The Situation.

[sacreblueits442]

5 hours ago, Pliskin said:

We need to change formation and tactic for these last few games, in my opinion. 

 

I think that we need to switch to a back three, the reason being our wingers are largely ineffective but our full backs are more than capable of driving the side up the pitch. Chilly is undeniably excellent at this, and I think JJ is also capable given the right support. 

This means Youri might have a bit more flexibility to move, as will Maddison. It also means we can play two strikers, and having that extra CB, it means there should not be a gap between Vardy and the supporting act. 

 

I would be happy to see us relinquish possession slightly, to enable us to counter teams. With Chilly, Justin and Vardy on the pitch we should be looking to utilise this pace to hurt teams, we will do nothing tentatively popping the ball around midfield. Three at the back need not be a negative tactic if you employ it well, and I certainly feel we can do this. For the remaining PL games I would play;

 

--------------------Kasper

 

--------Evans-----Bennett-----Cags 

 

Justin ---------------------------------Chilly

 

--------------Youri-------N'didi---------------

 

-----------------Madders

 

---------Kalechi------------Vardy

 

 

N'didi can easily drop in where needed, Chilly and Justin have a bit more freedom to push on when in attack mode, and we have extra cover at the back. I would rather see us do this and go for it, than tip toe around the field, hoping we get a break through. 

 

..against Chelsea it will not be a repeat of the Brighton fiasco!!!

 We have to play our usual style, we should have the space to play but we will be pressed relentlessly.

  Funny enough I think Albrighton to Vardy could play a pivotal role in this game.

[MonmoreStef]

Hopefully Sheff Utd, Arsenal and Palace will be on their summer holidays come our games. Tbf the first two matches as poor as we were they were against teams that are, let’s say, in the mood to play. Those games were awful but most of the matches I’ve seen were just as bad. The hot weather isn’t helping the games either. 

[Stevosevic]

It's worrying how little we look like scoring.

 

 

[Sol thewall Bamba]

6 hours ago, FIF said:

I reckon we'll beat Everton, Draw with Palace, Beat Arsenal, beat Bournemouth, draw with Sheff, beat Spurs and beat Manure. 17pts - looks like we'll finish 3rd.

What have you seen in our last 15 fixtures that has made you come to that conclusion? 

[TJB-fox]

Not defending Gray’s form but if you seriously expect him to be dropped in + out of the team and given 10 min sub cameos and still expect him to be a world beater then thats probably something you need to rethink. Would be interesting to see his performances if he was given a run of 10-13 consecutive starts.

 

Probably still shit 

[inckley fox]

7 hours ago, LinekersLugs said:

So much moaning yet it’s the run in we are 3rd ahead of us are clubs that have spent £1.5 billion in last 10 years, we are 6pts clear of 5th and that club and the club in 4th have also spent over a billion between them ! 
 

come on wake up ! We have had two draws and are lacking a spark but we aren’t the only club to look like this post lock down, 

 

postives

 

1) our fitness is excellent 

2) we will improve 

3) we haven’t lost 

4) we have a fantastic manager 

5) we are 6pts clear of 5th with games running out 

6) Man City will be banned for at least one season and we are all but guaranteed top 5 now

7) corporate/Exec boxes will be open for next season so some of us will get to see games early doors 

8) we have a very good owner 

9) we have a talented squad 

10) we can win the FA cup 

I love the enthusiasm! However I didn't see enough work-rate to suggest that our fitness is much of an advantage, and based on the last few months of football I'm not confident that we're on an upwards trajectory. Our manager is indeed highly respected and has, overall, done a fine job over around a year's worth of football - but there are worrying signs. 

 

The fact that problems have continued in spite of a lengthy break suggests that this isn't a confidence-related dip, and if this form were to extend into the future for another 10-15 games, we wouldn't make the CL, and after a month of the new season we'd be talking about changing our manager. I'd agree that we would have taken 6th or 7th back in August, but when you're 3rd at this stage of the season you have to adjust your objectives. 

 

We had good finishes, if you turned a blind eye to late-season form, in 1968, 1977 and 2001 - but look at what happened next. So it's just a case of looking at what's wrong - and there's plenty to go on right now - and speculating about how we can avoid a crisis like that.

 

The manager needs to rethink. He's encouraged midfielders to score more goals, and it's resulted in selfishness. He's chopped and changed the side, and now we look less effective as a unit. He's played players with injuries and we've suffered long-term lay-offs. He's played combinations of players (Mendy-Ndidi / Barnes-Chilwell on the left) and players out of position (e.g. Maddison on the left) that we've long since known not to work. His build-up has become painfully one-dimensional, to the point that it's easy for oppositions to suss from watching just a few minutes of our play, let alone studying us for months on end. His signings have - as has been the case throughout his career - been of debatable merit, to the extent that you worry what a summer overhaul might do to us. And at various clubs he's been accused of slow, purposeless passing in his build-up and a reluctance to take a risk on the early positive pass. That conservatism has caused players to stop moving for the ball as readily as before, while others are rarely involved because too much possession is in a part of the pitch which is more likely to get us into trouble (and end up punting the ball aimlessly upfield) than it is the opposition.

