him.

Or he was just the fall guy who took the brunt of the clubs aim to move on and transition away from an ageing title winning squad. There are two parts to the job and he has dealt with and sorted the difficult transition task whilst having us finish comfortably mid-table, and left us with a young vibrant squad. He was just never going to get much more out of them.