Brendan Rodgers outlines two vital factors at heart of Leicester City ambitions

[davieG]

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/leicester-injury-transfers-rodgers-table-7824058

 

Leicester City are starting to look upwards after a run of 16 points from eight games catapulted them up the Premier League table to leave them just outside the top half

ByJordan Blackwell
13:10, 15 NOV 2022
 

The safe return of their World Cup players and the arrival of January signings will allow Leicester City to be ambitious in their hopes for the remainder of the Premier League season.

Sixteen points from their past eight games has propelled City off the bottom of the table and up to 13th ahead of the World Cup break. They have also halved the gap to top six over that period, and they are now just five points behind.

In spite of their improved form, City boss Brendan Rodgers is cautious not to make grand predictions for his team, given where they were just a few weeks ago. But he does feel that if their septet in Qatar return without injuries, and with a few additions in the transfer window, there will be reason to look upwards.

 

“We were bottom of the table a few months ago,” Rodgers said, when asked what was achievable this season. “There was a lot of negativity around it. We’ll try to finish as high as we can. Let’s see.

“We’re only a few points off the top 10. If we can break through and show the level we have been, and if the players come back from the World Cup safely, if we can then get some support and some fresh faces in in January, then our ambition is to finish as high as we can.

“We’ve had a fantastic last eight games. The feeling is much better than what it was a few months back and now we can look upwards. To unlock that success, it’s not just about talent. We’ve shown with that effort, we can achieve whatever we would want to.”

Rodgers’ first two full seasons ended in fifth-placed finishes, earning Europa League qualification, but last term, they were eighth, four points off what would have been a Europa Conference League berth. Who wins the domestic cups determines which positions earn European football, but Rodgers believes his team still possess those qualities that got them there previously.

“A team that finishes fifth in the table, you’ve got to have certain characteristics, you’ve got to have resilience, quality, talent, and a mentality,” he said. “It’s great that the players have found their form and consistency again, and doing that away from home is important. Our resilience and organisation is very good.”

[HybridFox]

Seems like more than two vital factors there 

[nnfox]

IF we continue our form

IF our players come back from WC safely

IF we get some support

IF we get some new signings

THEN we'll try and finish as high as possible.

 

I hope they all come in because I'd hate to not try and finish as high as possible.

[HankMarvin]

If the money wasn’t there for him in the summer, why will it be available to invest in January?

 

edit saw a bank loan in next thread

Edited 15 November 2022 by HankMarvin

[RoboFox]

I learned a lot from that article.

 

Edited 15 November 2022 by RoboFox

[filbertway]

Weird that he's no longer mentioning his very realistic pre season expectation of 40 points

 

[OntarioFox]

I'm just shook to my core that the Mercury in 2022 is cultured enough to know what Septet means. Did they use all that ad money to pay for a Grammarly subscription? 

[MarriedaLeicesterGirl]

2 hours ago, HankMarvin said:

If the money wasn’t there for him in the summer, why will it be available to invest in January?

 

edit saw a bank loan in next thread

I also think we will be able to get some outgoings in January: Cags, Ayoze, Lurch come to mind, maybe Mendy. We might also cash in on Tielemans, but I doubt it. I don't think we can get enough money to cover the dropped PL spots.

[Guest Sharpe's Fox]

2 hours ago, davieG said:

“We were bottom of the table a few months ago,” Rodgers said, when asked what was achievable this season. “There was a lot of negativity around it. We’ll try to finish as high as we can. Let’s see.

I'm reluctantly back on board the Brendan Bus but stuff like this is irritating. He's talking like he has taken over after a manager is sacked leaving us bottom rather than somone who put us there. You can kind of see see why a lot on here just can't stand him.

[winteriscoming]

Hilarious from him saying there was a lot of negativity around a few months ago. As the majority of it was coming from him. 

[Guest Lako42]

Bloke is just a bullshit merchant 

[fuchsntf]

1 hour ago, Sharpe's Fox said:

I'm reluctantly back on board the Brendan Bus but stuff like this is irritating. He's talking like he has taken over after a manager is sacked leaving us bottom rather than somone who put us there. You can kind of see see why a lot on here just can't stand him.

Another made up sypnoses..on no grounds…

If people can’t stand him,it’s not anything to do with his character,but their perception from within themselves..

