So … do we have bottle?

[Nolucklcfc]

We didn’t bottle it. We all thought we would after the Millwall and Plymouth games but we showed some real metal against West Brom and Southampton. So can we say we have a team that has something about them? We were 13 points clear of third at one point, but did we bottle that? Or did we just lose games that happens in football? Our big game record remains a concern, and I personally think there remains a fragility in the club. But I hope we keep the majority of the squad together because they have shown some metal which we haven’t had for years now. 

[Chelmofox]

WBA game and in particular Hamza's performance were key. Showed a tonne of bottle that day.

[BrummieFOX]

Think you answered it yourself, there is a fragility at the Club and I genuinely think it stems from complacency, most likely coming from the very top. So whenever we're in a tough situation or off an unexpected loss, our approach is, "We'll be fine, just win next week". 

 

But the manager and players definitely deserve credit for turning round that run of bad form. Lots has been said about that player meeting that Vardy called and it would be nice to think that did have an impact.

 

 

[mancunianfox]

They showed a lot of bottle in the West Brom game. Clearly a lot of nerves after the two bad away games but battled through it against a good side with some fantastic defending.

 

In the Southampton game we carried over some physicality and outfought them and senior players like Vardy really stepped up and lead by example. That was good because we are better when we get at teams a bit more even when playing this style. 

[Stadt]

It’s important to acknowledge when we’ve shown some steel, if we only ever acknowledge bottling it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

 

We’ve never been able to stop the spiral in the PL - we’ve arrested the decline this season and we do deserve credit for it. Look at Leeds crumbling.

Edited 27 April by Stadt

[Arriba Los Zorros]

We were extremely lucky Vs West Brom in that we could have conceded 3 or 4 another day, however we took that luck and ran with it. So we're ruthless at least.

 

Hamza has bottle though, and if course JV, I'd be keeping him around for sure.

[Levi Port]

Norwich, Birmingham, WBA and Southampton showed it 

[Nolucklcfc]

6 minutes ago, BrummieFOX said:

Think you answered it yourself, there is a fragility at the Club and I genuinely think it stems from complacency, most likely coming from the very top. So whenever we're in a tough situation or off an unexpected loss, our approach is, "We'll be fine, just win next week". 

 

But the manager and players definitely deserve credit for turning round that run of bad form. Lots has been said about that player meeting that Vardy called and it would be nice to think that did have an impact.

 

 

That meeting Vardy called seems a bit turning point 

[Chelmofox]

2 minutes ago, Arriba Los Zorros said:

We were extremely lucky Vs West Brom in that we could have conceded 3 or 4 another day, however we took that luck and ran with it. So we're ruthless at least.

 

Hamza has bottle though, and if course JV, I'd be keeping him around for sure.

I dont agree we were lucky. You are not lucky if someone doesn't take their chances. We actually showed some pretty heroic defending, took 2 good goals and even missed a penalty. 

[Sol thewall Bamba]

It's a mix of factors as it always is. Let's have it straight we were let off the hook by Leeds and Ipswich at exactly the right time.  

 

BUT we kept ourselves in at at the right time when it looked like it was falling apart, which Leeds couldn't.

[StanSP]

Yes. 

 

As much as we can have no bottle at some parts, we have to give credit to the squad to be galvanised eventually when it mattered. 

 

Similar to how a whole season when you win a title isn't down to luck (although there may be luck along the way), ultimately whether you have bottle or not isn't just down to 3 or 4 games within the season or a little blip when you don't win. 

You clearly have to have something about you to get promoted out of this league, and having some amount of bottle in you is one of those things. 

 

As much as we may have slipped up, so have Leeds and Ipswich as our main contenders. But ultimately we have been better than them. 

[filbertway]

I feel like it's been a case of Leeds bottling it more to be fair haha.

 

WBA was a coin flip game and we were very fortunate for it to go our way. 

