The "do they mean us?" thread

[EnglishOxide]

In what way is N'Zonzi to Leicester a downward step? Stoke are officially in the same ballpark as us as in terms of we are both expected to finish mid table this season. Nobody has either club as relegation fodder or to be pushing for Europe.

As already said, Stoke have won **** all and have been making up the numbers for ages. Thats no better than us finishing 14th and being in a better position to compete in our second season.

N'Zonzi said no to Leicester because as it stands it is a sideways move at best and he is looking for European football, not because it's a downward step.

[Aus Fox]

I would argue it would be a sideways step not a backwards step.

In the premier league 9th - 17th there is nothing between them.

The top 4 are clear in a league of their own when it comes to attracting players and likelihood of Europe. The next 4 down then are a step above, I include Everton in that 4 dispite league position next season as players will feel more attracted to Everton and their chance of success. So Chelsea, Arsenal the two mancs, Liverpool, Everton, spurs and Southampton will be in front.

The rest can finish anywhere and are just as likely to be in a relegation battle as a fight for Europe.

A bad season, injuries, suspensions a couple of bad signings and it could all go to pot.

A season without injuries and some good transefer buisness and you can be on the tail of Southampton and Everton.

I am glad we are showing some intent to bring in quality and for those who say he will never come here, maybe he won't but it shows we are serious not only about staying up but pushing on, which in turn sends a message to other targets.

[KFS]

Agree with the Stokie, but I've not seen anyone on here 100% sure that N'zonzi would sign.

We've all pretty much said it's unrealistic and are hoping for Kante and Cambiasso.

[Spiritwalker]

If you don't think nzonzi would be taking a downward step to join Leicester you are seriously deluded and I actually feel for you .

A player will not choose a team based on history, if that was the case he would choose the likes of Leeds or Preston .

A player will choose to transfer to a team based on current standing and likelihood of obtaining European football .

And before you start don't bore me with Leicester are more likely to gain European football or Leicester show more ambition than stoke ( currently) .

He will be taking a downward step and it will not happen. Stop belittling teams, especially when you have just scrapped relegation in your first Prem season

Can't argue with much of that, apart from the scrapping relegation bit. We finished near mid table.

[Stadt]

We're a bigger club than Stoke but lets not start pretending we're more of a draw than them, they've been here for 7(?) years, they finished 9th for the second season in a row, we survived relegation miraculously.

 

 

 

 

Obviously Stoke seem to have an abnormally high proportion of cretins but theres no way currently moving from Stoke to Leicester isn't a downwards step.

[4everfox]

If you don't think nzonzi would be taking a downward step to join Leicester you are seriously deluded and I actually feel for you .

A player will not choose a team based on history, if that was the case he would choose the likes of Leeds or Preston .

A player will choose to transfer to a team based on current standing and likelihood of obtaining European football .

And before you start don't bore me with Leicester are more likely to gain European football or Leicester show more ambition than stoke ( currently) .

He will be taking a downward step and it will not happen. Stop belittling teams, especially when you have just scrapped relegation in your first Prem season

downward step!

How can you have the audacity to accuse people of being deluded when you are claiming that Leicester is a downward step from bleeding Stoke?

Sideways step yes, but downwards step? I'm not having that.

Edited 24 June 2015 by 4everfox

[Dan LCFC]

Slag Stoke's fans off all you like but if Norwich came in for Vardy we'd be saying the same.

 

Laughable comment from their fan that said they're "already safe" though.

[Guybino]

If you don't think nzonzi would be taking a downward step to join Leicester you are seriously deluded and I actually feel for you .

A player will not choose a team based on history, if that was the case he would choose the likes of Leeds or Preston .

A player will choose to transfer to a team based on current standing and likelihood of obtaining European football .

And before you start don't bore me with Leicester are more likely to gain European football or Leicester show more ambition than stoke ( currently) .

He will be taking a downward step and it will not happen. Stop belittling teams, especially when you have just scrapped relegation in your first Prem season

 

agreed.

 

But this is lesta! we slag off everyone, even when they talk sense!

[EnglishOxide]

Norwich coming in for Vardy is different.

By definition, we are now an established Prem team. Norwich, like us last season and every other club who have been promoted automatically get touted for relegation, then you've got Sunderland, Villa and Newcastle as teams potentially in a relegation fight.

