Jack Hobbs signs for...?

[Len Finsbury]

Sadly, I fear that if he is allowed to leave on loan, he'll end up going for good.

If Sven had any faith in his potential, he'd keep him around not only as cover but also to keep him integrated within Sven's 'environment'.

If he leaves on loan and plays regularly, gains confidence and fits in well with another team, we'll accept a bid for him and he'll go.

Can anyone think of any examples of first team players going on loan and then returning to take a place in the first team?

[Captain...]

Unsettled our existing players? Weale for one has been playing amazingly throughout Svens obvious search for a new goalkeeper, so cant agree with that.

...erm no he wasn't, he was making big mistakes, that cost us goal. Now he is viewed as first choice, but has some good competition in Ricardo, he is playing much better. The same might have happened with Hobbs, but it was clear from the start that he was not in Sven's plans and only through injury and Davies messing us around did he get as much game time as he did.

What an idiot.

Why? To what extent are you willing to let the heart of a club be ripped out in the pursuit of premiership status, a bit melodramatic, but it has happened in countless other places where big stadiums named after sponsors are built outside of the city on some sad grey industrial estate. How many clubs have built these identikit monstrousities and suffered the consequences. How many young players with potential have had their careers cut short by cheap foreign imports. Big foreign owners coming in destabilising the team and the management, bringing with them debt and scandal.

The bad years when we were getting through players and managers at a ridiculous rate, I really lost interest in Leicester it was depressing I wasn't living in Leicester anymore and when went back to watch a game I didn't recognise the players, they were a bunch of strangers to me and they played like it on the pitch. When we got relegated we used 40 different players that season. Last season we used 29 of which most had been at the club the season before. I will always love Nigel Pearson for makng me love Leicester again, I am worried that with Sven and the new owners we will lose that heart again, that team spirit and we will become like Wigan or Bolton. Yes in the premiership but with our foreign sponsors and foreign players, mercenaries and loanees, we will be Leicester only in name.

Like I said a bit melodramatic and so far we seem to have been lucky with our new owners, but everything has gone quite well up until now, what will set them apart from the Mike Ashely's and Hicks and Gillett of this world is what happens when things aren't going well, they are making big losses and we are not performing on the pitch.

[Hack]

What do the following players all have in common?

Mee

Wellens

King

Yakubu

Vassell

Abe

Gallagher

Naughton

Answer is they are all technically gifted and competent players comfortable with the ball at their feet and generally able to pass the ball accurately to a team mate.

What do the following players have in common?

Morrison (I know we sold him)

Hobbs

Neilson

Waghorn

Howard

Basically they are good pro footballers who try hard and have a certain amount of footballing skill and play with a big heart. Sadly whilst these are very admirable assets they are no longer enough to play at the top level.

If you hear Sven talk he talks often about a player's great "technical ability" or so and so is "technically very good" and this coupled with pace and desire is what I believe he is looking for in all our players. There can be no doubt that the players he has brought in have largely improved the technical quality of our squad and one of the reasons both Wellens and King are playing so well is that they both have high technical skills and now they are surrounded by better players who themselves have these same skills.

Waghorn and Hobbs are both young and have time to improve but they need to work on the technical side of the game. Sven knows this and this is why he is prepared to let them go out on loan should they wish to do so. I've a great deal of time for them both and whilst I'd be sad to see them go if they can't/won't improve then we and they have to move on because if we are serious about reaching and staying in the premier league then the often limited style of play we adopted last season simply won't be good enough over the course of a full season to maintain a premier league place.

This is exactly on the money.

[B52]

.

Why? To what extent are you willing to let the heart of a club be ripped out in the pursuit of premiership status, a bit melodramatic, but it has happened in countless other places where big stadiums named after sponsors are built outside of the city on some sad grey industrial estate. How many clubs have built these identikit monstrousities and suffered the consequences. How many young players with potential have had their careers cut short by cheap foreign imports. Big foreign owners coming in destabilising the team and the management, bringing with them debt and scandal.

