The "do they mean us?" thread

[Vince Vega]

2 hours ago, sylofox said:

From what they have never been in the prem.

I was thinking parachute payments from the newly created Premiership / Premier League.  They both got related from the old First Division the season before (along with West Ham).

 

You don't need to thank me! 

[Out Foxed]

On 22/05/2017 at 11:33, ultrafox said:

Just saw this on BBC Sportsday - Premier League reaction and gossip - http://www.bbc.com/sport/live/39787059

 

When the game stopped

QPR v Leicester in Championship 3 years ago. QPR top of league and all over an average Leicester. Squirrel came on and stopped play for 10 minutes, disrupted QPR rhythm and Leicester went onto win 0-1 with a Vardy goal, then won 13 games on the trot getting them promoted to the Premiership eventually. No one ever thanked the squirrel for Leicester's success. (Jeremy, London)

 

So I'll say it. Thank you Squirrel !!

and the Peregrine falcon.

[justfoxes]

Nice to see good old Sky completely miss out Kasper for save of the season I can think of a few world class saves one being the point blank at West Ham !!

[Blue ROI]

On 20/5/2017 at 16:09, Fez of Mahrez said:

http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/soccer/soccer-angles-leicester-s-fall-almost-as-surreal-as-their-rise-1.3089419

Enjoyable read that Fez. Looking at the headline I was expecting the usual cliches of honour, snakes, big time chariles but you got the message across.

 

It's been hard work in Ireland explaining the situation to neutrals.

 

People were coming up to me after the Sevilla win for a chat but when the topic of Ranieri came up everyone was against it and when I gave the background to the story (League One onwards-) people were still saying how could ye remove Ranieri.

 

The SKY/Talksport thing has been well documented but sports media reporting tends to be very conservative in Ireland.

 

Theres been a number of falling outs between players and management in the GAA the national sports over here. Print media tends to back the management to he hilt and players are often vilified.(Look for articles on a Mayo Gaelic Footballer called Aidan O'Shea to see how ugly this can get).

 

Print media is what influences people and for the most part nobody here has a clue about Leicester beyond 2016. The obsession is United, Liverpool, Arsenal etc. The initial reaction in these circumstances when a traditionally middle of the road team gets glory is to blame everyone except the manager. Only in RTE did Eamon Dunphy agree with the decision. That said Dunphy has always gone against the grain with his opinions.

 

You'll find though that teams that are perceived to be sucessful are fully justified in what they do but not little ol' Leicester.

[urban.spaceman]

6 hours ago, fuchsntf said:

It actually built up from the terraces, over the years,

more to do with leicester dry and wry humour.The club then took it on.

And whether you like it or not, some other fans, like the idea...

 

Hey the dozo who mentions the 1-6 defeat.....You can have it!!!    We got the title.

Amazing how quick some fans, jumpback behind the sofa, as soo as someone says Boo.

That title will remain a bug bare to Spurs, more than the 1-6 defeat.That was 1 game.

We played 38 for our bragging right....

Again shame that some Leicester fans Cower  away from, a word slowly developed within the club..

FFs...King Dick would have your heads...Traitors to the cause, and turncoats, when the bogeyman comes knocking!!!!

And again fearless will be our cry....The fall, was a slip, and not a knockout....Let Battle commence, the cretins of doubt will fall Upon their own weapons...

@Union FS I think you have your next Tifo. 

[Ted Maul]

http://www.espnfc.co.uk/english-premier-league/23/blog/post/3132649/leicester-can-be-premier-league-stalwarts

 

After years of ups and down, Leicester can become Premier League stalwarts

 

Given that, in recent years, Leicester have provided their supporters with the full range of footballing experiences, a logical question concerning their future is: What now?

 

In 2014, they returned to the Premier League, having battled back from a plunge that had taken them through administration and into the third tier. The following year, their extraordinary great escape from the relegation zone seemed to be the sort of heart-skipping, dramatic campaign that people would talk about for years.

 

However, 2015-16 rather overshadowed absolutely everything that had gone before. In years to come, young supporters will read the list of past champions, then turn to their parents and say: "Seriously? How did that happen?"

