Andy King

[yorkie1999]

Hope your right, in this day and age of mercenaries in football, always nice to see a player spend his career at one club.

Only because no one's ever come in for him.

[Miquel The Work Geordie]

Only because no one's ever come in for him.

 

Villa were very much in for him at the end of the 2010-11 season.

[Sol thewall Bamba]

Villa were very much in for him at the end of the 2010-11 season.

Weren't Everton in at one point?

[Steve_Guppy_Left_Foot]

Sure we turned down £5m for him from Everton 6 or so years ago.

[Guest Col city fan]

Sure we turned down £5m for him from Everton 6 or so years ago.

Yep...pretty sure they came in for him.

[FireFox]

Benched today. Thought he would have done well in a 4-5-1.

[yorkie1999]

Sure we turned down £5m for him from Everton 6 or so years ago.

Rumours of turning down a 3million quid bid which were probably started by some itk on Twitter.

[Guest CityFan 06]

Very professional job he did for us tonight when coming on for us I thought. Well done Kingy.

[Thracian]

I know that, but next season, if we look at progressing, I doubt he will make the bench.

That's where I will feel for him, he's been loyal to the club, but may want to play regular, and I feel that's elsewhere.

 

 

 

Agree entirely. He needs a new challenge and a chance to regain some of his attacking quality somewhere. He'll only be a supplementary player here at best by the end of the season and he's too young for semi-retirement. The same goes for Inler because both are one paced and we need far more menace and attitude now as well as someone with a genuine goals contribution.

 

If Kante can work on shooting more quickly - short backlift and not so many touches beforehand,  he could offer some threat and so could Shinji off the bench judging by his clean and powerful finishing in the pre-match warm up which, sadly,  he never seems to repeat in the game.

 

But really we need a natural finisher supporting from central midfield who can also think the passes, deliver them quickly and shrug off even the most persistent challengers.

 

Inler's not the man no matter how much his pals make the case.

 

Even his commendable breaking up of a few attacks last night was mostly wasted by carelessness afterwards, either through misplaced passes, ponderous indecision, taking too many touches or even trying to dribble out of defence which was like watching a tractor in a motor race.

 

But we need more too if we're going to retain the excitement and impetus that has taken us to the top. We need someone with pace, strength, skill and accuracy on the left, a genuine striker who can cause as much havoc as Vardy, an option for Mahrez when he's knackered and at least one quality attack-capable full-back.

 

And all paid for with a few crates of Singha beer! :xmasbiggrin: 

 

There'll be at least three or four coming in which should at least ensure we have the resources to sustain our challenge assuming they've been properly assessed and that Schlupp, Hammond and perhaps one or more of our loaned-out youngsters can also get involved. Two or three will surely be going the other way to make some room!          

[MC Prussian]

Neither King nor Inler won't leave the club for good anytime soon, from what I gather. They'll give it their best to remain part of this squad.

 

A Leicester City without Andy King would not be the same - he's been part of the first squad for more than eight years now and it'd be great if he could add another eight to his tally, finishing his career here, as well. And that hopefully with a new club record of total amount of matches completed by a single player. But he'll need to work on his defending and ball distribution, he shies away too often in that regard.

 

Inler's a fighter and won't give up competing for a starting spot. For that, he needs to work on his reactions and composure. The defending without the ball's working fine now (see his blocks and interceptions against Manchester City). He might leave on loan to gain more match practice (looking ahead to EURO 2016, a necessity), but not for good. For that he's too much of a professional who wants to prove himself with the team in the Premier League.

[Thracian]

We'll see. King, for me, is trying to be too much of a Jack of All Trades now. I'm sure it because he'll do whatever is asked of him and he just wants to be regarded as the damned good professional he is.

 

But he's played a lot of football for all he should be reaching his prime and I've thought him athletic enough to be all over the field like Kante. There aren't many Kante's anywhere but I think King should be trying to master some section of his game rather than just being seen as a reliable "go-to"

 

Instead he's covered so much ground over the years he's become more one-paced than ever and he's seems to have sold his imagination to the chore of "safety-first".

 

Some would doubt he even has imagination but the variety of goals he's score point to sublime skills and imagination in abundance. He needs to get that back and to somehow find a niche that allows that special skill to flourish.

 

Okay, he'll always be useful as a makeweight presence at set pieces either end but I don't think he's athlete enough in tracking runners to be an outstanding pivot in front of the back four now - and his imagination wouldn't be stretched in doing that anyway.