The bad years when we were getting through players and managers at a ridiculous rate, I really lost interest in Leicester it was depressing I wasn't living in Leicester anymore and when went back to watch a game I didn't recognise the players, they were a bunch of strangers to me and they played like it on the pitch. When we got relegated we used 40 different players that season. Last season we used 29 of which most had been at the club the season before. I will always love Nigel Pearson for makng me love Leicester again, I am worried that with Sven and the new owners we will lose that heart again, that team spirit and we will become like Wigan or Bolton. Yes in the premiership but with our foreign sponsors and foreign players, mercenaries and loanees, we will be Leicester only in name.

Like I said a bit melodramatic and so far we seem to have been lucky with our new owners, but everything has gone quite well up until now, what will set them apart from the Mike Ashely's and Hicks and Gillett of this world is what happens when things aren't going well, they are making big losses and we are not performing on the pitch.

The feelings you describe is similar to what I feel when I think about what damage Ferguson has done to football. Hippocrates isn't good at all and he's the worst. This is why I think Sven suits you. He has his heart in football. He likes it when players feel honoured about playing in the national team. He even encourages it. Managers like Fergie play games and don't want players in the nationals. If someone spoilt Englands chances in WC it's Fergie but the journous eating out his pockets.

[Captain...]

Never saw the best of Kirland because of injury and Bednar clearly didn't have the right attitude (But...scored 17 goals in 25 games in championship previously, so worth a punt).

So that’s one bad loan signing.

Fans have got to trust Svens abilities in handling footballers, he has done it at all levels for nearly 35 years and has medals coming out of all orifices!

But we already had a player with a better goals to game ratio than Bednar, this is what I mean by unsettling players, it happened with Weale, Berner, Hobbs, Waghorn, Fryatt, Morrison even Dyer. Dyer was out of the team for a while and we were all begging for his return after he came on against Doncaster for Bednar, and now he is out of the team again.

Let's look at Berner at the end of the season he will be our only Left Back at the club, maybe Kennedy will come back, but he isn't up to this level, maybe we will sign Cunningham after he has recovered, either way at the end of the season we will only have Berner... and he wants to leave. The same for Neilson at RB. We maybe able to sign Naughton, but there is no guarantee.

Look at that list of players, they were 7 of our best 11 last season, we are not talking shit players here, that team, with Brown, Wellens, King and Gallagher got us within a French spot kick of the Play off final. To replace those players we have signed Bamba and Vassell, the rest aren't ours or on short term deals.

Why is it that it's always Hobbs who has to play out of position on the left and not one of the others?

Anyhoo, don't know if this has been posted yet.

Will playing under Pearson again help his development as a player? I can't see him coming back the more cultured defender that Sven is looking, he would be better staying here and learning the Sven way, there is more to it than just playing. Celtic would have been a great opportunity for him, a big club with some experienced players and coaches. If he plays for Pearson at Hull he will not develop.

Sadly, I fear that if he is allowed to leave on loan, he'll end up going for good.

If Sven had any faith in his potential, he'd keep him around not only as cover but also to keep him integrated within Sven's 'environment'.

If he leaves on loan and plays regularly, gains confidence and fits in well with another team, we'll accept a bid for him and he'll go.

Can anyone think of any examples of first team players going on loan and then returning to take a place in the first team?

I can't think of any Leicester players, for other clubs it happens all the time. Curtis Davies probably wouldn't have got the move to birmingham if he hadn't played for us on loan, so it can be beneficial in terms of selling players on, one of the biggest issues of selling Fryatt, Morrison and Gradel is that they were clearly worth more than we sold them for.

[davieG]

Why is it that it's always Hobbs who has to play out of position on the left and not one of the others?

Anyhoo, don't know if this has been posted yet.

