Jack Hobbs signs for...?

[Kitchandro]

If the players are better why does it matter? It's a good thing. Let's get Hume back shall we?

I don't think you really get it.

There's more to football than just being good.

It's also about relating to your team. If I can't relate to them I couldn't care less how good they are. It's hard to relate to your team if they are a bunch of foreign loans from Chelsea coming in instead of an up-and-coming youngster who was with us in League 1, improved no end and won the player of the season in a very enjoyable season which ended in one of the most glorious defeats I've seen.

You might think this is 'petty' and 'childish' but I want a balance between success and character.

Having said that, I wouldn't want him to stay if I didn't think he was good enough.

[cc_star]

If the players are better why does it matter? It's a good thing. Let's get Hume back shall we?

On one hand, no it doesn't matter in the slightest if we're continually improving, but to play devils advocate, players who are talented & grow with the club, embody the club and we can relate to them easier than someone who may not be here in 3 months. Hobbs has defensive talent, he's proved that, he just needs coaching in our current more open style of play, sure it's better to bring players through than to continually replace them every-time someone else is linked?

I'm happy for Hobbs to go out on loan, but I won't be jumping for joy if he's sold. He need to find his defensive awareness and then get back here for summer training in the style of football we're going to be playing next season and fight for his place, after-all there's only Neilson, Bamba & Berner on our books, Hobbs is certainly needed especially if our coaches can do the business.

[Stevosevic]

I understand, but the chance to build a proper side is when we are in the top flight.

We need to get to Premiership asap, and we need better players to do so. Players like Bruma and van arnholt maybe tempted to come here if we go up, that's when we build a team.

I don't think you really get it.

There's more to football than just being good.

It's also about relating to your team. If I can't relate to them I couldn't care less how good they are. It's hard to relate to your team if they are a bunch of foreign loans from Chelsea coming in instead of an up-and-coming youngster who was with us in League 1, improved no end and won the player of the season in a very enjoyable season which ended in one of the most glorious defeats I've seen.

You might think this is 'petty' and 'childish' but I want a balance between success and character.

Having said that, I wouldn't want him to stay if I didn't think he was good enough.

[Guest Basildon Fox]

At the end of the day look at it this way. Waghorn and Hobbs both seem like nice lads but if we signed Drogba and Ferdinand would you be unhappy to see them in the team ahead of them? Of course not. The players at the club come and go and if a better offer came in for them they would be off like a shot which is fair enough.

It's funny because I was worried when we were sold to the Thais that we as fans would feel even more outcast than when MM was in charge but in my view they have tried very hard to involve the fans such as the SGE forum with the fans at the club.

The club is more than who is on the pitch and I would rather be successful than mediocre with a bunch of decent chaps on the field. It is inevitable that if/when we progress players like these two will fall by the wayside. As much as they are popular with the fans others will replace them as the popular players, look at Bamba or Naughton (hopefully we will sign him permanently).

[Kitchandro]

I understand, but the chance to build a proper side is when we are in the top flight.

We need to get to Premiership asap, and we need better players to do so. Players like Bruma and van arnholt maybe tempted to come here if we go up, that's when we build a team.

If Van Aanholt's 'the next Ashley Cole' he won't be joining us.

And he hasn't shown much so far...

It seems a bit strange to pin all our centre back hopes on loans (one of which is injured and not that good, one of which has had 3 league appearances in his life, and one hasn't played a game for us yet)

And if we don't go up (which is still a big possibility, lets not get carried away) we will be left with one permanent centre back, maybe 2 if Mee proves good enough to warrant a permanent.

Sven has been trying to replace Hobbs since he got here and that won't change.

So basically, we are pinning our hopes on loans. If we go up, jackpot. If we don't, our squad will need to be built all over again. And again, that will take time.

[marbelladave]

That's not true. Leeds, Man City, Swansea - all recent games where he was immense.

But then he makes a mistake one game and is dropped.

My problem is unlike players like Vassell and Mee, he's not been given the benefit of the doubt when he's made mistakes.

I'm sure marbelladave amongst others will tell me I'm talking crap and that's fine but I really believe the unsettled defence has made it difficult for the centre backs, especially the younger more inexperienced ones like Hobbs.

I'm convinced that if he had been given a few more games with Bamba and the same left back he would be close to recapturing last seasons consistency.

Likewise I'm not sure Vitor or Davies showed us consistently good performances either.

We now only have one permanent centre back. Sven is risking it all on promotion.

Sorry for continually repeating myself but I'm very disappointed.

