A Blessing In Disguise?

[Jace]

This isn't me getting ahead of myself.

But does anyone think losing to Watford was a blessing in disguise?

We weren't guaranteed to have beat palace had we have got there and would we have been ready for the Prem last season?

We've had the chance to learn from our mistakes and come back as a stronger unit, playing better football with a settled squad that is being built for the premiership.

I know there's still a long way to go but I'll even admit things are looking promising for us.

Or can this not be answered until May and even further on, this time next year?

I agree completely, will be going up much stronger this season hopefully

[foxfanazer]

That Deeney goal has pretty much served as our team talk for this season. The pain from it gas installed a hunger and ruthlessness in the side that wasn't there last season. For this we are a much more dangerous opposition

[Guest Col city fan]

That Deeney goal has pretty much served as our team talk for this season. The pain from it gas installed a hunger and ruthlessness in the side that wasn't there last season. For this we are a much more dangerous opposition

I doubt it mate to be honest. For me, our success this season has been down to:

1. Pearson's (and his staff's) man-management.

2. The squad a year on, now more experienced.

3. Realising Vardy's potential

4. Dropping King for James.

Don't forget, we weren't doing brilliantly before Christmas. I posted a thread asking where we think we would finish this season and very few, if memory serves me rightly, said top two. That must have been the feeling at the time (early December ish). Since then, Nige has gotten his team selection and his tactics pretty much spot on.

[MC Prussian]

As gutting as it was last May, it certainly taught many players a valuable lesson.

The defeat brought everybody together as a unit and you can sense that this season - everyone is playing for each other.

Especially the younger players, in particular Knockaert, have taken the criticism to heart.

I think from what I've seen so far, he's much more developed into a real team player and only rarely does selfish things any longer.

 

Watford 2013 could've led to a negative spiral, but the management has to be applauded as being professional enough to guide the squad in the right direction and channel the frustration and disappointment of the playoff defeat into a positive attitude and instruct all individuals to work on their respective deficiencies.

 

This team has little flaws and makes a lot less mistakes than previously. We're hard to break down, pass it around nicely and create a lot of chances up front.

And it's paying off.

 

Long may it continue.

[foxfanazer]

I doubt it mate to be honest. For me, our success this season has been down to:

1. Pearson's (and his staff's) man-management.

2. The squad a year on, now more experienced.

3. Realising Vardy's potential

4. Dropping King for James.

Don't forget, we weren't doing brilliantly before Christmas. I posted a thread asking where we think we would finish this season and very few, if memory serves me rightly, said top two. That must have been the feeling at the time (early December ish). Since then, Nige has gotten his team selection and his tactics pretty much spot on.

I don't think it's the main reason but I do think it hurt a lot of these players and they want to make amends. Pearson in particular has developed so much this season. He has proven that he isn't too stubborn to change his ways.

Then you have players like Vardy and Drinkwater who many had written off that are now two of our most important players.

[Bert]

Try harder Bert. What does that even mean?

As I said, which of the squads promoted last season are playing pretty much the teams they finished last season with?

Pearson might be different granted. He might want to play the bulk of this season's squad, next season if we go up. But its rare that this happens.

And it still doesn't mean it was good that we didn't go up last season. Of course it wasn't. You're basing your argument on expecting that we've pretty much built a squad capable of staying up next season. Well as I said, many made the same argument of Cardiff.

Maybe you just didn't read the initial post properly then. For a start my post wasn't an "argument" it was more of a musing.

Especially the last line that says "or maybe this can't be answered until May or even this time next year".

You've turned something that I thought was a pretty simple thing to ask into a mountain out of a molehill.

No need to get so defensive about it all either.

[shade]

No.

This type of post makes no sense. The aim last season was promotion. If we would have gone up, none of us would have had the faintest clue who we might have signed, the formation we'd have played etc. This is just mere speculation. What is fact however is that we would have been playing in the Prem with all the riches that brings. A year earlier...

Look at the current Prem table. Many last season claimed that Cardiff would be better off for having built their squad up over time before they got promoted. Well they are currently second from bottom having sacked the very same manager that took them up! So that theory didnt hold did it.

No. The aim for years has been promotion. I'm very much of the opinion that you get promoted, then build a squad fit for the Premiership, around what you have already, granted, but with important additions.

So no, it wasnt a blessing in disguise. Primarily because you have no idea what Nige would have done to keep us up.

Look at it this way. Which of the three squads who were promoted last season look anything much like they were last season? Answer... none of them really. Perhaps the closest, until a couple of days ago, was Cardiff and they were doing the worst of the three.

incorrect.

"Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength." - Arnold Schwarzenegger

that is what this group of players now have.

