Does Ollie have to go?

[C-man]

Am i the only person who is a big Holloway fan??

I don't know about a big Holloway fan, but I'm certainly still behind him and over 50% of people on this forum think he should stay. I think we'll stay up with him, sacking him would almostly certainly condemn us to League 1 football next season.

[davieG]

I don't know about a big Holloway fan, but I'm certainly still behind him and over 50% of people on this forum think he should stay. I think we'll stay up with him, sacking him would almostly certainly condemn us to League 1 football next season.

You can't honestly say that and by the same token you can't say keeping him will almost certainly save us / relegate us. Sackings have been know to work (Worthington last season) and fail. There is nothing almost certain about outcome.

[C-man]

You can't honestly say that and by the same token you can't say keeping him will almost certainly save us / relegate us. Sackings have been know to work (Worthington last season) and fail. There is nothing almost certain about outcome.

I said i think we'll stay up with him.

Worthington was different last year, we were 19th and had 5 games left, we were about 5 points clear of the relegation zone with a game in hand and looking relatively secure. Incidently we already had enough points before he took over.

We've had 4 different managers this year and the more changes there are, the bigger the detrimental effect on the players there is. In my opinion anyway. I can't see any new manager coming in and motivating this lot if Ollie can't.

But what do i know?

[Fez of Mahrez]

So here we are again, on the edge of the precipice. This time it's different though. Last season and in previous years we've been in lower mid-table and in alarming form. Certainly last season it was a case of hoping that no-one below us put a run together. This time we're in Leeds' shoes (10 point deduction apart) and it's up to us to worry the teams above us over the next eight games. That might seem slightly over-the-top given that we're only a point or two away from a whole host of other teams but this side looks at the moment like it can't buy a win (as much as Milan would love to be able to do that).

The nature of these internet messageboards means that there will always be a topic of the moment to blame. I haven't been about much lately but the last couple of weeks it seems to be our strikers. I think this is a bit rich from the majority of people given that a few months ago the general opinion was that the midfield were to blame and our strikers were just lethal weapons waiting for the ammunition to fire us to the play-offs. Around six weeks ago I was complaining heavily that we didn't have any strong, quick strikers but since then I've seen Howard and Campbell scare the living daylights out of Norwich and Cardiff's defences. I still think it's a fault that we don't have anyone in that mould and Ishmael Miller might well show us what we're missing tomorrow.

I've also read a few comments that Bristol City was the only game we've made chances in recently. I'm not sure that's true. It certainly stands out but I doubt many teams have wasted practically double figures in easy chances in quite the same way we did in that match. I'd say Coventry away was the only game out of the last six that we haven't threatened in. After the Norwich win and the Coventry debacle we've actually made a lot of chances. We should have been two or three clear at half-time at Cardiff, we had the three (correct) offside decisions against Preston, the Bristol City game and two absolutely glaring misses from six to ten yards by Howard and Fryatt at Southampton.

Personally I think we'll be looking back at the Fryatt miss at Southampton as being the final chance we had at safety.

I won't be going to WBA tomorrow, as much as it's an easy trip by train from here. I've only missed one game since mid-December which is by far my best ever run of games and I've only seen one away win in that time. I can't justify the money to go to WBA after making the trip to Southampton in midweek. I'd love us to be one of these teams who takes at least 2,000 fans everywhere and goes into every single game with a sense of possibility. Unfortunately I've never seen a team so low on confidence as this one - particularly against Preston and Southampton the players looked incredibly nervous.

