King Power Out

[Pliskin]

Just to remind every one of the situation. 
 

Coventry are two leagues above us. 
 

 

Hope that keeps you warm coach 1.

[Sunbury Fox]

3 hours ago, LCFCJohn said:

Its an interesting thought but what benefit do you think the new group format has given English sides come the knock out rounds?

Let me list who West Ham played in their run to winning the Conference League to illustrate the point:

 

Last 16 AEK Larnaca (Cyprus)

QF Gent 

SF AZ Alkmaar

 

Compare that to our run:

 

Rennes 

PSV ( usually in CL)

Roma under Mourinho

[LCFCJohn]

Can’t believe so many people are still leaping the defend the European performances and throwing away top 4 twice 

 

I just can’t. I’m out! 

[MattFox]

1 minute ago, LCFCJohn said:

Can’t believe so many people are still leaping the defend the European performances and throwing away top 4 twice 

 

I just can’t. I’m out! 

The people defending the Puel era are just as bad

 

Two massive opportunities to qualify for Europe missed then too

[LCFCJohn]

2 minutes ago, MattFox said:

The people defending the Puel era are just as bad

 

Two massive opportunities to qualify for Europe missed then too

I’m not sure people defend the on the pitch side under Puel, more that it was the only time since Pearson there has been any cohesion off the pitch in terms of squad building. But even then, as evidenced by what followed, whilst many of those signings were talented, there was a lack of headship and mental strength.

 

I don’t recall us being in a shout for Europe though unless we are talking about the season Burnley qualified? After the title win,

my memories are relegation battles and firing managers. 2017 Ranieri, later in 2017 Shakespeare (although perhaps too early in the season to call it a relegation battle despite being bottom 3 at the time he went) and going backwards towards the bottom 3 under Puel. 
 

Very selective memories from people who think we were ever a truly stable Premier League club.

[Sunbury Fox]

8 minutes ago, LCFCJohn said:

Can’t believe so many people are still leaping the defend the European performances and throwing away top 4 twice 

 

I just can’t. I’m out! 

Not sure if that is directed at my post above but just to be clear I’m not defending our European performances. My post was in response to your suggestion that the format change in the ECL and UEL had not benefited English clubs. I think West Ham’s run illustrates that it has. The level of opposition they played was significantly below what we faced.

[LCFCJohn]

5 minutes ago, Sunbury Fox said:

Not sure if that is directed at my post above but just to be clear I’m not defending our European performances. My post was in response to your suggestion that the format change in the ECL and UEL had not benefited English clubs. I think West Ham’s run illustrates that it has. The level of opposition they played was significantly below what we faced.

Not just yours, generally at the sheer volume of people who have taken exception to my post highlighting that the string of achievements by similarly sized PL clubs since illustrates it was a failure when people were calling it a positive at the time and jumping on anyone who suggested otherwise.

 

If pulling out net spend figures and who teams played isn’t making excuses, what is it? We were favourites to win the Europa League, got dumped out of the group stage and are the only English team to then not make the final of the Conference league I think unless I’m missing someone. 
 

Net spend and who you play doesn’t account for huge mental failure which is what happened to us. We turned up against Roma scared and didn’t lay a glove on them.

 

And the European stuff is one side of it but doesn’t touch upon the collapse twice from the top 4.

 

And by the way, I don’t believe I said the format hadn’t, I asked Cosbeh why which yeah ok, it refers to the shift of clubs from one level to another. But it’s luck of the draw. The semis of the Europa League this season wasn’t made up of powerhouses. Freiburg, Braga and Forest. Villa the standout side obviously.

[CosbehFox]

3 hours ago, LCFCJohn said:

Good point. Would it have made a difference to us? Possibly not as we got through the group stage and had that awful performance to Slavia Prague. And then in the following season knocked out in the group and ended up in the knock out stages of the Conference League.

 

Its an interesting thought but what benefit do you think the new group format has given English sides come the knock out rounds?

The opposition is weaker quite simply, no drop downs from the CL or EL. Other Big 5 leagues don’t have the depth of the PL. This means the PL teams are playing weaker opposition, only have to look at Forest’s run. Additionally the group stage process is far easier, we’d have weaker group opposition. 

[LCFCJohn]

10 minutes ago, CosbehFox said:

The opposition is weaker quite simply, no drop downs from the CL or EL. Other Big 5 leagues don’t have the depth of the PL. This means the PL teams are playing weaker opposition, only have to look at Forest’s run. Additionally the group stage process is far easier, we’d have weaker group opposition. 

Thats fair enough and to be clear, I was genuinely asking as it has been suggested I was saying you are wrong which was not the case. I was asking and you have answered.