[Captain...]

It's impossible to know what would have happened had Knocky buried that penalty, we could be ahead of Man United in the Premier League right now if Knocky had scored. Or we could be rooted to the bottom threatening Derby's record. We could have 11 completely different players, a massive wage bill and a squad of mercenaries.

 

To speculate, I think promotion last season would have probably been too early for James, Drinkwater, RDL and definitely too early for Moore and Vardy now we are in a  much better position to go up, we have players that know each others games inside out and have partnerships all over the pitch. Should we get promoted it will be NP's most important transfer window ever, so many mistakes can be made.

 

As for the manner of out defeat last season, I think that was more of a catalyst than if we had just continued to fade away and didn't make the play-offs, it has given us some added drive and motivation, but not just that Deeney goal, I think a lot of lessons have been learnt about the way we fell away last season.

 

Ultimately we are where we are, and everything, Holloway, League One, Kermogant, Sousa, Sven, Deeney, has led to us being where we are right now. 

[Bayfox]

People always say this but never seem to come up with a good reason why.

That was 6 years ago, our fortunes have taken a while to recover. It's not like we shot through the leagues and now sit midtable in the Prem. In 6 years we could have been in the Premiership already had we not gone down. We certainly wouldn't still have Holloway if that's what you're thinking.

As for last season, I don't think we'll ever be able to answer that question. Who knows how things would have turned out if we'd have scraped through the play-offs and gone up last season? We could be having a great season in the top flight or rooted to the bottom.

I just know that it will be a footnote on our history if we go up this season. It was horrible at the time but the memories are fading fast!

For me the relegation put an end to 10 years of struggling, we had gone from one disaster to another, bringing in player after player and still be well average at best, despite it hurting at the time, I think we needed it.

It gave us a chance to start again, new manager, new mentality, a winning mentality, we starting playing some football again, I know it was at a lower level, but it gave us a start.

That was followed up by getting into the play-offs the following year, who knows what would have happened if Pearson had hung about.

The biggest thing that followed was Sven, it may have taken 6 years in total to get where we are now, but had Pearson been the manager for that whole time, he may well have already got us over the line.

Last season was horrible for different reasons, the choke around feb, but the effort and courage we showed to even get in the play-offs, showed we still had something about us, ok it didn't work as we would have hoped, but I think we are a better club and side for it.

NP clearly learnt something from it and has tried to fix what he saw as being wrong. DD and Knocky seem better players for the whole events.

Vardyhas improved immensely, for me in hindsight which is easy to say, if we go up this year we are a better side for it, we will make a decent fist of it and I'm sure NP knows what he want's to add and for me the sooner we cross that line, the better, more time to sort contracts and plan for what we want to do.

[Webbo]

No. The profits accrued versus this year's losses mean that promotion is always the best option. I trust Pearson would have spent any money he was given wisely and he has enough about him to keep us up.

[Guest Col city fan]

Maybe you just didn't read the initial post properly then. For a start my post wasn't an "argument" it was more of a musing.

Especially the last line that says "or maybe this can't be answered until May or even this time next year".

You've turned something that I thought was a pretty simple thing to ask into a mountain out of a molehill.

No need to get so defensive about it all either.

Its you who's getting defensive Bert..

I just don't agree with you bud.

No. The profits accrued versus this year's losses mean that promotion is always the best option. I trust Pearson would have spent any money he was given wisely and he has enough about him to keep us up.

Absolutely

[Bert]

Its you who's getting defensive Bert..

I just don't agree with you bud.

Absolutely

Agree with what, me asking a question?

[Haydos]

No.

This type of post makes no sense. The aim last season was promotion. If we would have gone up, none of us would have had the faintest clue who we might have signed, the formation we'd have played etc. This is just mere speculation. What is fact however is that we would have been playing in the Prem with all the riches that brings. A year earlier...

Look at the current Prem table. Many last season claimed that Cardiff would be better off for having built their squad up over time before they got promoted. Well they are currently second from bottom having sacked the very same manager that took them up! So that theory didnt hold did it.

No. The aim for years has been promotion. I'm very much of the opinion that you get promoted, then build a squad fit for the Premiership, around what you have already, granted, but with important additions.

So no, it wasnt a blessing in disguise. Primarily because you have no idea what Nige would have done to keep us up.

Look at it this way. Which of the three squads who were promoted last season look anything much like they were last season? Answer... none of them really. Perhaps the closest, until a couple of days ago, was Cardiff and they were doing the worst of the three.

 

Col, your need to be right is burning again. LIke he says, it seems to just be a conversation yet you repeatedly just say "No. No. No. No."  Why is everything an argument?

