Reserves vs Ipswich

[Craig]

4-0 at Half time.

O'Grady hatrick.

[Ric Flair]

4-0 at Half time.

O'Grady hatrick.

He should play on saturday, I thought he was excellent when he came on v Preston. Well better than everyone else we had playing that game bar Fryatt.

Nce to see Dodds score yet again.

[Micky Singh]

We should give a chance to some of the younger players some first team games now. PLayers like sheehan, porter and grady. se what they can do in 90 minutes.

[Thracian]

We should give a chance to some of the younger players some first team games now. PLayers like sheehan, porter and grady. se what they can do in 90 minutes.

He's said he's not going to, whatever that says for our supposed meritocracy.

They'll make lots of changes at half-time in case it gets any worse and people really start knocking on the first team door and threatening the privileged and protected life of the in-crowd.

[bocadillo]

He's said he's not going to, whatever that says for our supposed meritocracy .

They'll make lots of changes at half-time in case it gets any worse and people really start knocking on the first team door and threatening the privileged and protected life of the in-crowd.

Meritocracy? In terms of football selection, isn't that when the best players get to play and the rest have to wait their turn? Are you really suggesting that O'Grady, Porter and Sheehan are the best that we have now got in their respective roles? If not, they'll have to wait; meritocracy in action.

[City Fan]

Finished 5-2.

O'Grady with 4, Dodds with 1.

[Ric Flair]

Meritocracy? In terms of football selection, isn't that when the best players get to play and the rest have to wait their turn? Are you really suggesting that O'Grady, Porter and Sheehan are the best that we have now got in their respective roles? If not, they'll have to wait; meritocracy in action.

That should be the case when winning which we were, but since we've had a slight dip in form and the season is almost over it would be nice to see one or two of the youngsters given a chance mainly to see what they are capable of for next season. Fryatt and Hume both look knackered and seem to be carrying knocks after every game, they've played their part in keeping us up this season and can now be rested for the remaining two games. O'Grady and Dodds/Chambers should be given a run out, it will also give them determination to be involved next season.

The same goes for Porter and Sheehan who even if it was from the bench could do with some first team football.

[Thracian]

Meritocracy? In terms of football selection, isn't that when the best players get to play and the rest have to wait their turn? Are you really suggesting that O'Grady, Porter and Sheehan are the best that we have now got in their respective roles? If not, they'll have to wait; meritocracy in action.

If you don't believe O'Grady and Sheehan are among the 16 best players at our club we obviously disagree.

I realise Sheehan will never get in for Johansson while his old Blackburn pal is manager (even though Nils is a limited player by his own admission) but I have to presume Sheehan is not fully fit because how anyone can imagine that Brevett is a better substitute left-back than Sheehan I cannot imagine. Have you seen Brevett play lately?

Why Kelly would choose Hammond ahead of O'Grady (in our strongest side) only he can explain (presumably a slight injury).

Perhaps while talking of merit you'd explain how Tiatto gets in the best 16. He has still to start a game which Leicester have won this season and mainly has the effect of narrowing the game and warming the atmosphere.

Trouble is it hasn't worked to any greatly beneficial effect. We either draw or lose. And how does that equate with the claim that we try to win all our games?.

If we collected points pro rata according to Tiatto's appearances we'd have been relegated (12 points/16 appearances including his substitute apperances at a quick count). Meritocracy? There must be some other definition.

[bocadillo]

If you don't believe O'Grady and Sheehan are among the 16 best players at our club we obviously disagree.

I realise Sheehan will never get in for Johansson while his old Blackburn pal is manager (even though Nils is a limited player by his own admission) but I have to presume Sheehan is not fully fit because how anyone can imagine that Brevett is a better substitute left-back than Sheehan I cannot imagine. Have you seen Brevett play lately?

Why Kelly would choose Hammond ahead of O'Grady (in our strongest side) only he can explain (presumably a slight injury).

Perhaps while talking of merit you'd explain how Tiatto gets in the best 16. He has still to start a game which Leicester have won this season and mainly has the effect of narrowing the game and warming the atmosphere.

