Deeply uninspiring summary so far - brought to you by Captain Shrapnel

[Mark_w]

Why is it wrong to think these guys might not be good enough but OK to make a wild guess that Drinkwater sold afterr being on loan to Championship side,Marshall (sold by an average Prem team because he wasn't good enough), De Laet , sold by a proper Prem team as surplus to requirements and King who has been woeful for the past 2 years, can all step up to be Premiership players 'with luck'

It is laughable and bordering on delusional. I know you all love Leicester City more than me but FFS get real

I think saying that our top scorer (a midfielder) two seasons ago was woeful is laughable and bordering on delusional.

[seenitall]

I think saying that our top scorer (a midfielder) two seasons ago was woeful is laughable and bordering on delusional.

Since we got promoted King has been average. It happens, you need to get out of the past, just because players and manager's abilities fade doesn't mean you can't like and respect them for what went before. Pretending that they still have what made them good when it has clearly disappeared I'm afraid is delusional and a teeny weeny bit sad

[Mark_w]

Since we got promoted King has been average.

15 goals during the Sousa/Sven season when as a team we were pretty average, not only the top scorer but one of our top players. Yeah really average. I'm willing to accept that he had a bad season this year, but does that make a 23 year old who has been one of our stand out performers from the previous three years a bad player?

I don't think so.

[seenitall]

15 goals during the Sousa/Sven season when as a team we were pretty average, not only the top scorer but one of our top players. Yeah really average. I'm willing to accept that he had a bad season this year, but does that make a 23 year old who has been one of our stand out performers from the previous three years a bad player?

I don't think so.

Maybe there is hope, but Premier League quality as you suggest. It will take a comeback of Jesus impact to pull that off in one season

[Mark_w]

Maybe there is hope, but Premier League quality as you suggest. It will take a comeback of Jesus impact to pull that off in one season

I said 'all players who I think could do a decent job in the Premier League in a year or two with a bit of luck'. I'm not saying he already is, but he's only 23 still got a lot of time to improve.

[5waller5]

The simple fact that we are discussing whether Andy King is ready for the premiership tells it all .... deeply uninspiring signings / summer to date. But did anyone expect anything else?

[Mark_w]

The simple fact that we are discussing whether Andy King is ready for the premiership tells it all .... deeply uninspiring signings / summer to date. But did anyone expect anything else?

Most Championship sides would love to have Andy King in their team, we aren't special, we can't just go out and sign 3 Premier League quality central midfielders. Good young Championship players like Marshall, Drinkwater, King, James are the best we are going to be able to get. People really need to be reallistic about the kind of players we can be attracting, the only decent Premier League players who are going to drop down to play for us are people who are in it for the money and aren't going to be giving it their all. We've signed two talented players who were good enough for the Man United academy and one of the top non-league strikers who was attracting attention from our competition, compared to most teams in the Championship we have so far had a pretty good summer.

[5waller5]

Most Championship sides would love to have Andy King in their team, we aren't special, we can't just go out and sign 3 Premier League quality central midfielders. Good young Championship players like Marshall, Drinkwater, King, James are the best we are going to be able to get. People really need to be reallistic about the kind of players we can be attracting, the only decent Premier League players who are going to drop down to play for us are people who are in it for the money and aren't going to be giving it their all. We've signed two talented players who were good enough for the Man United academy and one of the top non-league strikers who was attracting attention from our competition, compared to most teams in the Championship we have so far had a pretty good summer.

Well the club really have succeeded in lowering expectations at least.

I wonder if the Thais bought the club with boredom and no expectations as their ambition.

[Raw Dykes]

Why is it wrong to think these guys might not be good enough but OK to make a wild guess that Drinkwater sold afterr being on loan to Championship side,Marshall (sold by an average Prem team because he wasn't good enough), De Laet , sold by a proper Prem team as surplus to requirements and King who has been woeful for the past 2 years, can all step up to be Premiership players 'with luck'

It is laughable and bordering on delusional. I know you all love Leicester City more than me but FFS get real

I do see where you're coming from - it is irrational to say we have players who can one day play in the PL, but these are young players that should improve. Maybe they won't reach PL level, but they're a long way off their peak yet.

Btw, I don't think Stoke sold Marshall because he wasn't good enough. I'm pretty sure they were desperate to keep hold of him, but he wouldn't sign a new contract as he wanted first team football. They wanted to sell rather than lose him on a Bosman. Also, King was a good player the season before last. I don't think you can write him off yet based on one bad season, when he was unlucky with injuries.