 

For me he should learn from someone like Teddy Sheringham and become a one-touch man just behind the main attackers. There to make goals through his vision and familiarity with the movement of those around him and to score goals by arriving late.

 

Otherwise he might as well move because his usefulnes will diminish.    

 

Inler? Well I've said all I have to say. He'll either learn rapidly or go back to the continental football to which I think he's best suited. I hope he learns but don't think he's athlete enough for the English game.

 

Kante sets our standard now. And at some level!   

[MC Prussian]

We'll see. King, for me, is trying to be too much of a Jack of All Trades now. I'm sure it because he'll do whatever is asked of him and he just wants to be regarded as the damned good professional he is.

 

But he's played a lot of football for all he should be reaching his prime and I've thought him athletic enough to be all over the field like Kante. There aren't many Kante's anywhere but I think King should be trying to master some section of his game rather than just being seen as a reliable "go-to"

 

Instead he's covered so much ground over the years he's become more one-paced than ever and he's seems to have sold his imagination to the chore of "safety-first".

 

Some would doubt he even has imagination but the variety of goals he's score point to sublime skills and imagination in abundance. He needs to get that back and to somehow find a niche that allows that special skill to flourish.

 

Okay, he'll always be useful as a makeweight presence at set pieces either end but I don't think he's athlete enough in tracking runners to be an outstanding pivot in front of the back four now - and his imagination wouldn't be stretched in doing that anyway.

 

For me he should learn from someone like Teddy Sheringham and become a one-touch man just behind the main attackers. There to make goals through his vision and familiarity with the movement of those around him and to score goals by arriving late.

 

Otherwise he might as well move because his usefulnes will diminish.    

 

Inler? Well I've said all I have to say. He'll either learn rapidly or go back to the continental football to which I think he's best suited. I hope he learns but don't think he's athlete enough for the English game.

 

Kante sets our standard now. And at some level!   

 

Andy King is a "utility player" in my eyes, a good option to have when you want to add some fresh legs in the latter stages of a game. He's not regular starter material for me, not with the quality in midfield that we have right now.

 

As for Kanté: He's also seven years younger than Inler! The latter's still fit as a fiddle, but I'd like to see Kanté at age 31 first!

Or to put it into another context: Inler at age 24 was a monster in midfield, getting huge praise whilst at Udinese and that's where he truly blossomed. Déjà-vu?

 

It's all relative.

[Thracian]

Andy King is a "utility player" in my eyes, a good option to have when you want to add some fresh legs in the latter stages of a game. He's not regular starter material for me, not with the quality in midfield that we have right now.

 

As for Kanté: He's also seven years younger than Inler! The latter's still fit as a fiddle, but I'd like to see Kanté at age 31 first!

Or to put it into another context: Inler at age 24 was a monster in midfield, getting huge praise whilst at Udinese and that's where he truly blossomed. Déjà-vu?

 

It's all relative.

 

 

Clearly we should have signed Inler six or seven years ago!  :xmasbiggrin:

[Thracian]

I still think Kante's the only really classy midfielder we have. Everyone screams and shouts about Drinkwater but he's not frightening enough for me. He's excellent to a point but he doesn't put fear into the opposition in the way that Messi does on approaching the box and he's not really a goal threat at all which I think it a major flaw.

 

I don't know why he's no goal threat. He seems to strike the ball well enough but is just not relaxed, ruthless or perhaps brave enough to get the shots on target when under whatever pressure is usually around.

 

Many players lose that vital moment of concentration when defenders are closing in instead of simply focusing on the shot. In fact I believe Waghorn was like that. In Scotland - with acres of time and space - he's scoring for fun. In England he too often grabbed at his shots and tried to burst the ball with the effort of it all. Instead of just focusing and hitting the target.   

 

For me shooting should become a major focus of improvement for Drinkwater. If he can plunder 10 goals a season in The Premiership then he will truly do justice to his ability because his mobility, involvement and vision are excellent.       

[UPinCarolina]

Andy King is a "utility player" in my eyes, a good option to have when you want to add some fresh legs in the latter stages of a game. He's not regular starter material for me, not with the quality in midfield that we have right now.

 

As for Kanté: He's also seven years younger than Inler! The latter's still fit as a fiddle, but I'd like to see Kanté at age 31 first!