Trouble is it hasn't worked to any greatly beneficial effect. We either draw or lose. And how does that equate with the claim that we try to win all our games?.

If we collected points pro rata according to Tiatto's appearances we'd have been relegated (12 points/16 appearances including his substitute apperances at a quick count). Meritocracy? There must be some other definition.

I do believe that O'Grady is among the best 16 but not the best 11. My understanding is that Sheehan is injured and that is born out by a short conversation that I heard from him yesterday.

Tiatto probably should be numbered amongst the best 16/11(?) but his temperament is too suspect. Nils might be limited but he does have the advantage of being versatile, which did come in handy yesterday.

Hammond? Search me!

Brevett? Has *anybody* seen him play recently?

I do agree with you in a limited way, but I can't agree on the wholesale introduction of youngsters which view you oft seem to espouse. My post was on the definition of meritocracy rather than whether it is the correct policy.

[Thracian]

I do believe that O'Grady is among the best 16 but not the best 11. My understanding is that Sheehan is injured and that is born out by a short conversation that I heard from him yesterday.

Tiatto probably should be numbered amongst the best 16/11(?) but his temperament is too suspect. Nils might be limited but he does have the advantage of being versatile, which did come in handy yesterday.

Hammond? Search me!

Brevett? Has *anybody* seen him play recently?

I do agree with you in a limited way, but I can't agree on the wholesale introduction of youngsters which view you oft seem to espouse. My post was on the definition of meritocracy rather than whether it is the correct policy.

We are not so far apart. I do not advocate the wholesale introduction of youngsters and I apologise if I've given that impression.

Quite the contrary, I would only wish one at a time to be introduced from a maximum of two on the bench.

O'Grady's four goals today will speak for themselves but others I feel have a case are, Louis Dodds, Alan Sheehan (who played today after his groin injury), Ashley Chambers (away and scoring at an international tournament recently, Porter.

Quite apart from anything else with the club having so little money, the sooner some of these front-line youngsters get first team cameos the better. Dodds scored again today and Porter made a couple. They've both been making a case for weeks now.

If the first team was playing wonderfully I could perhaps understand RK's desire to keep momentum going into next season but it's not and the opportunity is there to evaluate people like Dodds and Porter who have been so consistently effective.

Just now I feel too many non-performers are getting in the first team 16 and one or two youngsters are performing and not getting any experience higher up.

Kelly is a good communicator, it is one of his strengths, but there will soon be trouble within the broader squad if people don't feel the opportunity is there to break through whatever they do. He and the club need more players he can trust at top level and the only way he'll get them is to give them experience.

Great managers do it all the time.

*PS None of what I argued was meant to have a go at Nils. It is well known that I favour an attacking left-back to a purely defensive one (that may be right or wrong) and that I have always considered Nils is slow on the turn and vulnerable in that positiion.

But he's been much sounder in the Kelly era and has not been exposed much to speed within the adapted system.

Sheehan's first task therefore is to get on the bench and be seen as an alternative. I hope by the time he makes it he will have become a better and slightly tighter defender and also less rash in his tackling. His attacking contributiuon is excellent.

[Thracian]

Finished 5-2.

O'Grady with 4, Dodds with 1.

Dodds made at least one, Gradel played great and Porter made at least two.

[Jonbluefox9]

Very interesting to be at todays game. Stood next to Rob Kelly during the first half and Mike Stowell, Dave Rennie and the new chairman during the 2nd half. Heard some interesting things said but the main thing I heard was when Andrew Taylor was asking about the youngsters and how likely it is that they'll be playing first team football soon. The answer given by Rennie and Stowell is that this league is so tough to play in that most of the youngsters aren't ready to play first team football especially on a regular basis. Rennie said that players like Maybury and Kisnorbo have said how tough they've found this division in terms of pace and the physical side of things so if they are struggling then some of our kids would find it impossible.

Very nice to see Henderson, Stearman, Gerrbrand, Kisnorbo and Johansson at the training ground to watch the match when they could've stayed at home today.

