Are we bottlers and do we have a weak mentality?

[Sly]

I’ve seen this spouted a few times now? Are people seriously calling this out when we still have so much football left to play? 
 

In my opinion my aren’t (yet). 

 

Football is fine margins and on any given day, any team can beat another. One day you’ll lose to QPR, the next we could beat Hull. 
 

We won’t win ever game, as we don’t set ourselves up to get beat like the Arsenal invincible did. You could throw 80% of the current Premier League teams into the Championship and even they’d struggle not to lose a game with how thick and fast the games come at times. 
 

We will be hurting right now but at times we’ve had the rub of the green this season, it’s just not dropped like that in the last 3 games. QPR was dreadful yesterday if I’m honest, however we played some of the best football I’ve seen us play this season against Leeds before the collapse on 80 minutes-ish. 
 

At this time, I still think we will win the league. 
 

Other teams wobble as well, pressure does funny things to people. That includes Enzo as well, as I’ve stated a few times. He’s learning about himself as a head coach, as well as he can and can’t trust. Time wasn’t built in a day. 
 

We can do a post season review and maybe answer my question then?

[StanSP]

Don't like the bottlers tag, but we do seem to have a weak mentality, yes. 

 

[winteriscoming]

Unfortunately we have history against us and this isn’t an isolated incident. Blowing top 4 in the premiership consecutively with a 10+ points advantage. So yes imo we are both bottler’s with a weak mentality. 

[Matt]

We've won things so we're not bottlers as such, but I don't believe there are many clubs out there that constantly snatch defeat from the jaws of victory as consistently - or make it so hard for their selves in such winning or commanding situations or positions as us.

 

The bottlejob tag that gets put on Tottenham or other clubs, I think it's quite remarkable outside of our fanbase how it's not been picked up on for us.

 

Fuck this up and we will not get away with it, biggest embarrassment of all time, we will be ridiculed. 

 

Edited 3 March by Matt

[Nolucklcfc]

We were 17 points clear of 3rd at Christmas, it’s now 5. Yes the clubs below us have been relentless but that’s poor. It just feels like they are nervous defending leads and seem to be struggling to deal with the pressure. But there’s been an inherent weakness mentally in this club for the last few years. Bottled CL, bottled staying up, bottled Roma away and now we are in massive danger of bottling promotion. That isn’t all coincidence. It’s why even when we were so clear I wasn’t thinking this was done because it feels like our club more than any other has an unbelievable ability to **** it all up very quickly. Lack of availability in midfield doesn’t help but now we have to stand up and be counted. Players need to stand up. Anyone back us if we fall into the play offs? Absolutely no chance. 

[foxinsocks]

I dont think it's an intrinsic mentality... but certainly our confidence is fragile.

Imo (1) our posession football is susceptible to counter attacks (nb we invented counter attacking football in 2015)

(2) we make mistakes.

 

Yesterday we did both. 

 

Yet this would be ok if we created more goal chances.

 

I like Abdul and he gets into shooting positions with the time to hit the target. He should not he discouraged from shooting... he needs to take time to get it in target.

 

Mav needs to go to the byeline inbthe box. He will win pe altues and create chances.

Edited 3 March by foxinsocks

[Ric Flair]

I think the question should be " Are we the most ridiculous football club there's ever been " ?

 

The answer to that is yes and this is just the next chapter in it. Its hard to get your head around it but we're pure chaos and I think we're entering new territory now.

[Chocolate Teapot]

Yes.

[Sly]

1 minute ago, Ric Flair said:

I think the question should be " Are we the most ridiculous football club there's ever been " ?

 

The answer to that is yes and this is just the next chapter in it. Its hard to get your head around it but we're pure chaos and I think we're entering new territory now.

It’s been a great ride though hasn’t it? 

 

I still come back to my point in 2016. It was so special to us, as the lows we’d experienced, made the highs that much more special. 

[hackenbacker]

Greg Norman (google 1996 US masters) would be proud of our chocking prowess.... 

Edited 3 March by hackenbacker
spelling

[Winchesterfox]

Not bottlers but

- we have some strange tactics like all the chipped crosses to the back post yesterday that we almost never win.  And we seem very open at the back when teams break against us.  

- teams are starting to work us out and we don’t seem to have a plan B when they do

- we don’t show enough intensity on the ball until we go behind.  It’s all a bit one- paced

 

[Pliskin]

I think we do have a weak mentality. 
 

We can put whatever slant we want on yesterday’s performance, but no one should be losing to QPR in our position…….. It looked from where I was that they wanted it more, and dug in. We just never ever looked like we had the belief to win the game, and QPR are dreadful. 
 

The other bizarre thing, was that QPR for some reason always looked like they were going to score, dispute not being threatening. Hamza just didn’t deal with Chair, and that gave them a platform to build on. 
 

We didn’t have any answers for it. My biggest concern was as I said, after the game the lads just collapsed to the floor, as if they had just lost a cup final, collapsed to the floor like they did after the Everton game last season. The body language of the players looked worrying, that’s why I’m so concerned, I rather have seen them rallying around one another, but they just sunk into a hole. 
 

