The team may not be good enough...

[davieG]

.. but is any team at any level? All teams can be improved upon. However it's no point suggesting kicking someone out unless the replacement is better. With the current squad all we can do is tinker with it and change the formation both of which have been tried and not proved to be significantly better.

The only realistic way of improving the team significantly is by getting in better players, better players for us in our position would need to be, at the very least really capable Championship players with the potential to play at Premier level and this requires decent amounts of money which we do not appear to have.

All we're left with is strengthening the depth of the squad and perhaps introducing some options but they're unlikely to be better than what we've got.

So no matter how frustrated we are we're only like to see some loanees with potential but no real pedigree as in the likes of McGivern or a current Championship or lower league player coming towards the end of their contract in either case they're not likely to offer a great improvement.

So we all need to suck it up!

Oops just read this: http://www.foxestalk.co.uk/forums/index.ph...t&p=1553075

[marbelladave]

.. but is any team at any level? All teams can be improved upon. However it's no point suggesting kicking someone out unless the replacement is better. With the current squad all we can do is tinker with it and change the formation both of which have been tried and not proved to be significantly better.

The only realistic way of improving the team significantly is by getting in better players, better players for us in our position would need to be, at the very least really capable Championship players with the potential to play at Premier level and this requires decent amounts of money which we do not appear to have.

All we're left with is strengthening the depth of the squad and perhaps introducing some options but they're unlikely to be better than what we've got.

So no matter how frustrated we are we're only like to see some loanees with potential but no real pedigree as in the likes of McGivern or a current Championship or lower league player coming towards the end of their contract in either case they're not likely to offer a great improvement.

So we all need to suck it up!

Oops just read this: http://www.foxestalk.co.uk/forums/index.ph...t&p=1553075

Without serious money to spend we are unlikely to improve on what we have, so here is a radical idea.

Lets play our players in their best positions and develop a style of play we are actually good at!

The longball game has got us this far but will get us no further, time to start playing some football.

[Koke]

Without serious money to spend we are unlikely to improve on what we have, so here is a radical idea.

Lets play our players in their best positions and develop a style of play we are actually good at!

The longball game has got us this far but will get us no further, time to start playing some football.

We've done well with what we have at our disposal. I wouldn't exactly describe us as a hoofball team ala Bolton. In terms of style, the closest I can describe us as is the Dynamo Kiev side of the late 90's under Valeriy Lobanovskyi. We are a very rigid outfit. A strong solid unit. Every player [well, almost every player] knows his job and sticks to it. Effective, but certainly not exciting.

With no money to spend, Nigel has done well to establish a squad who are more than capable to hold their own in this league. At the moment, the best we can hope for is that we keep hold of Matty Fryatt and that we wheel and hustle in the loan market to add bit extra quality to our side.

It wasn't long ago we were witnessing inept 1-0 home defeats to the Burnleys and Prestons of this world, followed by post-match threads on here that can only be described as the equivalent of Rosie O'Donnell raping you in the arse with a strap-on.

[Raj]

Could be alot worse.....imagine being a Liverpool fan at the moment!!!!

[Lillehamring]

one factor that has been completely overlooked here, is taking a risk with one or more of our younger players...

that 16 year old from ipswich fitted in just fine....and we have the best youth team in the country

but then pearson seems to have totally abandonded that philosophy with his ignoring of gradel.

i'm begining to get the feeling that MM has said he is happy to play another season in the CCC and pearson is doing just what needs to be done to achieve that, why else has he gone back to the cart horse mentality of brown and howard, and persevered with oakley.

if we were realistic about being promoted, we would be trying to build a partnership for fryatt that will be for the future, playing a proper 442 with real wingers, and giving more opportunities to our excellent young defenders.

if this is a year of consolidation and nothing more, we need to use it to build a squad for the future, using substitutions as a way for young lads to get some time on the pitch, we all saw what happened when o'neill had to step in, that's not the way to blood young lads.

can't fault what pearson has done and is doing, but the signs are that we are approaching this season with nothing more than consolidation in mind

[Babylon]

one factor that has been completely overlooked here, is taking a risk with one or more of our younger players...

that 16 year old from ipswich fitted in just fine....and we have the best youth team in the country

but then pearson seems to have totally abandonded that philosophy with his ignoring of gradel.

i'm begining to get the feeling that MM has said he is happy to play another season in the CCC and pearson is doing just what needs to be done to achieve that, why else has he gone back to the cart horse mentality of brown and howard, and persevered with oakley.

if we were realistic about being promoted, we would be trying to build a partnership for fryatt that will be for the future, playing a proper 442 with real wingers, and giving more opportunities to our excellent young defenders.

if this is a year of consolidation and nothing more, we need to use it to build a squad for the future, using substitutions as a way for young lads to get some time on the pitch, we all saw what happened when o'neill had to step in, that's not the way to blood young lads.

can't fault what pearson has done and is doing, but the signs are that we are approaching this season with nothing more than consolidation in mind

Do you not think it's possible he just doesn't rate any of the younger players?