 

And then they'll be told that Leicester followed their unlikely success by very nearly getting relegated the following season, only to save themselves by ruthlessly sacking the man, who led them to glory in the first place. It will be quite the bedtime story but we may have already seen its conclusion, for a continuation of such drama next season seems unlikely.

 

Assuming that the chatter is correct and Craig Shakespeare, who replaced Claudio Ranieri in February, is offered a new contract by the board, you would expect Leicester to settle somewhere short of being good enough to fight for the title, but also to spend enough of their Champions League revenue to ensure they will be too good for another relegation battle. And, in a funny sort of way, they might benefit by slipping back out of the limelight.

Witnessing a medium-sized club, such as Leicester, win the title without breathtaking spending is rare, but seeing one dig itself in at the summit of the game is ever more so. Last season's achievement required a conjunction of circumstances: A good set of players playing above themselves, rival teams dramatically underperforming and a manager, who bewitched the world's media and absorbed pressure through sheer weight of personal charm.

 

Rising up and staying up takes more than serendipity. Usually it requires almost limitless resources and it certainly needs clear-headed, sensible management, in both the dressing and boardrooms. And hysterical expectations rarely aid sensible management.

If they plan properly, Leicester can establish themselves as Premier League regulars for years to come.

Fortunately for Leicester, they are a thing of the past, because no-one will expect them to challenge for the title next season. No-one will expect them to battle for the top four either. In fact, you'd be hard pushed to find anyone with serious expectations of anything more than a run-of-the-mill season in mid-table. And that will do just nicely, maintaining as it would the pipeline of Premier League TV money.

 

Added to that will be any funds generated by sales from any Class of '16 members, who wish to pursue their fortunes elsewhere. Riyad Mahrez, we're looking at you. A graph of the Algerian playmaker's performances across the last two seasons would look like the world's scariest rollercoaster and, if someone wants to pay £30m for such inconsistency, Leicester should jump at the offer.

 

Despite the departure of recruitment sage Steve Walsh to Everton last year, Leicester continue to prove themselves capable of finding rubies in the dust. Wilfried Ndidi can improve considerably but he has the tools needed to forge a long career at the top of the game. He cost £15m from Genk which, while not exactly a bargain, is certainly a fee that could rise if and when he moves on.

 

In Germany, RB Leipzig have proved proficient at spotting undeveloped talent in unlikely places. That skill, in spite of all expectations to the contrary, helped them finish second in the Bundesliga, above traditional challengers like Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen and Schalke.

 

That's where Leicester's future lies, in scouting, gambling, developing and slowly growing. Admittedly, it's easy to say, but harder to do when people are impatient for success. But they have had their wildly improbable ride. The demands of some supporters will always raise eyebrows, but there can't be many Leicester fans ready to burn their season tickets at the thought of a few seasons out of the Champions League.

 

With careful planning and good decisions -- remember that chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha has, in keeping Nigel Pearson and sacking Nigel Pearson, hiring Claudio Ranieri and sacking Claudio Ranieri -- consistently got the big shouts right, Leicester can prosper in the right half of the Premier League for many more years.

 

They've revelled in the recent past. Now it's time to build a sustainable future.

 

 

Slightly patronising in places, but generally a balanced view of what the future may hold for us. I'm split- I think we should be aiming a little higher (challenging for Europa spots) as we know we're capable, but I wouldn't be disappointed with a few solid seasons of midtable establishment- providing we are stabilising/building as a club (adding exciting players, expanding the ground, etc.) and making a fist of it in the cups.

[fuchsntf]

19 hours ago, urban.spaceman said:

@Union FS I think you have your next Tifo. 

Thanka youa mucha, Ia take it to mya bussama witha ..Honour  and Pride...

I will use the tears of joy, to help water my garden of knowledge...

[Captain...]

52 minutes ago, Ted Maul said:

Slightly patronising in places, but generally a balanced view of what the future may hold for us. I'm split- I think we should be aiming a little higher (challenging for Europa spots) as we know we're capable, but I wouldn't be disappointed with a few solid seasons of midtable establishment- providing we are stabilising/building as a club (adding exciting players, expanding the ground, etc.) and making a fist of it in the cups.

