Norf'ampton post-match

[Lovejoy]

I'm still shocked at listening to some of the fans outside the ground. The amount who genuinely believe we have a God given right to win every game is alarming. We were crap yesterday, but some people really do need to stop being so bloody stupid. Relegation ffs ?

Anyway as an aside, fao anyone else who was at the top of N Block, how funny was the banter with "Billy No Mates"? :laugh:

[Ultra]

I'm still optimistic about the season, we do need to get some more players in, lack of competition for places seems to be a big issue especially up front.

We already have TEN strikers on the books:

Fryatt

Howard

Hayles

Dickov

Campbell

Chambers

Sappleton

Kee

McKay

C. King

Although some are injured, it may be worth giving the youngsters a go before splashing out on more.

[Ryanside]

Although some are injured, it may be worth giving the youngsters a go before splashing out on more.

That is true, NP either needs to show some faith in some of the younger players up front or we do need to look elsewhere.

Having Barry Hayles on the bench as our only attcknig option for me points out a serious weekness, even if our 2 other "main" strickers are injured.

[Foxhateram]

That is true, NP either needs to show some faith in some of the younger players up front or we do need to look elsewhere.

Having Barry Hayles on the bench as our only attcknig option for me points out a serious weekness, even if our 2 other "main" strickers are injured.

Im still scratching my head in disbeleif here. Fryatt is in the top scoreres list of this league. He also got player of the month this season. Now aparently he needs replacing? and Howard who everyone was raving about a few weeks ago suddenly isnt good enough.

They are having a bad patch, every striker does, unfortuantly they are having a bad patch together, but i think that highlights how much they rely on eachother as a pairing upfront.

Give it another game or so and they will be back at their best and we will be raving about them again.

WE DONT NEED ANYMORE STRIKERS!!! jeese i hate the way people think transfers will fix everything. Whats wrong with coaching the squad you got. Thats the point in having a young and willing sqaud like ours. So you can mould them into a good side. be bloody patiant.

[Daggers]

Daggers.

You are a pompous little twat!

Feel better for that do you?

[Daggers]

It was nice to see the return of the group of little racist Chav twats, stomping down the middle of the road after the match chanting bollocks and looking for a fight. They must save up their dole money or go on the rob just for the 'big' games.

Made me feel proud, all warm and fuzzy inside.

[Ultra]

Im still scratching my head in disbeleif here. Fryatt is in the top scoreres list of this league. He also got player of the month this season. Now aparently he needs replacing? and Howard who everyone was raving about a few weeks ago suddenly isnt good enough.

They are having a bad patch, every striker does, unfortuantly they are having a bad patch together, but i think that highlights how much they rely on eachother as a pairing upfront.

Give it another game or so and they will be back at their best and we will be raving about them again.

WE DONT NEED ANYMORE STRIKERS!!! jeese i hate the way people think transfers will fix everything. Whats wrong with coaching the squad you got. Thats the point in having a young and willing sqaud like ours. So you can mould them into a good side. be bloody patiant.

Unfortunately, as last season showed, when the gruesome twosome hit a bad patch, it can last for months!

The sooner Dickov/Campbell/Chambers return to full fitness, the better.

[Ryanside]

Im still scratching my head in disbeleif here. Fryatt is in the top scoreres list of this league. He also got player of the month this season. Now aparently he needs replacing? and Howard who everyone was raving about a few weeks ago suddenly isnt good enough.

They are having a bad patch, every striker does, unfortuantly they are having a bad patch together, but i think that highlights how much they rely on eachother as a pairing upfront.

Give it another game or so and they will be back at their best and we will be raving about them again.

WE DONT NEED ANYMORE STRIKERS!!! jeese i hate the way people think transfers will fix everything. Whats wrong with coaching the squad you got. Thats the point in having a young and willing sqaud like ours. So you can mould them into a good side. be bloody patiant.

I didnt say he need replacing, but we do need decent options off the bench which is something NP is not providing. Our aim is to get out of this league at hte first attempt. We are not going to do that just relying on Fryatt and Howard to ge the goals.

[Thracian]

I see those players as follows with a mark to reflect their overall value to us now and/or their potential for the future:

Fryatt 5.5 (A predator. Sniffs out opportunities to score but is limited by his range, his lack of pace and his modest physique. When not scoring he doesn't really see the pictures and compliment the team. Tends to be selfish with the ball and to be slow in seeing and making a pass).

Howard 6 (Quite skillful on the floor for a big guy, strong and perfectly willing and able to have a pop at goal. Slow though and quite easily contained by strong yet mobile opponents. Hardly spring-heeled or elusive so if he does get the chance of a header in the box, it's likely to be the result of defenders losing concentration than being outplayed.)

Hayles 5 (I've still seen very too little of the bloke to honestly assess him).

