Oxford United V LCFC

[lcfcbradyboy]

jw has anyone got any links were i could watch the goals ?

[andy_croydz]

I wouldn't be so sure based on Swansea last season...

1-0 to the Jeffers

[marbelladave]

What's the problem with someone offering a critique of our historical and enduring approach to the game? What's wrong with questioning a lack of attacking ambition? During our season in Division III we should have posted some 6-0 wins on more than one occasion but Pearson didn't let us.

Plus, you are factually incorrect. I believe it was Thracian on a market stall, on television, being very effusive about Pearson.

Thracian's views are accurate when considered in context. We have a resilient, physically powerful team who bullied their way out of Division 1 and into the playoffs in the Championship without playing much in the way of decent football, this is unarguable.

We are heading into our second season in the Championship with virtually the same starting XI, Morrison, Hobbs, Berner, King, Wellens, Oakley, Dyer, Howard and Fryatt all remain and it is difficult to see us changing much with the same players.

On the other hand we have a new manager with a very different philosophy from Pearson, passing/possession football and a more refined approach is a million miles away from the direct approach we had to endure under Pearson.

Given that the additions to our squad are likely to be pretty modest, the real question is whether Sousa can bring out of our players a style and level of performance that we have, so far, seen no evidence of.

Should be a very interesting few months!...

[Lillehamring]

That 72 site aint too bad either.

Keep it up Fez. Like you I'm not posting much anymore but this site and your articles are gonna be particularly important for me as I try to keep up to date with the first half of the season from over here in India.

i was wondering where you'd got to, are you out there for a while?

[C-man]

I'm fed up of hearing that we had to 'endure' this and that under Pearson. If you had to 'endure' winning a league and finishing 5th (beyond 90% of fans' expectations) in consecutive seasons then all is lost for you for as long as you're a Leicester City fan.

The last couple of seasons have been my favourite two in my life, and they wouldn't have been any more enjoyable if we had not ground out results here and there.

I have never looked forward to a season less than this one upcoming and I'm desperate to cling on to whatever interest I have left (thank fvck Palace away is up first), but the promise of nice passing football just isn't doing it for me.

[marbelladave]

I'm fed up of hearing that we had to 'endure' this and that under Pearson. If you had to 'endure' winning a league and finishing 5th (beyond 90% of fans' expectations) in consecutive seasons then all is lost for you for as long as you're a Leicester City fan.

The last couple of seasons have been my favourite two in my life, and they wouldn't have been any more enjoyable if we had not ground out results here and there.

I have never looked forward to a season less than this one upcoming and I'm desperate to cling on to whatever interest I have left (thank fvck Palace away is up first), but the promise of nice passing football just isn't doing it for me.

It takes all sorts...

Are you seriously suggesting that the last two seasons produced anything in the way of enjoyable football? Sure the results were there, to a degree, but in Division 1 we simply bullied our way to promotion by being bigger, fitter and to be honest better funded than the the opposition. Similarly, the same approach got us to the playoffs in the Championship but we were a long way short of the quality needed for promotion, even Holloway's Blackpool showed us that.

The conundrum remains this, without ever producing much in the way of creative attacking football, Pearson gave us two great seasons results wise, even doing the double over promoted Blackpool who proved to be a more accomplished side than us despite those results.

Pearson's achievements are not to be underestimated, he got results from a squad pretty limited in ability and should be commended for doing so, but last years 5th place was, frankly, a real over achievement given the quality of play we produced. Matching that finish this season without some real changes in the way we play would have been a huge task now that the rest of the league knew what to expect.

I am not remotely interested in 'nice passing football' for it's own sake, that would be laughable, but it is clear to me that if it remains our ambition to establish ourselves into the Premier league then something more modern and sophisticated than Pearson's 'direct' approach is required to make this happen.

The big question now, in my mind at least, is whether the players we have can produce more than they have shown in the last two seasons or whether they reached their peak under Pearson's simplistic and direct approach.

The next few months will tell us, and I for one find it fascinating!

[poopbutt]

there were some really enjoyable games last season

[C-man]

It takes all sorts...

Are you seriously suggesting that the last two seasons produced anything in the way of enjoyable football? Sure the results were there, to a degree, but in Division 1 we simply bullied our way to promotion by being bigger, fitter and to be honest better funded than the the opposition. Similarly, the same approach got us to the playoffs in the Championship but we were a long way short of the quality needed for promotion, even Holloway's Blackpool showed us that.

Yes. Maybe it wasn't pretty but it was exciting and provided me with a shedload of memories, and that to me is infinitely more important than the style of play.

When I want to watch high quality football, I'll watch Arsenal or Manchester United or Barcelona or Spain etc. Expecting it from Leicester whilst also winning is verging on idiocy.

[Corky]

It takes all sorts...

Are you seriously suggesting that the last two seasons produced anything in the way of enjoyable football? Sure the results were there, to a degree, but in Division 1 we simply bullied our way to promotion by being bigger, fitter and to be honest better funded than the the opposition. Similarly, the same approach got us to the playoffs in the Championship but we were a long way short of the quality needed for promotion, even Holloway's Blackpool showed us that.