[Mark_w]

Well the club really have succeeded in lowering expectations at least.

I wonder if the Thais bought the club with boredom and no expectations as their ambition.

They haven't lowered my expectations, my expectations were always perfectly sensible, you obviously just have incredibly unrealistic expectations. Delusions of grandeur.

[5waller5]

They haven't lowered my expectations, my expectations were always perfectly sensible, you obviously just have incredibly unrealistic expectations. Delusions of grandeur.

Yes, the richest owners in the league bought the club to languish in mid table and bore their fans.

[Mark_w]

Yes, the richest owners in the league bought the club to languish in mid table and bore their fans.

Hang on has the season started already?

Maybe have a go at Pearson when we actually are languishing in mid table and boring the fans instead of talking bollocks before the season even starts.

[Guest Col city fan]

Most Championship sides would love to have Andy King in their team, we aren't special, we can't just go out and sign 3 Premier League quality central midfielders. Good young Championship players like Marshall, Drinkwater, King, James are the best we are going to be able to get. People really need to be reallistic about the kind of players we can be attracting, the only decent Premier League players who are going to drop down to play for us are people who are in it for the money and aren't going to be giving it their all. We've signed two talented players who were good enough for the Man United academy and one of the top non-league strikers who was attracting attention from our competition, compared to most teams in the Championship we have so far had a pretty good summer.

If what you are saying is true Mark, this differs completely with what Sven did last pre season.

It DOES surely indicate a significant lowering of expectations?

I know FFP is looming up, but we've just shredded an estimated c.30k per week off the wage bill with the Mills sale and a decent sum off with the sale of Bamba.

This should give us at least some movement in the transfer market in terms of wages.

I'm finding it hard to understand the current financial situation. I know we had to begin to save money, but does this suggest we have little money left to pay decent wages for ANYONE else coming in?

It makes me wonder what the likes of Danns, Kasper and Konch must be being paid?

We appear to have gone from riches to rags in the space of one season?

[Mark_w]

If what you are saying is true Mark, this differs completely with what Sven did last pre season.

It DOES surely indicate a significant lowering of expectations?

I know FFP is looming up, but we've just shredded an estimated c.30k per week off the wage bill with the Mills sale and a decent sum off with the sale of Bamba.

This should give us at least some movement in the transfer market in terms of wages.

I'm finding it hard to understand the current financial situation. I know we had to begin to save money, but does this suggest we have little money left to pay decent wages for ANYONE else coming in?

It makes me wonder what the likes of Danns, Kasper and Konch must be being paid?

We appear to have gone from riches to rags in the space of one season?

I think Pearson's style of management is clearly different and I don't think he'd be willing to pay great sums of money for players like Sven. I don't neccessarily think that the money we've spent should alter expectations, Nigel has a different style of management to Sven which revolves, from what I've seen, around bringing in young hungry players who first and foremost have the right attitude. Players who don't have great reputations, and as such aren't as expensive, but that doesn't mean it should lower expectations. Maybe I was wrong to say that expectations haven't been lowered, I guess mine have been raised purely by the fact that we have a manager I believe is capable of getting us promotion.

Your 'We appear to have gone from riches to rags in the space of one season?' arguement is nonsense though, Nigel has sold a couple of players he doesn't want at the club for whatever reason not neccessarily financial. And as you can see in the new stats section (Thanks Mark), we had only spent a few million more pounds this time last year than we have at this stage (Almost all of that was on Mills). How many other Championship clubs have spent £3,000,000 already?

Nigel has a more sensible approach financially anyway, I certainly don't think we have to be panicking about the owners commitment yet.

[Guest Col city fan]

I think Pearson's style of management is clearly different and I don't think he'd be willing to pay great sums of money for players like Sven. I don't neccessarily think that the money we've spent should alter expectations, Nigel has a different style of management to Sven which revolves, from what I've seen, around bringing in young hungry players who first and foremost have the right attitude. Players who don't have great reputations, and as such aren't as expensive, but that doesn't mean it should lower expectations. Maybe I was wrong to say that expectations haven't been lowered, I guess mine have been raised purely by the fact that we have a manager I believe is capable of getting us promotion.

