To Good To Go Down - Says Milan & the Fans

[davieG]

We have the class to stay up - Milan by Bill Anderson

Of all the people huddled in a sparse Bescott Stadium on Tuesday afternoon, one figure, you felt, did not really need to be watching City's Reserves beat Walsall - but City chairman Milan Mandaric thought otherwise.

His determination to succeed at City knows no bounds and he watches over every level of the club, a commitment he admits he should maybe have avoided for a bit longer.

Recently, he reflected on his first year at the helm and all the trials and tribulations along the way, so no wonder he said: “It has been a difficult time both as a person and as a chairman.

“Some of my friends and acquaintances felt I may have jumped back into football too soon after Portsmouth where I had a lot of hard-working years, that I should have taken a longer break because they felt I was neglecting my family and some other business interests.

“This is something a lot of people do not understand but it was an opportunity that I felt I had to take.

“People also may not have recognised that this club was going nowhere, not making any headway or improvements at all, not just on the surface but all the way through it.

“It was right down to the roots and sometimes it is hard to pull up those roots, you know!”

That remark was a large pointer towards his plan to get his own men around him now in an effort to mould the club in the right way.

He said: “I didn't have top people around me I could lean on and now I have Paul Aldridge (new chief executive and also braving the Bescott), a very experienced guy who has seen so much over the years which makes it a lot easier for me.”

The playing side is paramount in his thoughts but this week he showed how important the fans are in his plans for the club by attending a meeting with a section of the Foxes Trust.

Even though it represents a tiny section of the support, Mandaric nevertheless accorded them the courtesy of facing some of their members.

He reported: “It was a good meeting, they are good people and they love the club.

“There were things they wanted to know and things they knew already and wanted confirmed, and it was very constructive.

“It gave them a true picture of my feelings, where we are and we all share the same feelings, the same desires and the same worries.”

The big one is the fear of the drop, something the main body of support share - and, while Mandaric is not shying away from the situation, he is supremely confident.

He can read the league table as well as anyone and will have natural concerns, but he said: “I am very confident that we have plenty of quality individuals to ensure that we will stay up.

“It is a big disappointment that I have to talk about this at this stage in the season.

“I wanted to be talking about going up, not staying up.

“That is the big difference.

“It is my first year and Rome was not built overnight so I must be patient and stabilise us this season, get the best out of it, finish on a high note and then look to the summer.

“When you look at the team now in terms of the quality of players from this time a year ago, I don't think I should worry.”

City have the men to win relegation fight, say fans by Dan Nice

Leicester City supporters' groups are confident that Ian Holloway's squad has got enough quality to retain their Championship status.

Preston's home success against leaders Stoke on Tuesday has intensified City's problems at the wrong end of the table, with the net closing in around them.

Ahead of tomorrow's trip to Cardiff, City are languishing just two places and two points above the relegation zone, with the same number of points (37) as fourth-bottom Preston.

However, spokesmen for some City fans are remaining positive despite the club's struggles.

Although they accept the team is having problems with consistency, they believe City can beat anyone on their day - and that counts in their favour for the run-in.

Matt Davis, a board member of the Foxes Trust, said: “We have got enough to get out of it, but we need to show more desire and passion. We have got the players to succeed.

“I think it will be around the magic 50-point mark. I think we need around 13-15 points.

“It will be the games against teams around us that are going to be decisive. Matches like the Colchester home game are going to be crucial.”

City Supporters Club chairman Cliff Ginnetta echoed Davis' sentiments.

Ginnetta said: “You have always got the 50-point mark to aim for.

“Each year that is what you hope to get to. But it might need a couple more than that.

“Everybody has got to play everybody, but is quite achievable, it is not a big ask.

“It is not a lot of points. It is around four wins between now and the end of the season.

“I think we are more than capable of winning the next three games.

“I am confident we are not about to get relegated.”

Lance Tomlyn, chairman of the Independent Supporters' Association, also feels City will stay up, but thinks the points required will be slightly less.

“It is usually assumed that 50 points is the total to be safe, but this season is so close with teams taking points off each other,” he said.

“I do not believe it will be that high, and probably 46 or 47 would do.

“You have to look to the home form, but the crucial points will be those gained against the other teams at the bottom.

“If you believe you are too good to go down you probably will, but I believe there is enough quality in the squad to gain the required number of points - whatever that might be.

“We are not consistent enough but, on our day, we can beat anyone.

“We have to play all the four clubs below us and all four games are at home.

“If we win those four, I believe we will have more than enough points to stay up.”

