January / February 2024 - Season defining

[Sly]

Mid January to early February is going to be a bit of a challenge for us.

 

Lots of games

AFCON

Asian Cup

Squad refresh

 

We’ve got the following games during Jan / Feb.

 

01/01 - Huddlesfield (H)

06/01 - Millwall (A) FA Cup

13/01 - Coventry (A)

22/01 - Ipswich (H)

27/01 - Swansea (H) / FA Cup Round 4

03/02 - Stoke (A)

10/02 - Watford (A)

13/02 - Sheffield Wednesday (H)

17/02 - Middlesborough (H)

24/02 - Leeds (A)

28/02 - FA Cup Round 5

The Asian cup runs from the 12th Jan, to the 10th February.

 

AFCON runs 13th January, to the 11th February. 
 

Provisional squad list here for AFCON:

 

https://www.cafonline.com/media/szzh20fx/afcon-2023-provisional-squads-list.pdf

We’ll be losing Ndidi, Daka, Iheanacho, Fatawu and Souttar. 
 

Leeds will lose Costa. 

 

Ipswich will lose Tuanzebe, Morsy and Burgess. Luongo retired last week, which has upset a few Ozzies I believe.

 

Southampton will lose Sulemana and Aribo.

 

We’ve also got the impending juggle coming up with the January transfer window. Maresca has already stated that to bring players in, we’ll need to move players on. 
 

We don’t need four forwards in this system, so one of them will most likely go. Iheanacho is the one. That might rock the boat with Ndidi, however with all the talk on him moving, we should cash in now if he won’t sign a new deal. That wipes a load off the wage bill and if we replace early with players that aren’t playing international tournaments in the middle of the season, it might benefit us. Likewise with Souttar, who seemingly isn’t fancied.

 

Praet take what we can get and let him go to Torino.

 

Then ship out two of Smithies, Iversen and Ward, as we don’t need four goalkeepers, never mind five!

 

That makes 5 places for me, we need another wide midfield / attacker (to replace Albrighton who expires in the summer) An 8, a centre back and potentially another forward long term if Vardy is retiring at the end of this season. 
 

O’Reilly, Gronbaek, maybe another forward then a centre back. I’m surprised we haven’t looked at Balikwisha or Giovani Reyner.

 

I’d imagine we’ll see some movement on contracts as well. Potentially Vestergaard re-signing for another 1-2 years, makes sense but it’ll upset some no doubt.

 

Vestergaard is on 9 yellows, so realistically he’s serving a 2 game ban at some point. That gives us a challenge in central defence, however Coady / Faes / Doyle should hopefully be able to cover. 

 

We get through these next 10ish games and we’ll be okay. We need to manage the squad and injuries, but it’s encouraging to see Cannon and Doyle back. We need Vardy, McAteer and Albrighton back early January if possible. 
 

 

Edited 28 December 2023 by Sly

[Aus Fox]

13 points from the 8 games this month leaves us sitting at the end of February on 72 points with 14 games left, having navigated the AFCON/Asian Cup and the transfer window. 
We will have already played Leeds and Ipswich twice and be ready for one final assault on the season.

Also with 13 points, we’ll still be in the top 2 regardless of other results.

Anything better than that and we are just about promoted.

[JimmyC74]

The January window is an interesting one. It would be good to do some business and press home our advantage but, I don’t think we have completed many deals in this window in recent years.

As in the summer, I suspect it may be a challenge to move on the deadwood. Has there been any noise around the goalkeepers? 
 

It will also be interesting to see with AFCON and the Asia Cup if anyone is willing to buy Kel and Souttar.

 

Also with Kel, I imagine he may want to move in the summer on a free to get a big pay day.  I do think tho it is time for us to say thanks and part ways.

 

Hopefully we can do some trading, Praet surely has to be on the way out 🙏, and at least bring in an 8.

 

 

 

 

Edited 28 December 2023 by JimmyC74

[Foxmeister]

5 minutes ago, JimmyC74 said:

The January window is an interesting one. It would be good to do some business and press home our advantage but, I don’t think we have completed many deals in this window in recent years.

As in the summer, I suspect it may be a challenge to move on the deadwood. Has there been any noise around the goalkeepers? 
 

It will also be interesting to see with AFCON and the Asia Cup if anyone is willing to buy Kel and Souttar.

 

Also with Kel, I imagine he may want to move in the summer on a free to get a big pay day.  I do think tho it is time for us to say thanks and part ways.

 

Hopefully we can do some trading, Praet surely has to be on the way out 🙏, and at least bring in an 8.

 

 

 

 

I think Kel struggles from here, his record is pretty poor at the top level.

[JimmyC74]

4 minutes ago, Foxmeister said:

I think Kel struggles from here, his record is pretty poor at the top level.