Your 'We appear to have gone from riches to rags in the space of one season?' arguement is nonsense though, Nigel has sold a couple of players he doesn't want at the club for whatever reason not neccessarily financial. And as you can see in the new stats section (Thanks Mark), we had only spent a few million more pounds this time last year than we have at this stage (Almost all of that was on Mills). How many other Championship clubs have spent £3,000,000 already?

Nigel has a more sensible approach financially anyway, I certainly don't think we have to be panicking about the owners commitment yet.

You can't say that it was 'nonsense' and then say 'we had only spent a few more million pounds'!

A few more million pounds at this level is BIG MONEY!......

But the rest of your post is good stuff Mark.

[Dan]

Pantsil - kept out of the team by Peltier - at best a very average right back - and Moore, an untested youngster. Pearson said when he came in that everyone would get a clean slate. Even players he'd 'fallen out with' featured regularly in the side. He's either completely passed it, or there are other reasons why he wasn't in the side. Either way, he will not be remotely missed.

Mills - Shite from his first game to his last. It didn't work out for him under Sven, it didn't work out for him under Pearson. People say he's underrated and seem to be clinging to the idea that, somewhere, deep down, is a class defender - he's not. Another one who is, at best, average. If you add to that his poor disciplinary record and his reported attitude problems then he's another I won't miss. People keep saying 'Pearson can't handle players with attitudes' - good! Bomb those arseholes out of the club. No one man is bigger than the team and I wouldn't want a manager to pander to the players and massage their egos. The boss is the boss, end of story.

Vassell - wasn't bad before his injury, but he's getting on and suffered a serious injury - I trust that Pearson and his staff assessed his fitness, decided he wasn't really up to it anymore and decided not to renew his contract. Another big earner off the books who never really offered much on the pitch. Do you really think Darius Vassell is hungry to pull on that blue shirt every week and give absolutely everything for the cause? I highly doubt it. He's a mercenary and his time in Turkey proved that - he'd go wherever the money was.

Bamba - not a bad defender and obviously a talented footballer, but too unpredictable. How can you build a solid defence around a player who might decide to run off dribbling the ball to the halfway line at any point? His positioning was woeful and he was too much of a risk - he won't be missed.

Give me fewer players like this bunch and replace them with an organised, well-drilled team who know their tactics inside out and are proud to pull on that blue jersey any day of the week.

When you hear De Laet or James interviewed all they talk about is how they can't wait to play for our club. Attitude is everything.

Great post but the last three words let it down a little, attitude will only get you so far, quite far in this league but you need quality as well, it's always the teams with both quality and attitude that go up.

I can't say I am impressed with Pearson's buys so far, and cannot see us with a realistic chance of promotion.

Come next season it will, in my view, be a case of "The mixture as before", with little direction, and no bloody impact,

As others have mentioned, he lacks ability to handle big name players, thus assuming the mantle of a paper tiger

I just cannot see the view one bit of this "fails to handle big name players", handles them better than any manager I've seen for Leicester. And by "big name", do people mean "big ego"? Solano was a bigger name than anyone Pearson's sold for us and he got on here just fine. If you don't work well here, you're gone, why can people not see that as a good thing? Don't get me wrong, there is a sacrifice, Mills isn't awful, but weigh it up and was it seriously worth keeping him? Or Bamba? Or Peltier? Or Vassell.

In-fact Vassell's a topic in itself. All these people who bang on about Pearson making poor signings (before seeing them play) and then whinge when Darius fvcking Vassell is released. A mediocre journeyman who's career is on the slope, not 100% fit, give me a punt on Vardy over renewing Vassell's deal any day of the week.

Why is it wrong to think these guys might not be good enough but OK to make a wild guess that Drinkwater sold afterr being on loan to Championship side,Marshall (sold by an average Prem team because he wasn't good enough), De Laet , sold by a proper Prem team as surplus to requirements and King who has been woeful for the past 2 years, can all step up to be Premiership players 'with luck'

It is laughable and bordering on delusional. I know you all love Leicester City more than me but FFS get real

This is just classic fvcking idiocy.

I don't give a shit anymore, I'm telling anyone now if you're judging players on what they've done for other sides and not us then you're a complete idiot and haven't got a fvcking clue at all. By that I mean Ben Marshall, oh sold by Stoke, lets have that linger over him the rest of his career, lets half-celebrate a 35 yard rocket because we all know he's shit really because he got released by Stoke. Lets slag off De Laet, James and Drinkwater because they couldn't get in ahead of Scholes or Vidic. Lets worship Beckford's record at Everton & Leeds even though for us he'd been absolute crap (people who think he did well last year have got absolutely no leg to stand on when criticising any lack of ambition/expectation).