[coale39]

Thank god for that. I thought we were going down but now its impossible...

[Tilley]

Hmmmmm did Leed United & Forest think that too? If we were so good we would be fighting for a Premiership place not a Championship place. The players need to play to their potential and show how good they CAN be when they TRY!

[AyewJoking]

Famous last words

[Thracian]

I'm certainly sick of hearing what we're going to do and rading nebulous opinion about us staying up.

I want to see some reasons for people saying and thinking these things on the pitch.

So far we've had two big changes of personnel on the pitch, various changes of manager, we've virtually abandoned our young players for this season and replaced them with mostly short termists and doubtful imports.

I'd be amazed, after all that, if internal morale is high, especially among some of our better fringe players who have already been replaced by people who keep losing football matches and are now getting further and further back in the pecking order.

Reading those Mandaric comments I don't hear the rallying cry of a champion.

Nor does the Holloway column make me feel re-invigorated by inspired single-mindedness.

What I do detect are signs of creeping despair and desperation.

Of course the quality of your team matters. But what matters far, far, more is the spirit of that team and the state of mind that team enjoys.

Spirit depends on unity, the clan mentality I've referred to before. It isn't there. If it was, no-one in our team would lose heart or conviction when we went a goal behind. Least of all the manager.

Indeed, a good team, a single-minded and united team would feel insulted at going behind and would only want to stuff the goal back down the opposition's throat and wipe the floor with them.

We just seem to feel sorry for ourselves.

And I'll tell you why. Because from what I can see Mandaric doesn't want to build anything. He wants to buy it and rent it. Then chuck it away and buy/rent some more if the first lot fail.

It's all shallow. All about money and prestige. Not about pride in taking a group of people and inspiring them to do better than they could ever have dreamed.

He might have pots of gold. But I despair he'll ever discover what really matters and what really counts when it comes to shaping a successful football club (apart from Harry Redknapp! ).

But I'll give him a clue by true example that I've remembered for a long, long time and which has served as a guideline ever since.

Its about seeing 300+ kids on Viccy Park divided at random into 30 teams, each with their own coach, for a two day tournament and seeing the character of the team that won.

The team which triumphed weren't the most brilliant players. None of the coaches had any idea which players they'd get and most wouldn't even have got in their school first team. Nor did they form part of the biggest squad with the best facilities. All squads were the same size and had the same facilities.

They didn't win because of some coaches complex tactical masterplan.

They won because that makeshift team of no-hopers were persuaded to believe in themselves, to believe in what they were trying to do and to believe in each other. Some of those players were so bad, technically, I'd doubt they would have won another sporting medal in their lives. But they climbed a mountain that weekend as a group.

For exactly the reasons Beaglehole's mob beat the pedigree players of Arsenal and then overcame Sunderland on their own patch to win the play-offs final and a trip to America. And exactly the reasons Manchester United get so many late goals. They always retain faith. And their heads never drop one inch.

And until we get than mentality and that sort of enthusiasm in our first team we'll win sod all.

[Dames]

This type of mentality is exactly why we are where we are.

No-one wants to seem to put in any effort because they think that they are 'too good'

Wake up and smell the coffee. Your not good, infact you are quite poor, shit if i say so myself. Time to stop procrastonating and actually work for something.

Drop this stupid 'too good' mentality because its not doing no good at all.

[Fat Ron]

I'd like to point out that at no point in the article does Milan say 'too good to go down'.

He actually makes a statement saying that we have enough Quality individuals to get out of trouble, thus shifting the emphisis back to Ollie to get these individuals working as a team and picking up the points needed.

[STUHILL]

I'm certainly sick of hearing what we're going to do and rading nebulous opinion about us staying up.

I want to see some reasons for people saying and thinking these things on the pitch.

So far we've had two big changes of personnel on the pitch, various changes of manager, we've virtually abandoned our young players for this season and replaced them with mostly short termists and doubtful imports.

I'd be amazed, after all that, if internal morale is high, especially among some of our better fringe players who have already been replaced by people who keep losing football matches and are now getting further and further back in the pecking order.

Reading those Mandaric comments I don't hear the rallying cry of a champion.

Nor does the Holloway column make me feel re-invigorated by inspired single-mindedness.

What I do detect are signs of creeping despair and desperation.

Of course the quality of your team matters. But what matters far, far, more is the spirit of that team and the state of mind that team enjoys.

Spirit depends on unity, the clan mentality I've referred to before. It isn't there. If it was, no-one in our team would lose heart or conviction when we went a goal behind. Least of all the manager.

