Brendan

[Leeds Fox]

1 hour ago, WestLothianFox said:

Agree with you. Didn't we buy Benkovic and Soyuncu last summer as we thought Maguire was leaving then

 

Partially. However, Maguire signed a new contract and Benkovic and Soyuncu had the opportunity to bed in with the squad somewhat (Benko obviously not as much so). Also they they were bought before we pulled massive money for Maguire and both came for relatively modest fees in regards to their ability and potential. Sensible business as Maguire was inevitably leaving at some point and they were on the market at good value and had attributes that we wanted. Rather that than sell and then panic buy.  

[That_Dude]

21 hours ago, SkidsFox said:

In particular the danger is with Barcelona or Real Madrid - both of whom could potentially sack their manager soon if results fail to improve. 

Are you serious? Honest question.

[Ric Flair]

4 hours ago, Chester Dontlie said:

Yes I think we are very different from Southampton since the title win. We aspire for top 8 or even top 6 finish while Southampton are just happy to avoid relegation. Vichais and Top's ambitions were higher than just staying up in the Prem when they joined and they've stated that.

You say sustained success will be almost impossible, I say your glass is almost half empty. I believe it is very much possible with Top at the helm. By the success I mean staying in top 8 for the next few seasons at least, as opposed to battling relegation like Southampton.

 

Of all the transfers you've mentioned only selling Kante had significant consquences and brought in too little money. Mahrez wanted to leave for two seasons already and when played was blowing hot and cold, sulking through every second game, good riddance I say. Drinkwater to Chelsea. Anybody on here miss him? Offloading some dead wood for that kind of money can only be commendable. As for Maguire... for that crazy money, we had their pants down, and as much as I was a fan of Harry, I'm happy we have Evans and Soyuncu. You would be lucky to find a Leicester supporter who misses Maguire. So of all the transfers to big clubs you've mentioned only Kante was a considerable blow, and, unlike Southampton, we managed to keep our most essential players like Vardy and Ndidi and have very decent replacements for those who left. In comparison Southampton are almost bare bones now, all the flesh they had was torn either by Liverpool or by some other clubs and they are left with a less than mediocre team of players with maybe two of them half decent ones (Romeu and Bednarek) and are very, very lucky to have a decent manager in Hassenhutl.  We are in a so much better situation than them, because our owner and the board doesn't think like Southampton's do, and actually can plan forward.  

 

Absolutely, just because Southampton were picked apart doesn't mean we will suffer the same fate. There are many clubs across Europe who cash in on one, maybe two sellable assets most seasons and use that as a way of progressing, Dortmund are masters at it. There's a risk that the recruitment process that serves a club so well in the past suddenly stops being successful and as the players leave then the replacements aren't anywhere near that level. That's true but it's no different long term anyway, if processes start to lose effectiveness then eventually you're done for and refusing to sell players at any cost may well result in unharmony anyway. In an ideal world we progress enough to the point that we are in Europe year in, year out and the desire of certain players to leave is less and therefore we don't have that to consider when lazy clubs like Man Utd, Chelsea etc come calling we absurd money for our players.

[Muzzy_Larsson]

18 minutes ago, Ric Flair said:

Absolutely, just because Southampton were picked apart doesn't mean we will suffer the same fate. There are many clubs across Europe who cash in on one, maybe two sellable assets most seasons and use that as a way of progressing, Dortmund are masters at it. There's a risk that the recruitment process that serves a club so well in the past suddenly stops being successful and as the players leave then the replacements aren't anywhere near that level. That's true but it's no different long term anyway, if processes start to lose effectiveness then eventually you're done for and refusing to sell players at any cost may well result in unharmony anyway. In an ideal world we progress enough to the point that we are in Europe year in, year out and the desire of certain players to leave is less and therefore we don't have that to consider when lazy clubs like Man Utd, Chelsea etc come calling we absurd money for our players.

Dortmund, Ateletico Madrid, Porto, Benfica, Sevilla, etc, etc are masters at exactly what you say, know when the time is right to sell a big asset and almost always reinvest it well, that's the key part and that comes from having a solid recruitment and identification structure behind it all.