I think that will be the big thing next  season, taking the cups seriously. A semi final or final gives our season a bit of gloss and something to remember, a season like West Brom's must have been dull for the fans. Shouldn't knock stability, they finished 10th - higher than us and never looked like getting relegated, but they went out of both cups to lower league opposition at the first hurdle, their top scorer got 8,  they had nothing to play for from Feb onwards. There shouldn't be anything wrong with finishing in the top 10, but sport is all about drama and excitement and without any rivals as such if we don't give it our all in the cups, and don't end up in a relegation battle it could be a dull season.

[AmarteyAndChill]

13 minutes ago, Captain... said:

I think that will be the big thing next  season, taking the cups seriously. A semi final or final gives our season a bit of gloss and something to remember, a season like West Brom's must have been dull for the fans. Shouldn't knock stability, they finished 10th - higher than us and never looked like getting relegated, but they went out of both cups to lower league opposition at the first hurdle, their top scorer got 8,  they had nothing to play for from Feb onwards. There shouldn't be anything wrong with finishing in the top 10, but sport is all about drama and excitement and without any rivals as such if we don't give it our all in the cups, and don't end up in a relegation battle it could be a dull season.

Don't compare west brom to us, west brom had 46 points in like march and they dropped off. I wouldn't expect us to do the same. They could have finished with 57-62 points this season if they were not on the beach for the last quarter of the season. 

[Captain...]

13 minutes ago, AmarteyAndChill said:

Don't compare west brom to us, west brom had 46 points in like march and they dropped off. I wouldn't expect us to do the same. They could have finished with 57-62 points this season if they were not on the beach for the last quarter of the season. 

I'm not comparing this season to West Brom,  I'm comparing how next season could go, and saying why we need to focus on the cups and give our season a bit more purpose. There is a risk of becoming a West Brom or Stoke, who will both probably go the way of Villa eventually drifting down the league in a wave of apathy and drop out the league much to everyone else's relief.

[AmarteyAndChill]

12 minutes ago, Captain... said:

I'm not comparing this season to West Brom,  I'm comparing how next season could go, and saying why we need to focus on the cups and give our season a bit more purpose. There is a risk of becoming a West Brom or Stoke, who will both probably go the way of Villa eventually drifting down the league in a wave of apathy and drop out the league much to everyone else's relief.

You can add us to that list also....

[Ted Maul]

1 hour ago, AmarteyAndChill said:

You can add us to that list also....

People don't want us to go down because we're boring, it's because they've been sucked into the media's narrative about Ranieri.

[Ted Maul]

2 hours ago, Captain... said:

I think that will be the big thing next  season, taking the cups seriously. A semi final or final gives our season a bit of gloss and something to remember, a season like West Brom's must have been dull for the fans. Shouldn't knock stability, they finished 10th - higher than us and never looked like getting relegated, but they went out of both cups to lower league opposition at the first hurdle, their top scorer got 8,  they had nothing to play for from Feb onwards. There shouldn't be anything wrong with finishing in the top 10, but sport is all about drama and excitement and without any rivals as such if we don't give it our all in the cups, and don't end up in a relegation battle it could be a dull season.

Absolutely. Merely surviving at the expense of excitement and enjoyment takes away what the game should be about, and would become tedious. Sure, play solid, defensive football up to the point that you're established and stable. Beyond that though, clubs should be looking for more.

 

As respectable as our league positions under O'Neill were, it's the cup runs which we associate the era with most. Another trip (or two) to Wembley over the next couple of years would really add to how great it's been.

 

[fuchsntf]

2 hours ago, Captain... said:

I thint will be the bigseason, taking the cups seriously. A semi final or final gives our season a bit of gloss and something to remember, a season like West Brom's must have been dull for the fans. Shouldn't knock stability, they finished 10th - higher than us and never looked like getting relegated, but they went out of both cups to lower league opposition at the first

hurdle, their top scorer got 8,  they had nothing to play for from Feb onwards. There shouldn't be anything wrong with finishing in the top 10, but sport is all about drama and excitement and without any rivals as such if we don't give it our all in the cups, and don't end up in a relegation battle it could be a dull season.

