Robin JD Popley Posted 24 July 2014 Share Posted 24 July 2014 I remember the statistic that kept getting repeated week in, week out by Jeff Stelling and the Soccer Saturday team; "If football matches were the same length as their rugby counterparts, Leicester City would be in a Champions League berth". That, in all honesty, was the thing that let us down - our performances in the last 10 minutes. Yes, retrospectively most of the signings we made that summer were no where near up to the standard required but we did sign at least one gem in Lilian Nalis and I will never forget this... All, in all, though, Nigel will not make the same mistakes of the past. He is more diligent with his spending. He has a better scouting network in place. Sports science has moved on ten fold since Micky Adams' era and also, as much as I always liked Micky, Nigel seems to be a lot better at controlling players when the going gets tough as we have seen from time to time. Therefore, my genuine belief is we will stay up this year and when the final day arrives, quite easily too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob1742 Posted 24 July 2014 Share Posted 24 July 2014 What this thread has shown is that last time we were in the premier league we were basicall Walker, Izzet, and Dickov with loads of frees and old men. This time we're a proper squad where everyone seems to want to fight for each other with no hangers on. This Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob1742 Posted 24 July 2014 Share Posted 24 July 2014 Also, don't think we should get into a MA v NP situation. MA did a good job, had a lot to contend with and think he was decent for us, until he hit a brick wall. Different budgets and different circumstances, I thought MA did pretty well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sampson Posted 24 July 2014 Share Posted 24 July 2014 Ian Walker Defender John Curtis Defender/Centre back Matt Elliott Defender/Midfielder Riccy Scimeca Defender/Midfielder Alan Rogers Defender/Left back Ben Thatcher Midfielder Muzzy Izzet Midfielder Keith Gillespie Midfielder/Forward James Scowcroft Forward Les Ferdinand Forward Paul Dickov Thats the team we played against Southampton in the 2003/2004 season, the first game we returned to the premiership last. Micky Adams added a lot of experience. I personally think the team back then had nothing to prove, they had all pretty much done it before. This team wasn't as 'tight' as the squad we have now either... Alot of individual talent and not much team chemistry... IMO, this years approach is better. Alot more fresh faces and points to prove. They will all want to showcase their talents in the big stage so they can picked for international teams etc etc... Where as Les, Dickov, Gillespie... Everyone knew what they were all about and they were to 'past it' to care. They didn't have love for the club, they just wanted to line their pockets before retirement!... Dickov probably being the exception as he ran his knackers off! So the question is & the reason for this topic... Do you think the approach Pearson is taking is more reliable than Micky Adams' approach? Ferdinand was still excellent that season and it was probably the best season of Paul Dickov's career. Calling them "past it" when they were our 2 best players that season is beyond harsh. Yet Matt Elliott who did have an affection for the club was past it by that point and had a poor season. I think you've got it a bit backwards. Our attack was excellent that season and better than our current attack, it was our defence which was the problem that season. That front 3 of Dickov, Ferdinand and Bent (who also arguably had the best season of his career) fact were one of the best scoring attacks in the country - they outscored any attack we had under O'Neill despite having a much worse midfield and it was easily good enough for a top half side. I remember people saying at the time it was statically our best front line since Lineker, Smith and Lynex. Part of the problem was in fact was the sentimentality regarding Elliott, which is understandable given what he did for the club, but he was well past being Premier League quality by then and wasn't replaced because of his association with the club and being a fan favourite when he really needed to be. People saying we were just Waller, Izzet, Dickov and a bunch of veterans are being really harsh on Ferdinand - who won both player of the season and players player of the season and who was absolutely fantastic that season even as an old man and Marcus Bent who was at his peak back then and a great goal against Charlton where he lobbed Kiely sticks in the mind especially. Ben Thatcher also had a good season and I would take him over Schlupp or Konchesky any day of the week. From what I remember, it was more Walker, Thatcher, Izzet, Ferdinand, Dickov and Bent were all great but the rest of our defence other than Thatcher were completely useless. I definitely think our current midfield is better, but our current attack is worse. Our defence is probably better now but still needs strengthening,particularly at left-back. Walker was a very good goalkeeper in both the Premier League ad Championship, I think Schmechel might probably better but we''ll need to see how he does overall in the Prem. I think our mentality is better now though and we hopefully won't concede so many late goals which as others have pointed out is what got us relegated more than any particular deficiencies in the squad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Langston Posted 24 July 2014 Share Posted 24 July 2014 Bit harsh on Sir Les, thought he had a decent season for us considering his age. He had more than a decent season, unfortunately he didn't "run his knickers off" which