The "do they mean us?" thread pt 4

[ClaphamFox]

32 minutes ago, worth_the_wait said:

That's not what I said, was it?      I said, a period of mediocrity might do us some good. 

 

Each season of mediocrity would set us back further and make it harder for us to catch up. The likes of Brighton, Fulham, Bournemouth and Forest would become beyond our reach. There is no conceivable way that an extended period of being shit would ‘do us some good’. 

Edited 8 August 2025 by ClaphamFox

[Guest worth_the_wait]

8 minutes ago, ClaphamFox said:

Each season of mediocrity would set us back further and make it harder for us to catch up. The likes of Brighton, Fulham, Bournemouth and Forest would become beyond our reach. There is no conceivable way that an extended period of being shit would ‘do us some good’. 

Well, we were shit from 2003 to 2008, and that did us some good.   The 10 years after were the best in our history.

 

You're missing the point though.   I'm saying that our huge parts of our fanbase have gone sterile (possibly "entitled"?) and that a period of mediocrity - would do us good, possibly reset, and come back a much better and appreciative fanbase.    Look at Forest and Cov.   They were shit for 20 years, and their fanbase has been completely rejuvenated.     

 

And no, I don't want us to be shit for 20 years.   But just a few years, might do us fans a bit of good.

[Claridge]

1 hour ago, worth_the_wait said:

That's not what I said, was it?      I said, a period of mediocrity might do us some good. 

 

Isn't it the same thing? surely to be mediocre we must lose games or draw every one. I get the premise of shifting half the squad and board, but hopefully that comes from them being replaced from a position of strength, which means the players and board changing their recent behaviour. Seems a lot more positive than it was a few weeks  ago, but we will see

[CosbehFox]

Unfortunately as much as I think there's a reset in many ways required. 

 

The consequences of c20k crowds on the city and the club would be hugely concerning. If it doesn't click soon, financially it will get very tight within the club which would lead to a number of areas such LCFC Community, LCFC Women/Girls, other staff within the club, Seagrave staff all feel the initial burn. Football clubs see them add-on's which have the longest reach as the easiest thing to cull. Jobs going, livelihoods at stake.

 

That's the most terrifying thing about this whole situation and why the 'they've done so much for the community and local charity' line really irks me. Because what is happening now is overweighting any money donation. Lower crowds means less economic benefit to the city, lower coverage for local businesses, low need for jobs. 

 

I say that as someone truly supportive that the fanbase needs a bit of freshness around but cough cough, tickets are available for Sunday and Preston, no one is taking them up......

Edited 8 August 2025 by CosbehFox

[ClaphamFox]

1 hour ago, worth_the_wait said:

Well, we were shit from 2003 to 2008, and that did us some good.   The 10 years after were the best in our history.

 

You're missing the point though.   I'm saying that our huge parts of our fanbase have gone sterile (possibly "entitled"?) and that a period of mediocrity - would do us good, possibly reset, and come back a much better and appreciative fanbase.    Look at Forest and Cov.   They were shit for 20 years, and their fanbase has been completely rejuvenated.     

 

And no, I don't want us to be shit for 20 years.   But just a few years, might do us fans a bit of good.

Your entire argument is built upon a logical fallacy. Being mediocre does not cause a team to become good again. Teams that have been shit for years may sometimes revive their fortunes with new ownership, an injection of cash or a lucky break, but these are generally the exception rather than the rule. If being mediocre for five years was a strong predictor of good times ahead, the PL would be constantly refreshed with new clubs returning from years in the wilderness. But we know that the opposite is the case: the gap between the successful clubs and the rest is getting wider and it is getting harder to break into the elite. Five years of mediocrity would be more likely to result in a decade of mediocrity, then two decades, than result in some remarkable resurgence.

 

And as for sterile fanbases, that is simply something that happens when fans become used to success. Go to the Emirates, Old Trafford, Stamford Bridge or the Etihad: thousand upon thousands of passive fans who seldom get excited because they expect success.Yes, the momentum of clubs on their way back up after years of struggling can generate a good atmosphere, but it fades once that momentum is lost. Forest generated a very good atmosphere in their first season back in the PL, but it dropped off a lot the following season. What do you think the atmosphere at the Ricoh would be like if Coventry got promoted and stayed up for five years? Probably worse than ours was last year. 
 