Dickov 6 (Terrier-like striker who's at the back end of his career and may find it increasing difficult to maintain standards set in the best. Able to hit the near post and to score all sorts of goals).

Campbell (5 Quick, elusive, needs marking but never fit).

Chambers 6.75 (Talent and pace in abundance but rarely fit and that is the big question concerning his future. His latest injury is not the first but you need to be durable to make a career out of football. I've marked him down a point because that's how serious a challenge I think he has. He needs to be much tougher and would be temped to see if he'd spend time one close season at an army camp or at a boxing club. Cos it would be such a waste to see his talent unfulfilled.

Sappleton 4 (Blistering shot but surprising ordinary as a holding player for his size. A bit like an oil tanker when he's turning and seems fairly limited on stamina. Not one I'd see as a potential first teamer).

Kee 7.25 (Another who's suffered a serious injury setback. Terrific eye for goal, blistering shot when he gets it right from almost any distance. Like a pocket battleship. Tough, combative and direct but can play a decent pass or two when the need arises. Whether he can stay sleek enough and fit enough to make the best of himself is the question but I really would hope so. The guy's got ability and potential and if I were manager I'd see that he got lots of individual attention related to extra fitness work, shooting practise, sharpening exercises and the detail needed to make the very best of his abilities).

McKay 7.25 (Under-rated. This lad seems to be a genuinely positive influence on any team. By far the best at making shallow runs across and behind defences and at receiving and passing the ball. He gets his head up and sees the runners around him. No physical presence at all but has the athleticism of a distance runner and never quits whatever the situation. He's a calm finisher too from close range or quite reasonable distance. Lightweight and fairly sort for a striker (5ft 10-ish I'd think) but his good control and intelligent football mind seem to have allowed him to cope well with the rigours of the game. Never seems to let anyone down and is well disciplined. I'd work on his sharpness, his close control and on toughening him up).

Craig King 4 (Highly regarded within the club but always a bit disappointing when I've watched him. He's always been a big lad for his age and that's given him a physical advantage in the past which will be increasingly neutralised. He's quickish and a busy player but never strikes me as a prolific scorer nor does he naturally pick out the right passes and cog in with the team. Tends to take too many touches. If he succeeds I'll be surprised but I hope he does just the same).

PS: The youngsters' marks represent potential. Whether they can go on to realise that potential I don't know. It won't be easy for any of them and will need the help of inspiring, determined and imaginative coaches.

[Thracian]

Im still scratching my head in disbeleif here. Fryatt is in the top scoreres list of this league. He also got player of the month this season. Now aparently he needs replacing? and Howard who everyone was raving about a few weeks ago suddenly isnt good enough.

They are having a bad patch, every striker does, unfortuantly they are having a bad patch together, but i think that highlights how much they rely on eachother as a pairing upfront.

Give it another game or so and they will be back at their best and we will be raving about them again.

WE DONT NEED ANYMORE STRIKERS!!! jeese i hate the way people think transfers will fix everything. Whats wrong with coaching the squad you got. Thats the point in having a young and willing sqaud like ours. So you can mould them into a good side. be bloody patiant.

There's nothing at all wrong with coaching the squad you've got. So what's being done? Is Fryatt releasing the ball quicker? Does it look as if he's purposefully practised one-v-one against goalkeepers on a daily basis? Does he look sharper than at the start of the season? Is he making better runs? Has he added things to his game like near-post runs, a better leap, longer range shooting?

Not from what I've seen. Yesterday's pre-match warm up was pathetic. It's the same boring basic routine anyway. The shooting in was just functional. No-one seemed to be having a word with players, focusing them on relaxing or hitting the target.

It was just whack em, hope and run away. The results were horrible and never likely to lift anyone's confidence.

What about Howard? Was he working with our four defenders taking passes to feet and laying it off first time to a runner? No.

Did you get the impression that it had happened at Belvoir Drive? No. Because we invariably whack the ball to him in the air.

These last few years I've rarely seen any genuine improvement to our senior team from a coaching point of view. I've mentioned our free-kicks. Gradel has emerged as a more accurate taker but there's no imagination to be seen, no impression given that we've been working on new and inventive free kicks. Or developing a guy who will drive and flight a ball like Sheehan.

Where are the dummy runs and stepovers? You have to work on these things constantly. They don't happen by accident. Any more than the idea of supporting or isolating Gradel would come naturally.

And what about our goalkeepers' distribution? Hell it needs to be faster. A video of Edwin Van-der-Sar would be a start. And then a stopwatch. Conditioned football. Three seconds for the goalkeeper to get rid of the ball or it's a penalty. Ten seconds maximum for a goalkick. Defenders in the sin bin if they don't make themselves available. Hell, there's so much you can do.

[Bert]

Something quite ironic about that.

Thracian, nice to see you're still avoiding my questions.

[James.]

