urban.spaceman Posted 7 December 2019 Posted 7 December 2019 Brendan Rodgers targeting trophies after signing £8 m-a-year Leicester City contract John Percy Brendan Rodgers is targeting trophies and breaking records after signing an £8 million-a-year contract with Leicester City. As revealed by Telegraph Sport on Friday, Leicester moved to tie down their highly-regarded manager by offering a lucrative extension until the summer of 2025 as a reward for nine months of progress. The 46-year-old was appointed in February and has overseen a remarkable resurgence at the King Power Stadium, guiding Leicester to second in the Premier League. Their league win over Watford on Wednesday night was their seventh in a row. Arsenal are understood to have considered Rodgers as one of their potential targets to replace Unai Emery, who was sacked last week, but Leicester are now focusing on a future with the Northern Irishman at the helm. Leicester had always intended to reward Rodgers for the impressive start to his tenure and contract negotiations had started last week. Rodgers initially agreed a 3½-year deal worth around £5 million a year when he moved from Celtic, with a £14 million release clause. He has now landed a significant pay rise, and the contract is likely to include an even bigger compensation fee due if he was to leave. He said: “We really want to establish ourselves near the top of the table in the next few years, and there is so much room and scope to develop here. “I hope in my time here that we can continue to break records and win trophies, and stay competing and fighting which is important. “I want this team remembered in 30 years’ time for the level of football and how competitive they are. That would be the ultimate for me. “I’m committing my work and life here to give it everything. I’ve got a real motivation.” Leicester will seek an eighth league win in a row at Aston Villa on Sunday and James Maddison is backing “world-class” striker Jamie Vardy to break his own goalscoring record. Vardy has scored for seven games in a row and is closing in on the milestone he set in 2015, when he found the net in 11 consecutive matches to claim a record previously held by Ruud van Nistelrooy. After the trip to Villa, the 32-year-old will play against Norwich City and Manchester City before the visit of league leaders Liverpool on Boxing Day. If his scoring streak continues, he would equal the record against Liverpool. “I would back him to do it, definitely. He doesn’t ever look like he’s not going to score,” said Maddison. “I sit next to him in the changing room and when I look at him, I just think he looks like he’s going to score every time. He’s always in the mood. He’s a goalscorer, a world-class finisher. “World class isn’t a term that you should throw around lightly but his finishing is. He scores goals at this level and that record of 11 games in a row is just unbelievable. “He’s only four away at the moment and I’ll keep trying to feed him – maybe I’ll even let him have the odd free kick!” Vardy’s goals have helped propel Leicester into second place, while the performances of £21 million signing Maddison earned him international recognition last month. Maddison insists Leicester deserve more credit for their excellent start and is focusing on keeping up the pressure on Liverpool. “Seven wins in a row is fantastic to hear and it’s great to be a part of. We’ve got real momentum at the minute and we don’t want that to stop,” he said. “Liverpool are top of the table and very rarely drop points so to stay up there at that level we have to keep winning. “Let’s hope we keep staying under the radar. We’ll keep going, people will or won’t talk but it doesn’t really matter because it won’t change our preparation for games. Eventually people might start talking about us but we won’t let that derail us because we’ve got a job to do.”
LC/FC Posted 7 December 2019 Posted 7 December 2019 Not a bad pay rise and it's still about half of what Spurs is having to pay Mourinho.
Billy Big Balls Posted 7 December 2019 Posted 7 December 2019 According to this £8m a year makes him the 3rd highest paid manager in the league, only Pep and Mourinho are on more! We're fookin massive!
NaijaFox Posted 7 December 2019 Posted 7 December 2019 4 minutes ago, Billy Big Balls said: According to this £8m a year makes him the 3rd highest paid manager in the league, only Pep and Mourinho are on more! We're fookin massive! Klopp won’t be too pleased about that.
