Should Logan go out on loan?

[Scow]

Opposing strikers must fear the Conrad Logan 'Belly Flop'.

[Thracian]

The game has changed massively since those days.

Nobody even cares about reserve team football nowadays - it's not like players who play consistently well in the reserves get promoted to the first team, as Thracian will no doubt testify with the likes of Dodds et al.

I'd say playing lower league football is more competitve than reserve team football - mistakes count, points are at stake, supporters actually attend matches, and it's a good base to start from.

Reserve team football is nothing more than a means of keeping players fit and enabling them to ease back in after an injury layoff.

Points are at stake in the Reserves League and the attendances two seasons ago at Hinckley, 500-1200, compared reasonably well with some lower league midweek games.

But no, I don't think the games are taken so seriously as in lower League football but for no other reason really than that the attitude is different and allowed to be different.

Teams are more fluid and there are other priorities beyond simply winning points.

But there's no reason it shouldn't change and the reserves be used as a proper pre-first team dress rehearsal where players are expected to take exactly the same attitude as they would with the seniors.

Casual football should have no place at a football club, not even on the training pitches where it might be less combative, and with any luck MA will get that message over loud and clear.

And while you might be right about Lower League football being better than Reserves football, if this club wants to get anywhere its reserves should be able to take on and beat any lower league side you care to name.

The reserve players are not aspiring to be lower league players but Championship players. They need to work with Championship players, to be coached like those players and to duplicate the attitude of those players.

They cannot do that if they're 100 miles away playing with strangers and being schooled in tactics and principles which might be totally different to Leicester's.

As for the game changing - you're right - but what's changed is not so much what happens on the pitch but the attitudes of some players. Seems to me reserve football is beneath their dignity and it is high time such nonsense disapppeared.

There are many possible functions of a footballer depending on his circumstances but only one attitude that should be tolerated and tha is 100% commitment whatever task is required.

[Hullfox]

Playing regularly in the lower leagues will not iron out any flaws he has, in fact it could make them worse; what he needs more than anything is regular football, and that can be at reserve or first team level and most important of all good coaching. I can't see him getting that in a lower league.

He got in before Hendo last season, so why wouldn't he this?

Wayne Hennessy of Wolves was outstanding on loan at lower league Stockport last season. He'd probably say it was the best thing he could have done at the time.

Didn't Logan make the breakthrough after his loan spell at Boston too?

[davieG]

Wayne Hennessy of Wolves was outstanding on loan at lower league Stockport last season. He'd probably say it was the best thing he could have done at the time.

Didn't Logan make the breakthrough after his loan spell at Boston too?

He did but that's all the more reason why he doesn't need to go again, besides my response was to the point that loaning him out would get rid of his faults, as I said good coaching will do that and he's more chance of getting that at LCFC than the likes of Boston.

[Thracian]

Wayne Hennessy of Wolves was outstanding on loan at lower league Stockport last season. He'd probably say it was the best thing he could have done at the time.

Didn't Logan make the breakthrough after his loan spell at Boston too?

And O'Grady came back from Rushden much improved - indeed so much improved that it might be argued to have been embarrassing to the club. Logan might well have made the breakthrough anyway but I don't argue for a moment that going on loan never works.

Perhaps a pertinent question though is how many loaned out footballers have come back to make a serious impression at Leicester these last three years?.

I was told that Porter and Sheehan were earmarked for loans at Hinckley at one time and it is quite likely that would have been that if they'd gone. As it hapened Porter stayed and made 30-odd first team appearances suggesting it's far better to stick around.

Once a player moves from the fold it is hard for him to re-establish himself anywhere near first team selection if they return.

Dodds provides an example. He was arguably in better form than any of our other choices bar Hume when recalled from loan at Northwich and apparently involved pre-Norwich.

But he was never offered the glimmer of a chance for reasons that were never explained apart from a comment made to me that Kelly had said he was "sticking to experience". And what an embarrassment that was.

I don't recall Wesolowski or Stearman going out on loan and they're well established in the squad, adding weight to my belief that the more you stay around the more chance you've got, especially if there are reserves matches to keep people sharp.

Out of sight is too often out of mind or out of favour.

[Jonbluefox9]

I don't understand why people are saying that Logan will be better off staying here where he will receive good coaching. We don't have a goalkeeper coach yet, do we? The only things he's going to learn here are from Douglas, Nielsen and Henderson. Nielsen's got a limited knowledge of the English game, Henderson hasn't been involved in the game for that long and Douglas has the same faults that Logan has. I don't think Logan should be sent on loan but the suggestion that the coaching here is going to help him improve is questionable without having a goalkeeper coach in place imo.

[davieG]

I don't understand why people are saying that Logan will be better off staying here where he will receive good coaching. We don't have a goalkeeper coach yet, do we? The only things he's going to learn here are from Douglas, Nielsen and Henderson. Nielsen's got a limited knowledge of the English game, Henderson hasn't been involved in the game for that long and Douglas has the same faults that Logan has. I don't think Logan should be sent on loan but the suggestion that the coaching here is going to help him improve is questionable without having a goalkeeper coach in place imo.

Well one would hope that a goalkeeping coach is on the cards, I also doubt the coaching will be better at a lower league club whatever we have, and I'm sure in spite of what people think of Rab he is still capable of passing on some tips.

My objection and I'll say it yet again is the assumption that some people are making that loaning him out will cure him of his faults and weaknesses, I just don't see that happening.