 

It’s been a long day, I’m knackered and was thinking quite literally about the format and obviously the format of the knock outs is still 2 legs etc. But yes, I get what you are saying about how it has changed the dynamic of the level of sides etc.

 

Still though, I don’t think it really changes the point I was making as we were still favourites for the Europa and couldn’t even make a mark on the competition down from that. And regardless of who you’re playing, it requires the right mentality to navigate it which was my whole point.

We didn’t fall short of top 4 twice and fail to even win the Conference League because we didn’t have the quality or even the resources. It was primarily the weak mentality led by Rodgers. We obviously suffered from injuries in the Covid disrupted season whilst Man Utd got I think, Fernandes back and Spurs Kane? Whilst we lost some to injury. But all we needed was a poor run of form to see it out given how far ahead we were. We didn’t even need average form. But we completely blew up and I don’t think that can’t be blamed on just injuries and lack of January investment. We should still have had enough as we should have this season to not be relegated to L1.

Edited 21 May by LCFCJohn

[dmayne7]

57 minutes ago, Sunbury Fox said:

Let me list who West Ham played in their run to winning the Conference League to illustrate the point:

 

Last 16 AEK Larnaca (Cyprus)

QF Gent 

SF AZ Alkmaar

 

Compare that to our run:

 

Rennes 

PSV ( usually in CL)

Roma under Mourinho

Yes, but that was also under the old qualification rules, so we wouldn't have even been in the ECL. Would have just been the joint favourites for the EL who got knocked out at the group stage...

[Gamble92]

1 hour ago, Pliskin said:

Just to remind every one of the situation. 
 

Coventry are two leagues above us. 
 

 

Hope that keeps you warm coach 1.

Only thing keeping them warm is an electric blanket and an A4 picture of Des O'Connor next to the bed

[LCFCJohn]

5 minutes ago, dmayne7 said:

Yes, but that was also under the old qualification rules, so we wouldn't have even been in the ECL. Would have just been the joint favourites for the EL who got knocked out at the group stage...

Yep. And you can cherry picks draws and runs etc but we still lost to Slavia Prague in the first Europa season, a weaker side than anyone Villa faced in the knock out rounds this season or Spurs last season. The second season we couldn’t get past was it Spartak Moscow and Legia. 
 

We also played Randers in the Conference League run. 

[Gazza M]

Nearly 10 years since sitting in Walkabout in Newquay watching us play Man Utd in the charity shield as Premier champions whilst straight after was Aston Villa starting their Championship season against Sheffield Wednesday and getting beat. How the tables have turned since under the Nepo. 

[Dan]

4 hours ago, LCFCJohn said:

I’m not sure people defend the on the pitch side under Puel, more that it was the only time since Pearson there has been any cohesion off the pitch in terms of squad building. But even then, as evidenced by what followed, whilst many of those signings were talented, there was a lack of headship and mental strength.

 

I don’t recall us being in a shout for Europe though unless we are talking about the season Burnley qualified? After the title win,

my memories are relegation battles and firing managers. 2017 Ranieri, later in 2017 Shakespeare (although perhaps too early in the season to call it a relegation battle despite being bottom 3 at the time he went) and going backwards towards the bottom 3 under Puel. 
 

Very selective memories from people who think we were ever a truly stable Premier League club.

2017/18 was definitely a big opportunity spurned. We were pretty comfortable favourites at one point to finish 7th and Burnley ended up getting it. Not quite the disaster of other times but was definitely a chance blown.

[LCFCJohn]

5 hours ago, Dan said:

2017/18 was definitely a big opportunity spurned. We were pretty comfortable favourites at one point to finish 7th and Burnley ended up getting it. Not quite the disaster of other times but was definitely a chance blown.

Yeah the ‘Burnley’ season is what I suspected was being referred to. On the other hand, we started that season extremely poorly. I didn’t realise Shakespeare has gone as early as 8 games in though having just looked. So I guess a poor start didn’t really matter. 
 

But yeah, I remember feeling similarly at the time that we could/should have done better that season.

 

Like I say, Puel gets the rightful, perhaps excessive, criticism for on the pitch but he did more for us that most of the managers we have had over the years in terms of the squad. I always look at how a manager inherited vs leaves us in terms of overall health and it has only ever been Pearson and Puel under KP that come to mind. I suppose you could add Maresca in that we got promoted back although I’m not sure the overall health of the club improved (lumbered with the likes of Winks and Vestergaard). Not that I am turning this into a debate about Maresca and I would include him in that group. 

[MattFox]

3 hours ago, LCFCJohn said:

Yeah the ‘Burnley’ season is what I suspected was being referred to. On the other hand, we started that season extremely poorly. I didn’t realise Shakespeare has gone as early as 8 games in though having just looked. So I guess a poor start didn’t really matter. 
 

