Steve Howard

[Corky]

Steve Howard should be used as impact substitute this season, he does good things but if we're going to play Sousa's favoured formation then Howard will not score enough goals. Too much pressure on the wide players and King to chip in.

Also love how Howard manages to get 8s in rating threads just for winning a few headers, when he's in the team people want him out but as soon as out the side people want him back in.

Yes.

[JmorsonLCFC]

So all of a sudden, after winning league one at a canter and then finishing 5th, Lower mid-table is good is it? I mentioned this earlier in this thread, fair enough we should have beat boro, but being 2-1 down when king "scored" against Reading, did we really deserve anything there? we cannot expect to win the way we are defending at the moment.

If i say any more i will just be repeating myself.

Totally agree, not the referee's fault we conceded two poor goals defensively was it?

We didn't defend well, and we had plenty of chances to win the game.

[Houdini Logic]

Steve Howard is the most creative midfielder we have.

Make of that what you will

[MrSpaM]

Leicester City striker Steve Howard has admitted he is in the dark over his stalling contract renegotiations.

The 34-year-old striker revealed last month that he was in talks with City over a new deal, but said the talks had not progressed as he would have liked.

Howard is still confident a deal could be done to tie him to the club beyond the end of his current contract, which expires at the end of this season, but wants the negotiations finalised quickly so he can focus on leading Paulo Sousa's City attack.

"They have gone slow and not as quick as I would have liked them to go," he said.

"I think they are being thrashed out at the minute so I am hoping that it will be soon, but I don't know. I am a bit in the dark at the moment.

"I don't know what the problem is. The transfer window is shut and I want it sorted straight away because I want to settle and put my mind at ease. Hopefully that will be in the next couple of weeks."

Although he is coming towards the end of his career, Howard said he feels he has a few more seasons in him.

"I feel as fit as I have ever been at the moment," he said. "Physically, I thought I was fit at Derby but here I am as fit as I have ever been.

"I think it is because of all the sports science, the new techniques. I have taken it all on board and I feel great, I feel strong."

Howard said he was keen to stay at City because new City boss Sousa has made him feel wanted, and admits that hasn't always been the case during his career.

"For about 80 per cent of my career, I probably haven't been appreciated," he said.

" It is just one of those things. But the gaffer knows what I do and he is happy with that.

"I am pleased he shows confidence in us. That wasn't the case under the old manager until the later stages of the season and I was a bit disappointed in that.

"It is nice that he has said he wants to try and play through me. It gives me a lift."

I hope they get this sorted soon, last thing we need right now is Big Steve walking because were taking too long sorting his contract out. Good to here he's enjoying playing under Sousa though.

[lcfcadam]

How hard is it for people to understand that some people (me for example) will love having a player like Steve Howard in the team whilst others will hate it? I personally don't think any of the players in our squad (Gallagher, Dyer AND King perhaps excluded) are technically or mentally quick enough to carry out a true passing game and therefore without a big target man we'll just be totally lost, trying to do things we're not capable of.

Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see more on-the-floor link-up play which cuts open defences and leads to chances, but at the moment it just seems to lead far too often to possession being squandered with lots of players up the pitch, leaving Hobbs and co. vulnerable at the back.

[Finnegan]

Rubbish. You don't need to be Messi to find feet. Wellens, Oakley, King and we assume Abe are all capable of passing the ball to feet. We even did it occasionally under Nige, though rarely. The personel are there, the mentality will take time.

[yag101]

Our midfield is BY FAR the strongest part of our team. I have no idea why people seem to think Howard is our best player.

[lcfcsnow]

Maybe the contract negotiations have stalled because Sousa has seen sense, Steve.

[CosbehFox]

Why don't you look at what Leeds managed with a passing game under Revie or Spurs under Nicholson? And take your blinkers off while you do so.

Passing is the way forward and the only way we'll ever stay in the The Premiership because if you go giving the ball away at that level you'll get murdered.

First point, you are comparing a football age from 40 years ago...football's changed, players are fit and pressing as a unit is an absolute must.

Second point, there's various teams who have made a habit of playing 11 men behind the ball and taking the chances of set-pieces. In fact I'd say it's more sucessful down the lower reaches of the top divison. We're all seen how the likes of Wigan, Burnley and West Brom have coped to trying to play passing football.

Our midfield is BY FAR the strongest part of our team. I have no idea why people seem to think Howard is our best player.

It's interesting you say that. As a unit, it maybe but we don't possess a single midfielder with the ability to beat a player by using brain and skill or consistently hit the target from outside the box or decent at set=pieces (may change with Abe).

[Finnegan]

But, again, you don't need flare to play passing football. Or to be a footballing genius. All you need is patience from the player on the ball and reasonable movement from those off it. Both of which can be taught and are not beyond our players.

[MrSpaM]

First point, you are comparing a football age from 40 years ago...football's changed, players are fit and pressing as a unit is an absolute must.

It's interesting you say that. As a unit, it maybe but we don't possess a single midfielder with the ability to beat a player by using brain and skill or consistently hit the target from outside the box or decent at set=pieces (may change with Abe).

I'm guessing now Waggys back in the squad he's going to be taking our corners again instead of Oakley, this is good news. Abe seems to be quite good at FK from what i've seen. Hopefully these two factors will make our set pieces a lot better.

[The Doctor]

So all of a sudden, after winning league one at a canter and then finishing 5th, Lower mid-table is good is it? I mentioned this earlier in this thread, fair enough we should have beat boro, but being 2-1 down when king "scored" against Reading, did we really deserve anything there? we cannot expect to win the way we are defending at the moment.

If i say any more i will just be repeating myself.

I'm not saying lower mid table is good, but we'd be looking at things an awful lot differently if we were in lower mid than 2^nd bottom, besides last season was momentum from L1, that's gone now we'll find out what sort of position we're in compared to the rest of the league.

[kimsalabim]

I'm not saying lower mid table is good, but we'd be looking at things an awful lot differently if we were in lower mid than 2^nd bottom, besides last season was momentum from L1, that's gone now we'll find out what sort of position we're in compared to the rest of the league.

Lower mid-table is not good, and here we are 3 games later, and still in the relegation zone.

I Rest My Case.