On Tuesday night there was only one player in our entire team who looked fearless and 100% committed - and he's seventeen years old. Commitment isn't something you can buy for £1.5million and £10,000 a week from a Premiership team, it's something you have to encourage and nurture and protect - the more I see Iain Hume, sidelined to the left wing in favour of a misfiring strike partnership, I wonder whether Holloway has missed the point a bit about effort and commitment. It's not something we came to expect as a minimum requirement from our players over the last few seasons. I could name numerous players who have come and gone in that time and not looked in the slightest bit bothered. Players like Hume are precious for us. Last season especially he was carrying almost an entire team for some periods. When you find yourself in a hole like we're in, you need players you can rely on - who have proven themselves as being capable of what you need to meet a particular target. Over the past nine months we've gradually filled our team with players like this (perhaps to the detriment of the overall tactics and team spirit) - N'Gotty, Clemence, Oakley, Howard etc. It's practically an entire team of reliable Championship players. But the one player who stood out last season in an attacking sense (which is obviously what we are lacking), Holloway has fallen out with and played out of position. As poor as he's been in recent weeks - and shambolically bad in places, particularly at Coventry - I wouldn't trust any one of our players more than Iain Hume to score the goals we need to stay up.

There also seems to be some blame being apportioned at the moment - to Mandaric and to Holloway in perhaps equal measure. I think our managers have let us down badly this season and you can either blame them or blame Mandaric for appointing them. We have only just started to see a proper team in my opinion - with players in their correct positions and the emphasis placed on attack. If we'd had that from the start of the season then things would be very different. A signing like Kelvin Etuhu was exactly what we needed last summer and it serves the club right that they've only just addressed such a glaring lack of pace in wide areas.

As for the prospect of League One, right now it doesn't seem as devastating to me as it might to some people. As you might have been able to pick up from my contributions to the Southampton Stewards topic, I was quite angry about all that. And on the pitch it was no better. I've read various opinions from Leeds and Forest fans that the quality of football is awful but I'm not sure they'd appreciate just how appalling we have been to watch for the last five years. I've seen a fair bit of League One at Northampton and over the past two years I've seen more entertaining games in the few times I've been there than the numerous 0-0s and 0-1s I've seen at the Walkers.

That's probably it for me for a couple of weeks. I've invested so much effort, emotion and of course money in this lot over the last few weeks, over this season, over the past 18 years, that I feel like I need a holiday from it. I'm going to stay home tomorrow and watch the rugby with a few beers. Next week one of my best mates is getting married so I'll be missing a home game for the first time this season. The week after that I'll be back and giving it 100% from the stands again - hopefully by then we'll have six points in the bag and a sense of fight restored - I'm not optimistic.

[davieG]

I said i think we'll stay up with him.

Worthington was different last year, we were 19th and had 5 games left, we were about 5 points clear of the relegation zone with a game in hand and looking relatively secure. Incidently we already had enough points before he took over.

We've had 4 different managers this year and the more changes there are, the bigger the detrimental effect on the players there is. In my opinion anyway. I can't see any new manager coming in and motivating this lot if Ollie can't.

But what do i know?

Fine, but you also said we're almost certain to be relegated if we sacked him - that's what I was questioning there's nothing almost certain about anything to do with our current position.

[clazkel]

Whether Holloway stays or goes, i think when he arrived at Leicester straight away he made it clear the players heads were down and it's his job to lift the players, however he got rid of many of the players that were playing in the first team at the time. Players who had won away at Villa and come so close to beating Chelsea. imo the team we had were good enough and only acouple of new players were needed to be added. Why did he have to get rid of soo many players, and change the team soo much, why couldn't he have managed and raised the spirits of the players we already had (surely good managers get the best out of average players). He was too quick to slate the players we already had (which couldn't have done alot for morale) and wanted his own team and made that quite clear.

I want Holloway to succeed at Leicester, but i am really getting fed up of him talking about the state the players were in when he came to the club. I am fed up with him talking about the past. He should be talking about the future and not blaming all the problems on the past (there must've been problems at the club but i am fed up hearing about it). He has to start looking at himself and the decisions he has made, and the players he has chose to play in what positions as it is his team now.

[purpleronnie]

The last thing we need now is yet another manager sacked. We have a decent team we need a striker. Another manager = even more time to put things right.

[Nationwider]

So here we are again...

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what Fez said

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...I'm not optimistic.

Excellent post.

