The "do they mean us?" thread pt 4

[STEVIE B]

8 hours ago, StriderHiryu said:

I feel sympathy for other fans in the division, because let's be honest it has felt like that at times for us in the Premier League when playing against the moneybag clubs. Even worse, in the Premier League you get commentary like in the recent Liverpool game where they ignore the fact that we were even playing.

 

We are very good, but it's true that it's a piss take that we are in this division. If you ever wondered what would happen if you took a top 10 Premier League team and whacked them in the Championship for a season, well, you are getting your answer.

 

But at the same time, why are Ipswich schooling the Championship where the likes of Stoke and Norwich aren't? Stoke have a good budget at this level, Norwich signed a lot of experienced players from the Premier League and have a manager that got promoted from this division. So whilst our squad is clearly unfair, a lot of these teams could be doing a lot better.

In answering your last paragraph, in our case, we have strength in depth, a good coach, much fitter players (last season was a joke) that understand what Enzo is wanting, they enjoy the system too & play with a smile.

lpswich, again have a good coach, have the bounce from last season & love to attack.

 

Before the season started, it looked like a very tough division, with decent sides, good experienced players & managers. In reality it isn’t that great. The gulf between the Championship & Prem is as wide as ever (see last season’s promoted sides). 

 

 

[Lionator]

3 minutes ago, STEVIE B said:

In answering your last paragraph, in our case, we have strength in depth, a good coach, much fitter players (last season was a joke) that understand what Enzo is wanting, they enjoy the system too & play with a smile.

lpswich, again have a good coach, have the bounce from last season & love to attack.

 

Before the season started, it looked like a very tough division, with decent sides, good experienced players & managers. In reality it isn’t that great. The gulf between the Championship & Prem is as wide as ever (see last season’s promoted sides). 

 

 

I just don’t buy this. Yes this group of promoted teams are poor but the season before all 3 stayed up fairly comfortably. We have money, structure, PL quality and now an identity again. No reason why we would struggle. 

[davieG]

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/stoke-boss-makes-leicester-city-8814389

 

Stoke boss makes Leicester City claim after proving tactic is no-go against Enzo Maresca's side
Alex Neil gives his thoughts on Leicester City after his Potters outfit fell to a 2-0 defeat at the King Power Stadium, Kelechi Iheanacho and Jamie Vardy getting the goals

 

ByJordan Blackwell
07:00, 8 OCT 2023

Leicester City will be “one of the best Championship teams in a long time”, Stoke boss Alex Neil said following his side’s defeat at the King Power Stadium.

City made it 10 wins from 11 and six in a row in the league by beating the Potters 2-0, Kelechi Iheanacho scoring in the first half with Jamie Vardy netting in the second. Vardy is one of four England internationals in the squad along with Conor Coady, James Justin, and Harry Winks, something Neil feels is unprecedented in the Championship.

The Scot believed the quality of the City squad, and how well they can play when teams open up against them, means they will go down as one of the best sides to grace the division in some years. That’s despite Neil feeling like his injury-ravaged side initially coped well with Enzo Maresca’s men.

 

“I thought our set-up was good,” the Stoke boss said. “I don’t think they had a chance until the goal. The goal is really disappointing from our perspective. Iheanacho is really wide, we just need to get down the line of the ball.

“If we get to half-time and it’s 0-0… Our intention was always late in the game to have a go. You could see why when we did have a go why you don’t come here and try to go toe-to-toe with Leicester. They’ve got some really good players. The minute we squeezed the space, we could hear the coach for them saying: ‘They’ve changed.’

“The minute we changed, they brought on pace at the top end of the pitch. If you’re going to squeeze and try to compress the game, Jamie Vardy at this level is going to cause you all sorts of problems.

“They’ll be one of the best Championship teams in a long time, I think. Just look at the stadium, fans, and players they’ve got. I think they’ve got four internationals that have played for England, I can’t ever remember that having happened anywhere else.”

Thirty points from a possible 33 is the best start to a second-tier campaign since Fulham in 2000-01. It’s seven more points than City had after 11 games in 2013-14, when they were last in the division and finished top with 102 points. The record is held by Reading, who earned 106 points in 2005-06.

[STEVIE B]

19 minutes ago, Lionator said:

I just don’t buy this. Yes this group of promoted teams are poor but the season before all 3 stayed up fairly comfortably. We have money, structure, PL quality and now an identity again. No reason why we would struggle. 

I didn’t think Burnley would struggle this season.

We may do very well, when/if promoted. Everything looks to be in place, l agree.

l still think it’s a huge step up, only time will tell of course. 

