What a Difference a Decade Makes ... Same Results, DIfferent Vibe

[Vaz]

I'm happy! its not me! 

[Les-TA-Jon]

57 minutes ago, davieG said:

This.

In spite of our position in the league for the last number of games we've been underperforming compared to earlier in the season and there's little confidence that we can hang on to 1-0 leads so every mistake, and there are so many by any player causes concern.

There was a period yesterday just before we got our 2nd goal where we couldn't get out of our own half through continual unenforced errors, it would have been hard for a neutral to tell which team was clear at the top and which was sitting in 16th place. We know our players are better than that. It's like a malaise sets in when we go 1-0 up and that draws in the the fans

Of course there's an underlying feeling of entitlement when your sitting 7 points clear at the top, with the players we have and after last seasons totally unnecessary relegation why would that surprise anyone. That's not to say that after years of being an LCFC fan that people have lost that dread of being let down yet again even after the last 10+ years of success which even in that period has included several let downs.

I really don't understand why though. It doesn't stand up to reality. We've only dropped points from a 1-0 position 4 times all season - and only 1 of them have been at home. 

 

Even 10 of our 22 wins have been by a single goal margin, so this idea that we don't win tight games is just in people's heads. 

[CosbehFox]

Just to throw something in - bar Friday evenings and European fixtures, that stadium has always been pants midweek. Regardless of level and position. 

[davieG]

8 minutes ago, Les-TA-Jon said:

I really don't understand why though. It doesn't stand up to reality. We've only dropped points from a 1-0 position 4 times all season - and only 1 of them have been at home. 

 

Even 10 of our 22 wins have been by a single goal margin, so this idea that we don't win tight games is just in people's heads. 

Because we've drawn or lost games where we should have been out of site by conceding last minute goal when that happens it doesn't matter how many times you've won.

 

Fans reflect what is happening on the pitch like most spectator events. If a well known band is crap on stage do the fans cheer, if a play is being badly performed do the audience clap and want an encore. Football is no different really.

[urban.spaceman]

Just out of curiosity does anyone know what Nige's win rate was in the League One season? Cos Enzo's on something like 75%.

[mancunianfox]

The shoe being on the other foot with us being the dominant team in our league is a novelty but it isn't really what I am after as a fan either.

[Les-TA-Jon]

42 minutes ago, davieG said:

Because we've drawn or lost games where we should have been out of site by conceding last minute goal when that happens it doesn't matter how many times you've won.

 

Fans reflect what is happening on the pitch like most spectator events. If a well known band is crap on stage do the fans cheer, if a play is being badly performed do the audience clap and want an encore. Football is no different really.

But my point is that's literally only happened in 4 games and only once at home...

[HankMarvin]

During 2013-14, We were poised on the brink of an upward trajectory. It was an electrifying period for the us interns of progression, witnessing our team's struggles and subsequent fall into League One under Mandric's ownership. The investment journey from 2010 onwards was a rollercoaster ride, marked by new signings and managers until Nigel's return, which seemed to stabilise things. After a decade-long wait, we finally returned to the Premier League, armed with spending power compared to other newly promoted teams, fuelling our excitement for what we could achieve and the prospect of establishing ourselves as a top-flight force.

 

The flip side of that is what we went on to achieve during that period and then the subsequent relegation, the realisation that a lot of the current team appear likely to struggle in the top flight. Burnley’s similar style of play that saw them coast the Championship last season yet win just 3 in 21 this season. 

There seems to be a collective apprehension this time around highlighted by the fact a manager with a 76% win percentage feels the need to stay what he did after another victory.

 

 

[The Horse's Mouth]

Don’t think it’s Enzos fault but this dreary style is something we’ve been adopting for a long time, even going back to Puel. I think for me personally, when Brendan went I wanted a change of direction and Enzo is kinda from the same deck of cards. I’m not negative about it though, I’m a bit disconnected from the club now anyway. But I completely understand why. Plus that Nige team was top 3 enjoyable Leicester teams for me. We were always on front foot going full beans and absolutely grafting our bollocks off 

[Heskey2011]

It's worth taking a look at the relegated teams from last season in France, Spain and Italy. From the 10 relegated only one is top Auxerre, with same points as Angers 2nd. 

All three legaues are easier than Championship, but I dunno how bad the relegated teams were still are.

[davieG]

55 minutes ago, Les-TA-Jon said:

But my point is that's literally only happened in 4 games and only once at home...