Captain...Simular thoughts, but  These points and this seasons stories over teams like WBA, are footprints of keeping your PL  status.

Little eras, 6-12 top games, a couple of years, of total mishaps in cup runs..then a few seasons,

With excellent cup runs , tipping one of those semi-finals, into ones Favour

 

Isnt that we all want to see, occasionally seeing the small dreams actually come to fruitation.. We broke the mould, the muster was re-drawn...Great last 4 years, now angels above..give us 10yrs+ in the top 8 , including a couple throwing the kitchensink trying top 2.

Even then 12yrs Finishing 15-8, and creating and 1having top moments will do me.

 

 

 

 

[Captain...]

1 minute ago, fuchsntf said:

Captain...Simular thoughts, but  These points and this seasons stories over teams like WBA, are footprints of keeping your PL  status.

Little eras, 6-12 top games, a couple of years, of total mishaps in cup runs..then a few seasons,

With excellent cup runs , tipping one of those semi-finals, into ones Favour

 

Isnt that we all want to see, occasionally seeing the small dreams actually come to fruitation.. We broke the mould, the muster was re-drawn...Great last 4 years, now angels above..give us 10yrs+ in the top 8 , including a couple throwing the kitchensink trying top 2.

Even then 12yrs Finishing 15-8, and creating and 1having top moments will do me.

 

 

 

 

Don't get me wrong I don't expect us to win the cups, but I do think we are capable of winning them, and we should be taking them seriously from the start next season and not messing about trying to rest players and then losing to Shrewsbury, or Millwall. You get a stinker of a first match like Chelsea and narrowly get beaten, then fair enough. There is every chance next season is over by March, like West Brom, one way to keep it alive and keep some of the buzz going is to progress in the cups.

 

If at the end of the next season we have finished 10th and not made any progress in the cups I will still be happy, but 5-6 years of that and interest starts to go, attendances drop, enthusiasm goes, players struggle to get up for the games against the other mid table teams and you turn into West Brom, functional, successful, but boring and one of those teams that will eventually  get sucked into the Championship and probably disappear for few years.

[MC Prussian]

Leicester's Premier League title defence turned into a brief relegation scrap, culminating in Claudio Ranieri's dismissal. It was a difficult season in the end, but the Champions League campaign and eventual march to safety were the high points.

Rating out of 10: 7

Highlight

Reaching the quarterfinals of the Champions League and in doing so getting further in the tournament than any other English team. The 2-0 home win over Sevilla in the round of 16 had absolutely everything, including a dramatic late penalty save, while the gutsy 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid at the King Power Stadium was also a special night even though the Foxes ultimately bowed out of Europe. In the Premier League, the 4-2 rout at home to Manchester City proved the most eye-catching win as a then-out-of-form Jamie Vardy scored an unexpected hat trick.

Low point

The timing of Ranieri's sacking came as a huge surprise considering Leicester had just got a vital away goal in a spirited 2-1 loss at Sevilla and the feeling was the affable Italian would at least be given a shot at the second leg. The board didn't help matters by issuing a statement two weeks earlier offering "unwavering support" to the then Leicester boss. Having won a miraculous Premier League title last season, Ranieri's departure seemed harsh, even prompting his old foe Jose Mourinho to sport his initials in solidarity on his training top immediately after the news broke in late March.

Yet with Leicester hurtling towards the relegation zone and reports of alleged rifts in the dressing room, Leicester's owners felt they had no choice but to make a change -- a decision in hindsight that proved a stroke of genius as replacement Craig Shakespeare won his first six matches in charge. The 5-0 Champions League thrashing at Porto in the group stage and the 6-1 home defeat to Tottenham also stand out as two individual low points, although neither actually cost the Foxes in reality.

Star man

Kasper Schmeichel has been Leicester's standout performer and the priority this summer will be to hang on to the Dane amid tangible interest from Manchester United and Liverpool. The 30-year-old genuinely hates being compared to his father Peter, so may be reticent about a move to the former. Schmeichel saved penalties in both legs of Leicester's last-16 Champions League victory over Sevilla and has made a string of world-class stops all season.