[Thracian]

I don't understand why people are saying that Logan will be better off staying here where he will receive good coaching. We don't have a goalkeeper coach yet, do we? The only things he's going to learn here are from Douglas, Nielsen and Henderson. Nielsen's got a limited knowledge of the English game, Henderson hasn't been involved in the game for that long and Douglas has the same faults that Logan has. I don't think Logan should be sent on loan but the suggestion that the coaching here is going to help him improve is questionable without having a goalkeeper coach in place imo.

I cannot imagine it will be long before we appoint a goalkeeping coach but meanwhile playing pre-season and training ground matches with the clubs new players in front of him will be vital especially considering the number of changes made.

Meanwhile I am quite sure the various goalkeepers will know enough good training routines to help each other improve for now.

Shilton, I recall, spent huge amounts of time commandeering players and working on his game by himself long after normal training sessions had finished. He was a stickler for detail and would attend to one particular thing for ages but there wasn't always a coach involved. He often decided himself what he needed to improve on.

Indeed, once Banks had gone, there was never going to be anyone around to coach him who was anything like his own standard. Logan should read up on Shilton's approach, if he's not already done so.

[Jonbluefox9]

Logan isn't Shilton though. To play for England as many times as Shilton did requires not only practice but natural ability too. Logan must have some natural abilty too but not on the same level as Shilton. Logan's worked with 'keepers of a higher calibre than what we have at present and Ian Walker and Tim Flowers must have taught him plenty. I think it's more about how much he wants it now. If I was him I'd have seen that we've brought in another 'keeper and thought to myself "I've got to raise my game next season to ensure I stay in the team". Hopefully, for his sake, he's been doing work during the break that will help with his agility, as someone mentionned before. He needs to be more commanding on crosses, use his kicking ability wisely and work on saving penalties, which he was pretty poor at last season. There's so much still to improve, which is fine aslong as long as he does work on the things and doesn't sit back and relax.

[Fez of Mahrez]

use his kicking ability wisely

This is dead right. His kicking could be a major positive for him but the amount of times he launches one straight to the opposition keeper is pitiful.

[Thracian]

Logan isn't Shilton though. To play for England as many times as Shilton did requires not only practice but natural ability too. Logan must have some natural abilty too but not on the same level as Shilton. Logan's worked with 'keepers of a higher calibre than what we have at present and Ian Walker and Tim Flowers must have taught him plenty. I think it's more about how much he wants it now. If I was him I'd have seen that we've brought in another 'keeper and thought to myself "I've got to raise my game next season to ensure I stay in the team". Hopefully, for his sake, he's been doing work during the break that will help with his agility, as someone mentionned before. He needs to be more commanding on crosses, use his kicking ability wisely and work on saving penalties, which he was pretty poor at last season. There's so much still to improve, which is fine aslong as long as he does work on the things and doesn't sit back and relax.

You're right that Logan needs to keeping working on his flaws.

Not only is the accuracy of his kicking woeful but he is far too slow throwing the ball out to start attacks.

The great keepers are lightning quick in this although it's been made a problem for Leicester's because our full-backs so rarely make themselves available.

People will laugh but Sheehan is by far our best for being there and demanding the ball to relaunch attacks.

Lack of a fast throw-out means Logan and Henderson having to kick out when they shouldn't and neither excel at it for different reasons.

Agility you've mentioned and is paramount for an inclined-to-be-heavy Logan but he also needs to work on his authority - on keeping people away from his six-yard box.

Shilton was so brilliant and so dominant that there was never a doubt who took charge in the box but Logan must be ruthless in this. He can do it - and did it well enough at Preston and his game benefitted.

But on too many occasions he lets defenders crowd his space and that leads to mistakes.

[Geo V]

Loaning young keepers out usually works. The most recent loan deal from the championship saw Hennessey I think his name is go to Stockport from Wolves and impress and now he is Wales` no1 according to Toshack ( that doesnt say much for Wales does it). Send the young lad on loan to learn his trade by making mistakes away from our first team as he needs to learn how to position himself as he is a good shot-stopper already IMO.

[Jimmy]

stop comparing him to banks and shilton, they are 2 of the best to of ever played and i doubt england will ever see their like again let alone leicester.

your obsession with comparing the current crop in the current game to those of 20-40 years ago is getting annoying to say the least, the game has changed so much since then and i doubt some of them would be as great now as they were then

[Thracian]

stop comparing him to banks and shilton, they are 2 of the best to of ever played and i doubt england will ever see their like again let alone leicester.

your obsession with comparing the current crop in the current game to those of 20-40 years ago is getting annoying to say the least, the game has changed so much since then and i doubt some of them would be as great now as they were then

Who the hell is comparing anyone to Banks or Shilton?

As for other players mentioned like George Best, Derek Dougan Frank Worthington, Davie Gibson, Frank McLintock, Ian King etc I have no doubt they would have been appreciated by today's audience in exactly the same way as they were by past generations.

And just as future generations will rightly revere the heroes of today.

[Jimmy]

you are, you keep going on about shilton in a thread about conrad so it is obvious you are comparing the 2

[Thracian]

you are, you keep going on about shilton in a thread about conrad so it is obvious you are comparing the 2

I might have compared their situation and their potential response but that is totally different to comparing ability, not that I can see any problem in that either. As goalkeepers you might expect they could be compared though I'd see little point in it except in terms of their preparation and approach to improving.