foxhateram's Optimistic Bus

[Aus Fox]

I am genuinely excited for the season ahead, we have got as good a starting X1 as anyone outside the top 4 from last season. 
When everyone is fit we will do well, if we can either add a CB or Benk/Knight step up for the first 3 games and as back up beyond that.

JJ is a more than able replacement for Ricardo, and I am excited to watch Thomas grow this season.

A misfiled trio of Ndid, Tielemans and Madison is exciting and those players are all young and still developing.

If Barnes adds finishing to his game and Vardy can bag 15-20 again we have a chance of being up there in the top 6 again.

Add a Barnes type player on the right and we have an excellent squad. 
Our depth isn’t terrible with Iheanacho, Perez, Grey, KDH, Praet to come in, a CB and another full back away from being good enough to cover all areas.

 

[ozleicester]

3 hours ago, Aus Fox said:

I am genuinely excited for the season ahead, we have got as good a starting X1 as anyone outside the top 4 from last season. 
When everyone is fit we will do well, if we can either add a CB or Benk/Knight step up for the first 3 games and as back up beyond that.

JJ is a more than able replacement for Ricardo, and I am excited to watch Thomas grow this season.

A misfiled trio of Ndid, Tielemans and Madison is exciting and those players are all young and still developing.

If Barnes adds finishing to his game and Vardy can bag 15-20 again we have a chance of being up there in the top 6 again.

Add a Barnes type player on the right and we have an excellent squad. 
Our depth isn’t terrible with Iheanacho, Perez, Grey, KDH, Praet to come in, a CB and another full back away from being good enough to cover all areas.

 

Thanks, this has cheered me a little... im on the bus (but staying close to the emergency exit   )

[katieakita]

You follow your club through good and  bad times. At my age there has been more bad than good so however bad people think finishing 5th above the likes of Arsenal, Spurs,Everton & West Ham is a reality check is probably in order. Some of these teams have spent hundreds of millions trying to get into the top 4. We have normally invested wisely Vichai said in one of his very few interviews we would aim for top 6. He was always more of a man of actions than words and this claim was out with the SFE and Indykhalla tweets for credible claims. He delivered and his son has promised to deliver his Father's dreams. A £100 million investment in a state of the art training facility underlines that and if I ever doubt our club and owners I have a glance to see how our nearest and dearest Forest and Derby are doing as both of our near neighbours consider themselves on a par with us. Foxes never quit 

Edited 30 August 2020 by katieakita
Typo

[Raw Dykes]

There is a lot of doom and gloom on the forum at the moment, and it is understandable, given the 2nd half collapse of last season, the number of key players unavailable, the lack of communication from the club, and the total lack of signings so far this summer.

 

I don't believe things are all that bad. I'm not saying it won't be a rough start to the season, because there's a good chance it could be. However, the first XI with everyone fit is still very strong. We've seen what they're capable of, and with the average age still being so low, another year's experience will only help matters. As fitness improves and injuries and suspensions clear up, I reckon we could get back to 2019 form as we get into the season.

 

It's hard to know what to expect from the pandemic-affected transfer window, but there's not much point in worrying about this yet. There's still over a month before deadline day. It would have been nice to have had a few players in by now, but I think it's likely that most selling clubs will still be hoping for pre-COVID fees for their players. I think there's a good chance they will have to accept less as the deadline approaches. When enough clubs blink, we should see a lot more activity. I think we might be waiting in order to get the most out of our budget closer to the deadline.

 

Who knows? At some point in October, we could have a full bill of health and 3 or 4 new faces in the squad. Perhaps also seen a couple of impressive cameos by academy players. This could be a breakthrough season for someone like Thomas, Dewsbury-Hall or Tavares.

 

Let's not forget we're playing in Europe again. The new state-of-the-art training ground could well be a shot in the arm to the squad when it's completed, as well.

[HighPeakFox]

28 minutes ago, katieakita said:

You follow your club through good and  bad times. At my age there has been more bad than good so however bad people think finishing 5th above the likes of Arsenal, Spurs,Everton & West Ham is a reality check is probably in order. Some of these teams have spent hundreds of millions trying to get into the top 4. We have normally invested wisely Vichai said in one of his very few interviews we would aim for top 6. He was always more of a man of actions than words and this claim was out with the SFE and Indykhalla tweets for credible claims. He delivered and his son has promised to deliver his Father's dreams. A £100 million investment in a state of the art training facility undermines that and if I ever doubt our club and owners I have a glance to see how our nearest and dearest Forest and Derby are doing as both of our near neighbours consider themselves on a par with us. Foxes never quit 

Lovely sentiment, but I think you probably meant either underlines or underpins...