Do you actually believe we could slip into mediocrity for half a decade, with a declining fanbase and revenue, then one day click our fingers and say, “Well that was a nice break. Let’s go back up now!” Don’t be daft.

Edited 8 August 2025 by ClaphamFox

[LCFCJohn]

11 hours ago, les-tah said:

that would be a total disaster of a business plan and do more harm than good to our finances, better off being a yoyo club and taking the tv money and parachute payments and just actually spend sensibly.

Spot on. I don’t get the argument it’d be good to stay down or when it’s referred to as a club going up ‘too soon’. Just because you go up, you don’t have to buy the likes of Skipp and Ayew!

[Winstonthedog]

2 hours ago, ClaphamFox said:

Each season of mediocrity would set us back further and make it harder for us to catch up. The likes of Brighton, Fulham, Bournemouth and Forest would become beyond our reach. There is no conceivable way that an extended period of being shit would ‘do us some good’. 

This is true ....  vegitating and re grouping is not on the agenda .... its full on return to the premiership or spend 20+ years in the championship like forest did, Cov have and Derby will .... Full throttle from Sunday onwards .... no other way ... but need to have a new DOF with a long term strategy with a good knowledge of football and contracts 

Edited 8 August 2025 by Winstonthedog
Spelling

[Tiny earl]

6 hours ago, Winstonthedog said:

This is true ....  vegitating and re grouping is not on the agenda .... its full on return to the premiership or spend 20+ years in the championship like forest did, Cov have and Derby will .... Full throttle from Sunday onwards .... no other way ... but need to have a new DOF with a long term strategy with a good knowledge of football and contracts 

We’re not getting one! 
Now what’s the plan?

[Winstonthedog]

28 minutes ago, Tiny earl said:

We’re not getting one! 
Now what’s the plan?

No plan ... he will eventually put himself in and Top in an untenable position of a club with poor income and no saleable playing staff assets at which point Tops only option will be to sell up .... but he needs to wake up and see things for what they are before it's to late 

[Ted Maul]

A few years of mediocrity might do the fanbase some good- clear out the day trippers, get us up for it again. Would be a disaster for the club though. 

[davieG]

https://talksport.com/football/3457952/

 

Arsenal sparked Community Shield rule change after refusing to play as Liverpool suffered shock defeat

Joe Brophy

Arsenal will watch on with envy as Liverpool contest the Community Shield – coming full circle from the mood of their team 50 years ago.

Gunners boss Mikel Arteta is a keen advocate of the annual curtain-raiser, having used it to defend his trophy record last season.

Arteta was keen to add the Community Shield to his silverware count after a journalist overlooked it during a December press conference.

The Arsenal manager instantly corrected one reporter who said a trophy would be Arteta’s second since his 2020 FA Cup win.

“The charity shield as well twice, no? So it’s three,” he said. “We need more, we want more, and we want the big ones, that’s for sure.”

The Community Shield has long been an opinion divider in England, as it doesn’t have the prestige of other European Super Cups.

Arteta may have cause to blame one of his predecessors as Arsenal manager, Bertie Mee, for that, after a decision he made in the 1970s.

Mee’s place in the club’s history books is absolute, having led the Gunners to their first Double win in 1971.

The Englishman also played his part in the revamp of the Community Shield following his decision not to be involved in it.

Having become only the second club in the 20th century to win the double, Arsenal booked their spot in the Shield that summer.

However, the north Londoners instead played a series of friendlies, home and away, against Benfica and on the day faced Feyenoord.

Arsenal had already cancelled a match with Portuguese giants Benfica earlier in August 1971, under pressure from the home associations wanting their players available for the home internationals.

Arsenal won the double in 1970-71 but were unable to take part in the Charity Shield
What happened in the 1971 Charity Shield?
“That left a nasty taste in the mouth,” said Bob Wall, Arsenal’s then-secretary, as reported by legendary Guardian writer Albert Barham.

As such, the rescheduled fixtures clashed with the Community Shield, with the reigning champions also booking a trip to the Netherlands.

In their place, Liverpool, who’d lost the 1971 FA Cup final to Arsenal months earlier, were drafted in as one-half of the curtain-raiser.