Id say most people would have us alongside Everton, Stoke, West Ham, West Brom, Swansea as teams expected to fill the table without being anywhere near Europe or being around the relegation zone this season.

[Brown Nose]

Any player wanting a secure Premier League club would be wise to choose Stoke over us.  After all, they have a settled squad proven at this level with an experienced Premier League manager.  We don't.

 

However, anyone picking one of either Leicester or Stoke to be most likely to make the step up from being one of the 7th-17th mass of clubs to being one genuinely capable of competing for a European spot or a trophy would be wise to choose Leicester.  With our finances and the ambition of our owners, we are just more equipped than Stoke.  However. we're not there yet and it could take us a few years before we are.

 

N'Zonzi ought to feel that he's done his apprenticeship as a player now and wants to take a step up.  Frankly, if he's got any sense he'll leave Stoke and not join Leicester either.  He can do better than both clubs right now.

Edited 25 June 2015 by Brown Nose

[Babylon]

Norwich coming in for Vardy is different.

By definition, we are now an established Prem team. Norwich, like us last season and every other club who have been promoted automatically get touted for relegation, then you've got Sunderland, Villa and Newcastle as teams potentially in a relegation fight.

Id say most people would have us alongside Everton, Stoke, West Ham, West Brom, Swansea as teams expected to fill the table without being anywhere near Europe or being around the relegation zone this season.

When you say most people... Who would they be? We'll see what people think when the predictions come out, but most will still have us bang in trouble.

[6ups 6downs 2 cups]

I'd imagine the fans of all the teams who stayed up last year are all hoping to 'kick on'

Sunderland will be thinking they must improve with Advocaat staying,Villa fans probably thinking the same, though be no surprise if Sherwood is gone by November. Newcastle, who knows.

No real axe to grind with Stoke,respect what they have done and how they have done it, their owner is not short of cash either.They have never struggled since coming up and you can't see them struggling with Hughes in charge. Like the vast majority of teams in the PL, us included, they are always one crap manager away from relegation. Who will be their Peter Taylor!

[Lestoh]

Sorry, but Leicester is a downwards step from Stoke. You can argue that we're both mid-table teams, but Stoke are an ESTABLISHEDmid-table team. The fact we're still in the Premier League in nothing short of a miracle alone, nevermind the fact we finished 14th. You also need to take into consideration the fact that the only reason we finished 14th was due to monumental fvck ups by other, better established mid-table teams.

Edited 25 June 2015 by Lestoh

[Bob Weasel Fox]

When you say most people... Who would they be? We'll see what people think when the predictions come out, but most will still have us bang in trouble.

Spot on

We will still be bookies favs to go down

Second season syndrome as well

[C-man]

Sorry, but Leicester is a downwards step from Stoke. You can argue that we're both mid-table teams, but Stoke are an ESTABLISHEDmid-table team. The fact we're still in the Premier League in nothing short of a miracle alone, nevermind the fact we finished 14th. You also need to take into consideration the fact that the only reason we finished 14th was due to monumental fvck ups by other, better established mid-table teams.

Tbf Stoke had a miracle season themselves.

[deep blue]

Sorry, but Leicester is a downwards step from Stoke. You can argue that we're both mid-table teams, but Stoke are an ESTABLISHEDmid-table team. The fact we're still in the Premier League in nothing short of a miracle alone, nevermind the fact we finished 14th. You also need to take into consideration the fact that the only reason we finished 14th was due to monumental fvck ups by other, better established mid-table teams.

You have argued that Stoke are a better-established prem team, but then go on to admit that such teams still make "monumental fvck-ups".

I can remember a time, not so long ago, when we were an established TOP HALF prem team. Then our manager left and within 2 seasons we were relegated and close to oblivion as a club. Can you?

Edited 25 June 2015 by deep blue

[Babylon]

The reality is we'd all me more than happy to "do a stoke" short term and establish ourselves mid table for a few years. Sure the owners might have wild long term dreams about Europe, but short term Stoke is what they are aiming at, that alone tells you where we are in terms of development and standing... currently.

 

We're not alone in getting above our station sometimes, the amount of Stoke fans who look down their nose as us and sneer like we're not worthy of gracing the same field as them is ridiculous. We all go through our purple patches, Christ I've seen Leicester win more Trophies than Stoke have in their history in a short spell a while back.  But that spell ended, so will Stokes this time and so will ours again at some point.