[Koke]

Tim Sherwood on Simon Jordan podcast still dining out on the fact he gave Harry Kane his breakthrough.  Anyway, I didn't know this but Levy was ready to accept a £600k from us. 

[Golden Fox]

1 hour ago, STEVIE B said:

I didn’t think Burnley would struggle this season.

We may do very well, when/if promoted. Everything looks to be in place, l agree.

l still think it’s a huge step up, only time will tell of course. 

I think there is a 3 tier Premier League. Man City, Liverpool, maybe Arsenal at the top. Then the rest of the Big 6 and high performing teams, like Brighton, West Ham. Then the bottom half, with not much between them.

Promoted clubs only need to hold water in that 3rd tier.

 

Burnley have had 6 games against those higher tier teams and no points from Man Utd, Man City, Chelsea, Newcastle, Villa and Spurs. Not great, but not really how you benchmark them. 

 

Only 2 games so far against that bottom tier and they have 4 points... so I think once their fixtures start to even out we'll have a better view of their level. 

[Langston]

5 minutes ago, Koke said:

Tim Sherwood on Simon Jordan podcast still dining out on the fact he gave Harry Kane his breakthrough.  Anyway, I didn't know this but Levy was ready to accept a £600k from us. 

He’s trotted this line out a few times to make himself look good, as if he stepped in. There is no way, absolutely no way, that notorious tight arse Daniel Levy was going to let a player very much regarded as a fantastic prospect (despite the loan spells at us and Norwich) go for that figure. Sherwood unsurprisingly talking absolute bollocks.

[Jobyfox]

33 minutes ago, Koke said:

Tim Sherwood on Simon Jordan podcast still dining out on the fact he gave Harry Kane his breakthrough.  Anyway, I didn't know this but Levy was ready to accept a £600k from us. 

The odd thing is that, even if true, I’m so glad we didn’t sign him. 
 

Everything that happened before 15/16 is a bit of a “butterfly flapping its wings” moment in my view. What if Vardy hadn’t become our main striker? He was so pivotal to the way we played and system that won us the Premier League. 
 

Kane is a world class player, but I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t have helped us win the league in the way Vardy did. You could probably say that about anyone (little moments and butterfly wings) 

[Aleksz]

Kane wouldn’t have reached his ultimate potential if he came here permanently anyway. It wasn’t working here and Nige wasn’t getting the best out of him - played him wide a few times iirc.

[Brizzle Fox]

13 hours ago, StriderHiryu said:

I feel sympathy for other fans in the division, because let's be honest it has felt like that at times for us in the Premier League when playing against the moneybag clubs. Even worse, in the Premier League you get commentary like in the recent Liverpool game where they ignore the fact that we were even playing.

 

We are very good, but it's true that it's a piss take that we are in this division. If you ever wondered what would happen if you took a top 10 Premier League team and whacked them in the Championship for a season, well, you are getting your answer.

 

But at the same time, why are Ipswich schooling the Championship where the likes of Stoke and Norwich aren't? Stoke have a good budget at this level, Norwich signed a lot of experienced players from the Premier League and have a manager that got promoted from this division. So whilst our squad is clearly unfair, a lot of these teams could be doing a lot better.

I think it's a combination of factors with Ipswich.

 

A settled team, a fantastic manager, a confidence and impetus from promotion, a very specific,  ambitious way of playing etc.

 

However at some point injuries and suspensions will probably kick in and you would suspect that they won't have the squad strength to continue in their current vein. Still think however because of their start that they should end up challenging for a play off spot.

 

One other thing, they still carry with them that sense of newness, that means that teams aren't giving them the respect they deserve when they set up against them.

 

Preston are a good example. 11 men behind the ball against us but had a right go against Ipswich,  which left them open to a battering. 

 

You would imagine that at some point teams will cotton on and not set up so open against them, which very much plays into their strengths.

 

[Lionator]

4 hours ago, STEVIE B said:

I didn’t think Burnley would struggle this season.

We may do very well, when/if promoted. Everything looks to be in place, l agree.

l still think it’s a huge step up, only time will tell of course. 

Burnley’s fixture list has been brutal although yesterday was a disappointing loss. I still think they’ll stay up at the expense of Bournemouth. 

[Nalis]

Just now, Lionator said:

Burnley’s fixture list has been brutal although yesterday was a disappointing loss. I still think they’ll stay up at the expense of Bournemouth. 

Gary O'Neill must feel smug as shit at Wolves right now compared to where Bournemouth are at.