When you've watch us for many years and been let down at the last hurdle so many times your confidence gets sapped.

[Les-TA-Jon]

2 minutes ago, davieG said:

When you've watch us for many years and been let down at the last hurdle so many times your confidence gets sapped.

Right, so it is about the piss-poor mentality of the watching crowd than what's actually happening on the pitch then. 

[STUHILL]

Hangover from relegation and also feeling like we don't belong down here. 

I think a lot of fans see this season as an inconvenience and a constant reminder how hard we fell. 

10+ years ago we were on the way up! Right now, we are still all hungover from a big embarrassing fall.  

I think as we get closer to the end of the season and we hopefully get it done comfortably, fans will begin to get more positive again! 

 

 

[Lillehamring]

3 hours ago, davieG said:

This.

In spite of our position in the league for the last number of games we've been underperforming compared to earlier in the season and there's little confidence that we can hang on to 1-0 leads so every mistake, and there are so many by any player causes concern.

There was a period yesterday just before we got our 2nd goal where we couldn't get out of our own half through continual unenforced errors, it would have been hard for a neutral to tell which team was clear at the top and which was sitting in 16th place. We know our players are better than that. It's like a malaise sets in when we go 1-0 up and that draws in the the fans

Of course there's an underlying feeling of entitlement when your sitting 7 points clear at the top, with the players we have and after last seasons totally unnecessary relegation why would that surprise anyone. That's not to say that after years of being an LCFC fan that people have lost that dread of being let down yet again even after the last 10+ years of success which even in that period has included several let downs.

But this is exactly what Enzo is trying to reinforce - despite our league position, it isn't easy - swansea started playing and played well, our players were under pressure and it showed.  We have to differentiate this belief that 'oh we're the best we shouldn't be making mistakes or letting other teams have chances' from the reality that 'we are only better than other teams when we play better than other teams'.

 

You know i'm not directing this at you, but the problem with leicester fans now is the same as it has been since we won the league.  Entitlement.  When puel had us upper mid-table playing (funnily enough) similar football, for the fans it wasn't good enough, to often the cry was 'we should be pushing for a top six place'; last year (and yes i am over-simplfying this, but it was a part of the problem), rather than accepting how much trouble we were in and, i hate to say it, getting behind the team like forest's fans did, we turned on the team and the manager - because, the cry went out, 'we shouldn't be in a relegation battle'.

 

And now, god know's what get's into people's minds, but the cry is 'we're top of the league, we should be blowing teams away, we should be swashbuckling and a thrill to watch' - but the reality is, we're not really any better than anyone else, only under maresca we've sustained a level of football higher and more consistently than anyone else.

 

so we have to stop looking at games as if we're underperforming and start looking at games and say we're doing better than our opponents.

[James_lcfc]

3 minutes ago, Lillehamring said:

 

And now, god know's what get's into people's minds, but the cry is 'we're top of the league, we should be blowing teams away, we should be swashbuckling and a thrill to watch' - but the reality is, we're not really any better than anyone else, only under maresca we've sustained a level of football higher and more consistently than anyone else.

 

 

Not the reality at all. Our squad is much better than the vast majority of the teams in this league. Wage bill absolutely dwarfs everyone aside from maybe Southampton and Leeds too.

 

I agree with a lot of your post though - There is definitely entitlement in the fan base. I know we don't have any divine right, but our squad really should be doing very well in this league shouldn't they?

[KingsX]

Good stuff y’all.  People with a variety of views, all expressing them intelligently after taking a minute to think.

 

WTF is it doing on this forum 

 

No, seriously, if the club really wanted to take the temperature of the fanbase (which it should), these responses would be a good place to start.

 

[MonarchFox]

Probably all of the above.

 

Sort of reminds me of the Man U era under Fergie, fans would turn up expect the win and want to be entertained.  We've become accustomed to that in a short space of time with Enzo.

 

I'd class myself as an older supporter and some of my favourite time were the Little, O'Neill and Pearson eras.  You know those teams would fight and battle to get a result, they could play the 2nd place team in the table and get 2 draws and we would be happy with that knowing the team had given their all no matter what.

 

This year it feels more like a don't cock it up scenario when we've played Ipswich and we feel we've thrown points away.  The trying to keep it at the back puts fans on edge.