Tuna Posted 7 December 2019 Posted 7 December 2019 7 minutes ago, Billy Big Balls said: According to this £8m a year makes him the 3rd highest paid manager in the league, only Pep and Mourinho are on more! We're fookin massive! Solskjaer
KingsX Posted 7 December 2019 Posted 7 December 2019 40 minutes ago, Tuna said: Solskjaer I desire to purchase from you, the very finest of chocolate bars. Nay, only the very finest! And I will pay top dollar!
Wolfox Posted 7 December 2019 Posted 7 December 2019 54 minutes ago, Billy Big Balls said: According to this £8m a year makes him the 3rd highest paid manager in the league, only Pep and Mourinho are on more! We're fookin massive! Filters down to Nige - bag of twiglets and a pat on the back
FoxFossil Posted 7 December 2019 Posted 7 December 2019 No point in Klopp getting a pay rise, Brendan will just put his rent up. Actually he should turn up with a van on Christmas eve and evict the twat.
LestaAl Posted 7 December 2019 Posted 7 December 2019 11 minutes ago, FoxFossil said: No point in Klopp getting a pay rise, Brendan will just put his rent up. Actually he should turn up with a van on Christmas eve and evict the twat. I understood the property had now been purchased. by LFC
FoxFossil Posted 7 December 2019 Posted 7 December 2019 1 minute ago, LestaAl said: I understood the property had now been purchased. by LFC Hope BR charged them Man U rates, in which case he could buy Bradgate Park for his dog.
Guest BlueBrett Posted 7 December 2019 Posted 7 December 2019 Puts him on more than Vardy. Maybe we can compete with the 'big boys' on salaries after all. Not saying we should of course but it's nice to have the flexibility.
The whole world smiles Posted 7 December 2019 Posted 7 December 2019 8 hours ago, Billy Big Balls said: According to this £8m a year makes him the 3rd highest paid manager in the league, only Pep and Mourinho are on more! We're fookin massive! Klopp needs to fire his agent. How is he only on the same dough as Solskjaer?
whoareyaaa Posted 7 December 2019 Posted 7 December 2019 Good that Rodgers is committed to the cause for good now, this is a great boost for the team and manager.
Crinklyfox Posted 7 December 2019 Posted 7 December 2019 Unless he's actively seeking a pay cut there won't be too many clubs he'll be tempted to go to now.
Fox92 Posted 7 December 2019 Posted 7 December 2019 Good to read. None of this just "top four is target" but actually speaking of trophies.
splinterdream Posted 7 December 2019 Posted 7 December 2019 Have noticed lots of statements coming from the club and Brendan, I'm guessing to show our intentions to the players who are likely to attract attention
fuchsntf Posted 7 December 2019 Posted 7 December 2019 17 hours ago, FoxFossil said: No point in Klopp getting a pay rise, Brendan will just put his rent up. Actually he should turn up with a van on Christmas eve and evict the twat. Top joke Post of the year...loved it...
Clever Fox Posted 7 December 2019 Posted 7 December 2019 7 hours ago, jonthefox said: We'll win the league cup this year. We'll certainly be giving it a real go. Unlike last years effort when we didn't take it seriously enough.