A question I have posed before, I could understand it when he was paired with Morrison because Morrison covered the RB role better. The only reason I can think of is that Sven saw both Davies and Bamba as the better right CB and wanted them to settle in where they were going to play longer term so that he only had one potential change to make that being left CB.

[gibwarrior1988]

A question I have posed before, I could understand it when he was paired with Morrison because Morrison covered the RB role better. The only reason I can think of is that Sven saw both Davies and Bamba as the better right CB and wanted them to settle in where they were going to play longer term so that he only had one potential change to make that being left CB.

yes, thinking about players he can bring in, rather than using the talent under his nose to the best potential.

[davieG]

yes, thinking about players he can bring in, rather than using the talent under his nose to the best potential.

Well I think most people on here would argue that both Davies, when he could be arsed and Bamba are better right CB than Hobbs, so the question really is do people want Sven to improve the squad or not?

The simple fact that people continue to ignore is that you can count on the fingers of one hand the satisfactory performances Hobbs has produced at right left CB whether for Pearson, Sousa or Sven.

With Vitor out Hobbs was the best cover we had but Sven obviously prefers to give a left footed, faster,more mobile and more comfortable on the ball player in Mee the chance to see if he can fill the left CB spot this means that Hobbs reverts to being cover for Bamba.

It's a simple situation that hasn't helped Hobbs but he's not the first player or will he be the last to find he's got to either improve, move on or be prepared to be an understudy and professional football is awash with good players in similar situations it comes with the job.

It's not personal, Sven has a job to do and that requires making tough decisions manner of which those unhappy with the Hobbs situation would be equally unhappy if he hadn't made those decisions - there's a reason we've gone from bottom to 8th under Sven

[hackneyfox]

I think it's ridicoulus to defend the fringe players. The team underperformed under Sousa and are paying the prize for it now. Players who up their game develops and continue in first team.

I will give a few examples. Hobbs and Morrison is great defending with the right amount of support from the midfield. Great under Pearson but to limited for Sven. Sven wants more action and dragging the players, of the other teams, apart. Full speed over the field and high class finishers will result in more space and time for our players with the ball.

Waghorn and Dyer are great players but they don't send shivers through the other teams. When we have the Yak and Vassell, the other team knows that they have to mark thoose players more. Gallagher spoke of it in an interview and I've said it all along:

""The manager said we could get in the holes between their midfield and defence and, if we had a chance to shoot, to take it," said Gallagher."

This is what happened to us when other team drag us apart earlier and got easy goals from distance. Hopefully with the defence we have and if we can get Bruma we don't concede such goals at all. This give Weale a lot better confidence when the oppo have limited views of scoring, easier shots to save.

Thank you, spot on.

[Bob Weasel Fox]

Well I think most people on here would argue that both Davies, when he could be arsed and Bamba are better right CB than Hobbs, so the question really is do people want Sven to improve the squad or not?

The simple fact that people continue to ignore is that you can count on the fingers of one hand the satisfactory performances Hobbs has produced at right CB whether for Pearson, Sousa or Sven.

With Vitor out Hobbs was the best cover we had but Sven obviously prefers to give a left footed, faster,more mobile and more comfortable on the ball player in Mee the chance to see if he can fill the left CB spot this means that Hobbs reverts to being cover for Bamba.

It's a simple situation that hasn't helped Hobbs but he's not the first player or will he be the last to find he's got to either improve, move on or be prepared to be an understudy and professional football is awash with good players in similar situations it comes with the job.

It's not personal, Sven has a job to do and that requires making tough decisions manner of which those unhappy with the Hobbs situation would be equally unhappy if he hadn't made those decisions - there's a reason we've gone from bottom to 8th under Sven

TBH its a healthy situation the club have now In my opinion as to have Hobbs as a 3rd or even 4th choice (if we get Bruma?)

[gibwarrior1988]

Well I think most people on here would argue that both Davies, when he could be arsed and Bamba are better right CB than Hobbs, so the question really is do people want Sven to improve the squad or not?