 

He's clearly bright, and revered by people who know a lot more about the game than I do, so I'm optimistic that he can address these concerns. But he needs to first recognise the need to address them, and see that it's not just a matter of which team you select, or which players you sign. Some of the fundamental ideas - or at least how they're being played out on the pitch - are in need of a serious tweak.

Edited 25 June 2020 by inckley fox

[Guest An Sionnach]

30 minutes ago, inckley fox said:

He's clearly bright, and revered by people who know a lot more about the game than I do, so I'm optimistic that he can address these concerns. But he needs to first recognise the need to address them, and see that it's not just a matter of which team you select, or which players you sign. Some of the fundamental ideas - or at least how they're being played out on the pitch - are in need of a serious tweak.

Edited 25 minutes ago by inckley fox

History suggests that managers know far less than the media give them credit for. Even Guardiola keeps picking John Stones. I would take the collective analysis of this forum over the opinions of all the media and most managers. Most people on this forum really do know what they are talking about.

[Stadt]

We’ve really struggled to create good chances since Christmas, besides against Villa and West Ham which were spineless performances from them. 
 

Vardy was finishing almost anything and everything in the first half of the season but we’re just not getting the ball into dangerous areas enough now. Maddison and Tielemans have got 9 assist between them all season which shows that we’ve struggled to create enough centrally. 
 

Maybe against Rodgers’ ethos but I’d like to see us be a little bit more pragmatic and set up in a way that lets the players focus on what they’re good at. It’s obvious Maddison and Tielemans aren’t athletic or enough to control games as free 8s. So to get more support to Vardy and free up the fullbacks to get further forward I’d try 4231.

 

               Vardy

Barnes  JM/YT  Perez

         Praet  Ndidi
Chilwell Cags Evans Justin

          Schmeichel 
 

 

[OntarioFox]

I honestly think we're gonna blow it now.

 

I will be delighted if I'm wrong, but the momentum is with everyone else. :/

[Corky]

9 hours ago, LCFCSOULBOY said:

You got me confused. Are you a politician? So you admit we have gone backwards now? We all would like a good run, but does BR and the squad have the ability to turn things around? We have seen 2 games where we played really well since Christmas but I would never say that is turning things around. What I would say is why has everything turned for the worse and why did it happen so sudden after a wonderful run? First game against Watford, well that was first game back and we were not good. Don't think anyone would argue with that. Then against Brighton we were even worse. Surely we should have gotten better. But yes got worse. Considerably worse. On Saturday if we are worse again I think that entire squad, BR and coaching staff should have a rocket up their. Well you know where. Lol.  Take care mate. Hope we can turn this around

We've regressed from the excellent run of form from October- December clearly, and have lots of improving to do in a short space of time. You asked whether we'd made progress under Rodgers- surely you compare it with last season or the previous manager and obviously we're in a better place than we were then.

[Kitchandro]

I feel like something went on behind the scenes before the Norwich match at home. There was an inexplicable lack of enthusiasm and energy in that match after 8 wins in a row, since then we’ve generally been poor.

 

There has been bad team selections and poor tactics, and we clearly lack characters in the squad, but there was a clear line drawn between challenging Liverpool and what we’ve seen since that Norwich match shortly before Christmas.

 

’The situation’ is that the team are not playing for Rodgers anymore. He’s a poor tactician, which explains some things, but not our lack of desire, which has been startlingly evident in quite a few games.

[lcfcsnow]

46 minutes ago, Kitchandro said:

I feel like something went on behind the scenes before the Norwich match at home. There was an inexplicable lack of enthusiasm and energy in that match after 8 wins in a row, since then we’ve generally been poor.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/50684861

[Corky]

12 minutes ago, Kitchandro said:

 

 

’The situation’ is that the team are not playing for Rodgers anymore. He’s a poor tactician, which explains some things, but not our lack of desire, which has been startlingly evident in quite a few games.

I wouldn't rule it out, 16 months is roughly the amount of time a manager is in charge here before they stop playing.

 

Maybe we just need to change managers after brilliant runs to keep the momentum going in future?

[OntarioFox]

3 minutes ago, Corky said:

I wouldn't rule it out, 16 months is roughly the amount of time a manager is in charge here before they stop playing.

 

Maybe we just need to change managers after brilliant runs to keep the momentum going in future?

I hear that Nigel Pearson fella is doing a decent job at Watford 

[Silva Fox]

7 minutes ago, Corky said:

I wouldn't rule it out, 16 months is roughly the amount of time a manager is in charge here before they stop playing.

 

Maybe we just need to change managers after brilliant runs to keep the momentum going in future?

Maybe the job should be rotated between the squad as player managers on a monthly basis (or less if they get bored with them!)

[Corky]

3 minutes ago, Silva Fox said:

Maybe the job should be rotated between the squad as player managers on a monthly basis (or less if they get bored with them!)

There does seem to be a pattern emerging of players listening and doing well for a while then things tailing off badly. It cost Ranieri and Puel, will it cost Rodgers too?