[coolhandfox]

One a two decent signing can change a side completely, just look at Man U and the Fernandes effect. 

 

If we can get a quality fullback and an attacking player I think we will be fine!

[Happy Fox]

3 minutes ago, coolhandfox said:

One a two decent signing can change a side completely, just look at Man U and the Fernandes effect. 

 

If we can get a quality fullback and an attacking player I think we will be fine!

Fully agreed quality over quantity every time. For us 2 first team signings players that can come into the first team is a must (LB and RW) rather than a squad player

[volpeazzurro]

15 minutes ago, coolhandfox said:

One a two decent signing can change a side completely, just look at Man U and the Fernandes effect. 

 

If we can get a quality fullback and an attacking player I think we will be fine!

I'm afraid I have to disagree. 

 

Just watched Liverpool v Arsenal in charity shield, good fast paced football. Arsenal will be a force again next year I think under Arteta. I think without considerable change we're going to struggle . Yes, we need some players but it's more than that, it's style of play. We started well lasting year with slick, pacey and pressing football ... until Rodgers insisted on his now very outmoded slow build up from the back philosophy. Managers learned how to counter that several seasons ago after the Barcelona revolution. Rodgers was probably oblivious to this as he was plying his same philosophy in Scotland but even then, though still winning with far superior players, he was gradually getting found out, teams were gradually catching up and he moved at the right time.

 

Pre-season friendlies despite what fans think, are usually more about minutes under the belt than winning, yet after only a short time off, players are ahead in fitness terms this year. To those watching Leicester v Sheffield Wednesday yesterday however, some of the same old same old was occurring. Yes, the nil nil draw against a poor nearly relegated Championship side is not the end of the world but, the same style of play which, could have easily led to a better finishing team scoring 4 past us is a concern. It won't matter if we buy a new left back, centre half, winger and forward, it we persist with this style, it will ruin us.

[lcfc_forever]

39 minutes ago, Raw Dykes said:

There is a lot of doom and gloom on the forum at the moment, and it is understandable, given the 2nd half collapse of last season, the number of key players unavailable, the lack of communication from the club, and the total lack of signings so far this summer.

 

I don't believe things are all that bad. I'm not saying it won't be a rough start to the season, because there's a good chance it could be. However, the first XI with everyone fit is still very strong. We've seen what they're capable of, and with the average age still being so low, another year's experience will only help matters. As fitness improves and injuries and suspensions clear up, I reckon we could get back to 2019 form as we get into the season.

 

It's hard to know what to expect from the pandemic-affected transfer window, but there's not much point in worrying about this yet. There's still over a month before deadline day. It would have been nice to have had a few players in by now, but I think it's likely that most selling clubs will still be hoping for pre-COVID fees for their players. I think there's a good chance they will have to accept less as the deadline approaches. When enough clubs blink, we should see a lot more activity. I think we might be waiting in order to get the most out of our budget closer to the deadline.

 

Who knows? At some point in October, we could have a full bill of health and 3 or 4 new faces in the squad. Perhaps also seen a couple of impressive cameos by academy players. This could be a breakthrough season for someone like Thomas, Dewsbury-Hall or Tavares.

 

Let's not forget we're playing in Europe again. The new state-of-the-art training ground could well be a shot in the arm to the squad when it's completed, as well.

Couldn't agree more. 

 

It's been frustrating coming to the transfer forum and seeing so little activity.

 

But when you think about the players that we've been linked to by informed sources (e.g. Fabrizio Romano and Rob Tanner) - Gosens, Tagliafico and Trincao - it's reassuring to see the club is going after high quality players who will improve the team. 

 

Only Man City and Chelsea have spent heavily during this window, and we still have a strong first XI. We've done excellent transfer business since the summer window of the 2016/2017 season, and a lot of lessons were learnt from that. 

 

With a world-leading new training ground and European football to come, backed by a sustainable financial model, only a handful of clubs would not swap places with us if they had the choice. 

Edited 30 August 2020 by lcfc_forever

[HighPeakFox]

17 minutes ago, volpeazzurro said:

I'm afraid I have to disagree. 