Not at all, the points you make a perfectly valid....

Just that there some other factors that have contributed to his poor form, primarily the requirement to step up and play some football and to do so in position in which he is not that comfortable.

I feel that a judgement was made that, even in a consistent back 4, Hobbs currently lacks the ability to play the center back role in Sven's preferred system. It is a decision that I agree with although I am reasonably sure that given time, Hobbs would make the stepup required, however the simple fact is that Sven never had the time to give him!

As for the loanee issue, I think it it is simple and you are right, Sven has staked a lot on getting promotion and everything is geared to that. There is no team building going on here, that will be done in the summer when Premier League status is assured.

[ChubbsLCFC]

Hopefully this bruma lad is quality, who's sven going to drop tho? Can't see it being Bamba with the way he's performing so maybe Mee as cover? Good luck to Hobbs though if he does go have always rated him and hopefully will come back next season as an even better player

[Guest Basildon Fox]

Not at all, the points you make a perfectly valid....

Just that there some other factors that have contributed to his poor form, primarily the requirement to step up and play some football and to do so in position in which he is not that comfortable.

I feel that a judgement was made that, even in a consistent back 4, Hobbs currently lacks the ability to play the center back role in Sven's preferred system. It is a decision that I agree with although I am reasonably sure that given time, Hobbs would make the stepup required, however the simple fact is that Sven never had the time to give him!

As for the loanee issue, I think it it is simple and you are right, Sven has staked a lot on getting promotion and everything is geared to that. There is no team building going on here, that will be done in the summer when Premier League status is assured.

Even if we do not go up I have a feeling that Sven will want to bring in his own men permanently anyway. I have a feeling that if Bruma comes we may have seen the last of Hobbs in a Leicester shirt. Sad if so but that is progress.

[lcfcsnow]

So basically, we are pinning our hopes on loans. If we go up, jackpot. If we don't, our squad will need to be built all over again. And again, that will take time.

Yeah it's took ages for Sven to turn us around.. dumbass.

[Kitchandro]

At the end of the day look at it this way. Waghorn and Hobbs both seem like nice lads but if we signed Drogba and Ferdinand would you be unhappy to see them in the team ahead of them? Of course not. The players at the club come and go and if a better offer came in for them they would be off like a shot which is fair enough.

It's funny because I was worried when we were sold to the Thais that we as fans would feel even more outcast than when MM was in charge but in my view they have tried very hard to involve the fans such as the SGE forum with the fans at the club.

The club is more than who is on the pitch and I would rather be successful than mediocre with a bunch of decent chaps on the field. It is inevitable that if/when we progress players like these two will fall by the wayside. As much as they are popular with the fans others will replace them as the popular players, look at Bamba or Naughton (hopefully we will sign him permanently).

Sorry, I would.

I don't want to see players I can't relate to.

Ferdinand seems an OK bloke so maybe not so much him. But he'd never be the Leicester legend that Hobbs could be because of his age and the fact he'll always be more famous for playing for Man Utd. But OK, yeh I wouldn't not want Ferdinand. But I think you get what I'm trying to say.

Define mediocre? Sven isn't going to deliver us the Premiership. For me, a top half Premier League finish and an FA Cup win is the best we can do. Is that mediocre? It all depends on your perspective. I don't know what you're expecting.

Drogba - no way. Hate the guy. He can never be a footballing hero of any kind, except to scumbags like Chelsea fans.

[Kitchandro]

Yeah it's took ages for Sven to turn us around.. dumbass.

What's your point? Apart from I'm a dumbass

[ajthefox]

If Hobbs goes anywhere I for one will be disappointed.

[Guest Basildon Fox]

Sorry, I would.

I don't want to see players I can't relate to.

Ferdinand seems an OK bloke so maybe not so much him. But he'd never be the Leicester legend that Hobbs could be because of his age and the fact he'll always be more famous for playing for Man Utd.

Define mediocre? Sven isn't going to deliver us the Premiership. For me, a top half Premier League finish and an FA Cup win is the best we can do. Is that mediocre? It all depends on your perspective. I don't know what you're expecting.

Drogba - no way. Hate the guy. He can never be a footballing hero of any kind, except to scumbags like Chelsea fans.

I think you are missing the point. The two players I mentioned were for effect purposes only. I don't at any point think we will be signing them. Mediocre at best is where we have been for the last 10 years. To move forward as a club we need better players and I believe Sven will bring these players in. If I wanted to support a team of blokes I would go for a beer with I would support a local pub team.