In fact this tact is becoming rather farcical..

Edited 15 November 2022 by fuchsntf

[Fox92]

12 hours ago, Sharpe's Fox said:

I'm reluctantly back on board the Brendan Bus but stuff like this is irritating. He's talking like he has taken over after a manager is sacked leaving us bottom rather than somone who put us there. You can kind of see see why a lot on here just can't stand him.

What's wrong with what he said? It's true. First poor position he's had us in and people were singing and having banners for him to be sacked.

[CosbehFox]

12 hours ago, winteriscoming said:

Hilarious from him saying there was a lot of negativity around a few months ago. As the majority of it was coming from him. 

And he’s still on the push for signings. 

[Ric Flair]

13 hours ago, filbertway said:

Weird that he's no longer mentioning his very realistic pre season expectation of 40 points

 

Or that the squad are complacent and lack quality. He's gone back to saying this squad managed to achieve two 5th place finishes and it shows that they are resilient and quality. 😂😂😂

[coolhandfox]

13 hours ago, filbertway said:

Weird that he's no longer mentioning his very realistic pre season expectation of 40 points

 

I don't believe he said that pre-season, but after our terrible start?

 

Unless you can find a pre season  quote.

[filbertway]

11 minutes ago, coolhandfox said:

I don't believe he said that pre-season, but after our terrible start?

 

Unless you can find a pre season  quote.

With pleasure. Heres a quote where he says it was the target at the start of the season

 

https://fanbanter.co.uk/brendan-rodgers-speaks-on-toxic-atmosphere-and-chants-from-leicester-fans/

 

 

“Setting the 40-point tally at the start of the season, I was realistic in terms of where I thought we were at. What was going to be important was staying in the division.”

[Dahnsouff]

If people want to find fault, they will, regardless of what he says, its worse now he has categorically proven the doubters wrong and jolly well put them in their place, rather than accept the error in good grace, they would rather double down and damn with faint praise  

[Manley Farrington-Brown]

13 hours ago, winteriscoming said:

Hilarious from him saying there was a lot of negativity around a few months ago. As the majority of it was coming from him. 

Yeah, there certainly wasn't any on here.

[fazzyfox]

It's frustrating to have the break now as we're on great form but I would see the priorities as:-

 

Get through the MK Dons cup game with whoever we have available, we should have plenty enough but stronger sides have fallen in such games, nothing is routine or guaranteed, be thoroughly professional and take a scrappy 1-0 if need be.

 

Get everyone back from the World Cup fit and well - Absolutely. Add "not tapped up" to that too.

 

What is the Youri situation going to be in January? Big decision(s) to be made, we know what we're like with him but without him is an un-certainty. Presume Maddison wouldn't be off but ???? Still think any post-Youri side may not need a like for like replacement if Maddison goes back to being central and a RW is signed.

 

With 3 full backs out, one tentatively returning in January we need at least one in, whether it's a stop gap loan until the summer or someone who will stay and become integral but beyond Castagne and Thomas we're looking at Amartey and Albrighton as cover unless we look at our U23 options.

 

Hope and pray clubs come in for our unwanted players to create some room on the wage bill for incoming ones who can contribute. 

 

Reduce the price of Bovril, it's just boiling water and 10 pence worth of powder, come on guys it's ridiculous. 

[coolhandfox]

1 hour ago, filbertway said:

With pleasure. Heres a quote where he says it was the target at the start of the season

 

https://fanbanter.co.uk/brendan-rodgers-speaks-on-toxic-atmosphere-and-chants-from-leicester-fans/

 

 

“Setting the 40-point tally at the start of the season, I was realistic in terms of where I thought we were at. What was going to be important was staying in the division.”

Doesn't really bother me, I have always felt since we got back in the PL in 2014/15 are initial target should be to be safe and build from that foundation. 

 

I have never been one to take much from manager speak whether that's O'Neill, Pearson, or Rodgers.

 

I do find it interesting that people are looking for other things to nit pick once the on-field stuff has improved 

[filbertway]

16 minutes ago, coolhandfox said:

Doesn't really bother me, I have always felt since we got back in the PL in 2014/15 are initial target should be to be safe and build from that foundation. 