[Raj]

Loads of good stuff

If i had a younger sister,i'd let you marry her.

on BBC Website-

Iain Dowie is desperate for the Leicester job, despite Ian Holloway still being in the hot-seat. (Daily Mirror)

[Narborough Bod]

The nature of these internet messageboards means that there will always be a topic of the moment to blame. I haven't been about much lately but the last couple of weeks it seems to be our strikers. I think this is a bit rich from the majority of people given that a few months ago the general opinion was that the midfield were to blame and our strikers were just lethal weapons waiting for the ammunition to fire us to the play-offs. Around six weeks ago I was complaining heavily that we didn't have any strong, quick strikers but since then I've seen Howard and Campbell scare the living daylights out of Norwich and Cardiff's defences. I still think it's a fault that we don't have anyone in that mould and Ishmael Miller might well show us what we're missing tomorrow.

.

Is that because you've been writing this post.

Seriously though, top notch!!

[Thracian]

I wonder how much the vote will change if he loses today although most of us would have considered our chances of beating West Brom away to be limited.

In reality I think we're far better equipped to beat West Brom now than we have been for a while but there's a world of difference between having a reasonably sound team and actually getting them to perform effectively.

The other thing is that while we have so few scorers in our ranks the ones we have got aren't going to get anywhere near the 16-20 goals that people like Kevin Phillips and Stern John have to their credit.

So missing a prolific scorer/scorers and missing lots of smaller contributors adds up to one great big Achilles heel.

[Raj]

I wonder how much the vote will change if he loses today although most of us would have considered our chances of beating West Brom away to be limited.

In reality I think we're far better equipped to beat West Brom now than we have been for a while but there's a world of difference between having a reasonably sound team and actually getting them to perform effectively.

The other thing is that while we have so few scorers in our ranks the ones we have got aren't going to get anywhere near the 16-20 goals that people like Kevin Phillips and Stern John have to their credit.

So missing a prolific scorer/scorers and missing lots of smaller contributors adds up to one great big Achilles heel.

I had massive problems with my achilles last year.

Its okay now.

Thanks for asking.

[Thracian]

I had massive problems with my achilles last year.

Its okay now.

Thanks for asking.

:D Glad to hear it and if there was some way you got over it, other than rest, perhaps you'll let me know.

[davieG]

Glad to hear it and if there was some way you got over it, other than rest, perhaps you'll let me know.

He gave it to Ollie at the last Fan's Forum.

[Raj]

:D Glad to hear it and if there was some way you got over it, other than rest, perhaps you'll let me know.

Physio actually.

And you have to do some stupid exercise which involves stretching it and holding.

Thanks for your concern!

[colbo68]

I wonder how much the vote will change if he loses today although most of us would have considered our chances of beating West Brom away to be limited.

In reality I think we're far better equipped to beat West Brom now than we have been for a while but there's a world of difference between having a reasonably sound team and actually getting them to perform effectively.

The other thing is that while we have so few scorers in our ranks the ones we have got aren't going to get anywhere near the 16-20 goals that people like Kevin Phillips and Stern John have to their credit.

So missing a prolific scorer/scorers and missing lots of smaller contributors adds up to one great big Achilles heel.

but there's a world of difference between having a reasonably sound team and actually getting them to perform effectively

this is exactly the problem - on paper we are as good as Brom - as a team we are miles off

[Thracian]

Physio actually.

And you have to do some stupid exercise which involves stretching it and holding.

Thanks for your concern!

In that case I'll ask the wife if she can help!

[sdb]

what do the 97 of you that want rid of Ollie think now?? Genuinely interested in your thoughts.

[STUHILL]

I hope no-one now has a dig at those who voted him out. It is still very possible we go down. It does help his corner though and the players! Hopefully people will start to believe he can get us out of this! Great response by the players under massive pressure! Maybe we needed that drop in to the bottom 3 to hit home how much we needed to improve! Lots of teams potentially being dragged in to it now too, plus our goal difference could act as an extra point. Very positive day, should'nt get carried away BUT should also allow ourselves to enjoy it and be more optimistic for staying-up!!

[Thracian]

what do the 97 of you that want rid of Ollie think now?? Genuinely interested in your thoughts.

Already said most of it. Holloway's initial selection today was made for defeat and that's where we were heading until the good fortune of West Brom losing a man changed everything just as our losing Kisnorbo at Ipswich had so much effect.