[winteriscoming]

Worst case scenario - we drop down to the europa league places this season. Then next season we get off to a bad start. Rodgers gets sacked. New manager comes in wins 4/5 on the trot. Everyone on here thinks the new manager is the saviour. Then have the obvious blip in form until the end of next season. Calls for someone else to come in and the cycle continues. Rightly or wrongly this is what happens and it’s not just our club.  

[inckley fox]

56 minutes ago, An Sionnach said:

History suggests that managers know far less than the media give them credit for. Even Guardiola keeps picking John Stones. I would take the collective analysis of this forum over the opinions of all the media and most managers. Most people on this forum really do know what they are talking about.

I'm not sure I'd want to put our expert knowledge up against a highly paid pro's, but there have been some moments in history in which it wouldn't have hurt managers to pay attention to consensus. Perhaps not that of angry, baying mobs - but maybe that of fans who've sat down and analysed their team over time.

 

Back in the Taylor era, it wouldn't have hurt him to listen to those saying 'this Junior Lewis / Ade Akinbiyi / Lee Marshall chap really isn't up to scratch.' It wouldn't have hurt Levein to do the same with Kisnorbo in midfield, or De Vries up front, or Maybury in defence. The panic over not signing a like-for-like replacement for Kante is something that could have saved Ranieri if he'd paid attention to it. And Puel, like Rodgers the other day, would have been wise to listen to those who felt certain that Mendy/Ndidi wasn't conducive to building positive attacking play.

 

Equally, we spout a whole load of tripe at times. If Pearson had heeded our calls over Vardy or Drinkwater in 2013 we'd never have found ourselves in this position in the first place. And he'd probably still have been playing Futacs.

[Guest An Sionnach]

8 minutes ago, inckley fox said:

I'm not sure I'd want to put our expert knowledge up against a highly paid pro's, but there have been some moments in history in which it wouldn't have hurt managers to pay attention to consensus. Perhaps not that of angry, baying mobs - but maybe that of fans who've sat down and analysed their team over time.

 

Back in the Taylor era, it wouldn't have hurt him to listen to those saying 'this Junior Lewis / Ade Akinbiyi / Lee Marshall chap really isn't up to scratch.' It wouldn't have hurt Levein to do the same with Kisnorbo in midfield, or De Vries up front, or Maybury in defence. The panic over not signing a like-for-like replacement for Kante is something that could have saved Ranieri if he'd paid attention to it. And Puel, like Rodgers the other day, would have been wise to listen to those who felt certain that Mendy/Ndidi wasn't conducive to building positive attacking play.

 

Equally, we spout a whole load of tripe at times. If Pearson had heeded our calls over Vardy or Drinkwater in 2013 we'd never have found ourselves in this position in the first place. And he'd probably still have been playing Futacs.

Its about our collective opinion and if you cancel out the extreme outliers the core opinion is pretty close to correct. Managers get sacked and blame everybody but themselves of course , bad luck rarely plays a part its their own stubbornness or stupidity.

[deanolegend1989]

I think the big mistake was giving Rodgers a bumper new deal.

It was too soon and the job wasn’t seen out and he should get rewarded IF and WHEN we got top 4 and not before!!

If he was stupid enough to leave us for the mess at Arsenal are in then he’s more stupider than I thought by playing 2 DMs and Maddison our wide thinking it will work after the 50th attempt!

 

No matter what anyone says about ‘we’d of taken 5th at start of season’ the facts are from where we were, we should have top 4 locked, and had at least a Wembley trip and a final.

To end up with no cup win and out the top 4 from where we were, would be a disaster. There’s no getting away from that no matter how we dress it up.

[mozartfox]

I kept off this forum for a full 48 hours.  Another 48 hours may be needed....

[sacreblueits442]

1 hour ago, winteriscoming said:

Worst case scenario - we drop down to the europa league places this season. Then next season we get off to a bad start. Rodgers gets sacked. New manager comes in wins 4/5 on the trot. Everyone on here thinks the new manager is the saviour. Then have the obvious blip in form until the end of next season. Calls for someone else to come in and the cycle continues. Rightly or wrongly this is what happens and it’s not just our club.  

...your name suitable encapsulate the essence of your post!!!

[Guest An Sionnach]

Pretty sure we can stay 6 to 8th under Rodgers for the forseeable future, are we going to be happy with that now?

[fuchsntf]

19 minutes ago, sacreblueits442 said:

...your name suitable encapsulate the essence of your post!!!

Winterfell..would be better!!

 

Ayra should be our Next coach,would help with those hectic changes,she uses her various Faces ( like getting a New manager),every 16 months...

and she takes no shit..!!!   

Night King,seen off and with her sister,clever tactics with Lord Bailish( little finger)...

Also No boring Post Match Media moments

[Grebfromgrebland]

I'm thinking maybe some players heads have been turned which may explain the lack of cutting edge since January.

 

We've got Cags, Chilwell, Madison, Ricardo, N'didi all on the rumour mill.

 

Madison still hasn't signed a new contract and there's probably a lot players thinking about big money transfers.

 

It's going to play on your mind knowing that you can be tripling your wages and okay for a genuinely big club.