 

Just watched Liverpool v Arsenal in charity shield, good fast paced football. Arsenal will be a force again next year I think under Arteta. I think without considerable change we're going to struggle . Yes, we need some players but it's more than that, it's style of play. We started well lasting year with slick, pacey and pressing football ... until Rodgers insisted on his now very outmoded slow build up from the back philosophy. Managers learned how to counter that several seasons ago after the Barcelona revolution. Rodgers was probably oblivious to this as he was plying his same philosophy in Scotland but even then, though still winning with far superior players, he was gradually getting found out, teams were gradually catching up and he moved at the right time.

 

Pre-season friendlies despite what fans think, are usually more about minutes under the belt than winning, yet after only a short time off, players are ahead in fitness terms this year. To those watching Leicester v Sheffield Wednesday yesterday however, some of the same old same old was occurring. Yes, the nil nil draw against a poor nearly relegated Championship side is not the end of the world but, the same style of play which, could have easily led to a better finishing team scoring 4 past us is a concern. It won't matter if we buy a new left back, centre half, winger and forward, it we persist with this style, it will ruin us.

All points respectfully taken, but to be balanced, the corollary to the bolded section is that a slightly more confident, calmer version of us could have easily led to us scoring 4 past them. I only saw the last 30 minutes and I saw numerous excellent chances created by us in that time. Finish those and the performance looks very different.

 

I still think what I've thought for ages (and not dismissing what you said - you do make fair points) - that a lot of people allow the results/lack of goals/poor finishing & decision making near goal to cloud their judgement of the overall picture. Once we lost our midas touch in front of goal (plus two twattings at Christmas time), confidence dropped and everything went from there.

[volpeazzurro]

12 minutes ago, HighPeakFox said:

All points respectfully taken, but to be balanced, the corollary to the bolded section is that a slightly more confident, calmer version of us could have easily led to us scoring 4 past them. I only saw the last 30 minutes and I saw numerous excellent chances created by us in that time. Finish those and the performance looks very different.

 

I still think what I've thought for ages (and not dismissing what you said - you do make fair points) - that a lot of people allow the results/lack of goals/poor finishing & decision making near goal to cloud their judgement of the overall picture. Once we lost our midas touch in front of goal (plus two twattings at Christmas time), confidence dropped and everything went from there.

I absolutely agree that with a little more calmness, we too could have scored 4 plus and to be honest, the result is somewhat irrelevant. I do think supporters get a bit too het up about preseason friendlies. It was the overall performance though.

 

I don't think our demise since before Christmas was purely a confidence or injury issue though, albeit that they would both in fairness have been contributory factors. Many clubs suffered at the hands of Liverpool and Manchester City but didn't subsequently have a massive collapse. Southampton in particular got walloped 9 nil by us yet beat us on their return and finished the season strongly. Perennial survivors Burnley also looked like relegation fodder but found some confidence and form from somwhere despite injuries. 

 

Man City and Liverpool, whilst you could perhap reasonably expect to lose to, wasn't helped by Rodgers poor tactical approach if indeed there were any tactics. His tinkering against Southampton, a team we'd beaten 9 zip was both unnecessary and possibly micromanaging to the endth egotistical degree. Norwich also springs to mind, these losses were nothing to do with injuries or confidence and were warning signs.

 

The long lay off gave Rodgers, the supposed master man manager and communicator, time to regroup and revitalise his troops. With the exception of Ricardo, we still had a very strong side. He failed to do so. His tactics and substitutions at times were bizarre and he often looked clueless if plan A, seemingly his only plan, failed to work. 

 

He needs to equally take a long hard look at himself as well as his players because our demise was, just in my opinion, equally down to him and not just our players. At the very end I do admit that any team forced to play with 3 out of 4 first choice defenders is going to struggle massively and is not the managers fault but this was, as I say, only towards the very end when the damage had already been done. 

[HighPeakFox]

1 minute ago, volpeazzurro said:

I absolutely agree that with a little more calmness, we too could have scored 4 plus and to be honest, the result is somewhat irrelevant. I do think supporters get a bit too het up about preseason friendlies. It was the overall performance though.