Leicester, the Second Division champions, were their surprise opponents – with their old Filbert Street used to host.

An even greater surprise was served up for the 25,104 in attendance when Foxes legend Steve Whitworth scored the only goal in a 1-0 win.

Getty
Leicester players celebrate Whitworth’s tap-in against Liverpool
Remarkably, it was the only time the defender found himself on the scoresheet for Leicester across 353 games in a nine-year spell.

“I didn’t even realise that as the years went by,” he told the Guardian in 2016. “It wasn’t something that ever got mentioned.”

 “Everything was just easy peasy,” Whitworth added. “I got in the team, had a great season, played in the Charity Shield, scored the goal – it all seemed like life was supposed to be, really.

“I was so bloody naive in those days. You’re just free and do what you want, and it’s only later when people start picking faults in you.

“Later on, I became far more disciplined and start thinking maybe a bit too much about the team, where you should be on the pitch and so on, instead of just bombing forwards, which is how I got into the team in the first place.”

The match ultimately led to a revamp of the annual curtain raiser

5
Leicester became the second club to win the shield that had never won league or cup after Brighton in 1910
Community Shield rule change
Meanwhile, Arsenal, who ironically lost their friendly in Rotterdam 1-0, briefly started an unwanted trend in Community Shield history.

The following two editions of the competitions also saw the champions and FA Cup winners fail to participate.

This led Ted Croker, the FA Secretary, to relocate the then Charity Shield to Wembley and make participation from the Champions and FA Cup winners mandatory.

Arsenal did make a habit of being included in the next huge revamp in 2002, becoming the first ‘Community Shield’ winners – with Liverpool, again, suffering a 1-0 defeat.

[Guest Bilo]

I don't buy into this narrative that being shit for a few years would be good for the club.

 

If we enjoyed 2004 to 2008 at all, it was largely down to the gallows humour of being barely able to compete with Plymouth and Rotherham while watching clubs like Wigan and Reading being light years ahead of us.

 

We look back on those years fondly now because of what it led to; spunking a two goal lead at then League One Brighton in a soaking wet and freezing cold temporary stand at a regional athletics stadium is now just seen as a bit of a meme considering we were beating Porto and Sevilla as champions of England within a decade. Now imagine we hadn't gone up that year and had three, four or even five bites of the cherry to get out of the third tier like Wednesday, Forest, Sheffield United or Leeds. Hartlepool and Hereford away wouldn't have been so fun the fifth time. 

 

Speaking of Wednesday, do you think being shit has done them good? 25 years out of the first tier now and nailed on for another relegation to League One if their  club even survives. Sure, they'll have absolutely no daytrippers but what of the die-hards? Unless they're over 30, they have absolutely no memory of ever being a decent side. It's amazing they even bother in a way. 

 

So as much as I get the daytripper argument, and I do find the influencers etc to be absolutely insufferable, think of the diehard fans who had season tickets in League One. None of us went to Swindon, Yeovil and Cheltenham wanting to go back there again as equals. And we certainly don't after the most successful decade in the club's history where we effectively completed domestic football. Just let us roll our eyes at the selfies, box fresh replicas and TikTok stories while we enjoy actually being decent again.

[Sly]

Heavy is the head that wears the crown …. but I’d still rather be wearing it, than watching someone else parade past me with it, thanks.

 

I’d rather be a top-six team, winning stuff, and walking around with the sort of mild entitlement that makes opposition fans hate you on sight. Success breeds expectation, and I’d take being the hunted over being the “once upon a time” club any day.

 

I believe it was Babe Ruth who said, “Yesterday’s home runs don’t win today’s games” and in our case, the title apparently doesn’t even win you a half-decent transfer window. We should have kicked on and grown naturally, like a footballing oak tree, instead we’ve ended up more like a pot plant someone forgot to water.

 

We’re a one-club county, and with the right ambition, we could fill a 50,000-seater every week in the top flight, King Power thinks in terms of “customers,” not “fans.”

That’s 50,000 people who could be spending their hard-earned on tickets, overpriced burgers, and tat from the club shop, instead we’ve been served reheated mediocrity with a side of “remember 2016 and the FA continually”.