 

It's the way of it at 99% of clubs in world football such is the frequency of transfer activity nowadays.  At Celtic I'm now accepting of the fact that we'll sell at least one player every summer for big money, it was Dembele last season, Tierney this season and will most certainly be Edouard this summer.  As long as we reinvest and succession plan properly then I'm fine with that, the frustration recently has been that we are too reactionary and not reinvesting the bulk of the money brought in.

 

Leicester and most clubs in the EPL are the exact same in a relative sense.  Couple of summers ago it was Mahrez, Maguire this summer and will likely be Maddison or Chilwell next summer.  Again the key is to ensure succession planning is done in advance and the money is reinvested.

Edited 26 September 2019 by henrik_62

[Ric Flair]

17 hours ago, henrik_62 said:

Dortmund, Ateletico Madrid, Porto, Benfica, Sevilla, etc, etc are masters at exactly what you say, know when the time is right to sell a big asset and almost always reinvest it well, that's the key part and that comes from having a solid recruitment and identification structure behind it all.

 

It's the way of it at 99% of clubs in world football such is the frequency of transfer activity nowadays.  At Celtic I'm now accepting of the fact that we'll sell at least one player every summer for big money, it was Dembele last season, Tierney this season and will most certainly be Edouard this summer.  As long as we reinvest and succession plan properly then I'm fine with that, the frustration recently has been that we are too reactionary and not reinvesting the bulk of the money brought in.

 

Leicester and most clubs in the EPL are the exact same in a relative sense.  Couple of summers ago it was Mahrez, Maguire this summer and will likely be Maddison or Chilwell next summer.  Again the key is to ensure succession planning is done in advance and the money is reinvested.

Absolutely mate, the way we brought in Soyuncu and Benkovic for sensible prices 12 months before Maguire departed was very good, especially as we somehow managed to drive the price up for Maguire 12 months after the hype of slabhead mania and on the back of a very mediocre 2nd season for us. Now it won't always be that plain sailing but you have to plan for these things, we have signed James Justin and i'm pretty sure he is seen as Ricardo's successor if he has another superb season, which he seems set to as he is liquid gold. If we end up selling him for a wedge then so be it. My only concern is the sheer inflated prices PL clubs seemingly have to or are prepared to pay for players and we fall in to that when teams know we've vast sums of money knocking about, it's then harder and harder to progress your squad as much as you'd like from the sale of just one player. There's also the worry that Congerton and Rodgers aren't exactly genius's in the transfer market and we could quite easily run in to trouble if we lose more than the odd player but as a long term ethos for the club it's absolutely fine by me and in many ways welcome.

[Chrysalis]

On 26/09/2019 at 10:37, henrik_62 said:

I don't believe that's what happened tbh, all his comments suggest the fact that he probably knew Maguire was for the off this summer before he even took on the Leicester job.

I am using his comments for the basis of my comment funny enough.  The comments he made post sale and the fact he was first choice right up to the sale.

 

Maybe the sale he sanctioned. But if he didnt that is my point, you dont keep managers happy by selling players in late of transfer windows from under them.

[Chrysalis]

On 26/09/2019 at 11:07, Nicolo Barella said:

The difference between us and Saints is the sheer quantity of players they sold. We hold onto our players longer and hold out for more. 

 

We have sold about the same.

 

Also you forget player inflation 100m in 2019 is like 50m in 2016.  Plus the amount sold for has no relevance, sold is sold.

[urban fox]

On ‎25‎/‎09‎/‎2019 at 19:14, Chrysalis said:

He said it how it is sadly.

 

Also you think we different to southampton?

 

Since title win

 

Kante to chelsea

Drinkwater to chelsea

Mahrez to man city (somehow you think the fact we sold him meant we didnt roll over)

Maguire to man utd

 

I think we would have lost vardy if he decided to go arsenal.  As its clear we let him talk to arsenal.

 

The difference between us and saints is not our selling policy but our buying policy, we simply brought better.

 

Its as if every footballer's ambition is to play for one of those clubs, and everything is a stepping stone on the way (unless a club forces the issue and blocks it).  I remember a conversation I had with saints fans, which we both agreed on.  Our title win was a result of all the dominoes lining up perfectly.  We basically managed to assemble a team under the radar, and by the time the players got noticed we were well on the way to the title win, you basically have to get success very quickly after building a good team else it be ripped apart by the big boys.  Sustained success will be almost impossible for this reason.