I'm still shocked at listening to some of the fans outside the ground. The amount who genuinely believe we have a God given right to win every game is alarming. We were crap yesterday, but some people really do need to stop being so bloody stupid. Relegation ffs ?

I'd rather listen to those fans than the other set of fans who sang the Harry Roberts song amongst others walking away from the ground.

If you are reading this then please be advised you are pathetic little boys (yes, even you the old, fat and bald one). Grow up.

As for the game it was entirely forgettable. I'm a curse. The only games I've seen at home this season are Northampton and Milwall.

[dandannieldanok]

As for the game it was entirely forgettable. I'm a curse. The only games I've seen at home this season are Northampton and Milwall.

I'm not much better, MK Dons 2-0, Stockport 0-0, Lincoln 0-0, Millwall 0-1, Walsall 2-2, Northampton 0-0.

[Thracian]

Thracian, nice to see you're still avoiding my questions.

What questions? I've seen no questions. And why should I know any answers anyway? I've just checked my score predictions for this week. Hopeless!

[Joe.]

Foxes Online match report available here.

[Corky]

I feel the players would rather play away than home.

Home is supposed to be where the heart is, but when you get a nagging wife at home you'd rather spend more time in the pub.

Spot on Kareem. Did we boo when we weren't playing that well at Orient? Did we boo when we threw away the 2-goal lead at Huddersfield? No, we supported the team and we won those matches.

Yesterday was a poor performance, make no mistake about it, but some of the fans after the game were unbelieveable. They go from one extreme to the other. After a win it's "we're the best side in the league", now, after a couple of draws, "Pathetic, abject, crap players etc."

[Corky]

We haven't played anyone decent away yet apart from Oldham.

Huddersfield - We through a 2 goal lead away and where lucky to win

Oldham - Was a typical 1-1 game, no one looked like winning

Walsall - We where shit

Northampton - See above

We are being exposed now, Pearson got till the end of November to sort it out because Milan and the fans will not let this dire form go on much longer.

Absolutely crap, unbeaten in seven league matches. Awful.

Pearson's got until the end of November? Great, another sacking, another waste of money for a pay-off, back to square one. Thank God you aren't involved in a senior role in this club.

[Thracian]

To add to the post-mortem, I'm a little concerned that some of the players are beginning to bicker and agrue amongst themselves during the match. It was on display on Tuesday and evident again today. One of the more noticeable occasions was between Oakley and Gradel. Max, in particular, seems to be caught up in this. Is this early signs of fustrations within the squad?

It's bad enough when the fans are moaning. On this note, I was extremely embarassed today to be a Leicester fan. My advice to the boo boys is to spend your £23 on something that will guarantee you satisfaction. Answers on a postcard please! I don't know any other sport that has this problem (except for wreastling that encourages it)

We are going to drop points this season. I, along with eveyone else, feel bad when this happens but I will still encourage my team no matter what. When it was said before that this league was never going to be a walk in the park, this statement must have fallen on lots of deaf ears. What we have witnessed over the last few games is a reality check on the task ahead.

I've been critical in the past of senior players sometimes trying to blame their mistakes on younger players - I mentioned Danny Tiatto and Sean Newton in the past - but Oakley was well within his rights, particularly as skipper, to have a pot at Gradel.

Kingy made a clearance under pressure and the winger never really attacked the ball to contest possession. I think he was concerned about the likely bounce in the blustery conditions but he did look static and Oakley yelled at him to buck his ideas up.

Gradel chopsed a few words back but it all seemed to resolve itself and Gradel got back in the game sharper and more determined. Justified complaint and right reaction was how I saw it...the sort of reaction you'll always get between competitive footballers and not something that would be likely to affect team spirit.

I was glad to see that Oakley cared enough and that Gradel didn't react badly by clattering someone.

[Dan]

I said at the start of the season we will struggle up front thanks of lack of pace. Dare I say it even consider putting Lloyd Dyer up front with Fryatt/Hayles with Howard behind them with Porter on the left and King dropped

basically this:

RM - Max Gradel

CM - Matt Oakley (or someone strong and scrappy from the loan market)

LM - Levi Porter

AM - Steve Howard

CF - Lloyd Dyer

CF - Matty Fryatt / Barry Hayles

as risky as it maybe its worth a shot against Horsham/Stevenage IMO

[Thracian]

I think if King wasn't championed as much as he was, he wouldn't get half as harsh ratings as he does, but he was dog shit today. So he scored (which didn't count) and made one good pass.

What about all the times he sloppily gave the ball away?

Ah, the question you were on about. It's actually answered in a reply to Cobbo. No-one contests that he misjudged passes. Everyone made misjudgements and the blustery wind - much worse on the pitch than it felt in the stands - played it's part on the match and on the helicopter.