 

I don't think our demise since before Christmas was purely a confidence or injury issue though, albeit that they would both in fairness have been contributory factors. Many clubs suffered at the hands of Liverpool and Manchester City but didn't subsequently have a massive collapse. Southampton in particular got walloped 9 nil by us yet beat us on their return and finished the season strongly. Perennial survivors Burnley also looked like relegation fodder but found some confidence and form from somwhere despite injuries. 

 

Man City and Liverpool, whilst you could perhap reasonably expect to lose to, wasn't helped by Rodgers poor tactical approach if indeed there were any tactics. His tinkering against Southampton, a team we'd beaten 9 zip was both unnecessary and possibly micromanaging to the endth egotistical degree. Norwich also springs to mind, these losses were nothing to do with injuries or confidence and were warning signs.

 

The long lay off gave Rodgers, the supposed master man manager and communicator, time to regroup and revitalise his troops. With the exception of Ricardo, we still had a very strong side. He failed to do so. His tactics and substitutions at times were bizarre and he often looked clueless if plan A, seemingly his only plan, failed to work. 

 

He needs to equally take a long hard look at himself as well as his players because our demise was, just in my opinion, equally down to him and not just our players. At the very end I do admit that any team forced to play with 3 out of 4 first choice defenders is going to struggle massively and is not the managers fault but this was, as I say, only towards the very end when the damage had already been done. 

It's a lot easier to take this argument seriously when it is put so thoughtfully. I have plenty of time for what you've said here, and it is down to how you've chosen to write it. I wish more people in the 'concerned' camp could be so erudite.

[volpeazzurro]

9 minutes ago, HighPeakFox said:

It's a lot easier to take this argument seriously when it is put so thoughtfully. I have plenty of time for what you've said here, and it is down to how you've chosen to write it. I wish more people in the 'concerned' camp could be so erudite.

Thanks,  but I'm not immune from the occasional over emotional ill thought out rant 🤣🤣 .

I think it's because we all care and feel an attachment to our club, one that many players perhaps won't because in fairness to them, it's their actual job. I'm sure quite a few of them do care plenty though and strive to do their best. It's easy for me to criticise Rodgers as I haven't got his pressures but he does make me nervous. He reminds me sometimes of certain people you've known at work who talk a very good story, who are very popular because of what they say but, when you really analyse what they are actually doing and have previously achieved, you're just left with the talk. Only time will tell but in the meantime, I wish him well because if he does do well, we're all happy. 

[HighPeakFox]

3 minutes ago, volpeazzurro said:

Thanks,  but I'm not immune from the occasional over emotional ill thought out rant 🤣🤣 .

I think it's because we all care and feel an attachment to our club, one that many players perhaps won't because in fairness to them, it's their actual job. I'm sure quite a few of them do care plenty though and strive to do their best. It's easy for me to criticise Rodgers as I haven't got his pressures but he does make me nervous. He reminds me sometimes of certain people you've known at work who talk a very good story, who are very popular because of what they say but, when you really analyse what they are actually doing and have previously achieved, you're just left with the talk. Only time will tell but in the meantime, I wish him well because if he does do well, we're all happy. 

Again, all points taken. I know what you mean, I also feel the same about some of the more 'confident' posters here. Noisy when they're sure they're right, invisible and unaccountable when found not to be so. A bit like certain politicians - but let's not go there.

[Guest SO1]

15 hours ago, HighPeakFox said:

Again, all points taken. I know what you mean, I also feel the same about some of the more 'confident' posters here. Noisy when they're sure they're right, invisible and unaccountable when found not to be so. A bit like certain politicians - but let's not go there.

I know it's not the right definition but the word 'mansplaning' seems apt. Glad I'm not the only one. Some of us don't have the writing skills to match the spoken word. Defending a position on this forum is just not worth the time or effort. Great for me as it gets me back to the reason I came here in the first place. Watching football/an idea and how it's created.

[Raw Dykes]

It looks like we've finally made our first signing of the season.

 

Great news if true, (which I'm sure it is) not only because it fills a hole in the squad, but also because it dispels all the myths about us being flat out broke or refusing to back Rodgers any further.

[peach0000]

Anyone else really excited about the number of academy products that are coming through. We've had Chilwell, Barnes and Choudhury who have had success in the first team. Now Thomas, KDH and Taveres look like they could break through. Through all my time supporting the club all we've managed from memory to bring through is Moore, Schlupp, King and Gradel who have had varying impacts on the club and the game as a whole. The players we bring through now just seem another level to that kind of player and that is properly exciting. Especially when we are producing 50/60/70 million pound players for nothing.