Indeed, a good team, a single-minded and united team would feel insulted at going behind and would only want to stuff the goal back down the opposition's throat and wipe the floor with them.

We just seem to feel sorry for ourselves.

And I'll tell you why. Because from what I can see Mandaric doesn't want to build anything. He wants to buy it and rent it. Then chuck it away and buy/rent some more if the first lot fail.

It's all shallow. All about money and prestige. Not about pride in taking a group of people and inspiring them to do better than they could ever have dreamed.

He might have pots of gold. But I despair he'll ever discover what really matters and what really counts.

But I'll give him a clue by true example that I've remembered for a long, long time and which has served as a guideline ever since.

Its about seeing 300+ kids on Viccy Park divided at random into 30 teams, each with their own coach, for a two day tournament and seeing the character of the team that won.

The team which triumphed weren't the most brilliant players. None of the coaches had any idea which players they'd get and most wouldn't even have got in their school first team. Nor did they form part of the biggest squad with the best facilities. All squads were the same size and had the same facilities.

They didn't win because of some coaches complex tactical masterplan.

They won because that makeshift team of no-hopers were persuaded to believe in themselves, to believe in what they were trying to do and to believe in each other. Some of those players were so bad, technically, I'd doubt they would have won another sporting medal in their lives. But they climbed a mountain that weekend as a group.

For exactly the reasons Beaglehole's mob beat the pedigree players of Arsenal and then overcame Sunderland on their own patch to win the play-offs final and a trip to America. And exactly the reasons Manchester United get so many late goals. They always retain faith. And their heads never drop one inch.

And until we get than mentality and that sort of enthusiasm in our first team we'll win sod all.

Sorry, I mostly finish reading your posts, but this one is just too long and predictable for me, I stopped at the half-way point!

We do have the quality to avoid relegation, we just need to start believing and showing it in our performances. We can beat any team on our day, but we can also lose to any team at the moment. We need a couple of wins to get that much needed confidence back. No-point having a team full of quality, if they don't play with confidence. The time to start believing is NOW!!!!

[davieG]

I'd like to point out that at no point in the article does Milan say 'too good to go down'.

He actually makes a statement saying that we have enough Quality individuals to get out of trouble, thus shifting the emphisis back to Ollie to get these individuals working as a team and picking up the points needed.

It's the same thing he's just using different words.

We have enough Quality individuals to get out of trouble = too good to go down.

The key point that they are missing is that quality on it's own is not enough you need the right mentality, the reason we're in this mess is because this so called this so called quality gets beaten by lesser quality teams because they want it more, know they've got to fight for it, and have the strength of mind to overcome adversity.

We're fast looking like a bunch of namby pamby prima donnas.

[Matt]

So the tables lieing!

We are a big club, Possibly to big to go down, but if the team isn't doing the job which their not no-one is too big to go down.

And what do they care if we get relegated they'll be on a first class trip out of here going to a new club anyway no skin of their noses. Fuking bastard arsehole overpaid twats

[STUHILL]

So the tables lieing!

We are a big club, Possibly to big to go down, but if the team isn't doing the job which their not no-one is too big to go down.

And what do they care if we get relegated they'll be on a first class trip out of here going to a new club anyway no skin of their noses. Fuking bastard arsehole overpaid twats

Yeh nice one, that's the support and unity we need right now!! I'm guna back these 'Fuking bastard arsehole overpaid twats' every game until the end of the season. We do have enough quality not to go down, and I don't mind our Chairman saying it either. The players need to hear that too, because we always look so nervous at the moment, they need people around them to believe in them, not slate them at every opportunity!

[davieG]

Yeh nice one, that's the support and unity we need right now!! I'm guna back these 'Fuking bastard arsehole overpaid twats' every game until the end of the season. We do have enough quality not to go down, and I don't mind our Chairman saying it either. The players need to hear that too, because we always look so nervous at the moment, they need people around them to believe in them, not slate them at every opportunity!

Hearing it can work both ways let's hope you're right but I've seen nothing yet that shows me they are prepared to go that extra yard.

[STUHILL]

Hearing it can work both ways let's hope you're right but I've seen nothing yet that shows me they are prepared to go that extra yard.

Call me an optimist, call it wishful thinking! but I have faith! FOXES NVR QUIT :thumbsup:

[surrifox]

and I bet at this stage of the season last year Leeds were thinking we can't go down we're too good we were in the champions league a couple of seasons ago......."