unfortunately for an alarming portion of our fans is a pre-requisite for being a good player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sampson Posted 24 July 2014 Share Posted 24 July 2014 He had more than a decent season, unfortunately he didn't "run his knickers off" which unfortunately for an alarming portion of our fans is a pre-requisite for being a good player. He had one of the most powerful shots I've ever seen live and was best attacking headerers of the ball I've seen too. A lot of Newcastle fans say he was actually better than Shearer in his pomp but it just didn't last as long which I can totally believe. Even though he didn't have the legs, his power and strength were still a cut above and you could still easily see how he used to be one of the very best strikers in the country and why he won PFA player of the year and why he led the line of a Newcastle side which narrowly missed out on he title. I'd question whether anyone who called him "past it" when he played for us was actually old enough to remember that season, he barely trained an couldn't play every week but when he did he was still absolutely quality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Langston Posted 24 July 2014 Share Posted 24 July 2014 Walker didn't give a crap about us, he just played for the money before he retired. Kasper plays with his heart and loves this club & team mates. Yep, I'm sure Kasper didn't ask for a wage rise when singing his new deal given his infatuation with us. He had a few moments (as does every 'keeper in world football) but Ian Walker was a fantastic goalkeeper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdb Posted 24 July 2014 Share Posted 24 July 2014 The Leeds game at Elland Road, though we lost, was brilliant. 2-0 down and we somehow come back. Dickov's goal was good, but Izzet's was special. Typical Izzet. Still one of my favourite ever LCFC goals. Same here! Bit more about the current squad/staff for me, but the big difference is Izzet. He was top, top class and way ahead of anyone else in the 2 squads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlos88LCFC Posted 24 July 2014 Author Share Posted 24 July 2014 Yep, I'm sure Kasper didn't ask for a wage rise when singing his new deal given his infatuation with us. He had a few moments (as does every 'keeper in world football) but Ian Walker was a fantastic goalkeeper. There is a difference in playing for money and asking for more money. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlos88LCFC Posted 24 July 2014 Author Share Posted 24 July 2014 Ferdinand was still excellent that season and it was probably the best season of Paul Dickov's career. Calling them "past it" when they were our 2 best players that season is beyond harsh. Yet Matt Elliott who did have an affection for the club was past it by that point and had a poor season. I think you've got it a bit backwards. Our attack was excellent that season and better than our current attack, it was our defence which was the problem that season. That front 3 of Dickov, Ferdinand and Bent (who also arguably had the best season of his career) fact were one of the best scoring attacks in the country - they outscored any attack we had under O'Neill despite having a much worse midfield and it was easily good enough for a top half side. I remember people saying at the time it was statically our best front line since Lineker, Smith and Lynex. Part of the problem was in fact was the sentimentality regarding Elliott, which is understandable given what he did for the club, but he was well past being Premier League quality by then and wasn't replaced because of his association with the club and being a fan favourite when he really needed to be. People saying we were just Waller, Izzet, Dickov and a bunch of veterans are being really harsh on Ferdinand - who won both player of the season and players player of the season and who was absolutely fantastic that season even as an old man and Marcus Bent who was at his peak back then and a great goal against Charlton where he lobbed Kiely sticks in the mind especially. Ben Thatcher also had a good season and I would take him over Schlupp or Konchesky any day of the week. From what I remember, it was more Walker, Thatcher, Izzet, Ferdinand, Dickov and Bent were all great but the rest of our defence other than Thatcher were completely useless. I definitely think our current midfield is better, but our current attack is worse. Our defence is probably better now but still needs strengthening,particularly at left-back. Walker was a very good goalkeeper in both the Premier League ad Championship, I think Schmechel might probably better but we''ll need to see how he does overall in the Prem. I think our mentality is better now though and we hopefully won't concede so many late goals which as others have pointed out is what got us relegated more than any particular deficiencies in the squad. Tbf I was only 15/16 the season we went up so it's a bit blurred in my mind of how everyone played that's why I asked the question. I do think it's hard to tell if our strike force is as good as back then though because non of them have shown what they can do in the premiership... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Langston Posted 24 July 2014 Share Posted 24 July 2014 There is a difference in playing for money and asking for more money. Surely every professional footballer plays for money?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxes_rule1978 Posted 24 July 2014 Share Posted 24 July 2014 Surely every professional footballer plays for money?! True, but it is about how much does money influence that player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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