[Joe.]

if we were realistic about being promoted, we would be trying to build a partnership for fryatt that will be for the future, playing a proper 442 with real wingers, and giving more opportunities to our excellent young defenders.

But who are these "excellent young defenders" you speak of?

From what I've seen Luke O'Neill is still a very long way off being good enough for the first team, and we've heard very little of anybody else. Morrison's finally getting an extended run in the first team and looking good value for it. I don't think I'm missing anybody obvious...

It's pointless playing youngsters just for the sake of it when they're not going to improve what we already have. I do echo the Gradel sentiments however, there's no way he can be worse than what we have right now. How he and N'Guessan don't get more of a look-in still mystifies me.

[skinnydipper]

one factor that has been completely overlooked here, is taking a risk with one or more of our younger players...

that 16 year old from ipswich fitted in just fine....and we have the best youth team in the country

but then pearson seems to have totally abandonded that philosophy with his ignoring of gradel.

i'm begining to get the feeling that MM has said he is happy to play another season in the CCC and pearson is doing just what needs to be done to achieve that, why else has he gone back to the cart horse mentality of brown and howard, and persevered with oakley.

if we were realistic about being promoted, we would be trying to build a partnership for fryatt that will be for the future, playing a proper 442 with real wingers, and giving more opportunities to our excellent young defenders.

if this is a year of consolidation and nothing more, we need to use it to build a squad for the future, using substitutions as a way for young lads to get some time on the pitch, we all saw what happened when o'neill had to step in, that's not the way to blood young lads.

can't fault what pearson has done and is doing, but the signs are that we are approaching this season with nothing more than consolidation in mind

My guess is that Pearson sees the team as less solid defensively when we play a winger as opposed to someone like Oakley at RM. Attacking flair giving way to the quest for the clean sheet. However Oakley drifts infield so much that he leaves the RB exposed defensively and without an outlet offensively. What I really don't understand though is playing strikers at RM/LM when we have perfectly good wingers in the squad.

[Fatbloke]

I reckon we`ll see new faces in the squad this month.

[marbelladave]

Generally speaking we have done well to be where we are now with what we have at our disposal, I think most would agree with that.

But to take it to the next level we really need to step up and without substantial funds it is hard to see how we could afford new players good enough to make that much of a difference.

The only real alternative is to get more from the players we do have by changing the way we play and developing a possession oriented passing game. To do this we need to break up the rigid and pedestrian 4-4-2 that has been the norm and stop the direct play that just gives the ball back to the opposition and puts our defense under pressure time and time again.

I know I have been banging on about this for some time but continuing as we are will not get us close to promotion!

Do you not think it's possible he just doesn't rate any of the younger players?

Do you not think it's possible he might be wrong?

[El Furio]

Generally speaking we have done well to be where we are now with what we have at our disposal, I think most would agree with that.

But to take it to the next level we really need to step up and without substantial funds it is hard to see how we could afford new players good enough to make that much of a difference.

The only real alternative is to get more from the players we do have by changing the way we play and developing a possession oriented passing game. To do this we need to break up the rigid and pedestrian 4-4-2 that has been the norm and stop the direct play that just gives the ball back to the opposition and puts our defense under pressure time and time again.

I know I have been banging on about this for some time but continuing as we are will not get us close to promotion!

Do you not think it's possible he might be wrong?

All I know is (and it kills me to say it), i'm a season ticket holder, but before the games now i'm thinking, 'Do I really want to go to this game', due to the fact that it's so dull!!

No atmosphere, awful football, overpriced food and retarded conversation going on around me (i'm sure the bloke who rang in saying we should sign Senderos sits behind me).

[Babylon]

Do you not think it's possible he might be wrong?

Lets put it this way, I trust his judgment of youth players he sees day in and day out over yours or Vålerengas, who have in all likely hood never seen them play.