Tell me do you think either of them justify being in our starting line up at the moment? Who would you drop for them? They are not good enough to get in the side at the moment and there is no shame in that as we are starting to become a very good team.

[Kitchandro]

I think you are missing the point. The two players I mentioned were for effect purposes only. I don't at any point think we will be signing them. Mediocre at best is where we have been for the last 10 years. To move forward as a club we need better players and I believe Sven will bring these players in. If I wanted to support a team of blokes I would go for a beer with I would support a local pub team.

Tell me do you think either of them justify being in our starting line up at the moment? Who would you drop for them? They are not good enough to get in the side at the moment and there is no shame in that as we are starting to become a very good team.

You say that my extreme is wanting to support a local pub team. I say your extreme is glory supporting.

I'm not saying you are a glory supporter, I'm saying that if you didn't care about relating to the team at all why not support Man Utd or Chelsea? They are successful.

I'm saying I want a balance.

I wouldn't put Hobbs in for Mee at the moment because he's had 2 good performances. But then again I wouldn't have dropped Hobbs for Mee in the Millwall game either.

Waghorn could easily be in for Vassell. Personally I would pick Dyer atm but Waghorn is better on the wing than Vassell (despite it not being his best position). Vassell is not earning his place IMO.

In the case of Waghorn it's not even necessarily starting him, but he will never have a chance to prove himself unless he's given more minutes. If he came on after the hour it would benefit all.

[Guest Basildon Fox]

You say that my extreme is wanting to support a local pub team. I say your extreme is glory supporting.

I'm not saying you are a glory supporter, I'm saying that if you didn't care about relating to the team at all why not support Man Utd or Chelsea? They are successful.

I'm saying I want a balance.

I wouldn't put Hobbs in for Mee at the moment because he's had 2 good performances. But then again I wouldn't have dropped Hobbs for Mee in the Millwall game either.

Waghorn could easily be in for Vassell. Personally I would pick Dyer atm but Waghorn is better on the wing than Vassell (despite it not being his best position).

In the case of Waghorn it's not even necessarily starting him, but he will never have a chance to porove himself unless he's given more minutes. If he came on after the hour it would benefit all.

How do you know you relate to Hobbs and Waghorn any more than any other player? I have already mentioned both Bamba and Norton who are already as popular as those two and have only been at the club for a short time.

Not trying to have a go but it is not about glory supporting. I want to see Leicester win games and play entertaining football. I can guarantee you this, if we win more than we lose in the next few seasons you will not be looking back back and saying all this means nothing if those 2 are not playing for us. You will have new players to wax lyrical about.

When we had MON at the helm there were plenty of players you could relate to at the club but they were bloody good footballers too. When he first came he got rid of a couple of fans favourites because it was best for the club. There were quite a few who suggested we were worse off for getting rid of Corica and Joachim and we got a donkey called Claridge and some unknowns called Izzet and Lennon. The donkey went on to score 2 of the most important goals in Leicesters recent history and the other 2 became modern day legends of Leicester City Football Club.

[darko2k7]

Not sure i can comment on how i feel about this as i have a littlle bit of the rose tinted specialises on when it comes to hobbs as i have lived in Lincoln a few years now so am always going to favour him.

But i have a few hardcore chelsea mates and they tell me Bruma is awsome

[Kitchandro]

How do you know you relate to Hobbs and Waghorn any more than any other player? I have already mentioned both Bamba and Norton who are already as popular as those two and have only been at the club for a short time.

Not trying to have a go but it is not about glory supporting. I want to see Leicester win games and play entertaining football. I can guarantee you this, if we win more than we lose in the next few seasons you will not be looking back back and saying all this means nothing if those 2 are not playing for us. You will have new players to wax lyrical about.

When we had MON at the helm there were plenty of players you could relate to at the club but they were bloody good footballers too. When he first came he got rid of a couple of fans favourites because it was best for the club. There were quite a few who suggested we were worse off for getting rid of Corica and Joachim and we got a donkey called Claridge and some unknowns called Izzet and Lennon. The donkey went on to score 2 of the most important goals in Leicesters recent history and the other 2 became modern day legends of Leicester City Football Club.

Fair points.

On the other hand though, I can tell you if I supported Man City or Chelsea, I would not be able to relate to them and therefore the success achieved would mean less. In a way I think would mean very little.

Again, I'm not calling you a glory supporter, but there are two extremes to this debate.

One is supporting a Pub team, the members of which are all good mates with you. You can really relate to them but of course they are an awful football team.