Somebody should perhaps find the stats to show how often Hobbs, Kisnorbo, Tunchev, Fryatt and Gradel lost possession to name a few. King's overall pass success rate would stand comparison, I am quite sure, and so would his number of passes.

[filbertway]

I said at the start of the season we will struggle up front thanks of lack of pace. Dare I say it even consider putting Lloyd Dyer up front with Fryatt/Hayles with Howard behind them with Porter on the left and King dropped

basically this:

RM - Max Gradel

CM - Matt Oakley (or someone strong and scrappy from the loan market)

LM - Levi Porter

AM - Steve Howard

CF - Lloyd Dyer

CF - Matty Fryatt / Barry Hayles

as risky as it maybe its worth a shot against Horsham/Stevenage IMO

[Raj]

My standards must have dropped of late but i thought it was a half decent game?

Obviously the glaring misses we had(Fryatt,Dyer) made it aliitle more intersting!!!

But spose well done to Town for coming and doing what alot of teams will i.e Shutting up shop and trying to break away and get a 1-0er.

We need to be abit more inventive(Goes without saying really!!)

Oakley needs to get more of the ball,as when he does eventually get it,he looks like he could make a few half decent passes.

I'm not as worried as some about our position BUT we do need a couple of goals and home wins soon to shut up the Boo Boys(And NO im not really a Booer!!!)

[Raj]

Fryatt and Dyer need lessons of our Bert in how to score in one on one situations.

(Re-Internet Foxes V FT Boys!!!)

[davieG]

Source

Cobblers denied as Foxes hang on

Published Date: 25 October 2008

Ryan Gilligan was denied a penalty at Leicester City as Northampton Town took a deserved point from a goalless draw at the Walkers Stadium.

The home side were booed off at both half-time and full-time as they failed to see off a spirited Town outfit who had their fair share of opportunities to win the game.

Bayo Akinfenwa spurned the best scoring chance of the first 45 minutes and worryingly limped out of the game mid-way through the second half.

Town survived an edgy first 10 minutes to produce some good passing football, silencing the home crowd in the process.

Akinfenwa's chance came on 23 minutes, a header from Abdul Osman's cross which should at least have found the target.

Danny Jackman should have done likewise later in the half when a good move saw the full-back into space on the overlap, although he elected to cross rather than shoot.

But – a Karl Hawley daisy-cutter apart – neither goalkeeper had to make a save and the teams went in level at 0-0 at the interval.

The second half was pretty open and brought plenty of excitement at both ends.

Town were denied a strong shout for a penalty when Aleksandar Tunchev collided with Ryan Gilligan, and they came close to scoring when a flicked Chris Doig header just missed the back post.

Leicester, too, had their chances, with a goal ruled out for offside and Matty Fryatt having an appeal for a penalty turned away after a clash with Mark Hughes.

Frank Fielding twice made strong saves, from Lloyd Dyer and Fryatt, to preserve a well-earned clean sheet and bag a point for the Cobblers.

LEICESTER: Martin, Hobbs, Tunchev, Kisnorbo, Mattock (Berner 63), Gradel, Oakley, King, Dyer, Fryatt, Howard (Hayles 80). Subs not used: Henderson, Morrison, Adams

COBBLERS: Fielding, Crowe, Hughes, Doig, Jackman, Gilligan (Henderson 78), Osman, Coke, Holt, Akinfenwa (Constantine 68), Hawley. Subs not used: Dunn, Dolman, Dyer

ATTENDANCE: 22795

COBBLERS FANS: 2626

And another from the Mirror:

The Foxes were left frustrated against a determined Northampton defence. Lloyd Dyer and Matt Fryatt were both denied by visiting keeper Frank Fielding when they did find a breakthrough.

Do any of these 'reporters' even go to the matches?

[Dr The Singh]

Before I make a comment, this was probably one of the few games i've been to sober.

We never had any real sustained possesion, or pressure against Northampton, and alot of our attacks or chances were due mainly to Nothants mistakes.

The defence were ok, although Akinfenwa missed a couple of sitters. Hobbs played out of position but did ok!!

The midfield rarely were commanding, both Dyer and Gradel were well marshalled, there no. 3 had Gradel sussed!! Dyer was our main attacking threat and in the first half put some real good crosses in, only for the strikers to be rather sluggish!!

Our strike force had enough chances to win the game, neither was impressive, although Howard had very little in terms of opportunities to score. Fyratt on the other hand, works hard etc and has a trick or two but is not clinical enough, this division is his level, I feel were gonna need someone more clinical and with abit of pace if we were to get promoted!!

Overall, we played to the standard of our division, we look like a league one club, Pearson has a job on his hands, we realy too much on our wingers and if they fail or the strikers fail we haven't really got too many other options. The midfield is very workman like and Oakley played well for me. King although efficient, isn't creative and is too similar to Oakley!!