[Thracian]

Very interesting to be at todays game. Stood next to Rob Kelly during the first half and Mike Stowell, Dave Rennie and the new chairman during the 2nd half. Heard some interesting things said but the main thing I heard was when Andrew Taylor was asking about the youngsters and how likely it is that they'll be playing first team football soon. The answer given by Rennie and Stowell is that this league is so tough to play in that most of the youngsters aren't ready to play first team football especially on a regular basis. Rennie said that players like Maybury and Kisnorbo have said how tough they've found this division in terms of pace and the physical side of things so if they are struggling then some of our kids would find it impossible.

Very nice to see Henderson, Stearman, Gerrbrand, Kisnorbo and Johansson at the training ground to watch the match when they could've stayed at home today.

Concerns were expressed about Stearman, Sheehan, O'Grady and about little Wesolowski, non of whom looked physically daunted or overwhelmed in the first team to me.

Sounds to me like a convenient excuse to keep the chosen men in place. Perhaps the likes of Dodds, Chambers, Porter are not as tough as Hughes, Maybury, Gerrbrand etc but I don't know.

Certainly they've used their skill to survive against some pretty big and fast opponents from what I've seen.

[Bert]

Very interesting to be at todays game. Stood next to Rob Kelly during the first half and Mike Stowell, Dave Rennie and the new chairman during the 2nd half. Heard some interesting things said but the main thing I heard was when Andrew Taylor was asking about the youngsters and how likely it is that they'll be playing first team football soon. The answer given by Rennie and Stowell is that this league is so tough to play in that most of the youngsters aren't ready to play first team football especially on a regular basis. Rennie said that players like Maybury and Kisnorbo have said how tough they've found this division in terms of pace and the physical side of things so if they are struggling then some of our kids would find it impossible.

Very nice to see Henderson, Stearman, Gerrbrand, Kisnorbo and Johansson at the training ground to watch the match when they could've stayed at home today.

Just shows the commitment and togetherness of our squad

[Micky Singh]

They don't have to play on a regular basis, but letting some of youngster see first team action when we have injuries to key players should be allowed. I rather see that now, then instead of playing a first member in another position seeing him play badly anyway - example (playing hughes on the right). we could play porter who is a natural winger, he would tried to impress and got some experience.

[Benji]

Seriously Thracian I'm not saying this sarcastically or anything it's a sincere question; do you just want our first 11 to be under 21 players?

Stearman, Wesolowski and O'Grady have all come through to either guarentee themselves a first 11 spot or at least in the first 16.

If we have Porter, Chambers, Dodds and Sheehan in the squad as well thats 7 players (if Weso wasn't injured) from the academy of the last 2/3 years in the starting 16.

I personally would not be happy if half the squad consisted of players of no experience (and yes i understand to gain experience, they must play) or proof that they could handle the step up.

From what I have seen of Chambers, he's a talented lad who could be an excellant striker for us, but not this season or next! He is too lightweight which will progress as he gets older and grows a bit more and puts in the time at the gym. Dodds I do think is good enough but where would you put him in the team? Although Joey has been poor recently i think he, Williams and Hughes are all a lot better players (currently at least). Porter, ill be honest I have never seen player so I don't think it would be fair to comment. Sheehan, yes I think he is good enough, but at the minute not any better than Nils.

The remark about Nils playing due to his connections with Rob Kelly and Blackburn are laughable, the guy has done nothing wrong since Kelly has been in charge and had a bit of a stormer on Monday, even acting as a winger at times charging forward and then getting back. Although, maybe you feel Leveins method of dropping a player as a scapegoat for the odd mistake is acceptable? I have not seen any reason to drop him and so currently don't see a place for Sheehan in the side, maybe come next season that will change, but I saw nothing of Sheehan when he did play that excelled Nils' capabilities.

Stearman, O'Grady and Wesolowski have all proved they can hack it, the others need to do that still and to do that I agree they need the opportunities to play, but you can't just throw them all in and expect them to play accomplished Championship sides.