 

Winning isn’t everything, it’s the baseline.

The reward for winning is more pressure and the demand to go again. Clubs like Chelsea understand this, which is why they’ve had more highs than a rave in Ibiza.

 

The problem is, our fanbase has changed. Fewer grizzled old-school voices bellowing in unison, more happy-clappers politely applauding a sideways pass. King Power haven’t helped either, instead of fuelling the atmosphere, they’ve leaned into the “family fun day” approach. If they’d just given Union FS a bigger section and actually engaged with fans as fans rather than as walking wallets, we might have a stadium that roars instead of hums.

 

Commercial off field it’s fair to say we’re less Premier League boardroom and more your grandad trying to set up WiFi.
 

No sponsor on the kits, which look like they were designed during a lunch break by someone who hates logos. Meanwhile, the squad is so bloated and overpaid you’d think we’re assembling the Avengers but instead of heroes, we mostly get cameo appearances.

 

But hey, no worries!
 

Because we’ve got one of the world’s best training complexes, which doubles as a 5 Star and Spa Resort Hotel and golf course.
 

So if the football doesn’t work out, at least the players can perfect their swing and enjoy a spa day while we chat away on here, bemoaning it all and trying to figure out who’s actually this titanic of a ship.

[Hamilton Fox]

3 hours ago, Bilo said:

I don't buy into this narrative that being shit for a few years would be good for the club.

 

If we enjoyed 2004 to 2008 at all, it was largely down to the gallows humour of being barely able to compete with Plymouth and Rotherham while watching clubs like Wigan and Reading being light years ahead of us.

 

We look back on those years fondly now because of what it led to; spunking a two goal lead at then League One Brighton in a soaking wet and freezing cold temporary stand at a regional athletics stadium is now just seen as a bit of a meme considering we were beating Porto and Sevilla as champions of England within a decade. Now imagine we hadn't gone up that year and had three, four or even five bites of the cherry to get out of the third tier like Wednesday, Forest, Sheffield United or Leeds. Hartlepool and Hereford away wouldn't have been so fun the fifth time. 

 

Speaking of Wednesday, do you think being shit has done them good? 25 years out of the first tier now and nailed on for another relegation to League One if their  club even survives. Sure, they'll have absolutely no daytrippers but what of the die-hards? Unless they're over 30, they have absolutely no memory of ever being a decent side. It's amazing they even bother in a way. 

 

So as much as I get the daytripper argument, and I do find the influencers etc to be absolutely insufferable, think of the diehard fans who had season tickets in League One. None of us went to Swindon, Yeovil and Cheltenham wanting to go back there again as equals. And we certainly don't after the most successful decade in the club's history where we effectively completed domestic football. Just let us roll our eyes at the selfies, box fresh replicas and TikTok stories while we enjoy actually being decent again.

Apart from a few decent away days  no one enjoyed those days (04-08) did they? The football was horrendous and we didn’t have a pot to piss in.  It was so just so horrible

Edited 10 August 2025 by Hamilton Fox

[davieG]

1 hour ago, Sly said:

Heavy is the head that wears the crown …. but I’d still rather be wearing it, than watching someone else parade past me with it, thanks.

 

I’d rather be a top-six team, winning stuff, and walking around with the sort of mild entitlement that makes opposition fans hate you on sight. Success breeds expectation, and I’d take being the hunted over being the “once upon a time” club any day.

 

I believe it was Babe Ruth who said, “Yesterday’s home runs don’t win today’s games” and in our case, the title apparently doesn’t even win you a half-decent transfer window. We should have kicked on and grown naturally, like a footballing oak tree, instead we’ve ended up more like a pot plant someone forgot to water.

 

We’re a one-club county, and with the right ambition, we could fill a 50,000-seater every week in the top flight, King Power thinks in terms of “customers,” not “fans.”

That’s 50,000 people who could be spending their hard-earned on tickets, overpriced burgers, and tat from the club shop, instead we’ve been served reheated mediocrity with a side of “remember 2016 and the FA continually”.

 

Winning isn’t everything, it’s the baseline.

The reward for winning is more pressure and the demand to go again. Clubs like Chelsea understand this, which is why they’ve had more highs than a rave in Ibiza.