There would be interest in him as a free in the Summer. Would a struggling EPL team take a punt now - paying maybe £5-10m 🤔 dunno

[Stuntman_Mike]

It's all going to be a challenge!

 

March looks tricky with Sunderland and Hull away, then Southampton at home.

[Claridge]

50 minutes ago, JimmyC74 said:

The January window is an interesting one. It would be good to do some business and press home our advantage but, I don’t think we have completed many deals in this window in recent years.

As in the summer, I suspect it may be a challenge to move on the deadwood. Has there been any noise around the goalkeepers? 
 

It will also be interesting to see with AFCON and the Asia Cup if anyone is willing to buy Kel and Souttar.

 

Also with Kel, I imagine he may want to move in the summer on a free to get a big pay day.  I do think tho it is time for us to say thanks and part ways.

 

Hopefully we can do some trading, Praet surely has to be on the way out 🙏, and at least bring in an 8.

 

 

 

 

Lazy slob certainly doesn't want to move in the winter

[brucey]

Morsy and Sulemana aren't going to AFCON. 

 

[moore_94]

I doubt Morsy would have been called up even if he made him self available anyway

[filbertway]

25 minutes ago, moore_94 said:

I doubt Morsy would have been called up even if he made him self available anyway

How people were going on about him I assumed he was a regular.

 

The blokes made 2 appearances (1 minute and 4 minutes) for them since October 2018

 

[Bordersfox]

8 hours ago, Foxmeister said:

I think Kel struggles from here, his record is pretty poor at the top level.

His record at the top level is far from poor.

 

[Jobyfox]

11 hours ago, Sly said:

Mid January to early February is going to be a bit of a challenge for us.

 

Lots of games

AFCON

Asian Cup

Squad refresh

 

We’ve got the following games during Jan / Feb.

 

01/01 - Huddlesfield (H)

06/01 - Millwall (A) FA Cup

13/01 - Coventry (A)

22/01 - Ipswich (H)

27/01 - Swansea (H) / FA Cup Round 4

03/02 - Stoke (A)

10/02 - Watford (A)

13/02 - Sheffield Wednesday (H)

17/02 - Middlesborough (H)

24/02 - Leeds (A)

28/02 - FA Cup Round 5

The Asian cup runs from the 12th Jan, to the 10th February.

 

AFCON runs 13th January, to the 11th February. 
 

Provisional squad list here for AFCON:

 

https://www.cafonline.com/media/szzh20fx/afcon-2023-provisional-squads-list.pdf

We’ll be losing Ndidi, Daka, Iheanacho, Fatawu and Souttar. 
 

Leeds will lose Costa. 

 

Ipswich will lose Tuanzebe, Morsy and Burgess. Luongo retired last week, which has upset a few Ozzies I believe.

 

Southampton will lose Sulemana and Aribo.

 

We’ve also got the impending juggle coming up with the January transfer window. Maresca has already stated that to bring players in, we’ll need to move players on. 
 

We don’t need four forwards in this system, so one of them will most likely go. Iheanacho is the one. That might rock the boat with Ndidi, however with all the talk on him moving, we should cash in now if he won’t sign a new deal. That wipes a load off the wage bill and if we replace early with players that aren’t playing international tournaments in the middle of the season, it might benefit us. Likewise with Souttar, who seemingly isn’t fancied.

 

Praet take what we can get and let him go to Torino.

 

Then ship out two of Smithies, Iversen and Ward, as we don’t need four goalkeepers, never mind five!

 

That makes 5 places for me, we need another wide midfield / attacker (to replace Albrighton who expires in the summer) An 8, a centre back and potentially another forward long term if Vardy is retiring at the end of this season. 
 

O’Reilly, Gronbaek, maybe another forward then a centre back. I’m surprised we haven’t looked at Balikwisha or Giovani Reyner.

 

I’d imagine we’ll see some movement on contracts as well. Potentially Vestergaard re-signing for another 1-2 years, makes sense but it’ll upset some no doubt.

 

Vestergaard is on 9 yellows, so realistically he’s serving a 2 game ban at some point. That gives us a challenge in central defence, however Coady / Faes / Doyle should hopefully be able to cover. 

 

We get through these next 10ish games and we’ll be okay. We need to manage the squad and injuries, but it’s encouraging to see Cannon and Doyle back. We need Vardy, McAteer and Albrighton back early January if possible. 
 

 

Really? This is very sad! He's only 34 

[coolhandfox]

I'm not to concerned, we have put ourselves in a great position to give us some breathing space. 

 

With Doyle back fit we have more than enought options for Souttar absence to no real worry there.

 

As long as we can get Macteer fit I think we can cover Fatawu absence without to much of an issues with him and Wanya. We have won plenty of games without him starting or playing. There is also a chance his doesn't go.