That’s why I’m now so concerned….. next game is monstrous, I thought this was must win, so god knows what that one is. Win, and we maintain some control of our fate, lose and I think it has the potential to quickly go into out of our hands territory.

Edited 3 March by Pliskin

[FrankieADZ]

im not going to say yes to either atm, as we need to be more clinical in front of goal

cos look at some of the big decisions that went against us in the last 3 league games, cos my god they are actually woeful

 

 

[Vestan Pance]

We've had nearly 10 years of being either brilliant or total rubbish, with some bottling involved, but when we've been in strong positions we've failed to get the recruitment right. I think that's been the biggest factor.

[smudger63]

I keep hearing "we are still top of the league, we will be fine", but I was hearing that for the two seasons we spent in the top four, with similar points advantage, to that, that we are currently blowing, and it went pear shaped.

Last season, was the same, " oh we have too much quality, we will be fine", but that quality still wasnt enough to keep us up, even though it should have done comfortably.

So I can't speak for anyone else, but I'm still scarred by those collapses, and this season is rapidly heading the same way.

We still have time to turn it around, and we can, but momentum is a big thing, and we need to swing that momentum back the other way immediately, before it's too late.

What concerns me, is the amount of late goals we've conceded that have cost us points, when under pressure in the final minutes of games.

That suggests a lack of mentality to deal with pressure situations, and we are now in a situation where the nearer to the end we get, the greater the pressure, and we have to be able to handle that, if we don't, we ain't going up, it's that simple.

Edited 3 March by smudger63

[The mullet of Phil Gee]

I think what we’ve lacked for years now is players with really strong leadership skills. Those who can galvanise the team when things get tough.
 

We’ve had a very soft underbelly for a long time and we could really use a Walsh, Taggart, Lennon, Morgan or Huth type of character to give us that bit of spite and even nastiness to see matches out.

 

At the risk of sounding like a dinosaur with a mullet, we’re too bloody nice! 
 

Yes, football has changed, but some of those old traits of leadership, spite, grit and occasional use of the dark arts would serve us well right now.

 

 

 

 

[jayfox26]

40 minutes ago, Ric Flair said:

I think the question should be " Are we the most ridiculous football club there's ever been " ?

 

The answer to that is yes and this is just the next chapter in it. Its hard to get your head around it but we're pure chaos and I think we're entering new territory now.

I was saying this a bit back that we are probably one of the most interesting football teams around as there is always something going on. Many clubs are just plodders like Everton, Palace, etc and hardly anything interesting ever happens at these clubs. Whilst it's a roller coaster supporting LCFC, there is always something going on and we don't just plod along. Complete English football and think ah fck it we'll get relegated with the best side ever to be relegated from the prem just to keep things interesting and we can try and win the championship. Storm to a 17 point lead at the top and the think nah its too easy this, let's make it interesting and lose 3 in a row. 

 

We are exciting, frustrating and annoying in equal measure, but would we want it any other way? 

[Stevosevic]

51 minutes ago, StanSP said:

Don't like the bottlers tag, but we do seem to have a weak mentality, yes. 

 

Mentality is weak - linked to the late goals too. 
 

[Lad1966]

I think our recent form is more about the imbalance in our squad, made worse by our injuries in an area where we are weakest. The timing of this is make it’s worse☹️

[Thequickbrownfox]

2019/20 - 4 wins in our last 17

2020/21 - 5 wins in our last 13

2022/23 - 4 wins in our last 23

 

Will there soon be four blue bottles hanging on the wall?

[m4DD0gg]

2023/2024 - After amassing a lead that was on course for smashing the record points finish the team capitulated

2022/2023 - 

2021/2022 - Didnt bother turning up in the most important european match of our history

2020/2021 - Missed out on champions league on final day after a healthy lead over 5th

2019/2020 - Missed out on champions league on final day after a healthy lead over 5th

 

Quite conclusive evidence as to whether we 'bottle it'.

[dnewty]

I don’t think we have a weak mentality.

I think it’s more that our manager seems incapable of changing formation or adapting tactically to what the game requires.

[foxfanazer]

There's been a weak underbelly to the club ever since the untimely passing of Vichai imo. I lay a lot of it and Brendan Rodgers door but the ownership and his little minions also have no idea.

 

I still back us to go up this season but it really doesn't bode well for next season under the current setup. 

[TeamRocket]

Think we just stuck in one gear and although we are top of league I still feel like we don't have that fearless mentally like we used to. It's honestly feels like we are scared for some reason. Like we're trying to hard, make silly mistakes etc and not hunting our prey taking our hunt home.

[Weller Wing]

It's certainly never dull being a Leicester fan and I think we'll frequently pull a defeat from the jaws of victory. 

 

I do think that out of the current top 4 in the Championship that we're the least likely to win a game , after coming from behind.

 

This is my concern as we've given opposition the chance to get a foothold in games and this needs to stop.