[Babylon]

You have argued that Stoke are a better-established prem team, but then go on to admit that such teams still make "monumental fvck-ups".

I can remember a time, not so long ago, when we were an established TOP HALF prem team. Then our manager left and within 2 seasons we were relegated and close to oblivion as a club. Can you?

So what's your point? Are you suggesting Stoke aren't currently a better bet becuase they potentially could feck it up? We could as well obviously. But reality is to outsiders Stoke are a safer bet than Leicester at this moment in time. Maybe in a year or two or three, if the owners do show the ambition they talk about and extend the ground, with one or two comfortable seasons in the league and a couple of decent signings, people will start taking notice and think it's a project worth getting on board. But currently we're just the team who performed a miracle to escape relegation.

[adam95581]

Norwich coming in for Vardy is different.

By definition, we are now an established Prem team. Norwich, like us last season and every other club who have been promoted automatically get touted for relegation, then you've got Sunderland, Villa and Newcastle as teams potentially in a relegation fight.

Id say most people would have us alongside Everton, Stoke, West Ham, West Brom, Swansea as teams expected to fill the table without being anywhere near Europe or being around the relegation zone this season.

You are absolutely deluded to think that we are classed in the same bracket as West Ham, Swansea, Everton etc...we're in our second season. 8 weeks from the end of last season we were all but gone and now we're supposedly of the same level as Everton who have been an ever present in the PL and regularly pushing for Europe. Lost. The. Plot. Edited 25 June 2015 by adam95581

[Jacnah]

When you say most people... Who would they be? We'll see what people think when the predictions come out, but most will still have us bang in trouble.

I couldn't agree more with this.

 

We did scrape out of it last year regardless of what some on the forum have posted and are not..yet..a mid table team, unlike stoke who are and who by all accounts are improving under Hughes.

 

Having spent c140 days at the bottom of the table, It took a phenomenal run of results to do what we did and i don't think any team could keep that going for much longer than we did. I'm optimistic, as always, for next season, but I don't see our end of season form being indicative of how we will perform in the coming season. I wish it was! I just don't see how anybody can claim we are an established mid table team after a single season dubbed the 'great escape'

[Haydos]

Stoke are a better proposition than us. stop thinking we're better than we are.

[Oxfordfox83]

Sorry, but Leicester is a downwards step from Stoke. You can argue that we're both mid-table teams, but Stoke are an ESTABLISHEDmid-table team. The fact we're still in the Premier League in nothing short of a miracle alone, nevermind the fact we finished 14th. You also need to take into consideration the fact that the only reason we finished 14th was due to monumental fvck ups by other, better established mid-table teams.

Don't object to your overall point, although I think you're overstating the difference between the teams a bit. I would say if we finish within a couple of places of them this year then public perception would have us at the same level.

But our points total would have had us 13th in 13/14 and 14th the year before. The only thing form would have affected is how soon we got safe-had Sunderland/Hull/Villa not picked themselves up in the closing weeks we'd have been safe much earlier.

[The Doctor]

Sorry, but Leicester is a downwards step from Stoke. You can argue that we're both mid-table teams, but Stoke are an ESTABLISHEDmid-table team. The fact we're still in the Premier League in nothing short of a miracle alone, nevermind the fact we finished 14th. You also need to take into consideration the fact that the only reason we finished 14th was due to monumental fvck ups by other, better established mid-table teams.

Which teams would they be? We finished 14th because we had an excellent run in the last nine games, but those results were merited, we were excellent, and I would argue just deserts for the performances in the barren spell that didn't get the results they deserved - we were comfortably good enough to finish 14th

[Darkon84]

Wow. The last page or 2 has really gone to show that we certainly have our own little group of idiotic fans. Is Bentley's Roof down or something?

[Fox Ulike]

I wouldn't be surprised if our £7m bid is a 'favour' to Stoke for letting us sign Huth. It's seems more than a coincidence that our bid for him comes at the same time as the deal for Huth was finalised.

 

Let's be realistic, he's not going to come here. However, our bid allows Stoke to set the transfer fee that they want for him, and puts the pressure on other interested clubs to put in a serious offer.