[Raw Dykes]

52 minutes ago, peach0000 said:

Anyone else really excited about the number of academy products that are coming through. We've had Chilwell, Barnes and Choudhury who have had success in the first team. Now Thomas, KDH and Taveres look like they could break through. Through all my time supporting the club all we've managed from memory to bring through is Moore, Schlupp, King and Gradel who have had varying impacts on the club and the game as a whole. The players we bring through now just seem another level to that kind of player and that is properly exciting. Especially when we are producing 50/60/70 million pound players for nothing.

I am. Very much so.

 

I think it can be too easy to forget that not only are we producing our own (and England's) players, but we're doing it while we're competing with the elite few clubs in perhaps the strongest league on the planet. That's no mean feat. That means any players we produce have had to jump over a pretty high bar.

 

I wonder if the new training ground could become a legendary academy. 

[peach0000]

11 minutes ago, Raw Dykes said:

I am. Very much so.

 

I think it can be too easy to forget that not only are we producing our own (and England's) players, but we're doing it while we're competing with the elite few clubs in perhaps the strongest league on the planet. That's no mean feat. That means any players we produce have had to jump over a pretty high bar.

 

I wonder if the new training ground could become a legendary academy. 

Exactly, it's improved unrecognisably in the last 5 years or so and with a new state of the art training ground it is only going to get better. Exciting stuff!

[Angus Scott]

On 30/08/2020 at 09:01, volpeazzurro said:

I'm afraid I have to disagree. 

 

Just watched Liverpool v Arsenal in charity shield, good fast paced football. Arsenal will be a force again next year I think under Arteta. I think without considerable change we're going to struggle . Yes, we need some players but it's more than that, it's style of play. We started well lasting year with slick, pacey and pressing football ... until Rodgers insisted on his now very outmoded slow build up from the back philosophy. Managers learned how to counter that several seasons ago after the Barcelona revolution. Rodgers was probably oblivious to this as he was plying his same philosophy in Scotland but even then, though still winning with far superior players, he was gradually getting found out, teams were gradually catching up and he moved at the right time.

 

Pre-season friendlies despite what fans think, are usually more about minutes under the belt than winning, yet after only a short time off, players are ahead in fitness terms this year. To those watching Leicester v Sheffield Wednesday yesterday however, some of the same old same old was occurring. Yes, the nil nil draw against a poor nearly relegated Championship side is not the end of the world but, the same style of play which, could have easily led to a better finishing team scoring 4 past us is a concern. It won't matter if we buy a new left back, centre half, winger and forward, it we persist with this style, it will ruin us.

Excellent post which I entirely agree with.

 

Just watch us early last season, especially Southampton & Villa away. Fantastic vibrant fast attacking football, we could have scored 20 in those 2 games alone. There was no way then that we were not going to finish in the top 4. Where that all disappeared to or why I have no idea, but if we continue to play slow & ponderous football like we did since January it is going to be a long hard winter

[zealot]

22 hours ago, peach0000 said:

Anyone else really excited about the number of academy products that are coming through. We've had Chilwell, Barnes and Choudhury who have had success in the first team. Now Thomas, KDH and Taveres look like they could break through. Through all my time supporting the club all we've managed from memory to bring through is Moore, Schlupp, King and Gradel who have had varying impacts on the club and the game as a whole. The players we bring through now just seem another level to that kind of player and that is properly exciting. Especially when we are producing 50/60/70 million pound players for nothing.

THIS!

We lost out last year on top-four because we just didn't have EXPERIENCED strength in depth defensively to cope after losing 3/4 of our back four to injury or suspension.

We have excellent strength in depth in terms of youth though.

This means it takes time for them to build creative confidence, game management and captaincy-like organisational skills that other richer clubs can just buy someone in for...

I'm loving where we are at the moment and academy prospects bode well for the future but we have to be patient with them and this team. They should not be expected to come in all guns blazing and tear teams up during their first games this season - they'll need time and patience from fans.

I'd be happy with another season of slowly building this year pissing off the London clubs enough that one or two of them finish below us. We are not going to win title (I know it's happened before and it was glorious) next season nor prob finish in top three but we still have super strong chance of being 4th-5th and I'd take that while we give are talented youngsters a chance to gain game-time and build on what should be remembered as a great season (one of the best in the club's history surely) last year.