I think plenty of supporters, fed up with mediocrity and total crap for five years, just wanted results and taste the winning feeling again, more than the style of football. Pearson brought that. I didn't think the football was absolutely terrible, Levein, Kelly, Megson were far, far worse in terms of style than Pearson.

In League 1 we knew what to expect. It was going to be very difficult to play "exciting" football when the majority of sides would make it tough for us to play around them. We were better away from home that year. You can say we were better funded but Pearson used the resources he had available to great effect.

Hopefully the new style of football will bring more success (because Pearson had two successful seasons with us) and the purists will be satisfied. But when you've had nothing but shite for years, people will ignore the style and whatnot if results are there, and that's what happened here. Was it "enjoyable" football? Depends what you class as enjoyable. I enjoyed the football at times (first half at Watford, home to Scunthorpe, away at Scunthorpe in League 1 in particular) because we did play attacking football but at other times, whether we had to or chose to, it was more direct. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't, but I wouldn't say I had to "endure" anything on a consistent basis, probably because I didn't expect us to out-play sides with passing football.

[FoxyPV]

We could be like Arsenal and have everyone jizzing all over us, become sanctimonious arseholes and still be no closer to any form of glory.

The past two years have been great because there was always the feeling that something special could happen, even if we were playing dirge at times.

Forest home, QPR home and away and S****horpe home stick out for me as particularly good matches.

[Lillehamring]

Yes. Maybe it wasn't pretty but it was exciting and provided me with a shedload of memories, and that to me is infinitely more important than the style of play.

When I want to watch high quality football, I'll watch Arsenal or Manchester United or Barcelona or Spain etc. Expecting it from Leicester whilst also winning is verging on idiocy.

yeah, but i'd wager that most of your enjoyment came from visiting a bunch of new grounds, standing up at matches etc etc, rather than the actual quality of the football.

i'd guess that most references to 'enduring pearson' are references to the over use of hoofball and our incapacity to play well in both halves of a match.

i see your point, but equally there is some justification in saying that the football under pearson hasn't exactly been stimulating.

[lildave3]

I'm fed up of hearing that we had to 'endure' this and that under Pearson. If you had to 'endure' winning a league and finishing 5th (beyond 90% of fans' expectations) in consecutive seasons then all is lost for you for as long as you're a Leicester City fan.

The last couple of seasons have been my favourite two in my life, and they wouldn't have been any more enjoyable if we had not ground out results here and there.

I have never looked forward to a season less than this one upcoming and I'm desperate to cling on to whatever interest I have left (thank fvck Palace away is up first), but the promise of nice passing football just isn't doing it for me.

It's impossible for me to agree more with a post.

Especially the bit in bold.

[Bert]

C-Man's made a few valid points there. Do you go to watch football and be 'entertained? Or do you go for that last minute scrambled winner, after being under the kosh all game and then nicking 3 points? That rush of blood, adrenaline, the moments of madness knowing you could end up anywhere within 20 metres of your original position, hugging someone you have nothing in common with but Leicester City? Sure, it'll be nice to watch, but I go to Leicester games to spend time with my girlfriend, the people I sit near and the good few people of here for a bit of a sing and banter. I don't care how we play (style) as long as the players give everything for the club, the manager, the fellow players and more importantly, the fans.

If i'm watching football for enjoyment i'll sit at home and watch what I think will be a decent match. Another thing is, after passing a team off the park throughout 90 minutes, and coming away with nothing, how will you feel then?

A successful team is a winning team regardless of the style of play.

[Lillehamring]

C-Man's made a few valid points there. Do you go to watch football and be 'entertained? Or do you go for that last minute scrambled winner, after being under the kosh all game and then nicking 3 points? That rush of blood, adrenaline, the moments of madness knowing you could end up anywhere within 20 metres of your original position, hugging someone you have nothing in common with but Leicester City? Sure, it'll be nice to watch, but I go to Leicester games to spend time with my girlfriend, the people I sit near and the good few people of here for a bit of a sing and banter. I don't care how we play (style) as long as the players give everything for the club, the manager, the fellow players and more importantly, the fans.

If i'm watching football for enjoyment i'll sit at home and watch what I think will be a decent match. Another thing is, after passing a team off the park throughout 90 minutes, and coming away with nothing, how will you feel then?

A successful team is a winning team regardless of the style of play.

fair enough, but i don't see how one gets from that experience to

I have never looked forward to a season less than this one upcoming

, we have effectively the same squad and with a manager who seems keen to blood some of the young lads, i can't see why this season should be so dissimilar to the last. the thought that passing football will make attending a game as depressing as c-man seems to think is madness.

does sousa's presence suddenly mean that the scenario you describe becomes an impossibility - i'm sure you are much the same as most people on here in wishing for an experience like that. But to say

the promise of nice passing football just isn't doing it for me

is bizarre.

god forbid, c-man, we might play passing football and still experience all bert describes so nicely.