The other is supporting a Man Utd or Man City. They are massively successful and/or have the best players in the World, but the successes are empty because the players are so the opposite of the working man that the game of football originated from.

I would like to have a bit of both.

Best possible case scenario is we have a quality team of characters playing in the Premiership, some of which have done their bit in the Championship for us before, and we finish 6th in the Premiership and win the FA Cup. (and achieve similar league finishes/cup runs).

I would have liked to have seen Wellens, King, Hobbs and Waghorn play in the Premiership for us and achieve this, with Premiership quality like Yakubu and Naughton around them.

Fans relate to individuals for different reasons. For Hobbs, I think it's because he's a youngster that came to us and helpoed us get out of League 1. He was with us during the lowest (statistically) period of our history, and it would be great to have players here that have come up through the leagues with us when we get to the Premiership.

Maradona was in my eyes the greatest player ever to grace the earth. But I have no respect for him and that's because he is a cheat, not because I am English. I would never want someone like him to play for Leicester.

So, as I said, I'm disappointed Hobbs might go because for one I think he has bags of potential and two because I can relate to him.

Just as money doesn't necessarily bring happiness, success doesn't necessarily bring happiness.

[Bert]

What you all really need to ask yourselves is, say we get promoted - Would Hobbs cut it week in week out? To me he's very much a "managers player". He's great under the right man e.g Pearson.

[Edmund]

What you all really need to ask yourselves is, say we get promoted - Would Hobbs cut it week in week out? To me he's very much a "managers player". He's great under the right man e.g Pearson.

aka Matt Fryatt

[Kitchandro]

What you all really need to ask yourselves is, say we get promoted - Would Hobbs cut it week in week out? To me he's very much a "managers player". He's great under the right man e.g Pearson.

Well we might never know. I think he has the potential personally.

If Stearman and Titus Bramble can do it....

You could say Torres is a 'manager's player' or a 'confidence player' as Hobbs and Fryatt have been accused of. That doesn't mean Sven can't instill confidence and belief into them. That's what managers do.

[STUHILL]

Good move for both parties if it actually happens.

Hobbs needs to be playing at his age and although it's Scottish football, he will be part of a winning side with some good quality around him.

Sven wants defenders who can play a bit too, something which Hobbs doesn't have quite yet but could do eventually with time and development.

Unfortunately, we can not afford to hang around this season and Sven is doing what he thinks is best for the team and looking at his impact so far, no one can really argue with that.

I want Waggy to stay though and I think he will, which is another good decision by Sven as he will have a part to play at some point I'm sure.

[Edmund]

Well we might never know. I think he has the potential personally.

If Stearman and Titus Bramble can do it....

Titus Bramble's a decent established Premiership centre back considering he's been playing there for 90% of his career.

[Bert]

aka Matt Fryatt

Yup, Dj Campbell too.

I'd love Hobbs to stay and win his place back but I'd much prefer to get promoted asap and if Sven thinks getting Bruma in will help that, then so be it.

[Kitchandro]

Titus Bramble's a decent established Premiership centre back considering he's been playing there for 90% of his career.

He's been a laughing stock for many years. He's only looked any good whatsoever since he's been at Wigan. Does he still get in their side?

[Thracian]

Even if we do not go up I have a feeling that Sven will want to bring in his own men permanently anyway. I have a feeling that if Bruma comes we may have seen the last of Hobbs in a Leicester shirt. Sad if so but that is progress.

I tend to agree. And really cannot understand where the problem lies. Hobbs has already been described as what he is - a big stopper centre-half. And unfortunately this season that became more a big centre-half cos we leaked goals and lost matches with Hobbs sometimes to blame.

Defensively Hobbs can win headers. But what else would suggest he can grow with us? He poses little threat going forward, he's vulnerable on the floor at the back, he's not especially quick, is certainly not a naturally quick or accurate passer of he ball, he struggles on the left and therefore lacks versatility so there's just not enough boxes being ticked.

As for the people who've replaced him, Bamba and Mee seem to show lots of pluses, both individually and together. And if our latest centre-back signing is a good un too then, with Vitor and Tunchev in the wings we're well served for the sort of football Sven clearly and wisely wants us to play. I just don't see how Hobbs would fit in. That's not to say he couldn't do okay in a different set-up or that he couldn't improve ... as an attacking threat for a start. But I don't see that being enough for Sven. At the very least he'll want everyone to be comfortable on the ball. Hobbs always looks awkward and ponderous to me.