 

[urban fox]

I too am optimistic for the forthcoming campaign. Whilst i accept many of @volpeazzurro points which are well made and balanced as opposed to the brainless rants of many of the doom and gloom merchants, i think we have what it takes to mount another serious assault on the top 6 again this time around.  We have just, or so it appears, signed a quality versatile player, who the detractors seem to forget is in the squad of one of the highest ranked international sides (who we also have two other members of on the books).  I also believe that  our business is not finished yet this window and that we will see more new faces.  This transfer window is a strange one with quarantines, buying clubs unwilling or unable to splash the cash (apart from the usual suspects) and selling clubs desperate not to lose their assets to the encircling sharks (possibly ourselves included) at knock down prices. Players themselves will also likely be nervous of uprooting families etc. in these uncertain times.

I do agree however, that we need to re-find that swagger and directness that we had throughout 2019 when we were ripping teams apart for fun. I have no problem playing out from the back and building but we do need to do it a bit quicker and mix it up a little. One thing i would like to see more often is us swapping wingers, and possibly midfielders (especially like to see YT in more advanced positions) to keep opposing teams guessing where different players are going to pop up.

All in all though, we DO have the talent, when everyone is fit and on top of their game to compete at the right end of the table. Lets not forget we have a multitude of international players, last seasons golden boot winner, a seriously good senior management set up (if Carlsberg made football club owners....) and a new state of the art training ground almost complete. 

There is plenty to be optimistic about and that is something totally different to entitlement, that some on here seem to think that we should have (Even if we actually signed Messi, Suarez, et al there would be moaners complaining that they are too old, past it, too expensive and so on).

We are LCFC, we do not do things the easy way and there is nothing certain in football. We are in better shape than we have ever been as a club so just enjoy the ride.

[Guest SO1]

Damn Mr.Foxhateram this is a great thread. A breath of fresh air and a good place to come hang out. Thank you.

[StriderHiryu]

Regarding slow / ponderous football versus quick interchange, it's not possible to play the quick interchange all the time. If you do that, you run a massive risk on the turnover, so top teams need to have a balance of keeping the ball *and* pressing the ball / playing it quickly. Case in point, European Champions Bayern Munich who had 60% of the ball versus PSG but whom also pressed high, held a high defensive like and play the ball through a quick and slick interchange where possible. Even then, they got caught out a few times and could have conceded. But generally speaking the control they had in all of their Champions League games was phenomenal. They know when to keep it to tire out the opposition, when to speed up the play, and even when to go direct to put Coman / Gnabry / Perisic one-on-one versus an attacking fullback.

 

The reason why we look slow and laboured is because our players are inexperienced and don't understand (yet) how to influence the flow of the match. Keeping the ball and moving it side to side isn't a bad tactic per se as you are shifting the opposition defensive block around. But you have to know when to go for the jugular after you've done that for a bit, and when to speed up the play and make the decisive pass. For Bayern, Thiago was brilliant at this and in our own division, KDB is a master of the same game understanding. For the most part Rodgers is not trying to deliberately slow us down as it's something he talks about after almost every game. The one exception to this was against Bournemouth away where we were moving the ball around brilliantly, but he then decided to slow the game down and replace Nacho for Praet, the idea being to hit them on the break because they were desperate for points. But that backfired spectacularly that day as we all know.

 

Hopefully the understanding will come with time. Tielemans and Maddison get it, but they need to direct the game so the rest of the team follow their flow. They also need to cut out poor passing errors as in many games we drop points in it's because we collectively can't seem to string together more than 4 passes!

[Fox92]

On 01/09/2020 at 10:47, peach0000 said:

Anyone else really excited about the number of academy products that are coming through. We've had Chilwell, Barnes and Choudhury who have had success in the first team. Now Thomas, KDH and Taveres look like they could break through. Through all my time supporting the club all we've managed from memory to bring through is Moore, Schlupp, King and Gradel who have had varying impacts on the club and the game as a whole. The players we bring through now just seem another level to that kind of player and that is properly exciting. Especially when we are producing 50/60/70 million pound players for nothing.

Chilwell and Barnes yeah but Choudhury is nothing special. Hopefully Thomas will come on well but there's a few years in him yet.

 

Don't forget Stearman also. He had a good PL career with Wolves after leaving us.