You've picked on Gerrbrand, Maybury and Hughes as players to compare the youngsters with, where as I can not pick a major fault with them three. Maybury has not been as good as last season but neither has he been excelled by anyone else playing in his role. I do welcome youngsters playing and I'm glad to see Stearman and the others proving points. But what more can you ask for? If Kelly pt all of those players who are playing well in the academy into the first 16, people would moan there is a lack of experience, he can't win.

[Thracian]

Seriously Thracian I'm not saying this sarcastically or anything it's a sincere question; do you just want our first 11 to be under 21 players?

Stearman, Wesolowski and O'Grady have all come through to either guarentee themselves a first 11 spot or at least in the first 16.

If we have Porter, Chambers, Dodds and Sheehan in the squad as well thats 7 players (if Weso wasn't injured) from the academy of the last 2/3 years in the starting 16.

I personally would not be happy if half the squad consisted of players of no experience (and yes i understand to gain experience, they must play) or proof that they could handle the step up.

From what I have seen of Chambers, he's a talented lad who could be an excellant striker for us, but not this season or next! He is too lightweight which will progress as he gets older and grows a bit more and puts in the time at the gym. Dodds I do think is good enough but where would you put him in the team? Although Joey has been poor recently i think he, Williams and Hughes are all a lot better players (currently at least). Porter, ill be honest I have never seen player so I don't think it would be fair to comment. Sheehan, yes I think he is good enough, but at the minute not any better than Nils.

The remark about Nils playing due to his connections with Rob Kelly and Blackburn are laughable, the guy has done nothing wrong since Kelly has been in charge and had a bit of a stormer on Monday, even acting as a winger at times charging forward and then getting back. Although, maybe you feel Leveins method of dropping a player as a scapegoat for the odd mistake is acceptable? I have not seen any reason to drop him and so currently don't see a place for Sheehan in the side, maybe come next season that will change, but I saw nothing of Sheehan when he did play that excelled Nils' capabilities.

Stearman, O'Grady and Wesolowski have all proved they can hack it, the others need to do that still and to do that I agree they need the opportunities to play, but you can't just throw them all in and expect them to play accomplished Championship sides.

You've picked on Gerrbrand, Maybury and Hughes as players to compare the youngsters with, where as I can not pick a major fault with them three. Maybury has not been as good as last season but neither has he been excelled by anyone else playing in his role. I do welcome youngsters playing and I'm glad to see Stearman and the others proving points. But what more can you ask for? If Kelly pt all of those players who are playing well in the academy into the first 16, people would moan there is a lack of experience, he can't win.

Seeing as young players like Stearman, Kisnorbo, O'Grady, Wesolowski, Fryatt, McCarthy and Hume have been outstanding when selected for our club since the New Year why would I not want more young players so long as they were good enough?.

Have we missed Douglas, Dublin, DeVries, Sylla, Wilcox or would you rather have Brevett?

We've pretty well got an under 25 side and that embryo team has taken points off all the leading teams in the Championship.

Wasn't it Alan Hansen who said that Manchester United couldn't win the Premiership with a team of kids. What's the problem?. I'm certainly not a big fan of fading footballers.

Often with experience comes fear and that can be inhibiting. City have been full of fear since Adams' last season and it can be seen in almost every team that's selected.

When was the last time you recall a Leicester team that was really comitted to attack?. Shefield United at home. What a day. And when before that? We had six out and out spoilers against Coventry. I used to think three was too many.

If it's accepted that O'Grady is already established then there's only Sheehan, Porter, Dodds and perhaps Chambers immediately waiting in the wings. Others won't be far behind. Don't forget our U18's are next to the top of their League.

Chambers might be lightweight and with the pace he's got he doesn't want to be anything else. For such a supposedly vulnerable lad he doesn't half score regularly at England Youth International and club level and against some hefty opponents. I compared him to Allen Clarke. He was skinny and never a physical player. Just lethal. Chambers is the same. He does things so quickly - shooting or passing - that he rarely gets clattered in my experience. Natural predator.

Re Nils I was disgusted at Levein's public pillorying of the bloke. Nils has definitely played much better under Kelly but he was also selected for a long period when playing badly and I imagine Kelly had some input to that decision. I believe Nils is now a reliable defensive player but still limited, and by his own admisision, in going forward and in respect of his passing. He seems to be working on this. Sheehan should be established as an attacking alternative or he should be allowed to leave and build his career elsewhere.