 

To give smaller clubs a chance I would like a rule where players and managers cant move to other clubs in the same division within 2 years of leaving their club.

Kante (and vardy if he had decided to go Arsenal) had release clauses

Drinkwater and Mahrez spat their dummies

Maguire was a bit different.

Players or managers, it makes no difference. If you get the offer to double your wages are you gaoing to turn it down? of course not. Vardy was already our highest paid player, having just got himself a pay rise and Arsenal were not offering anything more in personal terms (£120k per week over three years against our £95k week on a four years contract).

 

We all assume that these players will simply walk off into pep or whoever's open arms, but if we can actually show that we are building something, and the fact that we are constantly being told what a great club it is, maybe, just maybe we might keep the core of what we have together for a few decent years and start winning something. Our problem after the title season was that we were an old squad, albeit one with a great togetherness and spirit. I can see shades of that again but this time with  a few less miles on the clock. It would be such a shame if we cannot keep it together just to see where we could go with it.

[Fox92]

It's all about buying quality when you lose quality. Southampton lost Lallana in the same summer they bought Mane. Mane is a better player.

 

Since losing Mane, Pele, Wanyama etc they haven't bought in players they were once bringing in.

[Nicolo Barella]

1 hour ago, Chrysalis said:

 

We have sold about the same.

 

Also you forget player inflation 100m in 2019 is like 50m in 2016.  Plus the amount sold for has no relevance, sold is sold.

Have we? Over 4 summer windows, 2016/19, we sold Kanté, Drinkwater, Mahrez and Maguire as "key players" of our team, although Mahrez and Kanté were definitely more important than the other two. 

 

Over 4 summer windows, 15/18, Southampton sold Shaw, Lallana, Lovren, Schneiderlin, Clyne, Mané, Pelle, Wanyama, and van Dijk (not to mention falling to sign Alderweireld following a loan) as "key players". More than double our total. If you add the sales of Gazzaniga and Tadic in the following years, they sold an entire upper mid-table eleven.

 

Gazzaniga

Clyne Lovren van Dijk Shaw

Schneiderlin Wanyama

Lallana Tadic Mané

Pelle

 

I think there's a sizeable difference between the two, not least because of our refusal to sell more than one player a window, as opposed to Southampton who sold Mané, Pelle, and Wanyama in one window, and Shaw, Lallana, and Lovren in another. 

 

Player inflation is fair enough however I'll give you that.

Edited 27 September 2019 by Nicolo Barella

[coolhandfox]

Its not who you sell, it who you buy to replace them...........

 

All players have a price, no player stays for ever!

 

Every Club is a selling club outside of possibly Real Madrid.

 

The club know Maguire was going to keen to leave after the WC, and took a course of action to replace the player and ensure the best price.

 

Since the ownership of King Power the club has made many mistakes, but they have show a great capacity to learn from them.  

[Muzzy_Larsson]

3 hours ago, Chrysalis said:

I am using his comments for the basis of my comment funny enough.  The comments he made post sale and the fact he was first choice right up to the sale.

 

Maybe the sale he sanctioned. But if he didnt that is my point, you dont keep managers happy by selling players in late of transfer windows from under them.

There are plenty of comments he’s made that suggest he was well aware of the inevitability of the deal, similar to comments he made recently about Maddison.

 

Theres a huge difference between a manager being disappointed at losing one of his best players (as any manager would be) than a player being sold against his wishes.

 

To say he was sold against his wishes is facetious imo.

Edited 27 September 2019 by henrik_62

[SkidsFox]

On 26/09/2019 at 15:07, That_Dude said:

Are you serious? Honest question.

If Brendan does make us a top four team (I'm not saying it's likely but it is possible) then yes he will be on the top clubs' radar. 

[Long Eaton Fox]

5 minutes ago, SkidsFox said:

If Brendan does make us a top four team (I'm not saying it's likely but it is possible) then yes he will be on the top clubs' radar. 

I think that's part of the reason he came here. To re-establish himself as a top premiership manager, one that could manage a top 6 side. Hope that side's us.

[st albans fox]

There is a tweet from the Newcastle chronicle ahead of the weekend game which references the fact that rafa really wanted the LCFC job. I wonder if Brendan was given the choice - leave celtic now or we will get rafa in.  if that was the case then I doubt he will just up sticks to leave. lets not forget that celtic is his club and he left a certain treble treble to come here.