 

I have never been one to take much from manager speak whether that's O'Neill, Pearson, or Rodgers.

 

I do find it interesting that people are looking for other things to nit pick once the on-field stuff has improved 

Oi! I consistently nit pick  No manager has ever made it so easy. There were the people that used to mock Puel for using the same words. Even Rob Kelly got plenty of stick and ribbing for constantly saying "we'll redouble our efforts on the training ground".

 

Rodgers constantly changes the narrative though and as someone that has to deal with clients at work that do this, it's annoying when anyone does it. Friend, foe or ulsterman I'll call it out

 

By the way, this transformation is literally unbelievable. This 15 game period alone should be enough to write a hollywood blockbuster, it'd still be closer to fiction than a transformers or any of the  marvel movies 

 

 

[Ric Flair]

9 minutes ago, coolhandfox said:

Doesn't really bother me, I have always felt since we got back in the PL in 2014/15 are initial target should be to be safe and build from that foundation. 

 

I have never been one to take much from manager speak whether that's O'Neill, Pearson, or Rodgers.

 

I do find it interesting that people are looking for other things to nit pick once the on-field stuff has improved 

I can see it from both sides, I've a professional past in how people communicate with one another and the importance of it. We are stakeholders and it can be an almost impossible task to satisfy what's expected of a manager in that regard.

 

You surely can't deny though, how refreshing it was to hear Brendan when he arrived here that his mandate and intentions were to deliver European football and he went and did that twice. The effect that has on everyone straight off the bat can be very powerful.

 

In the same manner, to then really drop the KPI is going to be quite telling. In most lines of business if a manager was conveying a strategy to their stakeholders and the change was quite significant, it's going to be scrutinised. Now this was his words and standards, not necessarily the clubs, who we heard from Top weeks before saying he expected and was confident we'd be better than the season before which quite clearly wasn't setting a benchmark of getting to 40 points and then seeing where it could take us.

 

What's fascinating is Brendan in the last year when trying to defend the pressure that was growing on him, was that we were happy to just stay up before he arrived and expectations have changed (utter rubbish) but let's say that was what the fans and club held as realistic ambition, then why did he so confidently set out what his plan was and what was expected of him, which was to challenge the top 6?

 

What this all comes down to is, he's been here nearly 4 years. Everything he does is all played out, over that time there's inevitable contradictions, fibs and hypocrisy. I try not to get to het up but it's hard 😂😂

 

 

[ALC Fox]

I think Brendan is just learning what it's like to be in charge of a club in the long term.

 

This is a club that can absolutely enhance his reputation as a top coach, but every club has cycles and goes through peaks and troughs. Managing all those moving parts is tremendously difficult and often it's thought that replacing the manager and coaching staff is a good way of providing a positive catalyst in the short term (although there is actually evidence to suggest that the new manager bounce is actually a myth).

 

At the very top of the league, cycles of boom and bust can be the difference between winning the league and a cup and finishing second in the league and being a losing finalist in one or two cups. But among 'the other 14' clubs, the standard is so close that a relegation candidate in one season can be challenging the top 4 the next and vice versa.

 

If we look to the medium and long term and follow the blueprint of good recruitment and selling at the optimum times, we can absolutely be up there challenging again with Brendan in charge, as long as he accepts the longer term nature of the job.

Edited 16 November 2022 by ALC Fox

[Vazman]

3 minutes ago, ALC Fox said:

I think Brendan is just learning what it's like to be in charge of a club in the long term.

 

This is a club that can absolutely enhance his reputation as a top coach, but every club has cycles and goes through peaks and troughs. Managing all those moving parts is tremendously difficult and often it's thought that replacing the manager and coaching staff is a good way of providing a positive catalyst in the short term (although there is actually evidence to suggest that the new manager bounce is actually a myth).

 

At the very top of the league, cycles of boom and bust can be the difference between winning the league and a cup and finishing second in the league and being a losing finalist in one or two cups. But among 'the other 14' clubs, the standard is so close that a relegation candidate in one season can be challenging the top 4 the next and vice versa.

 

If we look to the medium and long term and follow the blueprint of good recruitment and selling at the optimum times, we can absolutely be up there challenging again with Brendan in charge, as long as he accepts the longer term nature of the job.

Spot on.