[Guest Basildon Fox]

But surely Sappleton is back soon and that bad ass mutha is gonna save our season. He is the best striker at the club according to him.

[marbelladave]

All I know is (and it kills me to say it), i'm a season ticket holder, but before the games now i'm thinking, 'Do I really want to go to this game', due to the fact that it's so dull!!

No atmosphere, awful football, overpriced food and retarded conversation going on around me (i'm sure the bloke who rang in saying we should sign Senderos sits behind me).

To some extent I agree, postponements and family commitments mean that I have not seen that many games recently and guess what, I have barely missed it. Still off to Wales on Saturday, weather permitted!

As for the retards.............. :crylaugh:

[davieG]

All I know is (and it kills me to say it), i'm a season ticket holder, but before the games now i'm thinking, 'Do I really want to go to this game', due to the fact that it's so dull!!

No atmosphere, awful football, overpriced food and retarded conversation going on around me (i'm sure the bloke who rang in saying we should sign Senderos sits behind me).

I've not felt like that but then having felt like that for the 5/6 seasons prior to last year it makes this year in the Championship seem like a breath of fresh air. I shudder when I think of all the dross served up then.

[morris1234]

i think pearson has realised that in the championship its un-realistic to expect us to play superb football every game, so he just makes us extremely hard to beat and so far hes done that! which is why i think, like a previous post suggests ^, he plays oakley on the right. I still dont rate neilson though!

[marbelladave]

Lets put it this way, I trust his judgment of youth players he sees day in and day out over yours or Vålerengas, who have in all likely hood never seen them play.

Pointless comment.

None of us know what goes on at the club day to day, only what we see on match day and Pearson has hardly proved himself infallible.

i think pearson has realised that in the championship its un-realistic to expect us to play superb football every game, so he just makes us extremely hard to beat and so far hes done that! which is why i think, like a previous post suggests ^, he plays oakley on the right. I still dont rate neilson though!

This is hard to refute but as has been pointed out, this strategy will only get us so far. We remain a long way behind the best teams in this division and if we want to move forward, we have to start playing some football.

[Guest Basildon Fox]

This is hard to refute but as has been pointed out, this strategy will only get us so far. We remain a long way behind the best teams in this division and if we want to move forward, we have to start playing some football.

Look at Stoke, they managed it. Being robust and consistent can gain you promotion from this division even if you do not have the greatest players.

You are right there are quite a few teams better than us player for player in this division but there are more that are worse. We still lack a ball winning midfielder in the Lennon mould. The problem is at the moment if we play with wingers we would be over run in the midfield . Until we get a combative midfielder we will I am sure continue to play the way we are. While it is not pretty to watch it has been effective so far and NP is in the results business so I can understand why he is sticking to the brand of football that we are playing.

I can also understand however that it does not put bums on seats. I would love to see us play a more expansive brand of football but we tried against WBA and could have been beaten by a much heavier scoreline than 2-1.

[Katy]

But who are these "excellent young defenders" you speak of?

From what I've seen Luke O'Neill is still a very long way off being good enough for the first team, and we've heard very little of anybody else. Morrison's finally getting an extended run in the first team and looking good value for it. I don't think I'm missing anybody obvious...

It's pointless playing youngsters just for the sake of it when they're not going to improve what we already have. I do echo the Gradel sentiments however, there's no way he can be worse than what we have right now. How he and N'Guessan don't get more of a look-in still mystifies me.

Tom Parkes may be worth a shout in defence, but that's just my reckon.

[lcfc_jme]

To be perfectly honest, I'm glad that on the whole we're not attempting to be an all-out entertaining side and we've managed to grind wins out this season. Certainly makes a change from when we used to come up against "park-the-bus" type teams and lose 1-0, that's for sure. Dull or not, it's a results business first and foremost, and whilst we're getting results, nothing has to change.

[Babylon]

Pointless comment.

None of us know what goes on at the club day to day, only what we see on match day and Pearson has hardly proved himself infallible.

A pointless comment? Coming from the man who said...

Do you not think it's possible he might be wrong?

[marbelladave]

A pointless comment? Coming from the man who said...

Might being the operative word, we don't know what goes on behind closed doors. Just trying to open up the debate as to whether some of our younger players could be ready to step up, given the chance!

We know NP is a very conservative manager, I think it is a perfectly reasonable question to raise.

[Trav Le Bleu]

And there was me worrying that our team might be TOO good... phew!