My comment on Maybury, Hughes, Gerrband was about their physical ability to cope with the rigours of the Championship. I wasn't commenting on them as players. None look especially physical to me and I cannot imagine the likes of Dodds or Porter would have any more trouble coping than they do.

When has any young player had the chance to play better than Maybury?. Porter is the only alternative right-midfielder and he hasn't had a single minute to show what he can do at senior level. He made at least two more goals today and it was only when they took him and scorer/creator Dodds off at 4-0 that the slaughter of Ipswich stopped and the game finished 5-2. It's been like that for weeks. Even accepting his assist at Coventry how many goals does Maybury score or make?

Hope that helps answer your questions.

[Ric Flair]

Very interesting to be at todays game. Stood next to Rob Kelly during the first half and Mike Stowell, Dave Rennie and the new chairman during the 2nd half. Heard some interesting things said but the main thing I heard was when Andrew Taylor was asking about the youngsters and how likely it is that they'll be playing first team football soon. The answer given by Rennie and Stowell is that this league is so tough to play in that most of the youngsters aren't ready to play first team football especially on a regular basis. Rennie said that players like Maybury and Kisnorbo have said how tough they've found this division in terms of pace and the physical side of things so if they are struggling then some of our kids would find it impossible.

Very nice to see Henderson, Stearman, Gerrbrand, Kisnorbo and Johansson at the training ground to watch the match when they could've stayed at home today.

What else did you hear then?? I think it's obvious that most of them aren't ready for first team football but 3 or 4 of them are (O'Grady, Sheehan, Dodds, Porter, etc). Good to see Kelly watching them again.

[Benji]

Seeing as young players like Stearman, Kisnorbo, O'Grady, Wesolowski, Fryatt, McCarthy and Hume have been outstanding when selected for our club since the New Year why would I not want more young players so long as they were good enough?.

Have we missed Douglas, Dublin, DeVries, Sylla, Wilcox or would you rather have Brevett?

We've pretty well got an under 25 side and that embryo team has taken points off all the leading teams in the Championship.

Wasn't it Alan Hansen who said that Manchester United couldn't win the Premiership with a team of kids. What's the problem?. I'm certainly not a big fan of fading footballers.

Often with experience comes fear and that can be inhibiting. City have been full of fear since Adams' last season and it can be seen in almost every team that's selected.

When was the last time you recall a Leicester team that was really comitted to attack?. Shefield United at home. What a day. And when before that? We had six out and out spoilers against Coventry. I used to think three was too many.

If it's accepted that O'Grady is already established then there's only Sheehan, Porter, Dodds and perhaps Chambers immediately waiting in the wings. Others won't be far behind. Don't forget our U18's are next to the top of their League.

Chambers might be lightweight and with the pace he's got he doesn't want to be anything else. For such a supposedly vulnerable lad he doesn't half score regularly at England Youth International and club level and against some hefty opponents. I compared him to Allen Clarke. He was skinny and never a physical player. Just lethal. Chambers is the same. He does things so quickly - shooting or passing - that he rarely gets clattered in my experience. Natural predator.

Re Nils I was disgusted at Levein's public pillorying of the bloke. Nils has definitely played much better under Kelly but he was also selected for a long period when playing badly and I imagine Kelly had some input to that decision. I believe Nils is now a reliable defensive player but still limited, and by his own admisision, in going forward and in respect of his passing. He seems to be working on this. Sheehan should be established as an attacking alternative or he should be allowed to leave and build his career elsewhere.

My comment on Maybury, Hughes, Gerrband was about their physical ability to cope with the rigours of the Championship. I wasn't commenting on them as players. None look especially physical to me and I cannot imagine the likes of Dodds or Porter would have any more trouble coping than they do.

When has any young player had the chance to play better than Maybury?. Porter is the only alternative right-midfielder and he hasn't had a single minute to show what he can do at senior level. He made at least two more goals today and it was only when they took him and scorer/creator Dodds off at 4-0 that the slaughter of Ipswich stopped and the game finished 5-2. It's been like that for weeks. Even accepting his assist at Coventry how many goals does Maybury score or make?