After a hugely successful season, Kasper Schmeichel is on the transfer wish list of some of England's biggest clubs.

He's been the Foxes' most reliable performer and, as importantly, has offered vocal leadership from between the sticks. Following September's 4-1 defeat at Old Trafford he was quick to call City's title defence "embarrassing" and remind his teammates to stop living off the glory of 2015-2016. Schmeichel was rightly named both the fans' and players' player of the year.

Flop

Riyad Mahrez was a shadow of the player he was last season, especially in the first half of this campaign, but in fairness showed some flashes of brilliance down the stretch once Shakespeare took over. The Algerian got an astonishing 17 goals in 2015-2016 but had to wait until a 3-1 victory over Hull City in March to score from open play this term.

He looked disinterested in far too many games and not always up for a relegation dogfight. The club will still be desperate to hang on to his services, but his mediocre campaign might mean the owners want to sell should a lucrative offer come in from suitors such as Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain.

Record signing Islam Slimani and Ahmed Musa -- who showed so much promise during preseason, including an impressive brace against Barcelona -- both arrived over the summer with big price tags and neither managed to force a regular starting spot.

Transfer Talk

Leicester desperately need a centre-back, even though Yohan Benalouane has impressed in recent weeks. Captain Wes Morgan and Robert Huth are getting on a bit and even if they continue their formidable partnership next season, cover is still urgently needed. Sassuolo defender Francesco Acerbi would be a shrewd addition. The 29-year-old has played every minute in Serie A and is thought to be available for around £10 million, although the Foxes must fight off interest from Inter Milan and their rich Chinese owners.

Lugano winger and Macedonia international Ezgjan Alioski is also thought to be on Shakespeare's wish list and the club should also look to bring in a striker. Leicester have wanted Jermain Defoe since the days of Nigel Pearson, and with Sunderland relegated they might finally land the England forward, although a younger option might be more prudent.

http://www.espnfc.com/club/leicester-city/375/blog/post/3130086/highs-of-ucl-offset-by-ranieri-sacking-in-turbulent-leicester-campaign

Edited 26 May 2017 by MC Prussian

[MrSpaM]

On 24/05/2017 at 13:13, Ted Maul said:

Absolutely. Merely surviving at the expense of excitement and enjoyment takes away what the game should be about, and would become tedious. Sure, play solid, defensive football up to the point that you're established and stable. Beyond that though, clubs should be looking for more.

 

As respectable as our league positions under O'Neill were, it's the cup runs which we associate the era with most. Another trip (or two) to Wembley over the next couple of years would really add to how great it's been.

 

Well we've got one guaranteed trip to wembley next season already

Edited 26 May 2017 by MrSpaM

[filbertway]

Weird how the low point there is probably our high point of the season.

[AmarteyAndChill]

1 minute ago, filbertway said:

Weird how the low point there is probably our high point of the season.

The catalyst to our season being decent 

[notnow john]

Article about Kermorgant in today's times, apparently nobody even Pearson liked him,

even before the the pen.

Comes across as rather self pitying.

But the best bit is the number of times the song is mentioned, even reproducing the lyrics and giving

Dave Henson credit.

 

Just had to have another listen , brilliant!!

Edited 27 May 2017 by notnow john

[Tiny earl]

Can't you just stop persecuting him , he missed a pen so did Waghorn!!

[The Doctor]

Who's persecuting him?

[Tiny earl]

If you read the article he's obviously still troubled by the incident and the song and as he said 

Waghorn missed a penalty and no one wrote a song about him!

 

[sylofox]

3 minutes ago, Tiny earl said:

If you read the article he's obviously still troubled by the incident and the song and as he said 

Waghorn missed a penalty and no one wrote a song about him!

 

Waghorn took an honest penalty and missed. Kermo went for a glory trick shot and fvcked it up. You would not see a smoker player in a world finals trying to come off three cushions to pot the black would you.

[glenny_fox]

Anyone care to post the article? As you need to login to read it. 

 

He got abuse as he was just trying to be cocky and claim the glory for himself whereas Waghorns was just an amazing save from the keeper, but at least he put the team first before his personal glory.