[Thracian]

Lets put it this way, I trust his judgment of youth players he sees day in and day out over yours or Vålerengas, who have in all likely hood never seen them play.

You've always seemed to trust the manager's judgement. .

Yes, I fully accept that few could make a serious case for including any emerging Academy graduate in our current first team squad and I'm not one of those few. Right now there's no-one I'd think of as close.

Indeed, I wonder now if our youth set up is just another part of the Government's social services provision. Because if it's not and is actually there to provide players for our first team, it seems to be failing miserably.

Of course in making that point I might also acknowledge that, while the likes of Stearman, Wesolowski, Logan, Porter, Sheehan, Mattock, Gradel, Chambers and King had the benefit of up to two years of competitive reserves team experience to help them bridge the gap between junior and senior football, the current crop have next to sod all.

What, I'd ask, does the manager you so revere think about that. Is he happy about it and has he sought to do anything about it?

Where could the once promising Gradel play serious football when he was out of the first team or merely a squad player? Nowhere. Eventually he faded from the scene - displaced by people who have hardly shone - becoming ever more ring-rusty as it happpened.

And, if Gradel couldn't hold down his place in the squad nor find anywhere to regain his form and match-sharpness, there's surely little hope for any of the current Academy members and graduates breaking through anytime soon. Where can they get the necessary competitive experience?

Surely Pearson can hardly feel proud that not one youngster has emerged into the first team or even into serious contention since his arrival. Does it even matter to him?

Oh yes, the bar has been raised slightly first team wise, and not before time.

But while there are ever more substitutes allowed on the bench and lip-service is paid nationally to the need for in-house development, I've not seen any Leicester City youngsters making a serious claim to a first team squad shirt. Or even being involved more than momentarily.

And far from dismissing that with the jibe that Pearson might not have seen anyone good enough for the first team you might, given our pre-Pearson record on youth development, ask why the production line seems to have inexplicably failed quality control so dramatically.

Certainly the Academy players' league performances don't suggest they are all shit. In fact several Academy watchers discussed with me how close they thought a match would be between the current table-topping Under 18's and the title-winning team of Gradel/King/Odhiambo etc.

What's changed is the structure for taking our youngsters forward and, for me, that's down to the manager and/or Mandaric. Are the kids falling short or is the club letting the kids down?

We're desperate for fast, exciting players who can score or make goals and for fast, mobile defenders/midfielders who control the ball quickly and have the energy to support attacks. But we never seem to sign any. We just get the odd one temporarily on loan, like Cleverly or Davies.

Meanwhile the contracted Gradel gets shunted into a bit part role and finally reduced to wishing he was playing for Leeds.

And our team carries on with its familiar failings as highlighted by our poorly thought-out and delivered free-kicks, our lack of movement, our narrowness and lack of pace, our predictable and unimaginative approach to attacking and our ponderous hit-and-hope emergence from defence ...

We may be fifth in the second tier of English football. But I'll show some faith in the manager when he starts presiding over the sort of football that makes me anticipate a great afternoon out and being on the edge of my seat with excitement as we attack.

Not backing off and begging for the final whistle like at S****horpe in the last 20 minutes. Or looking like we've no idea how to stretch, twist and turn a combative but largely untested Ipswich defence.

I'll show some faith in the manager when he starts including, signing or developing players like Gradel and giving me the sort of attacking football I might enjoy on a cold winter's afternoon.

Yes, I accept that we're playing better football at times. But only because the pre-Pearson eras were so depressingly bad by comparison. Not because we're playing with any pace or panache.

[Lillehamring]

Lets put it this way, I trust his judgment of youth players he sees day in and day out over yours or Vålerengas, who have in all likely hood never seen them play.

well, yes, but he saw brown play in training and picked him over hobbs - i can imagine many people agreed with that, and it certainly seemed a poor choice watching the game...

the reason i mentioned the youth players is because, set where we are in the league, it is probably the best chance we'll get (especially with no reserve) team to give some of these players the chance to compete and develop beyond youth football...

there just doesn't seem much about the current squad that is considering the future growth of the team; let's face it, there are players in the first team that are hardly setting the world on fire and we have, undoubtedly, one of the best youth teams in the country....

i can't believe that somewhere in their there isn't a lad mature enough to make the step up.

if we are so weak at right back, why isn't o'neill getting a few minutes here and there... if howard will be in a wheel chair next season, why is he getting so much playing time.

to rule out the youth team seems to be very narrow-minded and very naive as far as our development over the next few seasons is concerned.