Hope that helps answer your questions.

Points taken, however when i was referring to experience i was not immediately looking at the guys 30+ such as the Adams era, the players who are only 25 have that little bit more experience than the academy lads that the team needs to cope. I see no problem with giving the youngsters a go and so far a lot of them have outplayed their expectations, i just think it would be a mistake to leave out 3 or 4 of the current squad to replace them with the young lads.

[Parsons]

grafting the youngsters into the squad 1 at a time seems like the way to do things.

Worked with Stearman, Weso and then O'Grady

dumping 3 or 4 youngsters on in the same game will mean the team lacks that experience needed

[Jonbluefox9]

What else did you hear then?? I think it's obvious that most of them aren't ready for first team football but 3 or 4 of them are (O'Grady, Sheehan, Dodds, Porter, etc). Good to see Kelly watching them again.

Stowell was constantly talking about O'Grady's lack of a left foot. When O'Grady had possession of the ball in front of us Stowell just kept on saying "Right, right, right again" and it is clear to see he needs to improve on his left foot because the Ipswich defenders had worked him out when he had his back to goal. Stowell did mention something that Ray Graytdon has said before that they have to drag O'Grady away from the training ground because if he's not out on the pitches he's in the gym doing weights and he could over do things if they don't stop him.

Sheehan was constantly being told what to do by the academy coaches. I get the impression he has let things get to his head a little bit. At one point Logan attempted to give Sheehan the ball quickly but Sheehan wasn't switched on and the ball just rolled out for a throw in. The coaches praised Logan for his thinking but decided not to comment on Sheehan as it must have been obvious to him that he should've been concentrating. Not that it matters greatly but Stowell said that he's not the brightest of lads. An Ipswich player put a challenge in on Sheehan and a free kick was awarded to us. The Ipswich player told the linesman to fock off and whilst he was being booked Sheehan was trying to get the ref to put his card away because he thought the booking was for the challenge. We could hear from where we were that he'd shouted fock off at the linesman and we were at the opposite end of the pitch.

Didn't mention Dodds much apart from saying he looked very tired at the end of the 1st half and that's why he was brought off at half time. Interesting to see that as the players went into the changing rooms Rob Kelly pulled O'Grady and Dodds to one side and gave them a talk involving a lot of hand gestures. It looked as if he was showing them what to do when they've got their backs to goal.

When the chairman asked who number 4 was for us Stowell told him it was Levi Porter and said that he's a tricky little lad which shows that he hasn't gone without notice.

One of the funniest things I heard was that Dave Rennie had been talking to Micky Adams after the Coventry match and Adams was so shocked that Wesolowski was seriously pushing for a place in the first team when injury free. Adams didn't rate him very highly at all by the sounds of things when he was here.

[Thracian]

Stowell was constantly talking about O'Grady's lack of a left foot. When O'Grady had possession of the ball in front of us Stowell just kept on saying "Right, right, right again" and it is clear to see he needs to improve on his left foot because the Ipswich defenders had worked him out when he had his back to goal. Stowell did mention something that Ray Graytdon has said before that they have to drag O'Grady away from the training ground because if he's not out on the pitches he's in the gym doing weights and he could over do things if they don't stop him.

Sheehan was constantly being told what to do by the academy coaches. I get the impression he has let things get to his head a little bit. At one point Logan attempted to give Sheehan the ball quickly but Sheehan wasn't switched on and the ball just rolled out for a throw in. The coaches praised Logan for his thinking but decided not to comment on Sheehan as it must have been obvious to him that he should've been concentrating. Not that it matters greatly but Stowell said that he's not the brightest of lads. An Ipswich player put a challenge in on Sheehan and a free kick was awarded to us. The Ipswich player told the linesman to fock off and whilst he was being booked Sheehan was trying to get the ref to put his card away because he thought the booking was for the challenge. We could hear from where we were that he'd shouted fock off at the linesman and we were at the opposite end of the pitch.

