Claridge

[That lad from Japan]

Claridge isn't convinced

Personally disagree with just about everything he says in that article. Last year he didn't seem to like QPR so maybe thats a good omen for us. I just don't think he likes teams that spend money so has to criticize them. Maybe it will go up in flames but to practically say they should sack sven now and get in somebody else is a joke. Oh well only time will tell.

[crazylegs1984]

ive lost so much respect for him as a footballer he was great but as a pundit he dpesnt know his arsehole from his elbow

[Happy Fox]

He is just speaking his mind, I hope we prove him wrong

[Fez of Mahrez]

Entitled to his opinion and I think it's good that people are challenging our approach a bit. I still think we've padded out our squad to replace the loanees rather than building on what we had. We have signed seven players which looks a lot but we lost Bruma, Naughton, Mee, Van Aanholt, Vitor, Kamara and Yakubu at the end of last season.

The main thing I'd pick a hole with about this article is that he says Mills cost £1.5m when it was more like £2m and says that we should have been able to get him for £2.5m, which was never going to happen. Also that we have signed him for £5.5m which is a headline figure with add-ons etc rather than the base figure.

Fans of other clubs and people in the media are making a lot of our spending but really we've just condensed our outlay into one summer - other teams have spent this amount of money over the past three or four seasons.

[Callabinho]

These are taken from the five live program he did, the comments are pothetic. If he isn't convinced by sven then maybe he should take a look at his track record. He turned us around last season, and IMO the reason why we didn't go up was the lack of experience in our back four. Plus it was svens first season in the championship, he gets called

For bringing in too many fringe premier league players and then called for signing established championship players. Madness I don't like claridge as a pundit god only knows why we wasn't convinced with QPR last season either.

[davieG]

The likes of Claridge need to be controversial, outspoken and to exaggerate situations in order to be read/listened to, if he can't maintain a steady stream of readers/listeners he'd be out of a job.

That's why we've got a thread on him now so he'll be pleased with that.

[stix]

The evidence he gives for not being convinced by sven and city next season is just one sided and quite frankly unfounded. He picks up on ONLY the bad things about our manager and our failed promotion push last season. choosing to judge our chances last year on one game that admittedly we played poor in is ridiculous. what about the games we played the opposition off the park? what about the way in which sven transformed the teams confidence when appointed? We played some of the best football i have seen us play for a long time last season, svens club record is a very good one and for him to say those things about him to me smells of just a general dislike for him and not a true & honest opinion. dont know what his problem is but the guy can suck on my chollies.

Its easy for him to say that we wont get promoted because the laws of probability says that that is more likely to happen. so its a safer bet for him to say that.

im really mardy now.

[1994fox]

http://www.foxestalk.co.uk/forums/index.php?showtopic=71363&pid=1924200&st=20entry1924200

This is just him being quoted from the piece he did on talksport ( youll find it further down the topic)

[North-LondonFox]

The likes of Claridge need to be controversial, outspoken and to exaggerate situations in order to be read/listened to, if he can't maintain a steady stream of readers/listeners he'd be out of a job.

That's why we've got a thread on him now so he'll be pleased with that.

This is absolutely correct. The likes of Claridge, Cascarino, Savage etc rely upon stirring up opinions and making controversial statements and this seems like a contrived attempt to be different to the general consensus of opinion suggesting we are favorites for promotion.

I actually think its good if some people don't believe in us, because otherwise we are set up to fail (an people will enjoy it if we do).

One last point, despite all our signings (which I am ecstatic about!) we still don't look formidable in my eyes and there are plenty of sides in the division who will give us a good game.

[Guest Col city fan]

The likes of Claridge need to be controversial, outspoken and to exaggerate situations in order to be read/listened to, if he can't maintain a steady stream of readers/listeners he'd be out of a job.

That's why we've got a thread on him now so he'll be pleased with that.

Of course you are correct in terms of pundits and 'punditry'... Effectively the art of reporting on something mundane to make it sensational.

However.. With clagger I believe that he has always been a bloke who speaks his mind. I remember we signed him from Brum because he was having major fallings out with Barry Fry and was publicly vocal about his dislike of him.

I would be surprised if Claridge does not believe what he has written here... And he is entitled to his opinion..