The simple fact that people continue to ignore is that you can count on the fingers of one hand the satisfactory performances Hobbs has produced at right CB whether for Pearson, Sousa or Sven.

With Vitor out Hobbs was the best cover we had but Sven obviously prefers to give a left footed, faster,more mobile and more comfortable on the ball player in Mee the chance to see if he can fill the left CB spot this means that Hobbs reverts to being cover for Bamba.

It's a simple situation that hasn't helped Hobbs but he's not the first player or will he be the last to find he's got to either improve, move on or be prepared to be an understudy and professional football is awash with good players in similar situations it comes with the job.

It's not personal, Sven has a job to do and that requires making tough decisions manner of which those unhappy with the Hobbs situation would be equally unhappy if he hadn't made those decisions - there's a reason we've gone from bottom to 8th under Sven

You must be some kind of freak then mate because he wouldn't have won player of the year if that was the case!

[Tommy G]

A freak? That's a bit disrespectful to probably the most respected person on here. Moron

If you have a basic grasp of English he makes good points regarding the reason why Hobbs isn't in the team and why we have gone bottom to 8th now and climbing.

He won player of the season because we played hoofball last season. Hobbs is a great defender but he struggles to pass it 5 yards and panics like a veggie in a slaughterhouse when he has the ball. Those attributes mean he will never play above this level unless he improves

[gibwarrior1988]

A freak? That's a bit disrespectful to probably the most respected person on here. Moron

If you have a basic grasp of English he makes good points regarding the reason why Hobbs isn't in the team and why we have gone bottom to 8th now and climbing.

He won player of the season because we played hoofball last season. Hobbs is a great defender but he struggles to pass it 5 yards and panics like a veggie in a slaughterhouse when he has the ball. Those attributes mean he will never play above this level unless he improves

If you actually read what I was replying to, he states that you can count on one hand the good performances he has had under Pearson, Sousa, and Sven. If this was true he would not have won player of the season.

[Hack]

Well I think most people on here would argue that both Davies, when he could be arsed and Bamba are better right CB than Hobbs, so the question really is do people want Sven to improve the squad or not?

The simple fact that people continue to ignore is that you can count on the fingers of one hand the satisfactory performances Hobbs has produced at right CB whether for Pearson, Sousa or Sven.

With Vitor out Hobbs was the best cover we had but Sven obviously prefers to give a left footed, faster,more mobile and more comfortable on the ball player in Mee the chance to see if he can fill the left CB spot this means that Hobbs reverts to being cover for Bamba.

It's a simple situation that hasn't helped Hobbs but he's not the first player or will he be the last to find he's got to either improve, move on or be prepared to be an understudy and professional football is awash with good players in similar situations it comes with the job.

It's not personal, Sven has a job to do and that requires making tough decisions manner of which those unhappy with the Hobbs situation would be equally unhappy if he hadn't made those decisions - there's a reason we've gone from bottom to 8th under Sven

This is also a very well thought out and reasoned reply to this issue. It is great that fans want to support players of the team. But I think this loyalty is misplaced slighty. It should be first and for most to the Club as a whole then to the Manager who's job is most on the line to bring results and then to the players.

Sven is without doubt one of the finest football brains there is and he is our Manager. He inthe short time he and Derek have been with LCFC have done almost the impossible by bring us withinsight of the playoff positions in 4 months from the absolute foot of the table. I doubt any manager without spending many millions would or could have done that.

Also I am sure that a manager like Sven (and Derek) would have been telling, teaching and advising Jack what it is they want from him. Therefore is must be clear that he is not able as of yet or is not comfortable to do what they ask (Same I would assume for Waghorn).

Who really wants Sven to pick players just because they have been good little soldiers in the past? Don't you think Sven wants Hobbs to be able to play the way he wants him to. Don't you think TOP would also prefer to play the players on the team's books.

Clearly there must be floors in his game for him to be relegated to the bench/loaned out. That is what you have a manager for to make these sorts of decisions, not the fans. And we have the Best Manager in the Championship , maybe in all of England.