Didn't mention Dodds much apart from saying he looked very tired at the end of the 1st half and that's why he was brought off at half time. Interesting to see that as the players went into the changing rooms Rob Kelly pulled O'Grady and Dodds to one side and gave them a talk involving a lot of hand gestures. It looked as if he was showing them what to do when they've got their backs to goal.

When the chairman asked who number 4 was for us Stowell told him it was Levi Porter and said that he's a tricky little lad which shows that he hasn't gone without notice.

One of the funniest things I heard was that Dave Rennie had been talking to Micky Adams after the Coventry match and Adams was so shocked that Wesolowski was seriously pushing for a place in the first team when injury free. Adams didn't rate him very highly at all by the sounds of things when he was here.

Are you saying they think Sheehan's not quite the right type then? Strange he's was captain of the Reserves for most of the time before his injury and was playing with great enthusiasm. Did he play any good against Ipswich? If not what has happened to change him so much from the first third of the season?.

I know lots of footballers who aren't exactly Mensa members but if I were a coach, of the entire Reserves squad, the first players I would want are Chambers and Sheehan. The next two I would want are Porter and Dodds. I would think I was guaranteed three quality footballers and it would be like winning the lottery.

If Leicester's coaches cannot make a top class left back out of that Sheehan then they want to seek other employment. If Sheehan's feeling frustrated, depressed, unappreciated or has lost concentration talk to him and remotivate him. He's a teenager for God's sake. It's not unusual. I'd have been down if I was him too. He's just wasted an entire season and it isn't all his fault.

It certainly looked like the Ipswich defenders had worked O'Grady out! Was it four goals he scored?

[Ive got the blues]

If you don't believe O'Grady and Sheehan are among the 16 best players at our club we obviously disagree.

I realise Sheehan will never get in for Johansson while his old Blackburn pal is manager (even though Nils is a limited player by his own admission) but I have to presume Sheehan is not fully fit because how anyone can imagine that Brevett is a better substitute left-back than Sheehan I cannot imagine. Have you seen Brevett play lately?

Why Kelly would choose Hammond ahead of O'Grady (in our strongest side) only he can explain (presumably a slight injury).

Perhaps while talking of merit you'd explain how Tiatto gets in the best 16. He has still to start a game which Leicester have won this season and mainly has the effect of narrowing the game and warming the atmosphere.

Trouble is it hasn't worked to any greatly beneficial effect. We either draw or lose. And how does that equate with the claim that we try to win all our games?.

If we collected points pro rata according to Tiatto's appearances we'd have been relegated (12 points/16 appearances including his substitute apperances at a quick count). Meritocracy? There must be some other definition.

I can see why tiatto is in, he needs a new contract, was a good player for us and he is seeing if he still has it, also the player was our captain gives 100% so to just drop him instantly is bad for team morale, i am not saying he is better etc but there are other factors to consider. its great having youngsters coming up but you have to remember we have a young side already yes thats great but players like stearman hume and fryatt are learning every game they play,

as for hammond it is clear o'grady is favoured he was the choice substitute until this weekend, so i think kelly is seeing what he has to offer.

it seems kelly knows ogrady and the other youngsters are for the future and are staying but what he needs to do is try out first team players to see who to keep. it makes sense, see if hammond can offer something under kelly (as players play better under different managers) and decide what to do, same as tiatto surely he is showing loyalty which is no bad thing and letting tiatto prove his worth.

its great having a team of youngsters but we need experience to.

[Jonbluefox9]

Are you saying they think Sheehan's not quite the right type then? Strange he's was captain of the Reserves for most of the time before his injury and was playing with great enthusiasm. Did he play any good against Ipswich? If not what has happened to change him so much from the first third of the season?.

I know lots of footballers who aren't exactly Mensa members but if I were a coach, of the entire Reserves squad, the first players I would want are Chambers and Sheehan. The next two I would want are Porter and Dodds. I would think I was guaranteed three quality footballers and it would be like winning the lottery.