Don't forget that we have yet to see whether Sven can bring success to the club with his new squad of players, HIS own squad of players. He has IMO made some great signings, but he's gotta make them gel and play together.

I must be one of the only ones on here who usually thinks that Claridge talks some sense when I hear him. It's a shame that he's not backing Sven, but for some reason he's not..

Give it till Christmas and the picture will be clearer.

[accessory]

The evidence he gives for not being convinced by sven and city next season is just one sided and quite frankly unfounded. He picks up on ONLY the bad things about our manager and our failed promotion push last season. choosing to judge our chances last year on one game that admittedly we played poor in is ridiculous. what about the games we played the opposition off the park?

There were quite a few games, even under Sven, where the opposition played us off the park. Swansea, Reading and Ipswich away, plus Norwich at home, come to mind.

what about the way in which sven transformed the teams confidence when appointed?

In broad terms, this may be true. However there were several players whose confidence and form were not helped by Sven.

We played some of the best football i have seen us play for a long time last season

Mainly In home matches, though . Some of the away games, even under Sven, were disturbingly close to the depths witnessed during the dire 04-08 era.

svens club record is a very good one

But the Championship presents a challenge which is different to any other where Sven has managed. He admits last season was a learning curve for him. The spree he's undertaking this summer is a recognition that the previous squad was inadequate and needed substantial improvement.

Its easy for him to say that we wont get promoted because the laws of probability says that that is more likely to happen. so its a safer bet for him to say that.

Well Claridge is an undisputed expert when it comes to bets. His gambling exploits are even more legendary than his football ones. But if he judges that we are not good enough for promotion, then toys shouldn't be thrown from the pram at him.

While I think his scepticism towards Sven is misplaced, I can understand why he expresses it. There were a lot of high-profile games last season where we failed to do ourselves justice. Only through results this time around will we be able to dispel the doubts about the club and its manager.

im really mardy now.

This forum is about opinions. Even on here, not everyone will want to bum Sven. If you can't deal with that maybe you should stick to the happy-clappies on the official site.

[Ricey]

I disagree with his views on the money he's spent, it's a lazy view.

However I agree about his fears on Sven, he's not convinced me yet and I fear he's the wrong man to get us out of this division. I hope we are wrong though.

[Stevosevic]

Claridge isn't a very likeable person and his views on football are usually wrong.

[Guest Col city fan]

There were quite a few games, even under Sven, where the opposition played us off the park. Swansea, Reading and Ipswich away, plus Norwich at home, come to mind.

In broad terms, this may be true. However there were

several players whose confidence and form were not helped by Sven.

Mainly In home matches, though . Some of the away games, even under Sven, were disturbingly close to the depths witnessed during the dire 04-08 era.

But the Championship presents a challenge which is different to any other where Sven has managed. He admits last season was a learning curve for him. The spree he's undertaking this summer is a recognition that the previous squad was inadequate and needed substantial improvement.

Well Claridge is an undisputed expert when it comes to bets. His gambling exploits are even more legendary than his football ones. But if he judges that we are not good enough for promotion, then toys shouldn't be thrown from the pram at him.

While I think his scepticism towards Sven is misplaced, I

can understand why he expresses it. There were a lot of high-profile games last season where we failed to do ourselves justice. Only through results this time around will we be able to dispel the doubts about the club and its manager.

This forum is about opinions. Even on here, not everyone will want to bum Sven. If you can't deal with that maybe you should stick to the happy-clappies on the official site.

Whilst I know I'm gonna get shot to pieces for saying so, I can't argue with anything you have written.. It balances things up nicely IMO. I made the point last season that, under Sven, the team seemed to blow very hot and cold.... Some weeks we could be absolutely sensational! And then pretty awful the next...

You are so right to make the point about a forum being a forum... Opinions should not be ridiculed and shot down in flames because they don't align with the mainstream..

Simply, well done Sven for the signings... Now let's get em playing consistently and enjoy some nice football.

[accessory]

Claridge isn't a very likeable person and his views on football are usually wrong.

Oh really? So how come he packed out the 1884 bar for an event last season then? Hundreds of people paid £35 for the chance to be in his company, and that of other City legends such as Walsh and Heskey.