But yeah, I remember feeling similarly at the time that we could/should have done better that season.

 

Like I say, Puel gets the rightful, perhaps excessive, criticism for on the pitch but he did more for us that most of the managers we have had over the years in terms of the squad. I always look at how a manager inherited vs leaves us in terms of overall health and it has only ever been Pearson and Puel under KP that come to mind. I suppose you could add Maresca in that we got promoted back although I’m not sure the overall health of the club improved (lumbered with the likes of Winks and Vestergaard). Not that I am turning this into a debate about Maresca and I would include him in that group. 

Yeah was referring to 17/18 where everytime we had an opportunity to push on we seemed to falter especially at home where we drew/lost a lot of games on paper we should have been winning 

 

 

 

[Les-TA-Jon]

13 hours ago, LCFCJohn said:

Not just yours, generally at the sheer volume of people who have taken exception to my post highlighting that the string of achievements by similarly sized PL clubs since illustrates it was a failure when people were calling it a positive at the time and jumping on anyone who suggested otherwise.

 

If pulling out net spend figures and who teams played isn’t making excuses, what is it? We were favourites to win the Europa League, got dumped out of the group stage and are the only English team to then not make the final of the Conference league I think unless I’m missing someone. 

Think it's just a classic multiple things can be true at once situation: 

• We were massively punching above our weight in 2019 and 2020 - at that time, non-big 6 club finishing in the top 6 in the PL era was exceedingly rare. In one of those attempts at the top 4, Man Utd spent £65m on Bruno Fernandes in Jan to get them over the line and pip us. How can we compete with that?  
• Finishing 5th both times after being in the top 4 for so long was a crumble/bottle situation, perhaps indicative of the soft mentality/underbelly that developed in the latter half of Rodger's tenure
• But finishing 5th twice was a huge achievement for the club based on an historical perspective for the club and for a non-big 6 club
• Performance in subsequent 2nd/3rd tier European competitions was poor (even if we did eventually get knocked out by Mourinho's Roma)
• 'medium' sized clubs that have done well since is largely due to 1) the PL getting more competitive; 2) those kinds of teams have upskilled; 3) 2nd/3rd tier European competitions have gotten 'easier' due to format changes

[Corky]

14 hours ago, CosbehFox said:

The opposition is weaker quite simply, no drop downs from the CL or EL. Other Big 5 leagues don’t have the depth of the PL. This means the PL teams are playing weaker opposition, only have to look at Forest’s run. Additionally the group stage process is far easier, we’d have weaker group opposition. 

Yeah, I think this favourites for the Europa League is misleading given 8 clubs were dropping into it later from a higher competition. No doubt we failed hugely twice but it was a different competition.

[Gamble92]

5 hours ago, Corky said:

Yeah, I think this favourites for the Europa League is misleading given 8 clubs were dropping into it later from a higher competition. No doubt we failed hugely twice but it was a different competition.

We should have gone deep into that competition both times. Losing to the teams we did was shameful. Obviously Brenda did his usual papering over the cracks and self preservation and it worked on some. 

[AjcW]

He's either sold the Jet or been in Singapore on his jollies for nearly three weeks.

 

Was flown to a gulfstream sales/maintenance airport, that would mean all flashy assets now sold in the space of a year.

Edited 22 May by AjcW

[RoboFox]

Every now and then I just picture Aiyawatt standing next to teflon Jon in the director’s box shrugging after relegation was confirmed and once he knew the cameras were on him.

 

A totally transparent display of public self preservation and bewildered disassociation.

 

Edited 22 May by RoboFox

[Stavros81]

Khun Top in November LMFAO

 

"Maybe it's my fault, I used to talk to the fans and the media but I have responsibilities here in Thailand a lot," he added.

 

"I want to get closer, I want to get more information to the fans."

 

🥱 

[Guppys Love Child]

4 hours ago, Stavros81 said:

Khun Top in November LMFAO

 

"Maybe it's my fault, I used to talk to the fans and the media but I have responsibilities here in Thailand a lot," he added.

 

"I want to get closer, I want to get more information to the fans."

 

🥱

He really has proven that his is a Bull Sh1tting, PR spinning, clueless d1ck.   

 

I don't really care what course of events are needed for it to happen, but this baffoon HAS to be removed somehow.  We are doomed to fail in all aspects until he waddles off to play with his little Gee Gee's...

[Ian Nacho]

Hope Aiyawatt has had a terrible day today. 

[Freeman's Wharfer]

On 21/05/2026 at 10:44, Stadt said:

Our fans were mostly happy to just enjoy the ride when we lost to Roma. I was apoplectic because I knew it would be our one chance.

 

‘European semi final’