 

And I notice you've chosen to say "Realised Vardy's potential" rather than "Vardy noticebly improving". Is that by any chance because you said he should be given a chance. It seems like nearly everything you post these days needs to put you in a good light.

[ty fox]

This isn't me getting ahead of myself.

But does anyone think losing to Watford was a blessing in disguise?

We weren't guaranteed to have beat palace had we have got there and would we have been ready for the Prem last season?

We've had the chance to learn from our mistakes and come back as a stronger unit, playing better football with a settled squad that is being built for the premiership.

I know there's still a long way to go but I'll even admit things are looking promising for us.

Or can this not be answered until May and even further on, this time next year?

i think palace would have beat us last year anyway and I think that game against Watford has given this squad that burning desire to not let that happen again

[Babylon]

Col, your need to be right is burning again. LIke he says, it seems to just be a conversation yet you repeatedly just say "No. No. No. No."  Why is everything an argument?

 

And I notice you've chosen to say "Realised Vardy's potential" rather than "Vardy noticebly improving". Is that by any chance because you said he should be given a chance. It seems like nearly everything you post these days needs to put you in a good light.

He's worse than me... and that's some going.

[bluesbrothers]

Of course, because in an alternate universe, Kevin Phillips scored that penalty against us in the Playoff Final, and then signed for Watford.

The bloke has already earned us 6 points at Leeds and Bournemouth in less than 90 minutes of pitchtime and, touchwood, his contribution may well get us over the line and to the promised land. Funny how things turn out in football.

[Manwell Pablo]

There are some people on here who I think could actually start a fight in a phone box. 

[Thracian]

I doubt it mate to be honest. For me, our success this season has been down to:

1. Pearson's (and his staff's) man-management.

2. The squad a year on, now more experienced.

3. Realising Vardy's potential

4. Dropping King for James.

Don't forget, we weren't doing brilliantly before Christmas. I posted a thread asking where we think we would finish this season and very few, if memory serves me rightly, said top two. That must have been the feeling at the time (early December ish). Since then, Nige has gotten his team selection and his tactics pretty much spot on.

 

 

I actually feel that King has finally got a definitive role. One he can execute without having to pace himself as a tiring jack-of-all-trades. Pearson knows he can be trusted to maintain the status quo if we're winning or to make or plunder something if we need a goal.

 

King remains a good and useful member of our squad. He's always lost momentum mid season and has a tendency to go negative when he losing his strength of confidence. But I cannot imagine anyone being more trusted just to do the simple things quietly and competently or to be involved in one or two situations that might just unlock even the dtightest defence.

 

I've never criticised King's relegation to the bench because I think the guy lost his edge and because the consequences have been efrfective. Yes, we reached considerable heights with King as a starter but we seem to have beome a half-step better since he's become part of our insurance options. It's another aspect of our improvement and a singnificant one because it shows Pearson will move even his "chosen men" if he thinks it will reap some benefits.

 

Any manager can drop a guy with a questionable attitude but it takes character to relegate a guy you rate and respect greatly. For his own part King, I'm sure, would rather play a part in a title winning team than be a permanent starter in a team that just fell short.

 

Like many I think last season's failure was a blessing. We weren't quite good enough on or off the pitch and nothing demonstrated it more blatantly than Knockaert taking that play-offs penalty.

 

The big plus was that we didn't go for a wholesale rebuild - just the thoughtful fine-tuning that seems to have made all the difference.     

[Babylon]

There are some people on here who I think could actually start a fight in a phone box. 

 

Don't talk to me in that tone of voice.

[Jace]

I disagree with you Manwell Pablo they are called telephone boxes

[Babylon]

I disagree with you Manwell Pablo they are called telephone boxes

He's such a **** isn't he.

[Jace]

always talking ****

[OriginalRobboFOX]

Again mate... mere speculation. As Babs once said, I think, it can be really surprising which players make the step up to the Premiership. James and Vardy may have taken the leap with vigour. You/I just don't know.

I'm sure they could step up but I'm saying given the need to hit the ground running in the prem you would need 1 or 2 experienced heads and I could see Nige bringing in a centre half, centre mid and a goal scorer which could have meant limited opportunities for the likes of James, Moore et al.

[MC Prussian]

There are some people on here who I think could actually start a fight in a phone box. 

 

Don't talk to me in that tone of voice.

Your box of choice:

Or

[AnotherShitSeason]

I doubt it mate to be honest. For me, our success this season has been down to:

1. Pearson's (and his staff's) man-management.

2. The squad a year on, now more experienced.

3. Realising Vardy's potential

4. Dropping King for James.

 

 

5: My emergence as an inspirational talisman & motivational visionary to, not only the players, but everyone here on Foxes Talk.