If Leicester's coaches cannot make a top class left back out of that Sheehan then they want to seek other employment. If Sheehan's feeling frustrated, depressed, unappreciated or has lost concentration talk to him and remotivate him. He's a teenager for God's sake. It's not unusual. I'd have been down if I was him too. He's just wasted an entire season and it isn't all his fault.

It certainly looked like the Ipswich defenders had worked O'Grady out! Was it four goals he scored?

Sheehan was constantly being told what to do by the academy coaches. I get the impression he has let things get to his head a little bit. At one point Logan attempted to give Sheehan the ball quickly but Sheehan wasn't switched on and the ball just rolled out for a throw in. The coaches praised Logan for his thinking but decided not to comment on Sheehan as it must have been obvious to him that he should've been concentrating. Not that it matters greatly but Stowell said that he's not the brightest of lads. An Ipswich player put a challenge in on Sheehan and a free kick was awarded to us. The Ipswich player told the linesman to fock off and whilst he was being booked Sheehan was trying to get the ref to put his card away because he thought the booking was for the challenge. We could hear from where we were that he'd shouted fock off at the linesman and we were at the opposite end of the pitch.

Ric asked me what they said. I was telling him that Stowell commented that he's not the brightest lad. He didn't say he's rubbish at football or that he won't ever make it. That's why I put at the beginning "Not that it matters". Whenever Sheehan's name is mentioned you're up like a shot to protect him when nothing bad has even been said about him. The only comment I made about his performance is that he seemed rusty, he has been out for a while now so you can hardly blame him for that and I gave my opinion that maybe he thinks he shouldn't be playing at reserve team level anymore having played for the first team. Maybe that's why Dodds was captain to begin with and not Sheehan.

Stowell was constantly talking about O'Grady's lack of a left foot. When O'Grady had possession of the ball in front of us Stowell just kept on saying "Right, right, right again" and it is clear to see he needs to improve on his left foot because the Ipswich defenders had worked him out when he had his back to goal. Stowell did mention something that Ray Graytdon has said before that they have to drag O'Grady away from the training ground because if he's not out on the pitches he's in the gym doing weights and he could over do things if they don't stop him.

Second half, O'Grady had possesion with his back to goal around the area and Stowell commented on how he was losing the ball due to not using his left foot. His lack of a left foot was making him easier to read as the game drew on. Doesn't mean they could handle him in the air or the power of his runs and shots.

[Thracian]

I can see why tiatto is in, he needs a new contract, was a good player for us and he is seeing if he still has it, also the player was our captain gives 100% so to just drop him instantly is bad for team morale, i am not saying he is better etc but there are other factors to consider. its great having youngsters coming up but you have to remember we have a young side already yes thats great but players like stearman hume and fryatt are learning every game they play,

as for hammond it is clear o'grady is favoured he was the choice substitute until this weekend, so i think kelly is seeing what he has to offer.

it seems kelly knows ogrady and the other youngsters are for the future and are staying but what he needs to do is try out first team players to see who to keep. it makes sense, see if hammond can offer something under kelly (as players play better under different managers) and decide what to do, same as tiatto surely he is showing loyalty which is no bad thing and letting tiatto prove his worth.

its great having a team of youngsters but we need experience to.

Fine except that makes the idea of a meritocracy at Leicester a piss take. I've wondered for ages how come Hughes keeps getting picked the way he's been playing and now we're told he's been carrying an injured ankle. He keeps the shirt whatever.

And, although Tiatto or Hammond may well have something, what have they done in the Reserves to merit selection?. Sod all, and they've done nothing earlier in the season to merit being treated as exceptional cases.

All that what you say might be true. But it doesn't equate with a supposed meritocracy. O'Grady had earned his selection and Hammond's dilemma is nothing to do with him. How he felt about the decision was probably emphasised by his four goals for the Reserves (about as many in one match as Hammond has scored all season).

As for experience, most of the team have that. And I've seen enough "experienced" underperformers at Leicester these last years to do without seeing any more, like Brevett, whose another that has never had to "earn" his shirt.

The only time I've seen Brevett play for any period of time was in the Reserves and they got taken apart defensively for the time he was on. What did he show in that match that should have earned him a place on City's bench?. Nothing whatsoever.