[Kitchandro]

You must be some kind of freak then mate because he wouldn't have won player of the year if that was the case!

I think he may have meant left CB

[Bugg]

If you actually read what I was replying to, he states that you can count on one hand the good performances he has had under Pearson, Sousa, and Sven. If this was true he would not have won player of the season.

And if you read it properly he was stating that he could count on his hand the good performances in his not favoured side in CB. Read it properly before you call one of the main people on this forum a freak.

[Captain...]

And if you read it properly he was stating that he could count on his hand the good performances in his not favoured side in CB. Read it properly before you call one of the main people on this forum a freak.

I'm sure Davie G can cope with it, especially as it came from his error. He said that you can count the number of good games Hobbs has had at right CB on the fingers of one hand. I think he meant Left CB, because Hobbs has had alot of good games at RCB and very few at LCB and this has been one of Davie G's arguments for sometime now. So reading whta he actually said...

The simple fact that people continue to ignore is that you can count on the fingers of one hand the satisfactory performances Hobbs has produced at right CB whether for Pearson, Sousa or Sven.

and you can consider that by being voted player of the year last year, Hobbs had a lot of satisfactory games at RCB, the only conclusion is that either Davie G has 30 fingers on one hand, hence him being called a freak, or he made a mistake and meant LCB.

Still I'm sure he will be very happy to see so many people jumping to his defence.

[Bugg]

Fair enough Shrapnel, I just thought that other guy had run out of ideas for the debate and decided to jump in with petty insults

[Nick]

From BBC:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/l/leicester_city/9391510.stm

[davieG]

You must be some kind of freak then mate because he wouldn't have won player of the year if that was the case!

I accept that statement is wrong it should read 'at left CB'. He won his player of the year award by playing right CB most of the time.

[davieG]

I think he may have meant left CB

Yes I've corrected it now - thanks for recognising my mistake and offering an answer.

[davieG]

I'm sure Davie G can cope with it, especially as it came from his error. He said that you can count the number of good games Hobbs has had at right CB on the fingers of one hand. I think he meant Left CB, because Hobbs has had alot of good games at RCB and very few at LCB and this has been one of Davie G's arguments for sometime now. So reading whta he actually said...

and you can consider that by being voted player of the year last year, Hobbs had a lot of satisfactory games at RCB, the only conclusion is that either Davie G has 30 fingers on one hand, hence him being called a freak, or he made a mistake and meant LCB.

Still I'm sure he will be very happy to see so many people jumping to his defence.

I accept the description of freak which you quite rightly explain was due to my mistake, I'm off to stand in the corner to cry with my dunces cap on

[Captain...]

I accept the description of freak which you quite rightly explain was due to my mistake, I'm off to stand in the corner to cry with my dunces cap on

Buying things to keep your hands warm must be a bugger though, you would probably have to get them tailor made, but at least that way they will fit like... a... erm... glove.

[ajthefox]

I for one couldn't care less if he goes to Celtic. His performance in the Man City should have seen him farmed out on loan before now. Sven is looking for centrehalfs who can tackle, pass and understand the offside rule. He offers none of these.

Solid argument there, Hobbs definitely hasn't showed ability to do any of those things this season or last season or indeed at any point wearing a Leicester shirt. And that one performance against the richest team in the world and the most expensive line up in the fa cup ever was particularly bad so he is obviously awful at football.Lets get rid of the utter pile of wank that he is.

Pfffftttt I give up trying to talk sense when there are posts such as this.

[Adster]

Solid argument there, Hobbs definitely hasn't showed ability to do any of those things this season or last season or indeed at any point wearing a Leicester shirt. And that one performance against the richest team in the world and the most expensive line up in the fa cup ever was particularly bad so he is obviously awful at football.Lets get rid of the utter pile of wank that he is.

Pfffftttt I give up trying to talk sense when there are posts such as this.

Took the words right of my mouth.