Or to put it into another context: Inler at age 24 was a monster in midfield, getting huge praise whilst at Udinese and that's where he truly blossomed. Déjà-vu?

 

It's all relative.

You're definitely right in your assessment of King as a utility player. I see him as the stereotypical "glue" guy, a player who helps keep a squad together by being able to adequately cover multiple roles when called upon. A "jack of many trades, master of none" scenario - and as other posters have stated, you cannot help but appreciate his maturation with the club. As a locker room presence alone, he is valuable beyond his wages.

[foxes21]

I remember King was so good against Chelsea at the start of last season and dominated the midfield... alongside Dean Hammond in a midfield 2.

 

Why hasn't he repeated these type of performances? Do you think he is a confidence player? I think when he plays, he needs to feel like the 'main-man' or 'star' of the middle of the park so to speak, to get the best out of him..

[Fez of Mahrez]

Everyone screams and shouts about Drinkwater but he's not frightening enough for me. He's excellent to a point but he doesn't put fear into the opposition in the way that Messi does on approaching the box       

 

Brilliant.

[Thracian]

I remember King was so good against Chelsea at the start of last season and dominated the midfield... alongside Dean Hammond in a midfield 2.

 

Why hasn't he repeated these type of performances? Do you think he is a confidence player? I think when he plays, he needs to feel like the 'main-man' or 'star' of the middle of the park so to speak, to get the best out of him..

 

We've changed our style this season - even in relation to fast breaks. Where once we passed the ball one-of-two-touch through sometimes three or four players now we focus much more on getting the ball to Vardy of Mahrez with only one or two passes. Great while it's new but limited when the tactic is recognised. 

 

Drinkwater's the fulcrum but I believe Inler was bought to do the same thing - except his passes didn't make it.

 

Drinkwater's direct, down-the-middle feed to Vardy enabled him to win a penalty that might well have won the match against Bournemouth so it's hard to criticise.

 

But we didn't score from what was a fair but debatable penalty, we've gone three games without a goal, having scored in every previous game, and only Vardy and Mahrez really threaten goals now.

 

Why? Because the opposition know the plan and are finding it a little easier to contain Vardy/Mahrez than if we have a third potential point of attack down the left, which we don't. 

 

Albrighton's fine to some extent but he's not destructive, he's not a marksman and we don't have the strikeforce to use his crosses which are not generally fast-paced or severely spun/flighted enough to really hurt.

 

So, with no Schlupp either, defenders have fewer problems because's there's no threat down the left and Dyer only helped further demonstrate that fact on Saturday

.

Surely Ranieri will fix it in the window - it's easily seen the problem - but right now we're playing with just two plus an occasional potential goalscorer and it's little wonder the goals have dried up.

 

Drinkwater does half an excellent job but doesn't score or even shoot very often, doesn't do much in the air and if he's tightly marked it's all down to Kante to create something, an aspect forever seeking to improve but is still asking a lot for a bloke who never stops running even nowl. 

 

King just doesn't fit the approach anymore. He's a pass-and-move player who slipped into the shadows of Drinkwater because he's been made redundant as a goals threat and the team no longer embraces  a pass-and-move as a policy because the stats show we're not very good at it. 

 

We rely much more now on one or two longer balls which is fine until the tactic is sussed and then it's considerably easier to contain if there's no other threat.

 

It's over simplistic but King, for me, maintained our balance and always offered alternatives but in a midfield three rather than a two. It's why 3-5-2 worked for us so well with King all but ever present during our recovery last season. 

 

But Ranieri won't countenance three at the back while 4-3-3 is made harder by having a non-attacking right-back, no genuinely dangerous left-sided attacker and while Shinji's used as a compromise between attack and midfield, presumably because Ranieri thinks him a better option there than King and perhaps with good reason because King, in an attacking sense, is really best as a late arriver from midfield, rather than a support-striker.

 

I don't know what Shinji does best. He looks as if he can shoot in the pre-match kickabout. But then so would I, at least when I was his age. But King's goals - and a fair few assists or parts played - are well documented.   

 

Whatever, by the time this window's through we may have enough reinforcements to push King out of the matchday 16 altogether, or certainly to make his chances of an appearance more limited.

 

Our use of Dyer on Saturday only emphasised my point. Albrighton on the left and King in central midfield would have been far more hopeful. King has often been able to make a difference in the right set-up and we certainly needed someone with his kind of accuracy - especially as 10-man Bournemouth were hardly in a position to press.       