He's a top bloke, and deserves more respect than some people on here give him. Being anti-Sven does not equal being anti-Leicester.

[davieG]

Of course you are correct in terms of pundits and 'punditry'... Effectively the art of reporting on something mundane to make it sensational.

However.. With clagger I believe that he has always been a bloke who speaks his mind. I remember we signed him from Brum because he was having major fallings out with Barry Fry and was publicly vocal about his dislike of him.

I would be surprised if Claridge does not believe what he has written here... And he is entitled to his opinion..

Don't forget that we have yet to see whether Sven can bring success to the club with his new squad of players, HIS own squad of players. He has IMO made some great signings, but he's gotta make them gel and play together.

I must be one of the only ones on here who usually thinks that Claridge talks some sense when I hear him. It's a shame that he's not backing Sven, but for some reason he's not..

Give it till Christmas and the picture will be clearer.

There's nothing wrong with him having an opinion that differs but he could offer more valid justifications than looking at last years hotch potch of loanees, getting a team of what is likely to be 8/9 new players to gel and to gel quickly for a start. I'm sure Sven has learnt much about this league, weren't there figures to show that we performed significantly better the 2nd time we played a team under Sven Claridge takes no account of that. In fact he mentions very little if anything positive about the impact of Sven and our expenditure on our chances it's all one way - negative and that's why I made that statement.

As for the Mills transfer, of course we paid over the odds but then most transfers that involve any kind of decent fee will be over the odds, look at Liverpool and what does he know about how much we could have got him for, mentioning his previous transfer fees is not entirely relevant the football world is awash with similar examples of escalating fees of players performing well for clubs.

[Guest Col city fan]

Claridge isn't a very likeable person and his views on football are usually wrong.

Based upon what?

[Guest Col city fan]

There's nothing wrong with him having an opinion that differs but he could offer more valid justifications than looking at last years hotch potch of loanees, getting a team of what is likely to be 8/9 new players to gel and to gel quickly for a start. I'm sure Sven has learnt much about this league, weren't there figures to show that we performed significantly better the 2nd time we played a

team under Sven Claridge takes no account of that. In fact he mentions very little if anything positive about the impact of Sven and our expenditure on our chances it's all one way - negative and that's why I made that statement.

As for the Mills transfer, of course we paid over the odds but then most transfers that involve any kind of decent fee

will be over the odds, look at Liverpool and what does he know about how much we could have got him for, mentioning his previous transfer fees is not entirely relevant the football world is awash with similar examples of escalating fees of players performing well for clubs.

I do agree with you dave that this article is negative in it's substance.. However, Claridge shouldn't be shot to pieces for expressing such a view.. The point that I was making is that clagger usually speaks his mind on things. Yes he is a pundit but I don't believe he merely says things for effect. His track record is one of strongly expressing his mind on issues... I hope he's wrong but it's interesting that he feels the need express his reservations. He could have just as easily said he was highly impressed with the new regime and that he feels we will romp the division...Time will tell

and I remain fully behind Sven to get us promoted.

[davieG]

I do agree with you dave that this article is negative in it's substance.. However, Claridge shouldn't be shot to pieces for expressing such a view.. The point that I was making is that clagger usually speaks his mind on things. Yes he is a pundit but I don't believe he merely says things for effect. His track record is one of strongly expressing his mind on issues... I hope he's wrong but it's interesting that he feels the need express his reservations. He could have just as easily said he was highly impressed with the new regime and that he feels we will romp the division...Time will tell

and I remain fully behind Sven to get us promoted.

Or he could have given a balanced intelligent well thought through view but he didn't.

Anyway he's had enough of my attention.

[accessory]

There's nothing wrong with him having an opinion that differs but he could offer more valid justifications than looking at last years hotch potch of loanees, getting a team of what is likely to be 8/9 new players to gel and to gel quickly for a start. I'm sure Sven has learnt much about this league, weren't there figures to show that we performed significantly better the 2nd time we played a team under Sven Claridge takes no account of that. In fact he mentions very little if anything positive about the impact of Sven and our expenditure on our chances it's all one way - negative and that's why I made that statement.

Claridge's quite capable of providing in-depth analysis if need be - he wouldn't have had a column in the Guardian if he wasn't.