 

Daka is a loss on his recent form. As long as Vardy and Cannon can stay fit we will be fine. The games Vardy has started we have played 9  (W7 D1 L1)

 

There are only two major issues, one is lose of Ndidi. Without him our win percentage is 50% when he has been unable, playing 4 (W2 L2).

 

We have Casadei, Akgun and Praet to cover his absence, and the latter two can't stay fit.

 

The other may issue is losing 5 players doesn't give us much cover for injuries in a 25 man squad.

 

We need to dip into the market for a 8 in my view.

 

[coolhandfox]

27 minutes ago, Bordersfox said:

His record at the top level is far from poor.

 

Unfortunately that's not translated to the Championship.

[JimJams]

Everything seems to be season defining.

[Golden Fox]

Thought this thread was a joke until I clicked on it. We're over half way through the season: record number of points at this stage ever, 6 points clear at the top and 11 points clear of 3rd. The season has already been defined - even if we cool off a little!

[Chelmofox]

28 minutes ago, Bordersfox said:

His record at the top level is far from poor.

 

This gets wheeled out far too much, as he and arguably Ole are the only heavily subbed players in the list. The rest were phenomenal regulars. If I recall the stats go to early last year, and if you took since that date it will paint a very different picture, which is what matters now. 

[Foxmeister]

39 minutes ago, Bordersfox said:

His record at the top level is far from poor.

 

Not 1 of the rest on that list would go for less than £70m so we should be able to cash in next month..... either that or there's a stat to prove anything.

[Bordersfox]

1 minute ago, Chelmofox said:

This gets wheeled out far too much, as he and arguably Ole are the only heavily subbed players in the list. The rest were phenomenal regulars. If I recall the stats go to early last year, and if you took since that date it will paint a very different picture, which is what matters now. 

All totally fair enough but irrelevant to the post I was commenting on really which was the blithe comment that he has a poor record at the top level. He doesn't.

 

Subbed not subbed, whatever, you can argue not starting actually makes it harder to score regularly or that it makes it easier I don't know the answer to that.  I do know to be on that list you need to be performing at least fairly regularly at the top level.  

 

[Bordersfox]

1 minute ago, Foxmeister said:

Not 1 of the rest on that list would go for less than £70m so we should be able to cash in next month..... either that or there's a stat to prove anything.

I've had this before.  People never like stats when It doesn't agree with their thinking. 

It proves he doesn't have a poor record as you specifically said.  

 

I'm not saying he's as good as anyone else on the list.  If you'd said don't fancy Kel at the top level he's no Drogba then you might have had a point. 

[Jobyfox]

10 minutes ago, coolhandfox said:

Unfortunately that's not translated to the Championship.

That's the real frustration

 

I and many others, thought he'd be the main man this season, but it just hasn't transpired that way. Credit to Daka who's never been my favourite player, but has displayed far more endeavour and commitment in a few games - despite being outside the squad earlier in the season. 

 

I fear it's the end for Nacho. If we go up he won't be what we need and if we don't he'll move anyway. He's also too much of an enigma to place any bet that he'll be successful anywhere else 

[Bordersfox]

1 minute ago, Jobyfox said:

That's the real frustration

 

I and many others, thought he'd be the main man this season, but it just hasn't transpired that way. Credit to Daka who's never been my favourite player, but has displayed far more endeavour and commitment in a few games - despite being outside the squad earlier in the season. 

 

I fear it's the end for Nacho. If we go up he won't be what we need and if we don't he'll move anyway. He's also too much of an enigma to place any bet that he'll be successful anywhere else 

I think he'll go on to have a decent record somewhere else.  I don't know that.   But I think and hope he does. 

 

 His time here though is over, and that's best for all parties.  

[Foxmeister]

1 minute ago, Bordersfox said:

I've had this before.  People never like stats when It doesn't agree with their thinking. 

It proves he doesn't have a poor record as you specifically said.  

 

I'm not saying he's as good as anyone else on the list.  If you'd said don't fancy Kel at the top level he's no Drogba then you might have had a point. 

There's sound reasons why no club was prepared to sign him in the summer for a fraction of the price of Barnes or Maddison.

 

20 top managers didn't fancy him which suggests they didn't put much store in that statistic either.

[Bordersfox]

Just now, Foxmeister said:

There's sound reasons why no club was prepared to sign him in the summer for a fraction of the price of Barnes or Maddison.

 

20 top managers didn't fancy him which suggests they didn't put much store in that statistic either.

You said he had a poor record, it's a very specific statement but one made without factual basis.  I was just pointing that out.

 

The other stuff is just your opinion and you're perfectly entitled to it.  

[grobyfox1990]

We’re going up, relax. If we don’t it will be a story worthy of lcfc recent history