Holloway should frame up a match report after today's game because it might have been so important as to change his entire career.

We were 1-0 down before the sending off and looking like it might well end up more. Suddenly they lose a man, the whole complexion of the game changes, other results start going our way and our whole outlook starts looking brighter.

Trouble is, when it comes to the crunch I still think Holloway will come out with selections like that but we'll see. He's safe now for sure until the end of the season and doubtless much will depend on how those games go as to what his future holds.

Our players are good enough to attack anyone in the Championship and hopefully today's game will give them the incentive to do that.

Whether they'll do that and end the uncertainty quickly or whether they keep everyone on guessing til the season winds up remains to be seen but if we don't start getting some consistent results now, and with these players, then I can't see there'll be any excuse for it.

[sdb]

Already said most of it. Holloway's initial selection today was made for defeat and that's where we were heading until the good fortune of West Brom losing a man changed everything just as our losing Kisnorbo at Ipswich had so much effect.

Holloway should frame up a match report after today's game because it might have been so important as to change his entire career.

We were 1-0 down before the sending off and looking like it might well end up more. Suddenly they lose a man, the whole complexion of the game changes, other results start going our way and our whole outlook starts looking brighter.

Trouble is, when it comes to the crunch I still think Holloway will come out with selections like that but we'll see. He's safe now for sure until the end of the season and doubtless much will depend on how those games go as to what his future holds.

Our players are good enough to attack anyone in the Championship and hopefully today's game will give them the incentive to do that.

Whether they'll do that and end the uncertainty quickly or whether they keep everyone on guessing til the season winds up remains to be seen but if we don't start getting some consistent results now, and with these players, then I can't see there'll be any excuse for it.

i wish i had your psychic abilities

so we're certainties to lose while it's 11 v 11, yet 10 v 11 and we're 4 goals better than them? I'm not denying it helped us but it's not as black and white as that. stop covering your back and admit Ollie and Leicester did great today. The line up was spot on imo, 3 strikers is not setting up for defeat, and playing 3 quality central defenders was completely sensible.

[LeeCovFox]

what do the 97 of you that want rid of Ollie think now?? Genuinely interested in your thoughts.

96. I had voted for Ollie to go in a fit of rage and, mainly, fear. I then came on here to acknowledge that I was wrong, and that I'd only voted in that direction because of how low I felt on Tuesday night, which is as low as I've felt since Wycombe. It was a couple of days ago I admitted my mistake. It will be in this thread somewhere.

Delighted for the lads today, and for Ollie. Come on boys, lets stay up, build in the summer, have a comfortable season next time round, and then think about exiting this division the right way.

[Thracian]

i wish i had your psychic abilities

so we're certainties to lose while it's 11 v 11, yet 10 v 11 and we're 4 goals better than them? I'm not denying it helped us but it's not as black and white as that. stop covering your back and admit Ollie and Leicester did great today. The line up was spot on imo, 3 strikers is not setting up for defeat, and playing 3 quality central defenders was completely sensible.

I thought it was you who asked for people's views.

The line up was not spot on at all. We were 1-0 down and our line up only changed after the sending off.

We're all rightly ecstatic with relief over an unexpected victory but lets not pretend - at least for assessment purposes - that we weren't helped dramatically by Dame Fortune.

[STUHILL]

I thought it was you who asked for people's views.

The line up was not spot on at all. We were 1-0 down and our line up only changed after the sending off.

We're all rightly ecstatic with relief over an unexpected victory but lets not pretend we weren't helped dramatically by Dame Fortune.

Have to agree slightly. i dont think that formation would be successful every week. I could be wrong though, but until we changed it after the sending off, didnt think we sounded that great. Hopefully, see it reverting to 4-4-2 next week, can we really change any players though after 4-1???

[Webbo]

We're all rightly ecstatic with relief over an unexpected victory but lets not pretend - at least for assessment purposes - that we weren't helped dramatically by Dame Fortune.

Lets be fair Thrac, it's about time we had some good luck.