[Guest Col city fan]

We've changed our style this season - even in relation to fast breaks. Where once we passed the ball one-of-two-touch through sometimes three or four players now we focus much more on getting the ball to Vardy of Mahrez with only one or two passes. Great while it's new but limited when the tactic is recognised.

Drinkwater's the fulcrum but I believe Inler was bought to do the same thing - except his passes didn't make it.

Drinkwater's direct, down-the-middle feed to Vardy enabled him to win a penalty that might well have won the match against Bournemouth so it's hard to criticise.

But we didn't score from what was a fair but debatable penalty, we've gone three games without a goal, having scored in every previous game, and only Vardy and Mahrez really threaten goals now.

Why? Because the opposition know the plan and are finding it a little easier to contain Vardy/Mahrez than if we have a third potential point of attack down the left, which we don't.

Albrighton's fine to some extent but he's not destructive, he's not a marksman and we don't have the strikeforce to use his crosses which are not generally fast-paced or severely spun/flighted enough to really hurt.

So, with no Schlupp either, defenders have fewer problems because's there's no threat down the left and Dyer only helped further demonstrate that fact on Saturday

.

Surely Ranieri will fix it in the window - it's easily seen the problem - but right now we're playing with just two plus an occasional potential goalscorer and it's little wonder the goals have dried up.

Drinkwater does half an excellent job but doesn't score or even shoot very often, doesn't do much in the air and if he's tightly marked it's all down to Kante to create something, an aspect forever seeking to improve but is still asking a lot for a bloke who never stops running even nowl.

King just doesn't fit the approach anymore. He's a pass-and-move player who slipped into the shadows of Drinkwater because he's been made redundant as a goals threat and the team no longer embraces a pass-and-move as a policy because the stats show we're not very good at it.

We rely much more now on one or two longer balls which is fine until the tactic is sussed and then it's considerably easier to contain if there's no other threat.

It's over simplistic but King, for me, maintained our balance and always offered alternatives but in a midfield three rather than a two. It's why 3-5-2 worked for us so well with King all but ever present during our recovery last season.

But Ranieri won't countenance three at the back while 4-3-3 is made harder by having a non-attacking right-back, no genuinely dangerous left-sided attacker and while Shinji's used as a compromise between attack and midfield, presumably because Ranieri thinks him a better option there than King and perhaps with good reason because King, in an attacking sense, is really best as a late arriver from midfield, rather than a support-striker.

I don't know what Shinji does best. He looks as if he can shoot in the pre-match kickabout. But then so would I, at least when I was his age. But King's goals - and a fair few assists or parts played - are well documented.

Whatever, by the time this window's through we may have enough reinforcements to push King out of the matchday 16 altogether, or certainly to make his chances of an appearance more limited.

Our use of Dyer on Saturday only emphasised my point. Albrighton on the left and King in central midfield would have been far more hopeful. King has often been able to make a difference in the right set-up and we certainly needed someone with his kind of accuracy - especially as 10-man Bournemouth were hardly in a position to press.

Flipping eck Thrac, that's like an essay! I don't think I've seen you post so much as recently mate.

[Thracian]

_{It won't last.  Christmas is over tonight,  a busy year beckons and with any luck the golf course will stop looking like a quagmire!}     

[fuchsntf]

Criticisms of individuals miss the point. Ranieri was out thought by Klopp,who got his tactics spot on.

 

Wenger won the tactical battle in another way earlier in the season.Others might be aware of the threat we offer but other than these two none have managed to set their team up to counter that threat.

So what you are really saying, in this illogical post, is that Claudio got it spot on, ..on 18 occasions.

If you missed it, or them, city even against Liverpool had some good chances.

They were at home with a team, who should be better, they cost 4 times as much as us at least..

Stop overrating our chances to prove a point against a top notch group, who for some reason still

havent fired, but so well l behind the fighting spirit of city.One swallow doesnt make a summer..

Sounds like a MNF pundit.

[Dr The Singh]

Flipping eck Thrac, that's like an essay! I don't think I've seen you post so much as recently mate.

I would love to see a double tag team match between Col & Cattermole vs Thrac & king

[ScouseFox]

nuff love for kingeh what more can i say 

[johnny the fox]

some will still say he ain't good enough..

[lgfualol]

I was worried when we went to just King and Inler in the middle but both were great today.