[C-man]

I never said that I'm dismayed or dejected by the prospect of 'attractive' football. What I meant was that it isn't making me look forward to the season any more than if NP was still in charge and we could expect kick and rush football.

The reasons I'm not looking forward to the season have nothing to do with the style of play. After the Cardiff game, I just felt empty. Not because we'd been eliminated but because with the way football is in this country, watching it can't get much better than it was that night. I'm still wondering if I'll ever feel the same roller coaster of emotions as I did then.

The whole MM-NP-Sousa-Investors fiasco has also left me feeling disinterested and out of touch with the whole club whereas I never felt closer for the last two years.

I'm sure I'll be excited by 3pm on the 7th August, so all is not lost as yet!

[Corky]

I understand what C-Man is saying.

Personally I like Sousa, I think he's a good manager and will probably do a decent job for the club, but there was something about Pearson that made me feel, I dunno, secure or comfortable, which I currently don't have with Sousa.

Possibly it's the concern that the players we've got now won't fit in to the new style or something else I can't put my finger on, it's probably ridiculous and we'll be fine but there's a nagging doubt in me at the moment.

Anyway, come Saturday I look forward to seeing the new era for the first time and I hope that we are given plenty of optimism for a very bright future

[marbelladave]

Yes. Maybe it wasn't pretty but it was exciting and provided me with a shedload of memories, and that to me is infinitely more important than the style of play.

When I want to watch high quality football, I'll watch Arsenal or Manchester United or Barcelona or Spain etc. Expecting it from Leicester whilst also winning is verging on idiocy.

Once again, it takes all sorts...

Taking the win under Pearson and dismissing our 'style' of play because the win is everything is, to me, hopelessly short sighted.

In football, the better you play, the beter your results will be, it's that simple. I want to see the quality of our football improve so that over the course of a season we will consistently get better results, the direct approach (under Pearson) put us in with a chance of winning many games last season but if the ball did not fall for us, or worse fell against us we did not get the result.

Regarding your second point, we do not have the resources to compete with the best teams in Europe, but we can reasonably hope for a (MON style) period in which we establish ourselves as a decent Premier League side, take a few good results of the 'big boys' and have some decent runs in the cup. That is not remotely close to idiocy, it is in fact a perfectly reasonable ambition for any fan of a team like Leicester.

We could be like Arsenal and have everyone jizzing all over us, become sanctimonious arseholes and still be no closer to any form of glory.

The past two years have been great because there was always the feeling that something special could happen, even if we were playing dirge at times.

Forest home, QPR home and away and S****horpe home stick out for me as particularly good matches.

Given my north London location I get to see Arsenal on occasions, when a spare ticket is available and I can assure you there has been little 'jizzing' in recent times. They (and I) find some of their team's attempts at tika-taka tedious in the extreme, to us, interminal passing to no end is simply not good football whatever the pundits might say. Generally Arsenal are overated, without Fabregas, very overated, but that's Sky/Big4 coverage for you!

C-Man's made a few valid points there. Do you go to watch football and be 'entertained? Or do you go for that last minute scrambled winner, after being under the kosh all game and then nicking 3 points? That rush of blood, adrenaline, the moments of madness knowing you could end up anywhere within 20 metres of your original position, hugging someone you have nothing in common with but Leicester City? Sure, it'll be nice to watch, but I go to Leicester games to spend time with my girlfriend, the people I sit near and the good few people of here for a bit of a sing and banter. I don't care how we play (style) as long as the players give everything for the club, the manager, the fellow players and more importantly, the fans.

If i'm watching football for enjoyment i'll sit at home and watch what I think will be a decent match. Another thing is, after passing a team off the park throughout 90 minutes, and coming away with nothing, how will you feel then?

A successful team is a winning team regardless of the style of play.

Firstly I find it odd that the quality of football played by the team you support appears to be irrelevant, I totally understand that many people go to games for the total experince but why is decent football not an integral part of that? Are you all so young that you can not remember the experience of watching City playing well and winning?

Some of the the more general comments are so hopelessly wide of the mark as to be laughable. 'Passing a team off the park throughout 90 minutes' is not the point, it's not fooking Come Dancing, the point is playing well consistently and beating teams because you are better than them.

If you do not score goals and win then you are not better than them, simple as.

I just believe that as a team you stand more chance of getting the consistent results that bring success by playing decent football and outplaying the opposition, to me this is self evident.

Put a different way, a winning team is generally a better team playing better football, under Pearson we rarely played the better football, relying on fitness, organisation, teamwork and a lot of luck to get results. If we can add some decent football to our other strengths than surely we will have a better stab at promotion... :thumbup:

Sorry for the long response, been offline for a while with a broken hard drive. Got it fixed today, took just about 50 minutes from walking into the store to walking out with a new (upgraded to a larger size) hard drive fitted and tested.

Oh.... And all free of charge despite my laptop being nearly 4 years old...Thanks Apple...