Bear in mind that the article which inspired this thread came from the Daily Star - a questionable publication at any time, but especially on football, where a few of the staff are hammers and will obviously have their own agenda about coverage of the Championship. In this instance, as previously noted, they have lifted quotes by Claridge from other sources and twisted them into a full-blown blast at Sven.

I'm sure Claridge will have plenty of opportunities to speak for himself during the coming months.

[lcfcadam]

Oh really? So how come he packed out the 1884 bar for an event last season then? Hundreds of people paid £35 for the chance to be in his company, and that of other City legends such as Walsh and Heskey.

He's a top bloke, and deserves more respect than some people on here give him. Being anti-Sven does not equal being anti-Leicester.

Well actually, I would suggest that being "anti" your team's manager pretty much does equate being "anti" your team, given that football fans are supposed to be the ones who get behind their club (the word "supporter" saying rather a lot...)

Not to say you can't question the manager's decisions, of course that's a natural part of being a fan. But if you're really "anti-sven" before this season's even kicked off and before seeing a minute of proper football, then that's pretty poor support in my opinion.

Going "anti" your manager can only become justified once it becomes clear that he's simply not up to doing the job and someone else is needed (in modern football this state is very rarely achieved because managers are dispensed with as soon as a few matches start going wrong and trigger-happy owners think that a new manager's needed, when in fact giving the current one time would be much more efficient)

You don't have to bum Sven or agree with everything he does, but to say you're "anti-sven" is pretty misguided...

Oh and P.S Claridge deserves respect as a footballer and, from what I hear, as a decent bloke. I'm afraid I'm in agreement with the majority on here in thinking that his punditry / journalistic skills are non-existent...

[stix]

There were quite a few games, even under Sven, where the opposition played us off the park. Swansea, Reading and Ipswich away, plus Norwich at home, come to mind.

In broad terms, this may be true. However there were several players whose confidence and form were not helped by Sven.

Mainly In home matches, though . Some of the away games, even under Sven, were disturbingly close to the depths witnessed during the dire 04-08 era.

But the Championship presents a challenge which is different to any other where Sven has managed. He admits last season was a learning curve for him. The spree he's undertaking this summer is a recognition that the previous squad was inadequate and needed substantial improvement.

Well Claridge is an undisputed expert when it comes to bets. His gambling exploits are even more legendary than his football ones. But if he judges that we are not good enough for promotion, then toys shouldn't be thrown from the pram at him.

While I think his scepticism towards Sven is misplaced, I can understand why he expresses it. There were a lot of high-profile games last season where we failed to do ourselves justice. Only through results this time around will we be able to dispel the doubts about the club and its manager.

This forum is about opinions. Even on here, not everyone will want to bum Sven. If you can't deal with that maybe you should stick to the happy-clappies on the official site.

Two of the promoted sides, the form team in the league and ipswich away? Is that the best you've got? We should of done better at preston,boro and forest away yes; those games were in effect thrown away by us but the games you chose to disprove my point were odd ones.

The players that spat THEIR dummies out when sven arrived all had a chance to impress the same as every other player in the squad. They didnt impress?

Of course this forum is about opinions and i respect everyones. But you also have to respect mine then?! Instead of trying to tear my post apart. the point i was making was that in the article Steve Claridge fails to mention anything at all positive about sven or the team last season. The numbers he talks about are unfounded and i get the general feeling that he just doesnt like sven. Which is fair enough, but at least back his opinions up with the relevant evidence and at least TRY to weigh up the pros & cons before saying he thinks he is shit.

i dont bum sven, i think he has done a reasonable job so far considering where the club were when he came in. he has made a few mistakes regarding loanees and chopping and changing the defence too often but, on the whole, no matter how disappointing it was to miss out on the playoffs i think he has done ok.

Can i have my dummy back now please.

[Nick]

Stevie Claridge has not had a good word to say about LCFC since he became a pundit on 'The Championship' 

[Guest Col city fan]

Stevie Claridge has not had a good word to say about LCFC since he became a pundit on 'The Championship' 

Are you enlightening us with your acumen again nicholas?

[zubi]

Let's see what he says once we are lifting the championship trophy over our heads!