 

We then face a Southampton team that appears to be looking to avoid injury for the play offs and Leeds played a QPR team that looked like they belong in the top 6.

 

Either way - in theory it should be a positive for the lads to take forwards. Best case they can tell themselves say that they  got the job done and worst case - they can at least say they've got bigger bollocks than Leeds and Liverpool players.

[Dr The Singh]

Bottle whisky di.............poooonjabi

[String fellow]

That vital 5-0 win against Southampton was quintessential in proving that we do have bottle!

[honeybradger]

That performance from Hamza was vital. West Brom easily could have won and the downwards spiral would have continued.

 

For all the flak that he gets from our fans he possibly saved the future of our club that day.

[crisp packet]

Mixture of Leeds , Ipswich also “bottling it” and fans getting behind the club to push us over the line. 
 

West Brom and Southampton games were Huge !

[erlee]

I haven't been watching too much Leicester games this yr.. can someone enlighten me  how Vestergaard (is that correct spelling?) is now a main stay in the CB position - he couldn't buy 10 min of games time when we were in EPL. . . .

[Viva]

4 wins on the trot at home and 4 out of 6 when the pressure was on after Bristol City shows we definitely have fight in the team. We certainly didn’t bottle anything. The season is 46 matches. Every club will have ups and downs, but we put together wins at the end when they mattered.  

[when_you're_smiling]

I hate the term bottle. The ones who throw out the bottle accusations are the ones you wouldn’t want next to you in a battle.

 

People always look for the negatives. If we did win thanks to a lot of bottle (ie West Brom) we’re ‘lucky’ and if we’re unlucky then it’s just we’ve still ‘bottled it’ according to some.

 

Any kind of mettle is taking the rough with the smooth and getting the fook on with it, which this team have done with games to spare by getting at least 94 points.

 

No matter the money spent previously, if you think you can bottle your way to that total in a tough league with numerous off the field issues (including a shock from a massive fall from grace) then you’re as deluded as Vichai was when he first came in and brought Sven, Beckford and Mills etc.

[CheeseHead]

94pts with 2 games left, of course the players have bottle. Foxestalk on the other hand, bottled it after every defeat

[Scanchez]

We had bottle but then we lost bottle.

Then we found bottle, which is lucky because we really needed bottle.

Now we can all celebrate with a nice bottle.

Although if we miss out on 1st place, we will have lost bottle again.

Got to try and not lose the bottle because bottle is so precious.
 

[CosbehFox]

It’s learnt isn’t? 
 

We’ve lacked the grit at times this season but it appears the lessons got learnt as the season progressed right at the end 

[Foxdiamond]

20 minutes ago, String fellow said:

That vital 5-0 win against Southampton was quintessential in proving that we do have bottle!

Agreed. What a time to deliver a performance that brought a vital 3 points that also deflated rivals. Contrast that with Leeds collapse last night

[Wasyls Pec Deck]

5 minutes ago, Scanchez said:

We had bottle but then we lost bottle.

Then we found bottle, which is lucky because we really needed bottle.

Now we can all celebrate with a nice bottle.

Although if we miss out on 1st place, we will have lost bottle again.

Got to try and not lose the bottle because bottle is so precious.
 

Bottle it up!

[sylofox]

47 minutes ago, Nolucklcfc said:

We didn’t bottle it. We all thought we would after the Millwall and Plymouth games but we showed some real metal against West Brom and Southampton. So can we say we have a team that has something about them? We were 13 points clear of third at one point, but did we bottle that? Or did we just lose games that happens in football? Our big game record remains a concern, and I personally think there remains a fragility in the club. But I hope we keep the majority of the squad together because they have shown some metal which we haven’t had for years now. 

It was never a case of bottle for me.

 

It's all been down to our stubborn manager playing the same system once we was sussed out. Also a boring paint dry system.

 

But I expect him to revert back now we are up. 

 

Be great after two games to see how long it takes those that think he's a god again take to turn.