 

Shows you what a tough job Enzo as had from the start here, hats off to him really for delivering so far

[davieG]

1 hour ago, Les-TA-Jon said:

Right, so it is about the piss-poor mentality of the watching crowd than what's actually happening on the pitch then. 

N o it's when their playing poorly which Enzo acknowledge was happening during the Swansea game

[Les-TA-Jon]

1 minute ago, davieG said:

N o it's when their playing poorly which Enzo acknowledge was happening during the Swansea game

You were specifically talking about conceding late goals and dropping points. We've demonstrably not actually done that very often this season. 

 

Then you said:

 

1 hour ago, davieG said:

When you've watch us for many years and been let down at the last hurdle so many times your confidence gets sapped.

Stop moving the goal posts mate. It doesn't make for a particularly coherent argument. 

[davieG]

3 minutes ago, Les-TA-Jon said:

You were specifically talking about conceding late goals and dropping points. We've demonstrably not actually done that very often this season. 

 

Then you said:

 

Stop moving the goal posts mate. It doesn't make for a particularly coherent argument. 

Late goals coupled with playing poorly.

 

I'm just trying to see all sides of this debate.

 

This is more my situation.

 

Usually in a game, certainly more so with all seater stadium that the fans feeling and actions reflect what is happening on the pitch.

When  something is happening on the pitch fans get excited and shout support, even, shock horror some will stand. However when there is nothing happening and not looking like it's going to happen then fans tend to just sit and watch almost motionless, then throw in a succession of errors fans will moan surely not an unexpected response.

 

Enzo talks about it being like chess which is not generally seen as a spectator sport and watched I would think by people that know the intricacies, strategies and nuances of chess. I doubt there's many fans watching football for those and definitely won't  have got their coaching badges. 

It will take time for fans to understand and appreciate this way to play and should be afforded the time to adjust.

I never went to games looking at the tactical approaches to games rather focusing on individual skills and the outcome of those skills. with the help of @StriderHiryu thread on tactics I'm now starting to see more of that in games hopefully in time I'll come to appreciate that as much as I do individual skills the price maybe that there is less action to see.

 

 

[sbfox]

Entitlement. Simple as. 

 

We saw it before the season started, when certain posters seemed to genuinely believe that we'd get bullied out of games by Championship stalwarts playing 442. A lot of our fanbase hasn't adapted to modern football and this seems to have translated into the current mood. 

[Manley Farrington-Brown]

2 hours ago, Les-TA-Jon said:

But my point is that's literally only happened in 4 games and only once at home...

And two of those four were from deflected shots. And one was when we'd been down to ten men for the whole second half. So really only once.

[BenTheFox]

I think you need to remember that in 2013/14 we'd spent a decade out of the top flight, which included four years of stagnation and relegation to the third tier. Then came the King Power takeover over where we were spending big under Sven trying to get out of the league to no avail and then of course there was Deeney Day. In 2013/14 we finally saw it all come together with a manager and a group of players that made us proud to be Leicester fans once again. It's still my favourite season following the club. 

[orangecity23]

Worth pointing out there was a load of negative whining during the 12/13 Pearson playoff season, and it was back again during 2014/15 during the middle of the season. People were up in arms about Pearson in the Hull home game, the great escape kicked off the following game against West Ham. The positive atmosphere built in the final stretch, but for large parts of the middle of the season, there was plenty of griping in the ground and on ft. Some folks wanted Vardy sold in the transfer window, offering to drive him to West Brom themselves.

 

 

[moseeds]

11 hours ago, KingsX said:

This season is pointing toward the same result as 2013/14.  Dominating the league by a margin not often seen in the Championship.

 

 

Yep, so far, we are scoring a bit more and yielding less than in what we all agree was an exceptional season.

 

No, I'm not crowning us or awarding us 100 points yet -- but that is not my point. 

 

Things have taken a 180 degree turn since May.  We are going back up.  And yet, instead of folks being over the moon ... there's an air of malaise over the forum.  What gives?

 

- Too much cynical, purely results-oriented keepaway football boring us?

- Brainy Italian chief instead of charismatic Englishman?

- Lots of really good, get-the-job-done players instead of an insanely charismatic striker, and eye-popping winger, both on their way to superstardom?

- Too many dinosaurs in the fanbase who can't pipe down and just enjoy the results?

- Or have we just become spoiled, entitled tw@ts after a decade of unprecedented success?

 

- Combination of the above?

 

Discuss.

 

 

 

+ Brexit has a lot to answer for