 

The problem is, our fanbase has changed. Fewer grizzled old-school voices bellowing in unison, more happy-clappers politely applauding a sideways pass. King Power haven’t helped either, instead of fuelling the atmosphere, they’ve leaned into the “family fun day” approach. If they’d just given Union FS a bigger section and actually engaged with fans as fans rather than as walking wallets, we might have a stadium that roars instead of hums.

 

Commercial off field it’s fair to say we’re less Premier League boardroom and more your grandad trying to set up WiFi.
 

No sponsor on the kits, which look like they were designed during a lunch break by someone who hates logos. Meanwhile, the squad is so bloated and overpaid you’d think we’re assembling the Avengers but instead of heroes, we mostly get cameo appearances.

 

But hey, no worries!
 

Because we’ve got one of the world’s best training complexes, which doubles as a 5 Star and Spa Resort Hotel and golf course.
 

So if the football doesn’t work out, at least the players can perfect their swing and enjoy a spa day while we chat away on here, bemoaning it all and trying to figure out who’s actually this titanic of a ship.

Anyone spotted Rudkin rearranging the deckchairs.

[Sly]

Just now, davieG said:

Anyone spotted Rudkin rearranging the deckchairs.

I’m sure someone could AI image that whilst the ship is going down! 

[davieG]

1 hour ago, Hamilton Fox said:

Apart from a few decent away days  no one enjoyed those days (04-08) did they? The football was horrendous and we didn’t have a lot to piss in.  It was so just so horrible

The only joy was from seeing the occasional half decent goal being scored.

[davieG]

6 minutes ago, Sly said:

I’m sure someone could AI image that whilst the ship is going down! 

Not an image

 

That phrase — “rearranging the deckchairs on the SS KPFC” — is a clever metaphor, and a pretty pointed one at that.

You're referencing Jon Rudkin, presumably in his role as Director of Football at Leicester City, and extending that to his influence over King Power Football Club (KPFC) operations — particularly if this includes OH Leuven or Leicester City's recent struggles.

The phrase “rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic” implies making superficial or inconsequential changes while ignoring a much larger, potentially catastrophic problem. So by saying he’s “rearranging the deckchairs on the SS KPFC,” you're suggesting:

• He’s focusing on minor decisions or optics (like player loans, managerial PR, backroom reshuffles)...

• …while the overall direction or health of the club is sinking — perhaps due to poor recruitment, mismanagement, or an unsustainable model.

Would you like a more detailed breakdown of Rudkin’s decisions or how KPFC clubs (like Leicester or OH Leuven) are currently performing? Or is this more of a meme/post you're crafting?

 

https://chatgpt.com/?openaicom_referred=true

 

 

Sums it up.

[DJ Barry Hammond]

 

Cute

[ithuriel]

4 minutes ago, DJ Barry Hammond said:

 

Cute

We beat Sunderland, they got walloped by them, oops. 

[Ted Maul]

Ended up down a football-related Wikipedia rabbit hole (reading up on how Tomi Petrescu's career went, if you must know) and stumbled upon this... I'm sure someone must have seen it before, anyone know the story behind it? 

[Mark_w]

On 17/08/2025 at 10:22, DJ Barry Hammond said:

 

Cute

We lost one home game in 2015/16, they lost one home game in 2025/26, the similarities are astounding

[shen]

4 hours ago, Ted Maul said:

Ended up down a football-related Wikipedia rabbit hole (reading up on how Tomi Petrescu's career went, if you must know) and stumbled upon this... I'm sure someone must have seen it before, anyone know the story behind it? 

Good spot that! 

Have even been to Jyväskylä before, but never bothered to check their team.

It's a blatant rip-off, but I wonder if there is some sort of connection there.

Don't think there are any Finnish LCFC fans on here...? 

[Spudulike]

8 minutes ago, shen said:

Good spot that! 

Have even been to Jyväskylä before, but never bothered to check their team.

It's a blatant rip-off, but I wonder if there is some sort of connection there.

Don't think there are any Finnish LCFC fans on here...? 

Wonder if we played them in a friendly and swapped pendants or something?

[Ted Maul]

13 minutes ago, Spudulike said:

Wonder if we played them in a friendly and swapped pendants or something?

Quite possibly.... 2002 according to Google