 

i'm sure he wants to be successful with this squad and he will stay to do it. he has years ahead of him to move onto a top European club (which is what I think he would like to do) 

[Chrysalis]

5 hours ago, Nicolo Barella said:

Have we? Over 4 summer windows, 2016/19, we sold Kanté, Drinkwater, Mahrez and Maguire as "key players" of our team, although Mahrez and Kanté were definitely more important than the other two. 

 

Over 4 summer windows, 15/18, Southampton sold Shaw, Lallana, Lovren, Schneiderlin, Clyne, Mané, Pelle, Wanyama, and van Dijk (not to mention falling to sign Alderweireld following a loan) as "key players". More than double our total. If you add the sales of Gazzaniga and Tadic in the following years, they sold an entire upper mid-table eleven.

 

Gazzaniga

Clyne Lovren van Dijk Shaw

Schneiderlin Wanyama

Lallana Tadic Mané

Pelle

 

I think there's a sizeable difference between the two, not least because of our refusal to sell more than one player a window, as opposed to Southampton who sold Mané, Pelle, and Wanyama in one window, and Shaw, Lallana, and Lovren in another. 

 

Player inflation is fair enough however I'll give you that.

We have sold other players aside from those 4, just only those 4 were listed as they went to top 4/6 UK clubs.

[Nicolo Barella]

1 hour ago, Chrysalis said:

We have sold other players aside from those 4, just only those 4 were listed as they went to top 4/6 UK clubs.

Yeah, they have too, selling players is a normal thing for clubs to do, I'm talking about sales that actually hurt both sides. Are you trolling? The whole discussion was about why we're not another Southampton. That was the most blatant moving of goalposts I've ever seen

[Trav Le Bleu]

1 hour ago, Nicolo Barella said:

Yeah, they have too, selling players is a normal thing for clubs to do, I'm talking about sales that actually hurt both sides. Are you trolling? The whole discussion was about why we're not another Southampton. That was the most blatant moving of goalposts I've ever seen

Until...

 

 

[HybridFox]

Look at Spurs 

 

 

[StriderHiryu]

Brendan Rodgers has transformed Leicester City into a top-four team

Seven months on from his appointment, Brendan Rodgers has turned Leicester's fortunes around. Under him, the Foxes are the third best team in the Premier League, writes Adam Bate

 

Brendan Rodgers has made a big impact in charge of Leicester City

 

Brendan Rodgers has Leicester third in the Premier League table. Early days, it's true, but that record dates back well before the start of the season. It is seven months now since Rodgers was appointed at the King Power Stadium and only Liverpool and Manchester City have picked up more points in that time. Leicester's fortunes have been transformed.

At a club accustomed to the extraordinary, ambition was stifled under predecessor Claude Puel. Direction lost. But Rodgers has restored belief and Leicester is alive with possibility once more. With the help of some shrewd and imaginative recruitment, an exciting young team has been constructed. Rodgers is proving the right man to unlock that talent.

 

 

Speaking to him last month, it was clear that this had been a big summer. Expectations had been clarified, work intensified and progress made. Rodgers had used the spring to assess his squad and now they were exploring different tactical ideas. Expanding their repertoire.

While others embarked on pre-season tours far from home, it was agreed with director of football Jon Rudkin that Leicester would not leave Europe.

"We spoke about staying as close to home as we could so that we could get as much work in as we could," he told Sky Sports. "I have been involved in the commitments when you travel and there are a lot of commercial demands. Especially our first pre-season together, I felt it was going to be very important that we lock ourselves down in the training facility."

Leicester's pass sequences shows how Rodgers has changed their style

The impact has been obvious. Leicester look like a Rodgers team now. Only last season's top four have had more touches of the ball. As well as the results of a top team, they are playing the football of one too. Leicester rank among the top six for the number of pass sequences of 10 or more. Their title win was a spectacular one-off, but this feels sustainable.

 

"I think it's what you see building out from the back as, whether you see it as an opportunity or a risk," he said recently. "It's nothing new. It's been that way for a long time. It depends how you are as a coach. There will be mistakes in it, but there is a great opportunity in the modern game, when you build your game from deeper, teams have a longer area to press."