Well that needed saying.

[Mark_w]

You can't say that it was 'nonsense' and then say 'we had only spent a few more million pounds'!

A few more million pounds at this level is BIG MONEY!......

But the rest of your post is good stuff Mark.

It's really not though, if we were to say sign Chester tommorow for £3M like we are being linked to then we are on a par with last season at this time. As I say the vast majority of that was on Mills, and we are all in agreement that we overpaid for him, all I'm saying is we've still spent an awful lot given how much of the window is gone so you can't say that the owners aren't investing any more money into the club.

[Babylon]

It's really not though, if we were to say sign Chester tommorow for £3M like we are being linked to then we are on a par with last season at this time. As I say the vast majority of that was on Mills, and we are all in agreement that we overpaid for him, all I'm saying is we've still spent an awful lot given how much of the window is gone so you can't say that the owners aren't investing any more money into the club.

The club is being sensible, we're neither "rags nor riches". Since Pearson went to Hull any balance went well and truely out the window, we couldn't carry on like that. The owners are not the "richest in the league" and they aren't stupid, they know it needed reigning in a bit because of different factors including FFP on the horizon.

We've shifted huge sums out since Christmas in wages, and a few quid from fees also, that's freed up what we've spent this summer.

There might be a few decent signings to come, but it's likely they will coincide with an out here and there as we aren't going to collect players like stickers this year.

Expectations for some fans may be lower, but they are now where they should be. People got carried away last year expecting us to walk the league.

[jonthefox]

You can't say that it was 'nonsense' and then say 'we had only spent a few more million pounds'!

A few more million pounds at this level is BIG MONEY!......

But the rest of your post is good stuff Mark.

Not forgetting the investment we made last season.

[indierich06]

Great post but the last three words let it down a little, attitude will only get you so far, quite far in this league but you need quality as well, it's always the teams with both quality and attitude that go up.

Oh yeah, quality is a given - I would never expect the club to sign players who weren't good enough to play for the side! I think sometimes though, you can have players who have less quality, but with the right attitude they can perform very well. If you look at the defence we had for Pearson's first season back in the Championship - Morrison, Hobbs, Brown, Berner - it's not a backline packed with quality, but that defence was better than any combination we've had since then and that's because they were organised, dedicated and - most of all - they all had a very good attitude.

Obviously quality is absolutely paramount, but attitude is definitely second to that.

[flowwolf]

Personally I am really looking forward for the season to start, simply because the players who have had come in so far are an unknown quantity to most of us. We have no idea what they will play like together ( neither do they ) but they are young and ambitious and if nothing else will be a complete contrast to last years players.

I'm sure there will be a couple more additions before the kick off , so if nothing else it will be very interesting to see how it all pans out.

Until we see how they play I can't see any reason to be either negative or positive , it's far to early for the boo boys and equally far to early to get excited. What will be will be lets just look forward to it.

[Babylon]

Personally I am really looking forward for the season to start, simply because the players who have had come in so far are an unknown quantity to most of us. We have no idea what they will play like together ( neither do they ) but they are young and ambitious and if nothing else will be a complete contrast to last years players.

I'm sure there will be a couple more additions before the kick off , so if nothing else it will be very interesting to see how it all pans out.

Until we see how they play I can't see any reason to be either negative or positive , it's far to early for the boo boys and equally far to early to get excited. What will be will be lets just look forward to it.

What he just said.

[reynard]

People need to give these players a chance. Yes paying 1m for a non league player is a gamble as is 2m for two Man utd reserves one of who has been out injured quite a lot. However, they may turn out to be really good.

I remember us signing a certain Alan Smith from Alvechurch and thinking hmm? well he turned out to be pretty decent for us.

What matters ultimately is that they have the desire to pull on the blue shirt each week and give 100% to the team coupled with having enough ability and fitness to thrive in the championship.

Signing big names doesn't really seem to be the way Pearson likes to go so I'm not expceting any headline grabbing signings between now and the start of the season but I am expecting one or two more departures and two or three replacement who may even be season long loans.

Life is full of options and if you don't like how this is going then there are alternative ways to spending a Saturday afternoon.

[Master Fox]

There might be a few decent signings to come

I hope so, or it's mid table again for us.

[Babylon]

I hope so, or it's mid table again for us.

Unless the new signings have improved the team already.