urban.spaceman Posted 7 December 2019 Author Posted 7 December 2019 Brendan Rodgers’ reborn Leicester should not be overlooked in title race Paul DoyleSat 7 Dec 2019 20.00 GMT Foxes have the ability, squad depth and league-winning experience to snatch the crown if Liverpool wobble Brendan Rodgers has rejuvenated a Leicester City side who looked certain to have peaked with the 2015-16 title. Photograph: Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty Images If Leicester beat Aston Villa on Sunday, it will be the first time they have won eight consecutive matches in the top flight. Winning at Villa Park will not be easy because Dean Smith’s team are better than their position in the Premier League table suggests. But then, so are Brendan Rodgers’s team. Leicester started the weekend as Liverpool’s closest pursuers but still not widely considered to be genuine challengers. Ridiculous. Granted, if the title race remains a sprint, not a marathon, then no one will catch Liverpool this season. But if they slow down or stumble, which is entirely conceivable, then it is not only Manchester City who could overtake them. Leicester are serious runners and could close the gap substantially this month, especially with Liverpool due at the King Power on Boxing Day straight after returning from the World Club Championship in Qatar. It is almost absurd what Leicester are doing, attempting to put a perky twist on Samuel Beckett’s most famous quote. Win again. Win better. Three years ago they became the most sensational champions of the Premier League era and now here they are again with a chance of following up that feat, against superior opponents and with more pizzazz. Consider, too, that it is just five years since the only previous time Leicester won eight league games in a row. That was in the Championship. Leicester have become a club who advance at pace. They reached their eight-in-a-row milestone last time by winning in Birmingham, and the scorer of the decisive goal was Jamie Vardy. He and Kasper Schmeichel are the two Leicester players who featured in that match and are likely to start at Villa Park. Wes Morgan is still an important squad member, too. The enduring influence of those players, plus extras such as Marc Albrighton and Christian Fuchs, could be critical if Leicester are still in contention in the closing weeks of the season. They, after all, have experience of winning the title. Unlike Liverpool, who will come under almost unbearable pressure as the prospect of ending 30 years of purgatory draws nearer. Rodgers knows that better than most. His role in all this should not be underplayed. He has had some lucky breaks at Leicester and not in the way word of a release clause in his contract got out just when Arsenal started sniffing around, which hardly hurt him before he agreed a nice new deal on Friday. There is also the fact Harry Maguire, whose departure to Manchester United in August was seen as a blow, is serving as a useful case study to any Leicester players who may be courted during the January transfer window, a parable showing that while there may be more money at other sides, the grass is not always greener. Most significantly, though, Rodgers inherited an excellent squad. But he has done excellent work with that squad. It seems unthinkable that with these players Leicester lost more matches than they won last season. The most striking difference between now and then is the rise in their intensity. Rodgers has made them tighter, sharper and smarter. Claude Puel began their transition from a counterattacking team to possession-based unit but did not understand his players well enough to see it through, leaving Leicester ponderous and prone to lapses in concentration. Vardy told L’Équipe in September that the team did not feel properly wired. “I felt the rhythm [of training] was too slow,” he said. “So much so that it was difficult for us to be fast and aggressive in matches. Everyone who plays sport knows that if you train one way, you cannot change radically when the competition starts. We tried our best but it wasn’t working, it was frustrating.” No more. Leicester pass and move with purpose now and, when out of possession, chase the ball voraciously. They have won more tackles than any other top-10 team in the league this season. Wilfred Ndidi, Caglar Soyuncu and Ricardo Pereira, in addition to being nifty with the ball, yearn for physical duels. But the movements are all coordinated, which is why Leicester have conceded fewer goals this season than any team in England’s top four divisions. And they are the only side not to concede a single goal from a set piece. They have scored more late goals than anyone else, testament to their stamina, spirit and Rodgers’s ability to make effective tactical or personnel changes during games. It is telling that in their past two matches Leicester have won without being at their best, with key contributions from substitutes. Kelechi Iheanacho struck in stoppage-time against Everton and James Maddison (not a substitute) scored late against Watford thanks to a burst by James Justin, who had replaced Harvey Barnes. Fuchs also performed well after stepping in for the injured Ben Chilwell. Dennis Praet and Demarai Gray were similarly influential after being introduced at Brighton three weeks ago. Leicester have greater strength in depth than many suppose and the capacity to reinforce in January. There are critical matches to come before then, though. Leicester’s seven games between now and New Year’s Day include a pre-Christmas trip to Manchester City followed by the showdown with Liverpool, who have an important Champions League date on Tuesday before jetting off to Qatar after next Saturday’s game against Watford, now managed by that old Leicester favourite, Nigel Pearson. Leicester are focused fully on domestic action and should not be overlooked by anyone.
IsItMuzzy Posted 7 December 2019 Posted 7 December 2019 38 minutes ago, urban.spaceman said: next Saturday’s game against Watford, now managed by that old Leicester favourite, Nigel Pearson. Pearson to beat Liverpool in his first match as Watford manager to once again set in motion Leicester winning the league
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