Their own pressing is making them more difficult opponents. "We have been very strong defensively," says Rodgers. He's right. Only two teams have faced fewer shots on target. When it comes to expected goals against, based on the quality of shots faced, they rank second. Remarkable given that they have already played four of last season's top seven.

Leicester's pressing numbers reflect their style of play under Rodgers

Delve deeper into the detail of their pressing and the change in approach is clear. The key metric is known as PPDA - opposition passes per defensive action in the attacking two thirds of the pitch. Leicester were among the bottom half on this metric last season, now they are second. This is now a team that wants to keep the ball - and then win it back quickly.

"Hopefully we can bring in a structure to how we play, which firstly means that you've got to defend well, so you've got to press the game," he had said upon his arrival. "Supporters maybe have seen my teams at Swansea, Liverpool and Celtic and will recognise how intensely we try to press the game. That's the base then to use your qualities technically."

 

There is quality in this Leicester squad, there is no doubt about that. The roles of senior players Kasper Schmeichel, Jonny Evans and Jamie Vardy should not be underestimated - "they have been fantastic since I came in and very important in terms of the leadership in the dressing room" - but the bulk of the group with which Rodgers is working are young.

At Old Trafford two weeks ago, Ricardo Pereira, at 25, was the only other starter over the age of 23. Wilfred Ndidi has a pivotal role in midfield. James Maddison is the team's playmaker. Supporters are enjoying the combination between Ben Chilwell and Harvey Barnes down the left flank. Caglar Soyuncu has replaced Harry Maguire and is already a huge fan favourite.

All are ambitious. All have bought into the new ideas of the manager. Most importantly for Rodgers, all of them want to learn too. "Thankfully, we have a squad here that constantly wants to improve," he told Sky Sports.

"They are players who are coachable and are hungry."

That has been reflected in their impressive tactical flexibility so far this season. Against Wolves on the opening weekend, it was a 4-3-3 but "just a different shape at the front" with "the width then coming from the full-backs". Maddison has played from the left at times, but then shown that he can adjust even within games - as he did against Tottenham.

 

That switch, when Rodgers "flipped him to the top of the diamond", led to Maddison scoring the dramatic winning goal. Getting the better of Mauricio Pochettino is always a good sign but it is one of many for Rodgers since he has returned to the Premier League. He has reaffirmed his credentials and there is no reason to think the form cannot continue.

As well as facing four of last season's strongest sides, Leicester have negotiated tricky fixtures against newly promoted Sheffield United and an in-form Bournemouth, winning both matches. If they can back it up with another victory over Newcastle on Sunday, they will finish September in the top three. Thanks to Rodgers, there is a belief they can stay there.

[StriderHiryu]

"As well as the results of a top team, they are playing the football of one too. Leicester rank among the top six for the number of pass sequences of 10 or more. Their title win was a spectacular one-off, but this feels sustainable."

 

This is the thing that excites me the most. Our title win was a one-off season. We were brilliant but it was only a matter of time before opponents worked out how to play against us, which of course happened in due course. Nowadays we play football like a strong team traditionally would, which should make for good performances on a more consistent basis. Can't wait for the match this afternoon!

 

 

[Tielemans63]

Clearly he's an absolutely superb coach. We're lucky to have him.

[StriderHiryu]

From the match thread:

 

 

Brendan Rodgers is an exceptional coach and manager. The best coaches can improve individuals and the team as a result. Rodgers has and is doing that on a weekly basis! I could go into so much detail into the minutae of what he's doing and why it's so good, as there are so many examples I could give but here are just a few:

- Soyuncu no longer rash, times his challenges and defends as a pair properly with Evans.

- Chilwell and Barnes link up effectively now. They never did this under Puel.

- Ndidi's distribution has improved massively. Don't think he gave the ball away in that half, whereas before he panicked under pressure and could be pressed to get the ball back.

- Vardy's runs and chasing down make acres of space for the attacking midfielders to run into. Look at Ricardo's goal, and the space Vardy occupies vacate the space for him.

- The team presses as a unit winning the ball back time and time again.

- One-two's and overlapping runs are so much more effective all over the pitch.

 

 

The title win was something else, but honestly this team is the best ball playing Leicester team I have seen in my lifetime. Impressed!