[Simi]

"We are where we are"

"We know what we have to do"

"We'll get to work as usual"

"Too Good to Go Down"

"We will learn from our mistakes"

[Guest shearfox]

MM did not say we are too good to go down he just said we now have a better team than the one this time last year and have the quality in the team to avoid the drop which is true. Of course we will go down if results don't improve but like Milan I believe they will come, the players need to start to play with a bit of belief especially after conceding the first goal.

[Thracian]

It's a bit of an aside and perhaps my memory's playing tricks but wasn't there a famous woman who said "I'm too good to go down?"

[Daggers]

We have the class to stay up

City have the men to win relegation fight

Well - that's us fooked!

[filbertway]

How can Milan be that rich and not be able to spell too right?

[demon_dog]

I'm certainly sick of hearing what we're going to do and rading nebulous opinion about us staying up.

I want to see some reasons for people saying and thinking these things on the pitch.

So far we've had two big changes of personnel on the pitch, various changes of manager, we've virtually abandoned our young players for this season and replaced them with mostly short termists and doubtful imports.

I'd be amazed, after all that, if internal morale is high, especially among some of our better fringe players who have already been replaced by people who keep losing football matches and are now getting further and further back in the pecking order.

Reading those Mandaric comments I don't hear the rallying cry of a champion.

Nor does the Holloway column make me feel re-invigorated by inspired single-mindedness.

What I do detect are signs of creeping despair and desperation.

Of course the quality of your team matters. But what matters far, far, more is the spirit of that team and the state of mind that team enjoys.

Spirit depends on unity, the clan mentality I've referred to before. It isn't there. If it was, no-one in our team would lose heart or conviction when we went a goal behind. Least of all the manager.

Indeed, a good team, a single-minded and united team would feel insulted at going behind and would only want to stuff the goal back down the opposition's throat and wipe the floor with them.

We just seem to feel sorry for ourselves.

And I'll tell you why. Because from what I can see Mandaric doesn't want to build anything. He wants to buy it and rent it. Then chuck it away and buy/rent some more if the first lot fail.

It's all shallow. All about money and prestige. Not about pride in taking a group of people and inspiring them to do better than they could ever have dreamed.

He might have pots of gold. But I despair he'll ever discover what really matters and what really counts when it comes to shaping a successful football club (apart from Harry Redknapp! ).

But I'll give him a clue by true example that I've remembered for a long, long time and which has served as a guideline ever since.

Its about seeing 300+ kids on Viccy Park divided at random into 30 teams, each with their own coach, for a two day tournament and seeing the character of the team that won.

The team which triumphed weren't the most brilliant players. None of the coaches had any idea which players they'd get and most wouldn't even have got in their school first team. Nor did they form part of the biggest squad with the best facilities. All squads were the same size and had the same facilities.

They didn't win because of some coaches complex tactical masterplan.

They won because that makeshift team of no-hopers were persuaded to believe in themselves, to believe in what they were trying to do and to believe in each other. Some of those players were so bad, technically, I'd doubt they would have won another sporting medal in their lives. But they climbed a mountain that weekend as a group.

For exactly the reasons Beaglehole's mob beat the pedigree players of Arsenal and then overcame Sunderland on their own patch to win the play-offs final and a trip to America. And exactly the reasons Manchester United get so many late goals. They always retain faith. And their heads never drop one inch.

And until we get than mentality and that sort of enthusiasm in our first team we'll win sod all.

Here bloody here, well said Thrac, it's time we had a bloody good team captain to kick ass when needed. This is what I think is sadly lacking.

[maddog]

If we do go down i will be absolutely devastated.

But i would much prefer a promotion season in League 1 than a relegation battle in the Championship.

Obviously we can't assume we would come straight back up or see into the future.

But if i knew we would come straight back up if we went down, and knew we would have another shit season if we stayed up, i would rather us go down.

[Zingari]

with talk of a Russian billionaire ready to buy Sheffield Weds , that will be another of our rivals shooting past us on a surge of adrenalin

[Legend_in_blue]

I sometimes wish MM would shut up. Are his comments meant to inspire the team tomorrow? I think it just puts more pressure on the team. Pressure they can't handle. I've not seen anything on the pitch this season to suggest they can.

[Scow]

For exactly the reasons Beaglehole's mob beat the pedigree players of Arsenal and then overcame Sunderland on their own patch to win the play-offs final and a trip to America. And exactly the reasons Manchester United get so many late goals. They always retain faith. And their heads never drop one inch.

The same Beaglehole, who you slammed for grinding out a 0-0 draw with Holloway's Plymouth?

[MC Prussian]

Too good to go down = too bad to stay up

Simply arithmetics.