[Bert]

13 hours ago, StriderHiryu said:

I feel sympathy for other fans in the division, because let's be honest it has felt like that at times for us in the Premier League when playing against the moneybag clubs. Even worse, in the Premier League you get commentary like in the recent Liverpool game where they ignore the fact that we were even playing.

 

We are very good, but it's true that it's a piss take that we are in this division. If you ever wondered what would happen if you took a top 10 Premier League team and whacked them in the Championship for a season, well, you are getting your answer.

 

But at the same time, why are Ipswich schooling the Championship where the likes of Stoke and Norwich aren't? Stoke have a good budget at this level, Norwich signed a lot of experienced players from the Premier League and have a manager that got promoted from this division. So whilst our squad is clearly unfair, a lot of these teams could be doing a lot better.

A lot of it is down to the mentality at the club, as well. We are also a great example of this. Yeah we shouldn’t have been relegated, but the mentality at the club was totally wrong. Now you can see it’s clearly changed and things are going well. 
 

Clubs like Norwich, Stoke that have had premier league experience will have just expected to come back up with players capable of playing at a higher level on big wages. Again, as seen last season you can have as much quality as there is but if there’s something wrong with the fundamentals of the club, (Man Utd, Chelsea, Everton are great examples too) like there was with us last season then you’re not going to hit the heights you’re expected.  
 

Ipswich have had a good season prior to this, a settled squad with a clear way of playing. More times than not we generally see one team from League One be there or thereabouts in the championship the season after. 
 

As we again, full well know a whole reset of a club can be massive. 

[LCFCJohn]

11 minutes ago, Nalis said:

Gary O'Neill must feel smug as shit at Wolves right now compared to where Bournemouth are at.

I hope Wolves actually stay up and Bournemouth go down for this reason. He did an excellent job there last season. It’s not like when we get a pat on the head and told we shouldn’t have sacked Ranieri or Rodgers as we were in free fall. What Bournemouth did was more akin to us sacking Pearson after the great escape for footballing reasons (not the issue with his son).

 

An ideal 3 for relegation would be Forest, Everton and Bournemouth for me (of all the realistic or semi realistic options).

[STEVIE B]

1 hour ago, Lionator said:

Burnley’s fixture list has been brutal although yesterday was a disappointing loss. I still think they’ll stay up at the expense of Bournemouth. 

Burnley have a decent run of fixtures ahead. Brentford, Bournemouth, Everton & Palace. Plus Sheff Utd not far off. 

We'll know more then.

 

My guess is the 3 doomed clubs are Sheff Utd, Bournemouth & Luton. 

[bovril]

If other fans are that bothered about a club of our strength being in the Champ then they should take it up with the man currently residing in Glasgow who made it happen

[Koke]

We're a massive club. Haters gonna hate.

[Fox92]

On 08/10/2023 at 12:31, Aleksz said:

Kane wouldn’t have reached his ultimate potential if he came here permanently anyway. It wasn’t working here and Nige wasn’t getting the best out of him - played him wide a few times iirc.

Lets pretend we could have had Kane and Vardy up front for years. Wow imagine that. Especially with Mahrez in the same team.

[honeybradger]

1 hour ago, Fox92 said:

Lets pretend we could have had Kane and Vardy up front for years. Wow imagine that. Especially with Mahrez in the same team.

Don't think we win the league with Kane instead of Okazaki, as strange as that is to say. We probably finish in the CL spots more than once if we sign him though.

[Koke]

26 minutes ago, honeybradger said:

Don't think we win the league with Kane instead of Okazaki, as strange as that is to say. We probably finish in the CL spots more than once if we sign him though.

 

Kane scored 25 goals as a number 10 / false 9 type of role that season. He had runners like Son and Dele Alli running off him, in the same mould Vardy would have done. Not only would we have won the league that year with Kane we'd win it with 91 points. 

[trabuch]

1 hour ago, Koke said:

 

Kane scored 25 goals as a number 10 / false 9 type of role that season. He had runners like Son and Dele Alli running off him, in the same mould Vardy would have done. Not only would we have won the league that year with Kane we'd win it with 91 points. 

And England would have won the World Cup.

[Aleksz]

 

[ALC Fox]

Twenty is plenty to be fair.

[leicesterisme]

Had not saw the prices the club had set for away fans for this season until now, absolutely disgraceful pricing but not surprised in the slightest. 

Edited 10 October 2023 by leicesterisme

[ARTY_FOX]

I agree pricing is a disgrace. Should be charging 3 times that. We're box office